Medical professionalism: an experimental look at physicians’ Facebook profiles

Background: Use of social networking services (SNS) is on the rise. While many users sign in for personal purposes, it is not uncommon for professionals to connect over SNSs with clients, students, and patients. Methods: The present study used an experimental approach to examine how medical doctors’ SNS profiles impacted potential patients’ impressions of professionalism. Participants (N=250 students) were randomly assigned to view one of six Facebook profiles. Profiles were populated with 1) solely professional material, 2) personal material that was strictly healthy, or 3) personal material that included unhealthy behavior. Profiles portrayed a male or female physician resulting in a total of six experimental conditions. Medical professionalism was measured with the First Impressions of Medical Professionalism (FIMP) scale, specifically developed for this study. Results: There was a large and statistically significant main effect for profile type, F(2, 250)=54.77, p\u3c0.001, . Post hoc tests indicated that personal profiles that contained healthy behavior were rated as most professional followed by profiles with strictly professional content. Personal unhealthy profiles were rated as least professional. Additionally, female profiles consistently received higher professionalism ratings across all three profile types [F(1, 250)=5.04, p=0.026, ]. Conclusion: Our results suggest that a physician\u27s SNS profile affects a patient\u27s perception of that physician\u27s medical professionalism. A personal, healthy profile may augment a patient\u27s perception of that physician\u27s character virtues if the profile content upholds the decorum of the medical field

Graduate Ethics Education: A Content Analysis of Syllabi

Ethical practice of psychology is emphasized by APA accreditation requirements. The current study is a content analysis of 53 ethics courses syllabi from all APA accredited programs listed in the American Psychologist 2011 annual report. This article is a companion to Domenech Rodríguez et al. (2013) and contributes knowledge on the current state of graduate ethics education. Of the parent project respondents (N = 364), 14% returned syllabi for the present study. General information (e.g., objectives, honor code, academic honesty, common policy, and classroom expectations), assignments, APA format, and teaching sources were coded. Coding of objectives were developed from McKeachie and Svinkicki (2011) definition and de las Fuentes (2005) conceptualization of specific objectives (awareness, skill, and knowledge). A little over half (56.6%) of syllabi stated clear objectives, only 52.8% covered academic honesty, and 16 (30.2%) did not include a section to address accommodations for students with disabilities. Most syllabi used APA format to cite sources, however, most sources used were 5 years or older. Overall, syllabi were quite varied in the information they included. Greater consistency in syllabus content would make future evaluations on the state of graduate ethics education more accurate. Recommendations for observational and self-report alternatives are also presented

Baseline Cultural Competence in Physician Assistant Students

Purpose Cultural competence is a critical component in health care services. The relationship between health disparities and prejudice and discrimination is well documented. Prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behavior are modifiable through training yet few programs have evidence-based training. No published data has reported on baseline levels of cultural competencies in medical trainees which is necessary for tailoring programs appropriate to the audience. This manuscript fills that gap by reporting on data from three cohorts of first-year Physician Assistant (PA) students (N = 216). We examined students’ baseline levels with special attention to differences in cultural competence constructs across age, gender, and ethnicity. Methods Students completed self-report measures for ethnic identity, ethno-cultural empathy, multicultural orientation, attitudes about diversity, health beliefs attitudes, colorblind racial attitudes, and burnout at the beginning of their first year. They completed the measures online (Qualtrics) during class time, prior to a lecture on cultural competence. Results Data indicate a correlation between cultural competence constructs supporting the validity of the battery of tests as a cohesive unit to measure cultural competence. There were statistically significant differences between age, gender identity, and ethnic groups across cultural competence variables. Conclusions Data provide baseline data that may be used to tailor educational programs. Findings suggest that our measures show promise for future educational research measuring effectiveness of cultural competence training

Trauma Exposure and Trauma Symptoms as Predictors of Police Perceptions in Latinx Youths

Objective: The Latinx immigrant youth population composes nearly a quarter of all children in the U.S. and are a high-risk group for police encounters. Based on perceptions of Latinxs as criminals, increased enforcement actions against Latinxs in the U.S., and failures of policing and police brutality in immigrants’ home countries, we expected that immigrants who reported increased trauma exposure and symptoms would have more negative perceptions of police. Method: This study utilized data from 107 recently immigrated Latinx youth to examine how trauma exposure (Child Trauma Screen) and symptoms (Child PTSD Symptoms Scale) related to perceptions of police (Criminal Sentiments Scale–Modified). Results: Consistent with the proposed hypotheses, trauma symptoms evidenced a significant main effect in relation to perceptions of police, B = .115, t = 2.35; p = .021, such that greater trauma symptoms were associated with more negative perceptions of law enforcement. Though trauma exposure did not evidence a significant main effect in relation to perceptions of police, B = .254, t = 1.46; p = .146, moderation analyses indicated that trauma exposure was associated with more negative perceptions of police, B = −.019, t = −2.08; p = .040. However, this interaction effect indicated that when both trauma symptoms and trauma exposure were high, less negative perceptions of police were observed. Conclusion: The present study provides novel data on police perceptions in young Latinx immigrants. Findings highlight the need for improved community relations and culturally responsive strategies between law enforcement and communities of color. (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved

Best Practices for Inclusive Mentoring

This panel discussion will highlight perspectives from faculty mentors and student mentees about how to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive graduate student community at USU. Join us as we talk about structures and practices that meaningfully support graduate student scholars, including strategies for recruitment, retention, and the transition into post-graduate life. Watch the video to see the discussion. Click on the download button for a list of readings and resources.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/inter_inclusion/1002/thumbnail.jp

VALOR: Cultural considerations when assessing Central American immigrant women in behavioral health settings

The topic of immigration is timely yet polarizing. By definition, to be an immigrant implies being in a state of transition and transformation. The eventual outcome is likely to be influenced by a series of contextual factors starting in the country of origin, continuing during the migration journey, and culminating in receiving communities. The authors use a fictional case example of a Central American immigrant woman to illustrate VALOR, the Spanish word for courage, as an acronym that identifies five key areas for clinical consideration in behavioral health settings: Values, Arrival in the United States, Losses, Obstacles to care, and Resources. VALOR offers guidance for a culturally informed assessment critical for mental health clinicians. Implications for culturally affirming treatment directions including advocacy, community linkage, and attention to trauma and unresolved grief are woven into the discussion

One more wall to cross: The role of psychologists in addressing integrated health among undocumented Latinx immigrants in inpatient medical settings

Over the past decade, there has been increased attention to the benefits of an integrated health-care care model in which psychologists play a vital role collaborating with other health providers to deliver services in inpatient medical settings, such as emergency departments and acute care medical units. Psychologists working in inpatient medical settings can facilitate access to mental health services and referrals, reduce mental health stigma, improve health outcomes associated with insight into psychosocial factors that affect health and illness, improve communication between patients and providers, and increase sensitivity in addressing the health needs of diverse patients. Psychological services in inpatient medical units can be particularly valuable for marginalized populations, such as undocumented Latinx immigrants, who may not otherwise have access to services that can address the compounded effect that psychosocial stressors may have on their physical health. We illustrate the critical role that psychologists can play in inpatient medical settings to address the complex health needs of Latinx immigrants. In this case study, an undocumented young woman presented to an emergency department with acute liver failure. We focus on psychologists\u27 specific contributions as part of the integrated medical team and how it may have impacted treatment effectiveness. We also provide practical assessment and treatment recommendations, along with proposing advocacy efforts to facilitate access to culture and context sensitive treatments for undocumented immigrants with complex health issues. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Strategies for Selecting, Managing, and Engaging Undergraduate Coauthors: A Multi-Site Perspective

In 2018, we delivered a symposium on publishing with undergraduate coauthors in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research (Fallon, 2018a; Fallon and Domenech Rodríguez, 2018a,b; Fallon and Scisco, 2018; McCabe and Mendoza, 2018). Based on our collective experience, we identified three common challenges: effectively selecting, managing, and engaging students throughout the publication process. We use our perspectives from different institutions (i.e., small liberal arts colleges, mid-sized regional universities, and a large research university) and evidence from past research to provide strategies to successfully meet these challenges. Ultimately, the actionable strategies we describe could be used by a wide faculty readership to increase rates of successful publishing with undergraduate students