Multi-layered voices of being a nurse and becoming a nurse teacher

This paper uses reflective processes to examine developing from a practicising nurse into a nurse teacher. In particular it examines concepts of 'voice' and 'space' . Professional experience is set within the wider context of the academy by drawing on research accounts from teaching colleagues which were completed as part of PhD studies. Suggestions are offered for how to integrate different voices within the developing role

Learning to weave an article using Blackboard threads

Diversity in learning is a challenge for student and facilitator alike. Returning to learning, or learning in a second language, are daunting prospects that require preparation and understanding in course design. Academic writing is a particular area that creates anxiety. This paper offers a potential solution for building confidence and developing academic writing by explaining how the discussion forum, available on the Blackboard virtual learning environment (VLE) system, is used with an academic development group on a return to study course in the United Kingdom (UK). In particular it looks at how discussion threads can be developed to build the infrastructure of an argument, and how using the ‘real’ healthcare knowledge of the student enables this process to occur

Children's views of older people

Worldwide demographic change means that the responsibility for a growing older population will fall to younger generations. This narrative literature review comprises an international examination of what has been published about children’s views of older people between 1980 and 2011. Sixty nine academic papers were inductively analysed, and the emerging themes were: ageism; contact with older people; children’s media; children’s perceptions of older people; intergenerational studies; children’s perceptions of older people’s health conditions; and culture, ethnicity and worldwide studies. Reports about children’s views were influenced by research methods, the children’s familiarity with whom they were being asked to describe, their prior relationships with grandparents and other significant older people, and their stage of development. 80% of the papers were based on American research, and were often guided by a concern about ageism. While children adopt stereotypes, they do not appear to be ageist. Research needs to include a wider geographical and cultural spread of children; children’s understandings of the lived experiences of older people; and an exploration of the effects of culture, faith and socio-economic status on children’s views if it is to underpin effective education to equip the next generation to humanely support the older populations of the future

Implementing an e-learning Masters programme for Practice Development

Introduction – The need for more effective person centred care has been propositioned for a number of years (Dewar and Nolan 2013; McCormack, Dewing and McCance, 2011; Dewing, 2004) and Practice Development (PD) has been viewed as one way to embed this into organisational culture (Manley, Sanders, Cardiff and Webster, 2011). More recently multiple policy reports echo this call (Age UK, 2012; Willis Commission on Nursing, 2012; Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman, 2011). Joint work between the Department of Nursing and England Centre for Practice Development at Canterbury Christ Church University has validated an innovative Masters level programme in Practice Development, utilising workplace and e-learning approaches to facilitate creativity in the work setting. Aim: This paper will briefly describe the programme and then explore the experiences and challenges of implementing a work based and e-learning Masters Practice Development and Innovation programme. Approach: Practice Development is built on the key principles of person-centredness, shared values and vision, transforming individuals and culture through active learning, facilitation and engagement (McCormack, Manley, Titchen 2013). Thus, the approach to the Masters programme reflects these principles and utilises facilitation methods to enable practice development to transform the learner and work setting. As part of this process we, as lecturers, have been developing our own values and beliefs and expanded our knowledge and skills so that we can positively impact on the learner experience and work as learning partners. The programme is, therefore, evolving to embody these principles and enable learners to incorporate them into practice. The programme is built around ten core Practice Development/Innovation principles and the process of Active Learning, which will be expanded on in the presentation. Our vision is to make this programme accessible to regional, national and international learners. The work-based and e-learning approaches make this achievable but bring challenges to ensure that the programme reflects the principles of Practice Development from a distance. This is further complicated by facilitating a range of learners from diverse clinical areas, experiences and cultures who have often been exposed to traditional forms of learning. Thus, facilitating the learners to engage with the material, and incorporate it into their own practice setting, has led to careful consideration of materials for the learners to access. As the programme is progressing areas are emerging that need to be thoughtfully considered and addressed to ensure development of learning. Considerations: Initial themes starting to emerge are: increasing lecturer knowledge and skills around both Practice Development and different tools for e-learning, learners previous experience of facilitation and willingness to take responsibility for their own learning, challenges of promoting active learning approaches online , enabling achievement of Masters level learning outcomes with a distance approach, new ways of working for individuals plus the organisational views around supporting learners in practice. These require both lecturers and learners to be motivated to learn and devote time to engage with material and processes. However, it also requires lecturers and learners to make choices and reflect on activities to assess the relevance and usefulness to their situation. The programme encourages learners to be creative and examine issues differently which takes time to engage with and progress. Conclusion: Evaluation of this programme is in its infancy. A key learning point is that transforming practice through Practice Development and innovation in the workplace also involves transforming University views on learning, engagement and creativity

Biographical learning: a process for promoting person-centredness in nursing

Background: This paper explores biographical approaches to nurses’ learning. It builds on previous PhD research to consider the effects of such approaches, drawing on the experiences of learners who have recently completed biographical study, in their own words. Aims and objectives: The aim of the paper is to make sense of different forms of learning. The objectives are to identify how autobiographical approaches that involve people learning from their life stories can engage people to exert agency, or ownership, in their own lives by taking control of their learning plans. Design: This longitudinal study started with the first group of learners undertaking a biographical preparation module on an Applied BSc Health and Social Care programme. Methods: Research relating to nurses’ learning is considered, including a Swiss perspective, as well as the validity of the biographical approach to developing knowledge. The learners share stories of their learning in order to develop understanding and new insights into their own lives and those of others. Results: Different dimensions of learning including learning about self, learning to make a difference and processes of repair are revealed through the learners’ narrations. Conclusions: Engaging biographically, to make sense of different forms of learning, appears to be beneficial to more person-centred working. Implications for practice: •Introducing biographical elements into courses of study can benefit learners by helping them to make sense of who they are as learners and practitioners •Co-creating compelling spaces of learning can facilitate learners to exert agency within their own lives as well as help others to learn. By exerting agency we mean taking ownership of the learning revealed through the biographical work and taking it forward in positive ways to enhance person-centred care

Effects of Cycling Intensity on Acute Signaling Adaptations to 8-weeks Concurrent Training in Trained Cyclists

© 2022 Jones, Eddens, Kupusarevic, Simoes, Furber, Van Someren and Howatson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This study examined whether the intensity of endurance stimuli modifies the adaptation in strength and endurance following concurrent training and whether the acute molecular response to concurrent exercise is affected by training status. Using a parallel group design, trained cyclists were randomized to either resistance exercise followed by moderate intensity continuous training (RES + MICT, n = 6), or resistance exercise followed by work matched high intensity interval training (RES + HIIT, n = 7), across an 8 weeks training programme. A single RES + MICT or RES + HIIT exercise stimulus was completed 1 week before and within 5 days of completing the training programme, to assess phosphorylation of protein kinases of the mTOR and AMPK signaling pathways. There were no main effects of time or group on the phosphorylation of protein kinases in response to concurrent exercise stimulus pre- and post-training intervention (p > 0.05). Main effects of time were observed for all maximal strength exercises; back-squat, split-squat, and calf-raise (p 0.05). Whilst preliminary data due to limited sample size the intensity of endurance activity had no effect on performance outcomes, following concurrent training. Further, the acute molecular response to a concurrent exercise stimulus was comparable before and after the training intervention, suggesting that training status had no effect on the molecular responses assessed.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Aerobic exercise intensity does not affect the anabolic signaling following resistance exercise in endurance athletes

Abstract: This study examined whether intensity of endurance stimulus within a concurrent training paradigm influenced the phosphorylation of signaling proteins associated with the mTOR and AMPK networks. Eight male cyclists completed (1) resistance exercise (RES), 6 × 8 squats at 80% 1-RM; (2) resistance exercise and moderate intensity cycling of 40 min at 65% V̇O2peak, (RES + MIC); (3) resistance exercise and high intensity interval cycling of 40 min with 6 alternating 3 min intervals of 85 and 45% V̇O2peak (RES + HIIC), in a cross-over design. Muscle biopsies were collected at rest and 3 h post-RES. There was a main effect of condition for mTORS2448 (p = 0.043), with a greater response in the RES + MIC relative to RES condition (p = 0.033). There was a main effect of condition for AMPKα2T172 (p = 0.041), with a greater response in RES + MIC, relative to both RES + HIIC (p = 0.026) and RES (p = 0.046). There were no other condition effects for the remaining protein kinases assessed (p > 0.05). These data do not support a molecular interference effect in cyclists under controlled conditions. There was no intensity-dependent regulation of AMPK, nor differential activation of anabolism with the manipulation of endurance exercise intensity.Peer reviewe

Satisfaction with web-based training in an integrated healthcare delivery network: do age, education, computer skills and attitudes matter?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Healthcare institutions spend enormous time and effort to train their workforce. Web-based training can potentially streamline this process. However the deployment of web-based training in a large-scale setting with a diverse healthcare workforce has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of healthcare professionals with web-based training and to determine the predictors of such satisfaction including age, education status and computer proficiency.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Observational, cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals from six hospital systems in an integrated delivery network. We measured overall satisfaction to web-based training and response to survey items measuring Website Usability, Course Usefulness, Instructional Design Effectiveness, Computer Proficiency and Self-learning Attitude.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 17,891 healthcare professionals completed the web-based training on HIPAA Privacy Rule; and of these, 13,537 completed the survey (response rate 75.6%). Overall course satisfaction was good (median, 4; scale, 1 to 5) with more than 75% of the respondents satisfied with the training (rating 4 or 5) and 65% preferring web-based training over traditional instructor-led training (rating 4 or 5). Multivariable ordinal regression revealed 3 key predictors of satisfaction with web-based training: Instructional Design Effectiveness, Website Usability and Course Usefulness. Demographic predictors such as gender, age and education did not have an effect on satisfaction.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study shows that web-based training when tailored to learners' background, is perceived as a satisfactory mode of learning by an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals, irrespective of age, education level or prior computer experience. Future studies should aim to measure the long-term outcomes of web-based training.</p

Evaluation of mobile learning: Students' experiences in a new rural-based medical school

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mobile learning (ML) is an emerging educational method with success dependent on many factors including the ML device, physical infrastructure and user characteristics. At Gippsland Medical School (GMS), students are given a laptop at the commencement of their four-year degree. We evaluated the educational impact of the ML program from students' perspectives.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Questionnaires and individual interviews explored students' experiences of ML. All students were invited to complete questionnaires. Convenience sampling was used for interviews. Quantitative data was entered to SPSS 17.0 and descriptive statistics computed. Free text comments from questionnaires and transcriptions of interviews were thematically analysed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty students completed the questionnaire (response rate 88%). Six students participated in interviews. More than half the students owned a laptop prior to commencing studies, would recommend the laptop and took the laptop to GMS daily. Modal daily use of laptops was four hours. Most frequent use was for access to the internet and email while the most frequently used applications were Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Students appreciated the laptops for several reasons. The reduced financial burden was valued. Students were largely satisfied with the laptop specifications. Design elements of teaching spaces limited functionality. Although students valued aspects of the virtual learning environment (VLE), they also made many suggestions for improvement.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Students reported many educational benefits from school provision of laptops. In particular, the quick and easy access to electronic educational resources as and when they were needed. Improved design of physical facilities would enhance laptop use together with a more logical layout of the VLE, new computer-based resources and activities promoting interaction.</p

Repeatability of Corticospinal and Spinal Measures during Lengthening and Shortening Contractions in the Human Tibialis Anterior Muscle

Elements of the human central nervous system (CNS) constantly oscillate. In addition, there are also methodological factors and changes in muscle mechanics during dynamic muscle contractions that threaten the stability and consistency of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and perpherial nerve stimulation (PNS) measures