The adolescent health network: A unique approach to sustained adolescent stakeholder engagement.

At least 70% of premature adult deaths result from behaviors starting and reinforced in adolescence. The use of adolescent-centered outcomes and the necessity of creating space for the adolescent voice regarding research that directly impacts them is often overlooked. These omissions result in proposals and solutions that lack consideration of adolescent ingenuity, preferences, and needs. In 2021, Penn State PRO Wellness was awarded a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Engagement Award with the goal of addressing the gap in the inclusion of adolescents in research focused on teenage health. The resultant Adolescent Health Network (AHN) was developed in partnership with a stakeholder advisory board comprised of adolescents, parents, health researchers, and school staff. The AHN currently consists of 12 schools and 43 adolescents who have completed stakeholder training. For adolescents, the AHN simulates a school club or career enrichment activity with incoming freshmen replacing graduating seniors over time. For health researchers, the AHN provides rapid, easy access to a pool of adolescents with stakeholder training who are available to provide input on various aspects of a study from recruitment plans, to survey tools to dissemination strategies. This manuscript details the development, execution, and data from this novel program.

Mentoring Networks in Academic Medicine: A Longitudinal Exploration.

The importance of ethnic and gender representation in academic medicine is of paramount importance. While mentoring effectively attracts and retains underrepresented individuals, scientists from underrepresented groups face barriers to high-quality mentorship. The developmental network model by Higgins and Kram suggests that a variety of people with unique knowledge, connections, and resources can help propel an individual's career and personal growth. This study experimentally tested the outcomes of a workshop series and mentorship program to assist early-career biomedical investigators from predominantly minority institutions establish and maintain developmental networks. This study provides preliminary insights into the characteristics of these developmental networks for investigators with different funding goals and how these networks evolve, potentially impacting career trajectories.

Career adaptability and correlating factors among secondary vocational nursing students in China.

Background: Career adaptability significantly affects college students' career happiness in the future, and it is essential to make a detailed evaluation of its correlation for making a targeted intervention plan. However, the applicability of occupational adaptability to secondary vocational nursing students is still an unexplored field in academic research. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the current situation of career adaptability and its influencing factors on secondary vocational nursing students in medical schools. Methods: A total of 1,414 secondary vocational nursing students from three secondary colleges and universities in Southwest China from July 2022 to September 2022 were selected for the survey. A questionnaire was used to assess secondary vocational nursing students' sociodemographic, Career Adaptability, Psychological Control Sources, and the Meaning in Life. Statistical analyses were performed using Pearson's correlation analysis, t-test, analysis of variance and multiple. Results: Secondary vocational nursing students scored (51.03 ± 9.64) for the meaning in life, (81.46 ± 25.39) for psychological control sources, and (94.12 ± 15.55) for career adaptability. Career resilience was significantly and positively correlated with the opportunity and internal control factors of psychological control sources (r = 0.091, -0.488, p < 0.01); and career adaptability was significantly and positively correlated with the sense of seeking meaning and possessing meaning factors of sense of meaning in life (r = 0.725, 0.734, p < 0.01); Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that academic performance, mother's educational level, search for meaning, sense of meaningfulness, opportunities, and internal control entered the regression equation (p < 0.05), explaining 64% of the total variance. Conclusion: The overall career adaptability of secondary vocational nursing students is at a moderately high level, with significant individual differences closely correlated with locus of control, meaning in life, and career adaptability. Nursing educators can provide targeted intervention measures based on influencing factors to promote the development of secondary vocational nursing students' career adaptability, enabling them to better adapt to future clinical work.

Dual career in the workplace: co-creation of a conceptual framework by employers and employee-sportspersons incorporating corporate social responsibility and brand alignment.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to provide an evidence base and conceptual framework to inform new guidelines for achieving a balance between sports and employment commitments (i.e., dual career, DC) of the employee-sportspersons. To shape a DC discourse in the workplace, the distinct and combined views of the employee-sportspersons (i.e., the Employee), the managers (i.e., the Employer) were considered. Methods: Following a concept mapping methodology, 257 international participants (25% employers and 75% employee-sportspersons) sorted and rated 50 potential statements associated with DC circumstances and supports in the workplace. Results: Six distinct clusters emerged, with the combined employers-employee co-creation scenario assigning 6 statements to the micro dimension (Cluster 1 = Workplace Benefits), 4 statements to the meso dimension (Cluster 2 = Role of National Sports Governing Bodies), 19 statements to the macro dimension (Cluster 3 = Dual Career Policy Development), 4 and 5 statements to the organizational dimensions (Cluster 4 = Employee-Employer Collaboration and Responsibility; Cluster 5 = Sport Career Integration), and 12 statements to the policy (Cluster 6 = Workplace Strategies for Dual Career Support) dimension. With respect to the employers, the employee-sportspersons showed higher scores (p < 0.05) for importance of clusters 2, 4, and 6, and for feasibility of clusters 2 and 6. Discussion: These findings suggest priorities for changes within the DC dimensions identified, and envisage flexible models for aligning corporate brand values and corporate social responsibility strategies through meaningful and proactive DC support of the employee-sportspersons in the workplace. The findings provide a rigorously derived evidence base to inform the formulation of new DC workplace guidelines.

Career women's mental wellbeing in the era of population decline: the effects of working environment and family environment on the mental wellbeing.

Introduction: In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the population in many countries has been declining. China, which was previously the world's most populous nation and is often categorized as an emerging economy, officially entered an era of population decline in 2022. The advent of this era has make China's economic development more uncertain and aging of population more pronounced. To address the population decline, the Chinese government implemented the "Three-Child Policy" to encourage childbirth, aiming to reverse the negative population growth. However, this policy has not achieved the expected goals. Instead, it has increased the pressure on women to bear children, particularly for career women, where such pressure may conflict with their existing work and family environments, subsequently affecting their mental wellbeing. Methods: A survey was conducted to investigate the mental wellbeing status of career women in Changchun City, Jilin Province, Northeast China. It analyzes the impact of working and family environments on the mental wellbeing of these women. Results: Based on the survey, this study draws five conclusions: A. The mental wellbeing status of career women varies across different ages, industries, and childbirth statuses. B. The perceived adverse impact of childbirth on the working environment may negatively affect the mental wellbeing of career women. C. The perceived adverse impact of childbirth on the family environment may negatively affect the mental wellbeing of career women. D. Career women are not satisfied with the effectiveness of current policies in protecting women's rights. E. Compared to working environments, there is a greater demand for career women in the family environments, particularly in reducing various family burdens. Discussion: The pro-natalist policies introduced in response to negative population growth can worsen the mental wellbeing of career women, while the deterioration of their mental wellbeing could further accelerate population decline. Given the current challenges, this study suggests that effectively improving the mental wellbeing of career women requires building psychological resilience among childless career women, reducing the burden of family on career women, and continuously improving policies and regulations that protect the rights of career women.

Navigating Nephrology's Decline Through a GPT-4 Analysis of Internal Medicine Specialties in the United States: Qualitative Study.

Background: The 2024 Nephrology fellowship match data show the declining interest in nephrology in the United States, with an 11% drop in candidates and a mere 66% (321/488) of positions filled. Objective: The study aims to discern the factors influencing this trend using ChatGPT, a leading chatbot model, for insights into the comparative appeal of nephrology versus other internal medicine specialties. Methods: Using the GPT-4 model, the study compared nephrology with 13 other internal medicine specialties, evaluating each on 7 criteria including intellectual complexity, work-life balance, procedural involvement, research opportunities, patient relationships, career demand, and financial compensation. Each criterion was assigned scores from 1 to 10, with the cumulative score determining the ranking. The approach included counteracting potential bias by instructing GPT-4 to favor other specialties over nephrology in reverse scenarios. Results: GPT-4 ranked nephrology only above sleep medicine. While nephrology scored higher than hospice and palliative medicine, it fell short in key criteria such as work-life balance, patient relationships, and career demand. When examining the percentage of filled positions in the 2024 appointment year match, nephrology's filled rate was 66%, only higher than the 45% (155/348) filled rate of geriatric medicine. Nephrology's score decreased by 4%-14% in 5 criteria including intellectual challenge and complexity, procedural involvement, career opportunity and demand, research and academic opportunities, and financial compensation. Conclusions: ChatGPT does not favor nephrology over most internal medicine specialties, highlighting its diminishing appeal as a career choice. This trend raises significant concerns, especially considering the overall physician shortage, and prompts a reevaluation of factors affecting specialty choice among medical residents.

A Worked Example of Qualitative Descriptive Design: A Step-by-Step Guide for Novice and Early Career Researchers.

AIM: To provide a worked example informed by relevant literature and related studies that novice and early career researchers may use to reflect on, prepare and conduct a thoughtful and rigorous qualitative descriptive study. DESIGN: Methodological discussion of qualitative descriptive design. METHODS: Seminal work and recent related literature were reviewed to situate the discussion and identify the concepts and steps to conduct a qualitative descriptive study. RESULTS: Qualitative descriptive design is widely used in nursing and health science research. This design offers flexible use of qualitative methods, which presents a double-edged sword, posing challenges in preparing a well-developed study and achieving methodological rigour. The design often borrows methods from other qualitative traditions, which may need to be clarified for novice and early career researchers, wherein studies may be conducted using a mix and match of methods without giving justice to the heart of qualitative descriptive design. In this paper, we present a step-by-step guide, using a worked example, to demonstrate how to conduct a qualitative descriptive study. CONCLUSION: Qualitative descriptive design may be confusing due to its flexibility, which may limit the scope of research and subsequently, the quality and impact of the findings. With the appropriate application of research methods producing high-quality and relevant findings, qualitative descriptive design is a valuable qualitative method in its own right. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: Novice and early career researchers may increase the impact of their findings through rigorously conducting their studies. Clarifying steps for thoughtful execution may inform novice and early career researchers, allowing for a rigorous application of the method, which, in turn, may contribute to impactful findings. IMPACT: A clear presentation of steps, supported by a worked example and related studies, may support novice and early career researchers in conducting a qualitative descriptive study with methodological rigour. REPORTING METHOD: Not applicable. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Understanding Career Adapt Abilities, Career Stress, Work Stress, Career Regret, Job Satisfaction Among Nursing Professionals.

AIM: This study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the interrelationships among career stress, work stress, career regret, job satisfaction and career adapt abilities within the nursing profession. DESIGN: The research involved a sample of 576 nurses from ten urban hospitals, distributed across five distinct cities in Turkiye, between December 2023 and January 2024. The study employed regression models to systematically test hypotheses, providing nuanced insights into the complex dynamics of the variables under investigation. METHODS: Regression models were utilized to test the hypotheses systematically, considering the moderating role of career adapt abilities. The study included a sample of 576 nurses from 10 urban hospitals in Turkey, distributed across five distinct cities. This approach allowed for a detailed examination of the intricate relationships between career stress, work stress, career regret, job satisfaction and career adapt abilities within the nursing profession. RESULTS: The findings underscore the delicate balance between the positive gains of job satisfaction and the challenges posed by career stress, work stress and career regret in the multifaceted landscape of nursing. CONCLUSION: In nursing, the relationship between career stress, work stress, career regret and job satisfaction include progress, resilience and obstacles. Developing strategies requires a cooperative effort from health care organizations, nursing leaders and individual nurses. IMPACT: The research provides valuable insights into the interplay of these factors and emphasizes the moderating role played by career adapt abilities. The implications of the study extend to healthcare organizations, nursing leaders and individual nurses. The research advocates for collaborative strategies aimed at enhancing job satisfaction, alleviating stressors and addressing career regret. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the retention of a resilient nursing workforce, emphasizing the importance of strategies that support the well-being and satisfaction of nurses in their careers. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Not taught in medical school but needed for the clinical job - leadership, communication and career management skills for final year medical students.

BACKGROUND: Starting the first job as a young physician is a demanding challenge. Certain skills are important to master this transformation that go beyond the theoretical knowledge and practical skills taught in medical school. Competencies such as communication, leadership and career management skills are important to develop as a young physician but are usually not sufficiently taught in medical school in a structured and comprehensive way. METHODS: We performed an online survey among final year medical students regarding how they perceive their current competency level in communication, leadership and career management skills. We also assessed how they rate the importance to acquire these competencies and the current emphasis during their medical school education regarding these topics. RESULTS: Of 450 final year medical students 80 took part in the voluntary survey and 75 complete datasets were returned (16.7%). The majority of respondents rated different communication skills, leadership skills and career management skills as important or very important for their later clinical work. However, most students felt to be poorly or very poorly prepared by the current medical school curriculum, especially for certain leadership and career management skills. Overall, 90.7% of participants expressed interest in an additional educational course that covers subjects of communication, leadership and career management skills during the later stage of medical school, preferably as a hybrid in-person session that also offers synchronous online participation. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the survey express the need to address communication, leadership and career management skills in the medical curriculum to be better prepare students for the demands of residency and their further course as physicians. An educational format during the final year of medical school may be suitable to address mentioned topics in the framework of clinical practical exposure.

International online mentorship for translational researchers.

BACKGROUND: Translational researchers (TRs) fulfill various roles across clinical, educational, and research domains with the ultimate goal of positively impacting patients. Mentorship has been recognized as an important means of career support for TRs, particularly when navigating the complex translational research pipeline and adapting to evolving roles. In response, the Erasmus + PATHWAY project developed and piloted an extra-curricular online preparatory course and mentorship program in 2019 and 2020 to help TRs build mentorship skills, develop their careers, and create online peer-to-peer learning opportunities. METHODS: To assess the pilot online mentorship program, a longitudinal exploratory mixed method study was conducted. RESULTS: Mentees and mentors from both years reported that they joined the program to learn mentorship skills, gain career support, and expand their (international) network. Analysis of evaluation forms indicated that the online preparatory course was evaluated largely positively, with participants suggesting improvements for future iterations. Results of a follow-up survey in 2022 revealed that mentorship was considered helpful in supporting TRs' work in translational research, and an online mentorship program was useful, provided it included interactive online training, multiple mentee-mentor matching rounds, compatible time zones and professional experience for matched pairs, active program moderation with offline activities, and effective online tools. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the mentorship needs of TRs and their recommendations for international online mentorship. The innovative PATHWAY program's online format, mentee-driven matching, and preparatory training for both mentees and mentors contribute to the development of mentorship for the general translational community that could potentially have broader applications, especially in a post-COVID-19 environment.

Developing a Career-Focused, Diverse Mentoring Program for Underrepresented STEM Undergraduates.

The racial and gender composition of the STEM workforce and holders of advanced degrees still has low representation from those traditionally underrepresented groups (URGs) in STEM. Having little representation of URGs in the STEM workforce, especially among academic faculty, perpetuates the issue of STEM students having few, if any, diverse STEM faculty to engage which has been shown to hinder retention in STEM. While involving STEM students from URGs in research mentoring experiences with non-minority faculty mentors addresses this issue to some extent, it also may limit a student's exposure to STEM careers beyond academic research which may help retain them. Thus, the UMBC STEM BUILD program developed and implemented a career-focused mentoring program that included a broad array of STEM professions from URGs to support career development of 2nd year STEM students.

Dual career policy at federal universities in Brazil: analysis of academic and sporting support.

Internationally, the implementation of holistic programs aimed at academic, financial and retirement preparation support for student-athletes who find themselves in dual careers, such as university students, has been widespread and intensified. However, little is known about the subject in the Brazilian national context, because although there are related studies, they are punctual and related to specific universities. In view of the above, this study aimed to investigate public policy aimed at student-athletes at Brazilian federal universities. This is an exploratory, qualitative, cross-sectional and documentary study, using the websites, internal regulations and public notices of 69 Brazilian federal universities for the year 2023, using the content analysis technique. The results indicate that 72.05% offer some kind of support to DC based on the holistic model, 66.17% of which is academic and 60.29% sports. Among the academic support, the flexibility of assessments (57.35%) and the differentiated treatment of absences (51.47%) were close. The sporting support is centered on partial payment of competition costs (60.29%) and athlete grants are restricted to 20.58% of universities. It can be concluded that Brazil's federal universities have policies that include support actions that integrate the holistic model (academic), with incipient coverage of scholarships (sports), but do not effectively follow the holistic model.

Factors affecting career decision-making of stomatology undergraduate students in China at graduation: a cross-sectional study on selection dilemmas.

BACKGROUND: Given today's competitive climate, graduates in stomatology face the dilemma of deciding whether to pursue higher education, obtain a master's degree, or focus on clinical careers. However, their career planning tendencies and decision-making factors have not been clarified. This study aimed to analyze these aspects among stomatology undergraduate students at the Southwest Medical University (SWMU) in China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study between July and August 2022 included undergraduate students majoring in stomatology at SWMU. A cross-sectional online questionnaire was used to gather data on the respondents' plans after graduation. The questionnaire included inquiries into their intentions regarding postgraduate education and standardized training. Additionally, the survey explored whether the respondents preferred academic or professional master's degrees, which stomatology subspecialty they preferred, and the factors that influenced their choices. RESULTS: One hundred dental undergraduate students participated in this survey. Results indicated that 91.0% of respondents chose to pursue a master's degree after graduation. Moreover, 80.2% of the respondents chose the professional master rather than the academic master as their first choice. Orthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and oral implantology were the top three subspecialties that students preferred. Personal interest, expected revenue, and family suggestions were the main factors influencing subspecialty selection. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that stomatology undergraduate students face challenges and a dilemma at graduation. Due to the fierce competition in the job market, graduates aspire to pursue postgraduate studies instead of entering the workforce immediately after graduation. Students need to understand the employment landscape in oral medicine and familiarize themselves with the work patterns of various subspecialties while remaining flexible in charting their career paths.

Motherhood penalty for female physicians in Japan: evidence from a medical school's alumni data.

BACKGROUND: Female physicians with children often work fewer hours and take fewer shifts due to additional family responsibilities. This can contribute to a gender pay gap in the medical profession. However, limited research in Japan has quantitatively examined the factors contributing to this gap. This study aims to address this gap in the literature. METHODS: We analyzed the alumni data from a medical school in Hokkaido, Japan, for 260 physicians (198 males and 62 females). We used multivariable regression models to identify factors influencing earnings from medical practice, with a focus on gender, work schedules, parenthood, and any career interruptions related to childcare. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a 25.0% earnings gap between male and female physicians. Nearly all female physicians with children experienced career interruptions due to childcare, while this was uncommon for male physicians. When these childcare-related interruptions were factored in, the gender pay gap narrowed by 9.7%. After adjusting for work schedules and specialty choices, female physicians with children still earned 37.2% less than male physicians, while those without children earned only 4.4% less. This suggests that motherhood is a significant driver of the gender pay gap among physicians. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the negative impact of motherhood on female physicians' earnings. This emphasizes the need for policy measures to mitigate the disadvantages faced by mothers in the medical profession.

The industry demand oriented construction of intelligence medicine specialty in traditional Chinese medicine university: teachers' perspective.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between teaching competence, career development, industrial orientation, and specialty construction in the case of intelligent medicine specialties in universities of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the influencing factors of specialty construction. METHODS: Two-stage sampling with unequal probability was conducted to distribute self-administered questionnaires in the fieldwork. A structural equation model was built to investigate the influencing factors of specialty construction. Forty-two teachers were recruited and completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The study found that teaching competence, career development, and industrial orientation positively affect specialty construction at a significant level. Career development and industrial orientation play chain mediating roles in the effect of teaching competence on specialty construction. CONCLUSIONS: In the construction of intelligent medicine specialties, a professional curriculum system should be built that caters to industrial demand and is combined with industrial development, the traditional mode of teaching should be transformed, and the transformation of theoretical knowledge into practical ability should be promoted. Innovations in teaching modes should be achieved by introducing information technology, and the teacher evaluation system should be optimized.

The four Cs of physician leadership: A key to academic physician success.

Leadership is increasingly recognized as important in medicine. Physician leadership impacts healthcare delivery and quality. Little work has been done to determine how physician leadership in practice aligns with established models in leadership theory. We conducted 40 semi-structured, 50-minute interviews of physicians who had achieved the rank of professor in our school of medicine and were serving, or had served, in leadership positions. We used an inductive content analysis approach to identify content categories, with leadership emerging as one such category. Subsequently, for the present study, we performed a secondary analysis of the data. To do this, we reviewed all transcripts, seeking to identify if and how participants discussed leadership in relation to success in academic medicine. Following identification of sub-categories related to leadership, we performed qualitative content analysis. We then used a deductive content analysis approach to determine how participants' discussions of leadership aligned with major leadership theories. Then, the principal investigator conducted a secondary inductive content analysis revealing leadership themes that were synthesized into a new model of physician leadership. Twenty-nine participants spontaneously discussed leadership and leadership-related topics as important to their own academic success and comprised the present study cohort. Participants identified contributors to leadership success that aligned with multiple major leadership theories, including leadership traits, skills, behaviors styles, and situational leadership. None of the leadership theories aligned completely with our physician leaders' discussions, suggesting an alternate leadership framework was operating. Further analysis revealed a new model of leadership comprised of the "Four Cs of Physician Leadership": character, competence, caring, and communication. Our participant group of academic physicians identified leadership capabilities as being important in their academic success. While they discussed leadership in ways that fit to varying degrees with the major leadership theories, their discussions revealed a novel, more holistic leadership framework. Further work will be beneficial to determine if this model of leadership is specific to physicians or is more generalizable.

Meditating role of career sustainability in the relationship between teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction and subject well-being.

The main purpose of this study, explore the mediating role of career sustainability in the relationships between teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being. Teachers should have an acceptable level of satisfaction regarding self-efficacy, career sustainability, and job satisfaction to secure well-being. In a sense, this claim mandates revealing the relationships between these variables. Accordingly, we collected data from 369 Turkish language teachers aged 24-55 years employed in public schools using the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Short Index of Job Satisfaction, Career Sustainability Scale, and Subjective Well-Being Scale and tested a mediation model to seek answers to our hypotheses. We collected the data using an online questionnaire battery web-based survey (Google Forms) which was created using data collection measures and demographic items. After creating the survey using Google Forms, we distributed it through various channels such as email lists, social media platforms, and professional networks (e.g., teacher WhatsApp groups, teacher Telegram groups, etc.). Respondents were invited to participate in the survey voluntarily. The findings showed that career sustainability mediated the relationships between teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being. Accordingly, we may claim that teachers with desirable career sustainability are likely to have increased job satisfaction and well-being, contributing to their self-efficacy. This research emphasises the essential significance of career sustainability in the overall well-being and work satisfaction of teachers. Future study should investigate treatments aimed at improving career sustainability and examine these linkages in other cultural settings.

Enhancing career adaptability in college students: a Tai Chi-based sports intervention study.

Introduction: This research explores the impact of Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art, on the career adaptability of college students, utilizing a quasi-experimental design. With the increasing complexities in the transition from school to work, effective interventions that address both psychological and vocational needs are essential. Methods: The study involved 70 senior college students, randomly assigned to either an intervention group that participated in an organized 8-week Tai Chi program based on positive youth development (PYD) or a control group with no intervention. Results: Results indicated significant improvements in the intervention group in terms of both career adaptability and satisfaction of basic psychological needs, compared to the control group. Mediation analysis revealed that the increase in career adaptability induced by intervention was mediated by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, underscoring the effectiveness of Tai Chi as a holistic intervention tool. Discussion: This study contributes to the field by demonstrating that physical activity, particularly one embedded with deep cultural and philosophical significance like Tai Chi, can effectively enhance the career adaptability of college students. It advocates for the inclusion of PYD-based physical practices in developmental interventions aimed at preparing youth for the challenges of the modern workforce.