Evaluating student learning in an interprofessional curriculum: the relevance of pre-qualifying inter-professional education for future professional practice

The focus of this study was qualified health and social care professionals’ views about their experience of pre-qualifying interprofessional education (IPE). Adult nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, and social workers were interviewed

Planktonic foraminifera organic carbon isotopes as archives of upper ocean carbon cycling.

The carbon cycle is a key regulator of Earth's climate. On geological time-scales, our understanding of particulate organic matter (POM), an important upper ocean carbon pool that fuels ecosystems and an integrated part of the carbon cycle, is limited. Here we investigate the relationship of planktonic foraminifera-bound organic carbon isotopes (δ13Corg-pforam) with δ13Corg of POM (δ13Corg-POM). We compare δ13Corg-pforam of several planktonic foraminifera species from plankton nets and recent sediment cores with δ13Corg-POM on a N-S Atlantic Ocean transect. Our results indicate that δ13Corg-pforam of planktonic foraminifera are remarkably similar to δ13Corg-POM. Application of our method on a glacial sample furthermore provided a δ13Corg-pforam value similar to glacial δ13Corg-POM predictions. We thus show that δ13Corg-pforam is a promising proxy to reconstruct environmental conditions in the upper ocean, providing a route to isolate past variations in δ13Corg-POM and better understanding of the evolution of the carbon cycle over geological time-scales

Geological Society of London Scientific Statement: what the geological record tells us about our present and future climate

Geology is the science of how the Earth functions and has evolved and, as such, it can contribute to our understanding of the climate system and how it responds to the addition of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere and oceans. Observations from the geological record show that atmospheric CO2 concentrations are now at their highest levels in at least the past 3 million years. Furthermore, the current speed of human-induced CO2 change and warming is nearly without precedent in the entire geological record, with the only known exception being the instantaneous, meteorite-induced event that caused the extinction of non-bird-like dinosaurs 66 million years ago. In short, whilst atmospheric CO2 concentrations have varied dramatically during the geological past due to natural processes, and have often been higher than today, the current rate of CO2 (and therefore temperature) change is unprecedented in almost the entire geological past. The geological record shows that changes in temperature and greenhouse gas concentrations have direct impacts on sea-level, the hydrological cycle, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and the acidification and oxygen depletion of the oceans. Important climate phenomena, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the monsoons, which today affect the socio-economic stability and food and water security of billions of people, have varied markedly with past changes in climate. Climate reconstructions from around the globe show that climate change is not globally uniform, but tends to exhibit a consistent pattern, with changes at the poles larger than elsewhere. This polar amplification is seen in ancient warmer-than-modern time intervals like the Eocene epoch, about 50 million years ago and, more recently, in the Pliocene, about 3 million years ago. The warmest intervals of the Pliocene saw the disappearance of summer sea ice from the Arctic. The loss of ice cover during the Pliocene was one of the many rapid climate changes observed in the record, which are ften called climate tipping points. The geological record can be used to calculate a quantity called Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity, which is the amount of warming caused by a doubling of atmospheric CO2, after various processes in the climate system have reached equilibrium. Recent estimates suggest that global mean climate warms between 2.6 and 3.9°C per doubling of CO2 once all slow Earth system processes have reached equilibrium. The geological record provides powerful evidence that atmospheric CO2 concentrations drive climate change, and supports multiple lines of evidence that greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are altering the Earth’s climate. Moreover, the amount of anthropogenic greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere means that Earth is committed to a certain degree of warming. As the Earth’s climate changes due to the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land-use, the planet we live on will experience further changes that will have increasingly drastic effects on human societies. An assessment of past climate changes helps to inform policy decisions regarding future climate change. Earth scientists will also have an important role to play in the delivery of any policies aimed at limiting future climate change

Girard d'Athee and the Men from the Touraine Their Roles under King John

Girard d'Athée and the Men from the Touraine Their Roles under King John Clause 50 of Magna Carta 1215 proscribes a group of men who are never again to hold office in England. They are described as Girard d'Athée's relatives (parentes), and although some of their names appear, no reasons are given for their inclusion in the clause. This thesis traces the lives of Girard d'Athée and his group, from their origins in the Touraine, through their arrival in England, through their responsibilities and influence under John, concluding with a brief resumé of their careers under Henry III. It also analyses the reasons for the inclusion of Clause 50 in the 1215 version of Magna Carta. Were the men proscribed because of their foreign birth or because they abused their positions as servants of the king? Did the barons fear their military might, or merely object to their misdemeanours? Did the established baronage and zealous parvenus covet the rewards bestowed on Athée and his clan or were they simply jealous of the increasingly close friendship these men were forging with John? Or was the clause nothing more than the result of a personal vendetta against members of the clan? By comparing and contrasting the careers of the men from the Touraine with that of another contemporary of theirs from the same area, Peter de Maulay, who was not proscribed in Clause 50, a clear appreciation of their value to the king and country can be determined. A balanced judgement suggests that their actions justified the king's confidence in them, and that they did not deserve the censure and suspicion of the chroniclers, some influential members of the baronage, and several modern historians

Making the most of interprofessional learning opportunities: professionals' and students' experience of interprofessional learning and working: Advice for providing academic support. Advice for mentors. Advice for students. Scenarios for interprofessional

This resource to support interprofessional learning has been developed after consulting students and qualified health and social care professionals about their experience of learning and working together. Students and staff were interviewed about their experiences of interprofessional learning and working during an evaluation of an interprofessional curriculum delivered in the School of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol. Data collected included 105 interviews with 94 students from a range of professions. The curriculum included three interprofessional modules, one in each of three years of study. In these modules students worked together in small groups through enquiry based learning. During a research project funded by the Higher Education Academy Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre a further 29 interviews were conducted with 13 adult nurses, 5 physiotherapists, 4 midwives and 7 social workers, all of whom had been students at UWE, Bristol before or after the introduction of the interprofessional curriculum. During the interviews with these qualified professionals, they described experiences, identified skills necessary for effective interprofessional working and offered advice about making the most of interprofessional learning opportunities.A full report of the research funded by the Higher Education Academy Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre provides detailed information about the views of qualified professionals. This report: Pollard K, Rickaby C and Miers M (2008) Evaluating student learning in an interprofessional curriculum: the relevance of pre-qualifying interprofessional education for future professional practice is available from:http://www.health.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/miniprojects/completeproj.htmReports of the interprofessional curriculum evaluation conducted at UWE, Bristol, and details of publications from the longitudinal study are available from http://hsc.uwe.ac.uk/net/research/Default.aspx?pageindex=2&pageid=29In this resource, direct quotes from the students’ and professionals’ interviews help to clarify the advice for providing academic support, advice for mentors and advice for students. The suggestions and advice included in the resource derive from careful analysis of a range of data from three student cohorts, (now qualified professionals) in one faculty and careful consideration of literature exploring staff and student experience of interprofessional learning and working, as well as personal experience as professionals and as learners

Career choices in health care: Is nursing a special case? A content analysis of survey data

Background: As demand for nurses and other health professionals continues to outstrip supply it is important to understand what motivates individuals to join a non-medical health profession. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate students' reasons for choosing a particular nursing specialism, midwifery or other non-medical health profession, and to compare motivation factors across professions, gender, age, level of award, prior qualifications, prior experience and over time. Design: A prospective follow-up study collected survey responses at the beginning and end of pre-qualifying professional programmes. Setting: The study took place in one large United Kingdom faculty. Participants: The study participants were 775 first-year students undertaking non-medical health professional programmes and 393 qualifying students. Methods: An open-ended question was included in a self-completed questionnaire administered at entry and at qualification. Content analysis identified themes. Results: Altruism was the most frequently cited reason for wishing to join a non-medical health profession, followed by personal interest/abilities, professional values/rewards, and prior experience of the area. Students entering nursing were less likely to cite an altruistic motivation than those entering other non-medical health professions (χ2 = 21.61, df=1, p < 0.001). On entry, adult nursing, children's nursing and radiotherapy students were least likely to cite professional values/rewards (χ2 = 20.38, df=8, p = 0.009). Students on degree level programmes were more likely to report altruism than those on diploma level courses (χ2 = 17.37, df=1, p < 0.001). Differences were also identified between the two data collection points. The number of students identifying altruism (χ2 = 3.97, p = 0.046) and professional values/rewards (χ2 = 6.67, p = 0.010) decreased over time. Conclusion: Findings suggest that although a service orientation remains a key factor in choosing nursing, students also look for a career which matches their interests and attributes, as well as offering professional values and rewards. Nursing may be in danger of losing service orientated recruits to other non-medical health professions. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved