The views of doctors in their first year of medical practice on the lasting impact of a preparation for house officer course they undertook as final year medical students

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The UK General Medical Council recommends that medical students have the opportunity of shadowing the outgoing new doctor whose post they will soon undertake. At the University of Nottingham the two-week shadowing period was preceded by two weeks of lectures/seminars wherein students followed sessions on topics such as common medical/surgical emergencies, contracts, time management, surviving the first two years of clinical practice, careers advice and so on.</p> <p>The present study aimed to gain a better knowledge and understanding of the lasting impact of a four-week preparation course for new Foundation Year 1 doctors [F1 s - interns]. The objectives chosen to achieve this aim were:</p> <p>1/ to determine the extent to which the lecture/seminar course and shadowing period achieved their stated aim of smoothing the transition from life as a medical student to work as a new doctor;</p> <p>2/ to evaluate perceptions of the importance of various forms of knowledge in easing the transition between medical student and new doctor</p> <p>Method</p> <p>In the spring of 2007, 90 graduates from Nottingham were randomly selected and then emailed a link to a short, online survey of quantitative and qualitative questions. Of these 76 responded. Analysis of quantitative data was carried out using SPSS 16.0 and employed McNemar's test. Analysis of the qualitative data was carried out using the constant comparative method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 31% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the lecture/seminar part of the course prepared them well for their first FY1 post; 14% agreed that during their first job they drew on the knowledge gained during the lecture/seminar course; 94% strongly agreed or agreed that the shadowing part of the course was more useful than the lecture/seminar part.</p> <p>Experiential knowledge gained in the shadowing was the most highly valued, followed by procedural knowledge with propositional knowledge coming far behind.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study shows that new doctors retrospectively value most the knowledge they are able to transfer to the workplace and value least material which seems to repeat what they had learned for their final exams.</p

Post-compulsory education in Suisse romande

This thesis sets out to describe and discuss, to analyse and criticise post-compulsory education in the francophone part of Switzerland, or Suisse romande. A further object is to see whether this part of the oldest confederation in the world might have lessons on the educational front to offer the European Community or indeed whether there might be practices in the EC whose adaptation to Suisse romande's situation and circumstances might be beneficial. The remaining object is to propose a series of models for educational structures - autonomous, synthetic and pluralist - and to determine which model fits which part of Suisse romande's post-compulsory education. After describing the rationale behind the work, the thesis moves on to set out the historical, geographical, economic and cultural background to the area in question in order to provide a context for the main body of the discussion. This reduces the need for tangential digressions to explain particular aspects of education in Suisse romande. The main text covers post-compulsory school (with a description of the end of compulsory school), vocational training, adult education and higher education with a concluding chapter devoted to drawing together some of the threads spun in the course of the thesis. The writer found that Suisse romande in particular and Switzerland in general have much experience which the EC might do well to examine. There is, for example, the creation of national certificates in vocational training which, although of equal value throughout the country, bear the clear stamp of their Canton of origin. Autonomous structures have been brought together, in the case of schools, by negotiation between Cantonal authorities (with the encouragement of Federal government)

A photometric search for transients in galaxy clusters

We have begun a program to search for supernovae and other transients in the fields of galaxy clusters with the 2.3m Bok Telescope on Kitt Peak. We present our automated photometric methods for data reduction, efficiency characterization, and initial spectroscopy. With this program, we aim to ultimately identify $\sim$25-35 cluster SN Ia ($\sim$10 of which will be intracluster, hostless events) and constrain the SN Ia rate associated with old, passive stellar populations. With these measurements we will constrain the relative contribution of hostless and hosted SN Ia to the metal enrichment of the intracluster medium. In the current work, we have identified a central excess of transient events within $1.25 r_{200}$ in our cluster fields after statistically subtracting out the 'background' transient rate taken from an off-cluster CCD chip. Based on the published rate of SN Ia for cluster populations we estimate that $\sim$20 percent of the excess cluster transients are due to cluster SN Ia, a comparable fraction to core collapse (CC) supernovae and the remaining are likely to be active galactic nuclei. Interestingly, we have identified three intracluster SN candidates, all of which lay beyond $R>r_{200}$. These events, if truly associated with the cluster, indicate a large deficit of intracluster (IC) SN at smaller radii, and may be associated with the IC stars of infalling groups or indicate that the intracluster light (ICL) in the cluster outskirts is actively forming stars which contribute CC SN or prompt SN Ia.Comment: Updated to match accepted version; 26 pages, 14 figures, AJ accepte

The Type Ic Supernova 1994I in M51: Detection of Helium and Spectral Evolution

We present a series of spectra of SN 1994I in M51, starting 1 week prior to maximum brightness. The nebular phase began about 2 months after the explosion; together with the rapid decline of the optical light, this suggests that the ejected mass was small. Although lines of He I in the optical region are weak or absent, consistent with the Type Ic classification, we detect strong He I λ10830 absorption during the first month past maximum. Thus, if SN 1994I is a typical Type Ic supernova, the atmospheres of these objects cannot be completely devoid of helium. The emission-line widths are smaller than predicted by the model of Nomoto and coworkers, in which the iron core of a low-mass carbon-oxygen star collapses. They are, however, larger than in Type Ib supernovae

Template for Developing Guidelines for the Evaluation of the Clinical Efficacy of Psychophysiological Interventions

An essential function of both the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) and the Society for Neuronal Regulation (SNR) is the systematic evaluation of psychophysiological interventions that have been developed for the treatment of medical and psychiatric disorders. In order to address scientific concerns regarding the efficacy of specific clinical applications of biofeedback, these two societies formed and Efficacy Task Force. The process to be used in the assessment of treatment efficacy, specificity and clinical utility is presented in the form of a template that will serve as the foundation for a series of scientific reviews and practice guidlines to be published by both societies

Ex-smokers with and without COPD: Investigating CT Pulmonary Vascular, Airway, Pulmonary Artery and Aorta Measurements

RATIONALE: Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary artery, and is a key contributor to worsening symptoms in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The pulmonary artery to aorta diameter ratio (PA:Ao), measured using computed tomography (CT), is a biomarker of pulmonary hypertension; however, longitudinal changes in this measurement and its relationship to pulmonary vascular and airway structural changes is not well understood. Our objective was to investigate longitudinal changes in PA:Ao and its relationship with CT pulmonary vascular and airway abnormalities, airflow limitation and exercise-capacity

Use of Dried Capillary Blood Sampling for Islet Autoantibody Screening in Relatives:A Feasibility Study

Background: Islet autoantibody testing provides the basis for assessment of risk of progression to type 1 diabetes. We set out to determine the feasibility and acceptability of dried capillary blood spot–based screening to identify islet autoantibody–positive relatives potentially eligible for inclusion in prevention trials. Materials and Methods: Dried blood spot (DBS) and venous samples were collected from 229 relatives participating in the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study. Both samples were tested for glutamic acid decarboxylase, islet antigen 2, and zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies, and venous samples were additionally tested for insulin autoantibodies and islet cell antibodies. We defined multiple autoantibody positive as two or more autoantibodies in venous serum and DBS screen positive if one or more autoantibodies were detected. Participant questionnaires compared the sample collection methods. Results: Of 44 relatives who were multiple autoantibody positive in venous samples, 42 (95.5%) were DBS screen positive, and DBS accurately detected 145 of 147 autoantibody-negative relatives (98.6%). Capillary blood sampling was perceived as more painful than venous blood draw, but 60% of participants would prefer initial screening using home fingerstick with clinic visits only required if autoantibodies were found. Conclusions: Capillary blood sampling could facilitate screening for type 1 diabetes prevention studies.</p

Optical Spectroscopy of Supernova 1993J During Its First 2500 Days

We present 42 low-resolution spectra of Supernova (SN) 1993J, our complete collection from the Lick and Keck Observatories, from day 3 after explosion to day 2454, as well as one Keck high-dispersion spectrum from day 383. SN 1993J began as an apparent SN II, albeit an unusual one. After a few weeks, a dramatic transition took place, as prominent helium lines emerged in the spectrum. SN 1993J had metamorphosed from a SN II to a SN IIb. Nebular spectra of SN 1993J closely resemble those of SNe Ib and Ic, but with a persistent H_alpha line. At very late times, the H_alpha emission line dominated the spectrum, but with an unusual, box-like profile. This is interpreted as an indication of circumstellar interaction.Comment: 19 pages plus 13 figures, AASTeX V5.0. One external table in AASTeX V4.0, in landscape format. Accepted for publication in A

Optical Spectra of the Type Ia Supernova 1998aq

We present 29 optical spectra of the normal Type Ia SN 1998aq, ranging from 9 days before to 241 days after the time of maximum brightness. This spectroscopic data set, together with photometric data presented elsewhere, makes SN 1998aq one of the best observed Type Ia supernova at optical wavelengths. We use the parameterized supernova synthetic-spectrum code SYNOW to study line identifications in the early photospheric-phase spectra. The results include evidence for lines of singly ionized carbon, at ejection velocities as low as 11,000 km/sec. Implications for explosion models are discussed.Comment: 40 pages including 20 figures and 4 tables. Accepted by A