Tortoise or hare? Supporting the chronotype preference of employees with fluctuating chronic illness symptoms

Objective: Our aim is to understand how to facilitate the job retention of employees with chronic illness. We focus on multiple sclerosis (MS) as a criterion chronic illness. Design: An opportunity sample of 20 individuals of working age (13 female; 7 male) were recruited who had been in paid employment for over 28 months with a concurrent diagnosis of MS. Participants took part in one of three focus groups with a topic guide comprising eight keywords: work, coping, performance, support, future, expectations, and sharing symptoms. Data were analysed using dialogical analysis. Main outcome measures: As a qualitative study, no outcome measure was used. However, the specific focus of interest was to search for differential patterns of ‘timespace’ – chronotope - that people with chronic illness utilize to manage their condition in the workplace. Results: Participants oriented to two distinct chronotope types: unsustainable epic (characterized by condensed time) and temporary idyll (characterized by condensed space). Perceived managerial discretion was identified as possibly influencing participants’ chronotope preference. Conclusion: Identifying chronotope preference has practical implications for health psychologists and related professionals who provide and advise on support to facilitate people with chronic illness to thrive in the workplace

The Capturing Outcomes of Clinical Activities Performed by a Rounding Pharmacist Practicing in a Team Environment

(COLLABORATE) study was a controlled clinical trial that demonstrated the beneficial effect of team-based care by

Transitional Patterns of Adolescent Females in Non-traditional Career Paths

In this study, focus groups (n = 13) were utilized to examine the factors that affected the career decision-making of adolescent females and young women in undergraduate science, engineering, and technology programs. The 51 participants included students from colleges, technical institutes, and universities in Alberta. Qualitative analysis (cf. Vaughn, Schumm, & Sinagub, 1996) was used to uncover seven themes: (a) transition from high school, (b) educational influences, (c) family influences, (d) academic issues, (e) coursework management, (f) gender issues, and (g) creating a successful student environment. Implications for career development theory, education, counselling, and for future research are discussed.Dans cette étude, les auteurs ont observé des groupes de réflexion (n = 13) afin de déterminer les facteurs influençant le choix de carrière des adolescentes et jeunes femmes suivant des programmes universitaires de premier cycle de sciences, d'ingénierie et de technologie. Les 51 participants comprenaient des étudiantes inscrites dans des collèges, des instituts techniques et des universités d'Alberta. Les auteurs ont pu identifier, grâce à l'analyse qualitative, (voir Vaughn, Schumm et Sinagub, 1996) sept thèmes : a) transition à partir de l'école secondaire, b) influences éducatives, c) influences familiales, d) questions sociales, e) gestion des devoirs, f) questions liées aux différences entre les sexes et g) création d'un milieu favorable au succès scolaire. Finalement, cet article discute des implications découlant de cette étude pour la théorie du perfectionnement professionnel, l'éducation, le counseling et pour les recherches futures