Supporting Newly Qualified Diagnostic Radiographers: Are We Getting It Right?

The NHS is facing a rising demand in services and consequently, newly qualified practitioners are required to possess a much wider set of skills than ever before. In diagnostic radiography, this pressure is underpinned by the expanding role that diagnostic imaging now plays in many patient pathways. Despite the need for structured support for graduates which has been acknowledged by a range of studies and the introduction of the Preceptorship Framework for Newly Registered Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals (Department of Health, (DoH), 2010) the uptake in radiography is limited. A longitudinal study employed an interpretive phenomenological methodology collating data from nine participants during their first year as band five radiographers. Each participant was interviewed at three, six and twelve months. Six main themes were identified during a wider PhD study Being and Becoming a Diagnostic Radiographer (Harvey-Lloyd, 2018). This article explores one of the key sub themes ‘structured support’ which strongly featured in the three- and six-month interviews. Two of the nine participants received a structured support programme during their first 12 months of transition as newly qualified radiographers. These programmes focussed on the completion of tasks and were mechanistic in approach. This type of support ignores the process of transformation into the role of a diagnostic radiographer and fails to adequately support those from Generation Z. A model of preceptorship is proposed which combines skills and competence development, supporting transition and personal and professional development; thus, providing the newly qualified radiographers with a holistic range of support

Narratives of belonging and exclusion :the negotiation of heritage and place in young people's conceptualisations of national identity in Scotland

PhD Thesis : This is an edited version of the printed thesis in which copyrighted images have been removed. The thesis can be viewed in full, on request at the University Library.This thesis analyses whether attempts to reimagine the nation in plural terms can be successful in altering individuals’ conceptualisations of national identity and belonging. Drawing on theories of identity maintenance and ontological security (Giddens 1991), identity as performance (Butler, 1990; Goffman, 1959) and Mason’s (2013) concept of ‘cosmopolitan museology’, it questions the degree to which individuals are willing or able to accept plural representations of national identity increasingly seen in European museums such as the National Museum of Scotland. Such interpretative approaches attempt to deconstruct homogenous discourses of nationhood while encouraging individuals to develop a reflexive sense of self. This thesis argues that further research is needed into the way in which heritage is produced and negotiated in everyday social environments beyond the museum in order to understand what—if any— impact museums may have in producing ‘inclusive’ definitions of national identity. These issues are examined in Scotland, a devolved nation in the UK. The thesis critically analyses how young people aged between 13-17 years old from 5 schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Barra and the Scottish Borders utilised and negotiated concepts of ‘heritage’, ‘place’, ‘national identity’ and ‘diversity’ in narratives of belonging and exclusion. 73 young people participated in the research, which was conducted using focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The analysis also draws upon insights gained from teachers and heritage professionals. The research found that the majority of participants adopted positions that reinforced their existing sense of self, rather than alter their definitions of nationhood. While many participants were comfortable with the language of ‘diversity’, they frequently struggled to express themselves when applying these principles to everyday life. The findings indicate that museums could make a positive contribution to public debates by enabling individuals to articulate ideas of diversity while avoiding the essentialisation of difference.AHRC: The Postgraduate Research Student Submission Support Fund

Aspects of the ecology of some invertebrates on limestone outcrops in Moorland

In 1984-5 the carabids and staphylinids on ten isolated limestone outcrops and intervening blanket peat within the Moor House Reserve, Cumbria, were investigated. In 1986 a subsidiary study on similar habitats was made at Tailbridge Hill, Cumbria. Pitfall and window traps sampled beetles from the ground and air respectively. Numbers and alpha diversities of carabids and staphylinids were higher on the Moor House limestone outcrops than on the blanket peat. The outcrops acted as isolates to many species, but also suffered considerable contamination by adjacent peat faunas. Limestone species taken on outcrops exhibited a positive species: area relationship consistent with island biogeographical theory. Peat species taken on outcrops showed a negative species: area relationship. Overall, species of staphylinid were positively, and carabid, negatively, correlated with outcrop size. Dispersal of species between habitats was influenced by body size, degree of hygrophily and flight activity. Flight by carabids was negligible, but most staphylinids could fly. Weather conditions were probably the primary cause of this difference between taxa. Flight by staphylinids was related to the stability of the habitat or resources involved. All Nomadic species could fly whereas flight by Peat species was negligible. Limestone species showed relatively high levels of flight activity attributable to the need of many rarer species for regular dispersal between outcrops to spread the risk of extinction. The aerial fauna at Moor House had three components, with species deriving from the immediate habitat, moorland habitats nearby, or regions beyond the Reserve. A considerable influx of staphylinids (and aphids) onto the Reserve occurred in July-October as aerial plankton was carried in from the west by prevailing winds. The applicability of island biogeography theory to the Moor House system, and to 'habitat islands' in general, is discussed

Innovative Business Communication and Its Effect on the Bottom Line

This thesis will examine a variety of business communication styles and show how various forms of communication can have an impact on a company\u27s profitability. Although a number of variables have been known to contribute to a company\u27s bottom line - sales volume, cost of production, quality of products, etc. - only in the last ten to fifteen years have companies begun to look at the impact their business communication techniques have on productivity. In these times of downsizing, rightsizing, and reengineering, it is more important than ever to maintain open lines of communication among all levels of employees. It is no longer enough to maintain good communication within your department or work group. It must go beyond those lines to other departments and other locations. A company must be able to operate as a finely tuned machine, with all departments and locations working together. There must be as much concern shown for the internal customer as there is for the external customer. This paper looks at more than just how words are spoken and messages received. It delves into overall employee treatment and employee development as forms of communication. Areas covered include empowering workers to identify problems and solutions; sharing more financial information to build a stronger team; using humor and fun to develop better morale; and various ways to instill a culture of ownership - even in companies without profit sharing plans. Many companies with innovative ideas are mentioned in this thesis. Some are focused on more in depth due to their broad ranging communicative cultures. Clear examples are given to support the theory that companies that are committed to thoroughly implementing two-way communication systems throughout their work environment have happier employees. These employees are more productive and involved in problem solving and growth. Ultimately, these companies are more productive than the average company, and employees are the most challenged

Hooping through Interdisciplinary Intertwinings: Curriculum, Kin/aesthetic Ethics, and Energetic Vulnerabilities

Learning to become a teacher is inherently stressful. Daunting deadlines of final assignments become the curricular hoops students jump through, conceptualized as gateways to experiencing something meaningful on the ‘other’ side, beyond the circumscribed constraints of a university campus. In an ethic, kinaesthetic, and energetic pedagogical response, teacher candidates were invited to spend time with and physically explore the very object they associate with their exasperations: the hoop. This inquiry thus aimed to explore emergent interdisciplinary understandings between the practice of ‘learning to teach’ and ‘learning to hoop’ on campus and with children in local schools and a First Nations community. Student interviews revealed that the practice of hooping not only released stress, it afforded an opportunity to loosen rigid notions of curriculum and pedagogy, specifically that learning is more than a linear journey of jumping through a prescribed set of hoops and that teaching is more than a process of transmitting information. A bodily pedagogical practice of vulnerability, fluidity and interactivity thus emerged as teacher candidates became receptive to step into and be transformed by the hoop.

Using a Self-assessment Wheel to Facilitate Reflection

As a life coach I have modified a commonly utilised tool – the Wheel of Life (Whitworth, L., Kimsey-House, H. and Davies, S. Co-active Coaching. Palo Alto, Ca: Davies-Black, 1998) and developed a self-assessment wheel. The purpose of this paper is to share my experience of developing and using the self-assessment wheel to facilitate reflection amongst practice educators.Reflective practice is an important skill to master and often the challenge for many practitioners is where to start and how to develop the necessary skills in order to reflect in a meaningful way.By discussing the link between self-assessment and reflection it is proposed that the self-assessment wheel it can help practitioners to overcome their reticence to begin the reflective process. Links are made throughout the paper with other reflective models and the flexibility of the tool is discussed alongside potential uses for the future

Evaluating a Bayesian approach to improve accuracy of individual photographic identification methods using ecological distribution data

Photographic identification of individual organisms can be possible from natural body markings. Data from photo-ID can be used to estimate important ecological and conservation metrics such as population sizes, home ranges or territories. However, poor quality photographs or less well-studied individuals can result in a non-unique ID, potentially confounding several similar looking individuals. Here we present a Bayesian approach that uses known data about previous sightings of individuals at specific sites as priors to help assess the problems of obtaining a non-unique ID. Using a simulation of individuals with different confidence of correct ID we evaluate the accuracy of Bayesian modified (posterior) probabilities. However, in most cases, the accuracy of identification decreases. Although this technique is unsuccessful, it does demonstrate the importance of computer simulations in testing such hypotheses in ecology

An Innovative Interprofessional Assessment

This article describes and evaluates the assessment used for a UK-based module entitled IPL - Working with Others. The module was attended by 320 students from adult nursing, child health nursing, mental health nursing, midwifery, social work, operating department practice, diagnostic radiography and therapeutic radiography. Students were divided into interprofessional groups of eight students. The groups were given a case study of a service user coming into contact with different health and social care professionals. They had to work together to produce a poster, based on the case study. The interprofessional groups provided a ‘real’ experience of working together and understanding one another’s roles. The students then had to defend their poster as a group and respond to questions from two assessors. In order to review the assessment, both students and staff were asked to provide feedback about the assessment process, listing the positive and challenging aspects. All of the staff provided feedback (12), and 192 (60%) students also provided feedback. It was found that the assessment worked well, both staff and students having found it to be both a good learning experience as well as being a good way to assess IPL. Students had a ‘real’ experience of interprofessional working, facing barriers and challenges to overcome which are similar to those in practice