Food Writing

This advanced writing four-credit course approaches food writing from a news reporting perspective. The Pioneer Valley is home to a network of food producers, from farmers and cheesemakers to brewers and beekeepers. Students will travel into the field to meet people who make and grow what we eat, conducting interviews and collecting information to synthesize into multimedia stories for publication around themes such as health, history, travel, ecology, animal welfare, social change, nutrition, and home cooking. Students will experience the full spectrum of food writing—blogs, magazine articles, personal essays, reviews, recipes, social and cultural commentary—and create stories in a variety of these forms

The Effect of Virtual Learning as a Result of COVID-19

In the early spring of 2020, the United States began to experience the effects of the question-inspiring, novel COVID-19 viral illness, with the onset of massive business, school, and entertainment closures, initiating a shift towards virtual learning, communication, and professional interactions. This paper is intended to identify the common experiences of two nursing students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing a personal narrative, or autoethnographic approach, coupled with reviews of previously published literature relating to shared themes of the authors, including the rapid changes to an online environment from traditional classroom settings, the stressors that were experienced as a result of that alteration, and the personal development and growth which accompanied the transitions of this time period. Noting an increased resilience to rapid, unexpected changes affecting daily life, as well as enhanced knowledge of self-motivation and organization, the authors have experienced a number of constructive takeaways that will likely be implemented in the many years ahead. While the COVID-19 pandemic led to a variety of uncomfortable and detrimental outcomes and an array of losses which will not be forgotten, positive consequences can still be observed, leading to an improved future

Profiles in Faculty Leadership: The Experience of 1985-1986 California Community College Senate Presidents

The Problem: Very little has been written about leadership in community colleges from the faculty perspective. California, with its highly evolved system of community colleges, 20 year history of faculty senates and recent reform legislation mandating shared governance is a logical platform from which to explore the issue of faculty leadership. This study was conducted in an effort to learn more about those who have served as California community college senate presidents. Of particular interest were the individual\u27s motivations, expectations and reflections on the experience as well as the individual\u27s involvement in college governance activity in the five years following his or her service as senate president. The Research: The study was descriptive in nature and employed methodological triangulation to explore the problem from multiple perspectives. A 20 question Senate President Survey (SPS) instrument was mailed to all faculty members who had been identified as serving as a local senate president at a California community college during 1985-86. This instrument sought demographic information, and probed attitudes and perceptions about the experience. Two groups of respondents were identified, those who were more active than they had been during their presidency and those who were less active. In depth semistructed telephone interviews of six respondents from each group were then conducted and issues were probed in more detail. The California Community College Chancellor\u27s Office and Department of Finance documents provided a third source of information about the institutions at which each senate president served. The Results: From this research a demographic profile of those who served as senate presidents in 1985-86 was developed. It was learned that more than half of those individuals had withdrawn from governance activity at their colleges. Statistically significant correlations between current governance activity levels and other institutional or individual variables could not be found. The interviews of former senate presidents revealed perceptions about their experience, their colleagues, union and senate relationships, administrative and senate relationships and attitudes related to shared governance

Artificial Intelligence in Pharma

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the possible applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of Pharmacy. Artificial intelligence basically involves complex information processing. It enables machines to carry out certain functions which were originally done by human and which required human intellect. Over the past few years, the use of artificial intelligence in the pharma has grown unimaginably and is now able to revolutionize the way drugs are discovered and handled. AI is capable of impacting the field of pharmacy at multiple levels. Pharmacy and medical education, drug development, personalization of drug therapy, drug safety, rational drug use, manufacture and formulation of dosage forms are areas of impact by AI. The fact that AI can displace humans at their own tasks is a matter of concern. Although there are ethical concerns regarding the implementation of AI in healthcare, it can be assured that no machine or system can replace many of the humanitarian duties

Artificial Intelligence in Pharma

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the possible applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of Pharmacy. Artificial intelligence basically involves complex information processing. It enables machines to carry out certain functions which were originally done by human and which required human intellect. Over the past few years, the use of artificial intelligence in the pharma has grown unimaginably and is now able to revolutionize the way drugs are discovered and handled. AI is capable of impacting the field of pharmacy at multiple levels. Pharmacy and medical education, drug development, personalization of drug therapy, drug safety, rational drug use, manufacture and formulation of dosage forms are areas of impact by AI. The fact that AI can displace humans at their own tasks is a matter of concern. Although there are ethical concerns regarding the implementation of AI in healthcare, it can be assured that no machine or system can replace many of the humanitarian duties

An Educational Initiative to Promote Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice (EBP), recognized as essential in providing quality patient care and achieving optimal outcomes, is the integration of the best research evidence, patient preference, and clinician expertise. Healthcare providers must attain expertise in integrating EBP into the clinical setting. Fellowships are one strategy reported in the literature to assist nurses in acquiring needed knowledge and skills for evidence-based care. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention, the Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EPBI), to teach nurses the process of EBP for project implementation to improve nursing and patient outcomes. This descriptive study used a mixed-method design and previously collected data. Two surveys were administered to participants of the EBPI at the beginning (pre-test) and conclusion (post-test) of this educational intervention to assess barriers to utilizing research, knowledge, skills, and attitudes of EBP. Additionally, participants, nurse mentors, and fellows participated in focus groups on the last day of the EBPI. A sample of 17 subjects, eight mentors and nine fellows, completed the surveys and nine mentors and 11 fellows participated in the focus groups. The study used several theories to guide the interpretation of the data; Diffusion of Innovations to inform the findings, Critical Feminist Theory to assess for power relations, and the Quality Outcomes framework of structure, process, and outcome to summarize the results. The one statistically significant finding occurred post-test (p \u3c .05) in the fellow group for one subscale on the EBP survey. Three themes emerged from the focus groups: organizational culture and support, EBPI structure and process, and professional growth and development. Barriers and facilitators within each theme were reported. Hospitals are under increased pressure to provide quality care using the best evidence. A priority for every hospital is the integration of the best evidence into practice in a systematic fashion to ensure safe quality patient outcomes. Educational programs that teach the value of evidence-based practice and the steps to integrate evidence into practice are an effective modality to promote evidence-based clinical decision-making about patient care

Efficacy of Existing Interventions for Health Care Provider Stress & Implications for Low-Resource Health Care Settings: A Systematic Review

Introduction: There is a demand for interventions that may help providers cope with inevitably high levels of stress, but there is a paucity of data on the efficacy/feasibility of interventions for provider stress/burnout—particularly in low-resource settings. This study examined existing interventions and their effectiveness in combatting stress and burnout among providers. Methods: The traditional format of a systematic review was employed utilizing PubMed, PsycInfo, and SCOPUS to examine stress and burnout interventions offered to health care providers. Primary outcomes of stress/burnout were analyzed through the use of validated resilience scores. This study initially identified 1,720 records; twelve studies were included in the final review (6 RCT, 6 Observational). Results: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reductions (MBSR) and modified versions of MBSR proved effective in mitigating burnout among healthcare providers. Interventions involving work-hour adjustments and “Balint-type” discussion sessions demonstrated modest results with downward trends in burnout joined by a decrease in other secondary measurements like emotional exhaustion. Interventions focused on protected sleep periods, communication skills training combined with stress management, and online courses did not demonstrate statistically significant reductions in burnout or depression. Conclusion: Some of the mindfulness-based and focused educational interventions analyzed in this review show promise in the sustainable reduction in stress/burnout among physicians and nurses. This review also supports the need for and the potential benefits of long-term follow-up measures regarding healthcare provider stress/burnout interventions in order to develop feasible programs that may help low-resource setting providers that experience burnout in its most extreme form