Authoring Simulations for High Stakes Student Evaluation

Although simulation methods have primarily been used for teaching in nursing education, there is a growing interest in the use of simulation for student and program evaluation. Developing simulation scenarios for high stakes evaluation differs from traditional teaching/learning scenario authorship in a number of ways. This manuscript describes the process used to write, pilot test, and revise scenarios used in the National League for Nursing High Stakes Testing feasibility study. Observations and reported differences in scenario development and facilitation may provide insight to others regarding the best use of summative simulation scenarios

Understanding Poverty and Gender: Narratives from the Field

This mixed-method study presents findings of the two-phased multi-year, multi-country, interdisciplinary research project that sought to develop a new measure of deprivation that is genuinely gender-sensitive and responsive to the expressed interests and views of poor women and men. The presentation will highlight the research methodology and how context impacts people\u27s views on the gendered dimensions of poverty, hardship and deprivation and what these suggest as potential dimensions of a new gender-sensitive measure of poverty

Return to work and workplace activity limitations following total hip or knee replacement

SummaryObjectiveTotal hip (THR) and knee (TKR) replacements increasingly are performed on younger people making return to work a salient outcome. This research evaluates characteristics of individuals with early and later return to work following THR and TKR. Additionally, at work limitations pre-surgery and upon returning to work, and factors associated with work limitations were evaluated.Methods190 THR and 170 TKR of a total 931 cohort participants were eligible (i.e., working or on short-term disability pre-surgery). They completed questionnaires pre-surgery and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-surgery that included demographics, type of occupation, and the Workplace Activity Limitations Scale (WALS).Results166 (87%) and 144 (85%) returned to work by 12 months following THR and TKR, respectively. Early (1 month) return to work was associated with, male gender, university education, working in business, finance or administration, and low physical demand work. People with THR returned to work earlier than those with TKR. For both groups, less pain and every day functional limitations were associated with less workplace activity limitations at the time return to work.ConclusionsThe majority of individuals working prior to surgery return to work following hip or knee replacement for osteoarthritis (OA) and experience fewer limitations at work than pre-surgery. The changing workforce dynamics and trends toward surgery at younger ages mean that these are important outcomes for clinicians to assess. Additionally, this is important information for employers in understanding continued participation in employment for people with OA

Individual Characteristics That Promote or Prevent Psychological Safety and Error Reporting in Healthcare: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare errors continue to be a safety issue and an economic burden that causes death, increased length of stays, and emotional trauma to families and the person who commits the error.  Speaking up and error reporting within a safety culture can reduce the incidence of error; however, this is complex and multifaceted. AIM: This systematic review investigates individual characteristics that support or prevent speaking up behaviors when adverse events occur.  This study further explores how organizational interventions designed to promote error reporting correlate to individual characteristics and perceptions of psychological safety.  . METHODS: A systematic review of peer-reviewed articles in healthcare that contain characteristics of an individual that promote or prevent error reporting was conducted. The search yielded 1233 articles published from 2015 to 2021. From this set, 81 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and ultimately extracted data from 28 articles evaluated for quality using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools©. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The primary themes for individual character traits, values, and beliefs that influence a person\u27s decision to speak up/report an error include self-confidence and positive perceptions of self, the organization, and leadership. Education, experience and knowledge are sub themes that relate to confidence. The primary individual characteristics that serve as barriers are 1) self-preservation associated with fear and 2) negative perceptions of self, the organization, and leadership. CONCLUSION: The results show that an individual\u27s perception of their environment, whether or not it is psychologically safe, may be impacted by personal perceptions that stem from deep-seated personal values. This exposes a crucial need to explore cultural and diversity aspects of healthcare error reporting and how to individualize interventions to reduce fear and promote error reporting

Reflexivity in Qualitative Research: A Journey of Learning

Conducting research, more so, fieldwork, changes every researcher in many ways. This paper shares the various reflexivities – the journeys of learning – that we underwent as field researchers. Here, we share the changes brought about to ourselves, as a result of the research process, and how these changes have affected the research process. It highlights the journey of discovering how we, as researchers, shaped and how we were shaped by the research process and outputs. All these efforts were done in our attempts to discover and understand various social phenomena and issues such as poverty, development, gender, migration, and ill health in the Philippines. This article includes the challenges encountered in our epistemological stance/s and personal and methodological concerns shown in our reflexivity notes/insights. Indeed, it is when researchers acknowledge these changes, that reflexivity in research constitutes part of the research findings. It is through this consciousness of the relational and reflective nature of being aware of personal and methodological concerns that we honor ourselves, our teammates/co-researchers and all others involved with the research project. As researchers, we need to be cognizant of our contributions to the construction of meanings and of lived experiences throughout the research process. We need to acknowledge that indeed it is impossible to remain “outside of” one\u27s study topic while conducting research

Ethanolamine regulates CqsR quorum-sensing signaling in Vibrio cholerae

The pathogen that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae, uses the cell-cell communication process known as quorum sensing (QS) to regulate virulence factor production and biofilm formation in response to changes in population density and complexity. QS is mediated through the detection of extracellular chemical signals called autoinducers. Four histidine kinases, LuxPQ, CqsS, CqsR and VpsS, have been identified as receptors to activate the key QS regulator LuxO at low cell density. At high cell density, detection of autoinducers by these receptors leads to deactivation of LuxO, resulting in population-wide gene expression changes. While the cognate autoinducers that regulate the activity of CqsS and LuxQ are known, the signals that regulate CqsR have not been determined. Here we show that the common metabolite ethanolamine specifically interacts with the ligand-binding CACHE domain of CqsR in vitro and induces the high cell-density QS response through CqsR kinase inhibition in V. cholerae cells. We also identified residues in the CqsR CACHE domain important for ethanolamine detection and signal transduction. Moreover, mutations disrupting endogenous ethanolamine production in V. cholerae delay the onset of, but do not abolish, the high cell-density QS gene expression. Finally, we demonstrate that modulation of CqsR QS response by ethanolamine occurs inside animal hosts. Our findings suggest that V. cholerae uses CqsR as a dual-function receptor to integrate information from the self-made signals as well as exogenous ethanolamine as an environmental cue to modulate QS response

The Motivations and Aspirations of Indian Physiotherapists Who Migrate Overseas to Study and Work: A Grounded Theory Study

Objective: To explore why Indian physiotherapists seek to migrate overseas for study and work. Design: Qualitative research using Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) methodology. Setting: Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted in the UK and India, at university, clinic or hotel locations convenient to the participants. Participants: Nineteen physiotherapists from across India. Thirteen had studied or worked in the UK, Australia or Kuwait, and six had no overseas experience. Findings: The participants desired a ‘better life’ due to factors perceived as less favourable in India: pay levels, professional respect and professional development. These elements were inter-dependent and their importance varied between participants and according to gender. Indian societal values amplified the importance of pay for male physiotherapists, whereas females prioritised professional development. Migrant physiotherapists aspired to professional autonomy through the development of knowledge, skills and experience. Respect was important, but there were different perspectives on its achievement and the relevance of titles. For those studying overseas, work was sought to recoup the cost of that study, and, importantly to consolidate learning and experience of autonomous physiotherapy practice. They all planned to return to India and wished to transfer their knowledge and skills back into practice in India. Conclusion: Pay, respect and professional development are all motivators for Indian physiotherapists to study and work overseas. An ability to practise physiotherapy autonomously is a key factor underpinning the achievement of each of these elements and thus the ultimate aspiration to have a ‘better life’

Operationalizing excellence on a strategic business unit: A strategic management plan for AMKOR Technology Philippines

The year 1999 was a promising and challenging year for the semiconductor industry. The increasing demand, growing faster than expected rates, for Integrated Circuit or IC product has open a lot of opportunities to the industry market - making IC outsourcing or subcontracting packaging business favorable due to the following factors: (1) Increasing IC packaging and test complexity (2) Semiconductor companies focusing on core competencies (3) Large capital investments required for the capitalization of water fabrication, assembly (packaging) and test (4) Accelerating time-to-market requirements (5) Growth of fabless semiconductor companies by as much as 28%. With the industry trend, outsourcing of packaging and test has become lucrative business, which accounts to 20% of the worldwide semiconductor packaging and test operations. This industry segment is projected to increase at a faster rate than the overall growth of the semiconductor business based on industry analysis. Given the external and internal environment analyses, as outlined in the paper, Amkor Technology Philippines (ATP) faces the following issues: (1) With the market and economic conditions outlined, how can ATP stay on top of competition in the IC subcontracting packaging industry business? (2) How would the company sustain and keep its best people especially in the technical staff units? In response to these, ATP exerts relentless efforts in achieving Total Customer Satisfaction. Critical success factors for the customers are pursued to gain trust and confidence, building long lasting relationship and future business with them. The pursuit of ATP main strategies, based on external and internal analyses made, will assure the company of sustained industry leadership. The main strategies of ATP are as follows: (1) The plant expansion, to take advantage of the industry growth (2) New product enhancement and development, to exploit new market applications preferences (3) Selective partnership, to achieve supplier quality improvement (4) Hiring policy redesign, to ensure continuous and enhanced service from its main assets, its people Supported by the functional strategies defined, especially operational excellence in manufacturing operations, make it viable for the company to experience continued growth and profitability as well as achieving its vision of being the company of choice, worthy of trust to its customers

Teaching and Mentoring Qualitative Research: A Journey of Struggles and Contradictions

The year 1992 introduced to me the world of qualitative research, the year I started my PhD in Australia. The only mode of inquiry I knew then was quantitative research. Since then, my life has never been the same. I came home with my PhD in 1995 and immediately started my crusade for Qualitative Research (QualRes). I am happy to say that after almost 2 and a half decades of advocacy, of struggles and contradictions in the process of having QualRes integrated into the health sciences curriculum, my colleagues and I are positive and contented at the advances we have gained and at the various trajectories, it is heading. Now I can say that QualRes in the health sciences is here to stay…not without frowns and smirks, but, yes, it is here to stay. This presentation will focus on the various struggles and contradictions in my journey of introducing and aiming at institutionalizing QualRes as a mode of inquiry on health sciences in the Philippines. A journey that frowned at QualRes as unscientific and unacceptable in the academe to one that is embraced now as scientific, relevant, empowering, necessary, complimentary and challenging