Unemployment Compensation (UC) and the Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF): Funding UC Benefits

CRS_March_2005_Unemployment_Compensation_and_the_Unemployment_Trust_Fund.pdf: 743 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Are we all on the same page? Teacher, graduate and student perceptions of the importance of skills thought to enhance employability

Graduate employability is a key issue for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), academic faculty and of course for students themselves. It is recognised that to be employable graduates require both discipline specific skills/knowledge and more generic skills for employment. A key step to the development of the latter is an understanding of their significance on the part of those designing courses and the students who take them. Here we compare the perceived importance of key skills from the perspective of teachers, current students and recent graduates. We find that the three groups differ in the relative importance they ascribe to several key skills. Staff rated all skills as being important and saw many as being more important than did their students. With hindsight, graduates prioritized skills that were not seen as being very important by current students. As a result of our synthesizing the views of current undergraduates, employed graduates and lecturing staff, we recommend that proper signposting of the significance of key skills to students is vital

Standardizing Genomic Testing of Pancreatic Cancer in a Community Oncology Practice

Problem. Ordering genomic testing for patients with pancreatic cancer can discover germline or somatic mutations that may allow for targeted therapy. There are some difficulties in obtaining genomic tests, such as which test to order, and optimal timing of ordering. In addition, interpreting results and maintaining easy access to the report in the electronic medical record can be difficult. Delays in ordering genomic testing can delay the discovery of an actionable mutation for treatment. Methods. A descriptive comparison project was developed comparing rates and timing of ordering of genomic testing for patients with pancreatic cancer who established care with a medical oncology practice between December 2019 and April 2020, and December 2020 and April 2021. Between the two data collection periods, medical oncologists began ordering genomic testing of pancreatic cancer patients upon initial consultation. Previously, there was no standard process of ordering genomic testing. The sample included adult patients at a Midwestern community medical oncology practice. Results. The mean number of days from tissue diagnosis of pancreatic cancer to ordering of genomic testing decreased from 56.7 days in the first group (n=6) to 13 days in the second group (n=5). No actionable mutations were found in either group. Implications for Practice. Early genomic testing of pancreatic cancer can lead to earlier discovery of genetic mutations and opportunities for matched targeted therapy, which could improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer