Is there life after a PhD? Proceeedings from a symposium presented by the Graduate School

The flippant title conceals a real and serious question. How does one go about building a career after completing a PhD? The larger context includes the motivation for doing a PhD in the first place and the various market places which might employ PhD graduates and their needs. Most students undertake PhDs after successful undergraduate careers that awaken their interests in a particular subject and a desire to penetrate more deeply into it. The implicit expectation is usually a career in research and/or teaching in a university. The rewards and the style that can be expected of a life in the academy have, however, changed greatly over the last two or three decades. The impetus for arranging the symposium was our increasing concern that students undertaking PhD studies are not sufficiently aware of the shrinking job opportunities and intense competition now endemic in the traditional arena and, conversely, of the potential of other less often considered avenues providing for rewarding careers. There is plenty of hard, as well as anecdotal, evidence for the first proposition. For example a recent Nature (vol. 383, p195, 1996) review of an American study reports that it found that fewer than half of PhDs in academic institutions hold tenure track positions. In the light of this finding, the US National Academy of Sciences recommends that young scientists 'approach their careers with a broad view, with the well-developed set of professional survival skills that today's job market requires'.Good advice surely. But what are these skills and how do you acquire them? It occurred to us that a good way to explore this question and to illustrate the wider horizons that PhD graduates, and, better, intending PhD candidates, should be scanning, would be to enlist as speakers in a symposium people who had successfully deployed a PhD degree as a spring- board to develop careers outside the conventional sphere. To our surprise there are many such individuals and, more gratifyingly, these outstanding Australians when approached were generous in agreeing to participate in our symposium. As may be judged from the accounts collected here, the presentations were interesting, pertinent and often provocative. We are grateful to the participants for their time, their enthusiasm and for agreeing to provide the written scripts which form the basis of this publication. It was evident from the capacity audience throughout the day and the lively discussion following each talk, that students in the Graduate School do feel the need for creative and practical career advice. It seemed to us well worthwhile to make the proceedings available for continuing reference as a Graduate School Occasional Paper. For this first symposium we decided to focus on PhDs in science and engineering. Clearly, a good deal that was said was relevant to other disciplines too. Still, we hope in future to broaden the scope of related symposia to include, explicitly, career options for PhDs in the social sciences, humanities and other areas. We hope that Symposia like 'Is There Life after a PhD?; will form a nice complement to the Induction Program-- 'How to Manage Your Research Degree'--offered by the Graduate School,whose emphasis is on giving students good advice on how to equip themselves for a successful career

Using a Blended Learning Approach to support Women returning to STEM

This paper examines a blended learning model designed to support women returning to STEM after a career break and its delivery in a unique partnership between an online distance education provider and a community based equality organisation. Through this partnership additional activities such as networking events, returnships, career clinics and webinars were used in addition to a structured online Badged Open Course (BOC), which enabled a successful return to employment for many of the participants. This paper outlines the results and implications of an evaluation of this integrated model and argues that blended learning approaches need to be flexible and adaptable to be able to incorporate the needs of different groups of learners at different life-course stages, taking into consideration gender and other diversity characteristics

Group treatments for sensitive health care problems : a randomised controlled trial of group versus individual physiotherapy sessions for female urinary incontinence

Background: The aim was to compare effectiveness of group versus individual sessions of physiotherapy in terms of symptoms, quality of life, and costs, and to investigate the effect of patient preference on uptake and outcome of treatment. Methods: A pragmatic, multi-centre randomised controlled trial in five British National Health Service physiotherapy departments. 174 women with stress and/or urge incontinence were randomised to receive treatment from a physiotherapist delivered in a group or individual setting over three weekly sessions. Outcome were measured as Symptom Severity Index; Incontinence-related Quality of Life questionnaire; National Health Service costs, and out of pocket expenses. Results: The majority of women expressed no preference (55%) or preference for individual treatment (36%). Treatment attendance was good, with similar attendance with both service delivery models. Overall, there were no statistically significant differences in symptom severity or quality of life outcomes between the models. Over 85% of women reported a subjective benefit of treatment, with a slightly higher rating in the individual compared with the group setting. When all health care costs were considered, average cost per patient was lower for group sessions (Mean cost difference £52.91 95%, confidence interval (£25.82 - £80.00)). Conclusion: Indications are that whilst some women may have an initial preference for individual treatment, there are no substantial differences in the symptom, quality of life outcomes or non-attendance. Because of the significant difference in mean cost, group treatment is recommended

Exercise training for lung transplant candidates and recipients: a systematic review

Exercise intolerance and impaired quality of life (QoL) are characteristic of lung transplant candidates and recipients. This review investigated the effects of exercise training on exercise capacity, QoL and clinical outcomes in pre- and post-operative lung transplant patients.A systematic literature search of PubMed, Nursing and Allied Health, Cochrane (CENTRAL), Scopus and CINAHL databases was conducted from inception until February, 2020. The inclusion criteria were assessment of the impact of exercise training before or after lung transplantation on exercise capacity, QoL or clinical outcomes.21 studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 1488 lung transplant candidates and 1108 recipients. Studies consisted of five RCTs, two quasi-experimental and 14 single-arm cohort or pilot studies. Exercise training improved or at least maintained exercise capacity and QoL before and after lung transplantation. The impact on clinical outcomes was less clear but suggested a survival benefit. The quality of evidence ranged from fair to excellent.Exercise training appears to be beneficial for patients before and after lung transplantation; however, the evidence for direct causation is limited by the lack of controlled trials. Well-designed RCTs are needed, as well as further research into the effect of exercise training on important post-transplant clinical outcomes, such as time to discharge, rejection, infection, survival and re-hospitalisation

Doctors are inconsistent in estimating survival after CPR and are not using such predictions consistently in determining DNACPR decisions

Background: It is unclear whether doctors base their resuscitation decisions solely on their perceived outcome. Through the use of theoretical scenarios, we aimed to examine the ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ (DNACPR) decision-making. Methods: A questionnaire survey was sent to consultants and specialty trainees across two Norfolk (UK) hospitals during December 2013. The survey included demographic questions and six clinical scenarios with varying prognosis. Participants were asked if they would resuscitate the patient or not. Identical scenarios were then shown in a different order and doctors were asked to quantify patients’ estimated chance of survival. Results: A total of 137 individuals (mean age 41 years (SD 7.9%)) responded. The response rate was 69%. Approximately 60% were consultants. We found considerable variation in clinician estimates of median chance of survival. In three out of six of our scenarios, the survival estimated varied from <1% to 95%. There was a statistically significant difference identified in the estimated median survival between those clinicians who would or would not resuscitate in four of the six scenarios presented. Conclusion: This study has highlighted the wide variation between clinicians in their estimates of likely survival and little concordance between clinicians over their resuscitation decisions. The diversity in clinician decision-making should be explored further

Preferred roles in treatment decision making among patients with cancer: A pooled analysis of studies using the control preferences scale

OBJECTIVES: To collect normative data, assess differences between demographic groups, and indirectly compare US and Canadian medical systems relative to patient expectations of involvement in cancer treatment decision making. STUDY DESIGN: Meta-analysis. METHODS: Individual patient data were compiled across 6 clinical studies among 3491 patients with cancer who completed the 2-item Control Preferences Scale indicating the roles they preferred versus actually experienced in treatment decision making. RESULTS: The roles in treatment decision making that patients preferred were 26% active, 49% collaborative, and 25% passive. The roles that patients reported actually experiencing were 30% active, 34% collaborative, and 36% passive. Roughly 61% of patients reported having their preferred role; only 6% experienced extreme discordance between their preferred versus actual roles. More men than women (66% vs 60%, P = .001) and more US patients than Canadian patients (84% vs 54%, P <.001) reported concordance between their preferred versus actual roles. More Canadian patients than US patients preferred and actually experienced (42% vs 18%, P <.001) passive roles. More women than men reported taking a passive role (40% vs 24%, P <.001). Older patients preferred and were more likely than younger patients to assume a passive role. CONCLUSIONS: Roughly half of the studied patients with cancer indicated that they preferred to have a collaborative relationship with physicians. Although most patients had the decision-making role they preferred, about 40% experienced discordance. This highlights the need for incorporation of individualized patient communication styles into treatment plans

‘Find the Gap’: can a multidisciplinary group of university teachers influence learning and teaching practice?

© 2017 The Authors. This is an Open Access article, first published in a Special Issue of Practice and Evidence of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, July 2017. This article is made available for personal research, educational, and non-commercial purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, all content is protected by copyright, and in the absence of an open license, permissions for further re-use should be sought from the publisher, the author, or other copyright holder.This paper describes and analyses a year’s project undertaken by a small, multidisciplinary group of academic staff in a UK post -1992 university. The purpose of the group was to: take a scholarly and inquiring approach to learning and teaching; build staff confidence and expertise in teaching and leadership in teaching; and offer a model of a potential approach to institutional change in educational practice. The project involved colleagues with interest and expertise in teaching sharing ideas for practice together through dialogue. They also undertook an Appreciative Inquiry into effective professional learning in this field and shared the findings with colleagues and institutional leaders. Evaluation identified individuals’ professional learning over the year and their growth in confidence to share practice ideas beyond the local. Barriers to using this approach for university practice development included perceived issues of authority to act in an institutional context, and performative approaches to change in teaching. Colleagues identified that they needed to find ‘gaps’ in allocated time schedules and in perceptions of teaching development and leadership if they are to influence more than their own practice. It is suggested that universities need to build the expertise and leadership capacities of academic staff with knowledge and skills in teaching by bringing them together in multidisciplinary groups to share ideas and create new practice. Gaps in policies and systems need to be opened up to enable these colleagues to have time and opportunities to work together, network with others and enhance university educational practice.Peer reviewe

Analyzing the Prevalence and Severity of Cribra Orbitalia in Bronze Age Arabia

Background: The Umm an-Nar period (ca. 2700-2000 BCE) in southeastern Arabia was marked by the intensification of oasis agriculture and a corresponding shift to sedentism. Cribra orbitalia lesions from tombs Unar 1 and Unar 2 (Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, UAE) were observed for rates of nonspecific stress during this period of transition. We hypothesized that due to increased reliance on agriculture beginning around 2200 BCE, Unar 1 individuals would have a higher prevalence of active cribra orbitalia. Methods: Given the commingled and fragmentary nature of these collections, we first scored percentage of orbit present in 25% increments. Scorable orbits (defined as ≥25%) were then evaluated as present or absent for cribra orbitalia and scored for severity and healing. Results: There was no statistically significant differences in rates of cribra orbitalia between tombs (2=0.02, df=1, p=0.89), nor for measures of severity (2=0.59, df=2, p=0.74). However, a statistically significant difference was found between tombs for degree of healing for the left orbit (Fisher’s Exact; p=0.0004, df=3), with individuals from Unar 1 (69%) exhibiting higher rates of healing compared to Unar 2 (14%). Stable resource accumulation from oasis agriculture and herding coupled with enhanced interregional trade may explain this difference. Conclusion: Our results suggest frequency and severity of cribra orbitalia did not change over time, despite archaeological evidence for agricultural intensification in the latter third millennium, and that later individuals possessed improved healing of these lesions. This indicates that local inhabitants of this region were able to adapt successfully without negatively impacting their health. Funding Statement: This research was funded by a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Award (#1852426)https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/present_yr2/1001/thumbnail.jp