Guided reading: Providing reading instruction for struggling readers to build their comprehension strategies during independent reading

The purpose of this study was to observe, assess, evaluate, instruct, and assess again the benefits of guided reading for one struggling student through a case study venue. The guided reading component of reading instruction has more than one facet to the acquisition of language. These facets are designed to strengthen the student\u27s reading abilities

Walking alongside: a qualitative study of the experiences and perceptions of academic nurse mentors supporting early career nurse academics

Purpose: This study explores the experiences and perceptions of academic nurse mentors supporting early career nurse academics (ECNAs). Methods: Interviews were undertaken with mentors following a mentoring partnership with ECNAs. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a process of thematic analysis. Findings: Four themes emerged from the data, namely; motivation for mentoring; constructing the relationship; establishing safe boundaries and managing expectations. Conclusions: This study provides a unique insight into the experiences of mentoring within the context of an academic leadership programme for nurses. Such insights highlight the issues facing academics from professional disciplines and can inform strategies to support their career development. Clinical relevance: A sustainable academic nursing workforce is crucial to ensure that effective preparation of future generations of expert clinical nurses. Therefore, it is important to consider strategies that could strengthen the academic nursing workforce

Unravelling the complexities of nursing students\u27 feedback on the clinical learning environment: a mixed methods approach

Background Clinical placement is an essential part of nursing education, and students\u27 experiences on clinical placement can affect the quality of their learning. Understanding nursing students\u27 positive and negative perceptions of clinical placement experience is therefore important. Objectives To describe nursing students\u27 satisfaction with their clinical placement experiences and identify any variations in satisfaction based on demographic characteristics. Design Mixed methods - online survey with qualitative items. Setting Four universities in Australia. Participants Students (n = 213) enrolled in an undergraduate nursing degree. Methods Between 2010 and 2012, students completed online surveys following their clinical placement experiences. The surveys included demographic questions and the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI-19), a 19-item tool measuring students\u27 satisfaction with clinical placement. The surveys included two open-ended questions asking students to share their most satisfying and challenging experiences whilst on placement. Descriptive statistics and thematic analyses were undertaken. Results Of the 213 participants, those in health-related employment and those with English as an additional language (EAL) were less satisfied with the clinical facility and with clinical facilitator support respectively, as indicated by the CLEI-19 subscale scores. Qualitative findings showed students were positive about the opportunity to make a difference and be involved in nursing, and negative about clinical facilitator support. Nevertheless, those who were most critical in their written comments about their placement were those who only spoke English at home. Conclusions Although the study found overall satisfaction with clinical placement, the lower satisfaction reported by students in health-related employment, and the mixed findings regarding language spoken and satisfaction, warrant further attention

Employability Skills in Health Services Management: perceptions of recent graduates

Background: Employer skill requirements of graduates are monitored by Graduate Careers Australia, but health services management (HSM) specific employability skills (ES) perceived by graduates to be important on the job and their perceptions of skills they need to improve are not well reported. Academics need this feedback to improve course employment outcomes by helping current students identify and articulate appropriatecompetencies to potential employers. Also teaching of industry requirements can help improve job matching for employers. Method: Recent graduates working in HSM in New South Wales, Australia were surveyed to rate ES for importance and rate their own skill levels on the same items. The gap between these two ratings was identified for 44 ES. Results: ES important to recent graduates in rank order were: verbal communication skills, integrity and ethical conduct, time management, teamwork, priority setting, ability to work independently, organisational skills, written communication, being flexible and open minded and networking. Highest self-ratings were found for integrity and ethical conduct, ability to work independently, being flexible and open minded, tertiary qualifications, interpersonal skills, written communication skills, time management, life-long learning, priority setting and administration skills. Generally graduates rated their skills lower than their ratings of importance. Conclusions: Recent graduates can provide valuable feedback to universities about ES required for HSM positions and identify their own skill gaps for development at work or through study. Generic skills rather than job-specific skills are what they rate as most important. Closer engagement of universities and employers is recommended especially through placements. Abbreviations: ES – employability skills; GCA – Graduate Careers Australia; HEI – higher education institutions; HRM – human resource management; HSM – health services management; IPC – interpersonal and communication skills

463 Vibostolimab plus pembrolizumab with/without docetaxel vs docetaxel in NSCLC after platinum chemotherapy and immunotherapy

BackgroundAgents blocking interactions between the T-cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and ITIM domains (TIGIT) and its ligands (CD112, CD155) have demonstrated preclinical antitumor activity. Anti-TIGIT humanized monoclonal antibody vibostolimab (MK-7684) showed promising antitumor activity and manageable toxicity in heavily pretreated patients across multiple tumor types, particularly when combined with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (NCT02964013). Pembrolizumab has significantly improved OS versus chemotherapy in PD-L1–positive advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, many patients present with primary or acquired resistance to immunotherapy. This phase 2 study (NCT04725188) evaluates efficacy and safety of MK-7684A, a co-formulation of vibostolimab plus pembrolizumab, administered with/without docetaxel versus docetaxel alone in patients with previously treated metastatic NSCLC.MethodsThis randomized, placebo- and active-controlled, multicenter, partial-blind study is enrolling adults with histologically/cytologically confirmed metastatic NSCLC with PD after platinum-doublet chemotherapy and 1 prior anti–PD-(L)1 therapy. Patients must have measurable disease per RECIST v1.1, ECOG PS of 0–1, and no known active CNS metastases (previously treated brain metastases allowed if radiologically/clinically stable). Tumor tissue from archival or newly-obtained core or excisional biopsies are evaluated centrally for PD-L1 expression before randomization, and local documentation of the absence of EGFR mutations or ALK/ROS1 gene rearrangements must be provided. Patients are randomized 1:1:1 to receive intravenous vibostolimab (200 mg) plus pembrolizumab (200 mg) Q3W (open-label), vibostolimab plus pembrolizumab plus docetaxel (standard-of-care dose) Q3W (blinded), or docetaxel plus placebo Q3W (blinded). Randomization is stratified by ECOG PS (0/1), prior anti–PD-(L)1 therapy (immediate/no immediate prior therapy), and PD-L1 tumor proportion score (<50%/≥50%). Treatment continues for up to 35 cycles (approximately 2 years) of vibostolimab plus pembrolizumab, and per locally approved label for docetaxel, or until PD, unacceptable AEs, intercurrent illness, or investigator decision. Patients with SD/PR/CR may be eligible for up to 17 additional rechallenge cycles of vibostolimab plus pembrolizumab following BICR-verified radiographic PD by RECIST v1.1 after initial treatment or first course is completed or stopped for confirmed CR. Primary endpoint is PFS per RECIST v1.1 by BICR. Secondary endpoints are OS, ORR and DOR per RECIST v1.1 by BICR, and safety. Radiographic imaging occurs at baseline, Q6W through week 36, Q9W through week 54, and then Q12W until PD, start of new anticancer treatment, withdrawal of consent, or death. AEs are assessed by NCI CTCAE v5.0. Approximately 240 patients will be randomized. Enrollment began in April of 2021, and is ongoing at 42 sites in 10 countries.AcknowledgementsMedical writing assistance was provided by Rozena Varghese, PharmD, CMPP, of ICON plc (North Wales, PA, USA), funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04725188Ethics ApprovalAn independent institutional review board or ethics committee approved the protocol at each study site, and the trial is being conducted in compliance with Good Clinical Practice guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki. All patients are required to provide informed consent prior to participation in the study

Deciphering the past to inform the future: preparing for the next (“really big”) extreme event

Climate change will bring more extremes in temperature and precipitation that will impact productivity and ecosystem resilience throughout agroecosystems worldwide. Historical events can be used to identify drivers that impact future events. A catastrophic drought in the US in the 1930s resulted in an abrupt boundary between areas severely impacted by the Dust Bowl and areas that were less severely affected. Historical primary production data confirmed the location of this boundary at the border between two states (Nebraska and Iowa). Local drivers of weather and soils explained production responses across the boundary before and after the drought (1926–1948). During the drought, however, features at the landscape scale (soil properties and wind velocities) and regional scale (the Missouri River, its floodplain, and the nearby Loess Hills) explained most of the observed variance in primary production. The impact of future extreme events may be affected by land surface properties that either accentuate or ameliorate the effects of these events. Consideration of large-scale geomorphic processes may be necessary to interpret and manage for catastrophic events