Hot Topic: Title IV-E MSW Education and "Intent to Stay" in Public Child Welfare.

The 2018 proposed Family First Prevention Services Act suggests a change in the funding formula of Title IV-E of the Social Security Act-from entitlement to block grants. This study aimed to support the continuation of entitlement support based on the evidence that Title IV-E educational programs are effective in improving retention after the workers have obtained an MSW degree. Using a multigroup, multiple regression approach, this study analyzed secondary data collected from an e-survey sent to public child welfare (PCW) workers in a southern state. Data from 1,025 workers compare "intent to stay" (ITS) factors between PCW workers who received and those who did not receive the Title IV-E MSW educational stipend. The main analysis was conducted using Mplus version 7.4, with R version 3.3.2 used for data screening. Findings indicate that Title IV-E-supported education moderates the strength of the following ITS factors: respect from coworkers, team cohesion, self-assessed skills in working with special needs clients, and holding an MSW degree. MSW holders expressed lower ITS levels unless they had received Title IV-E stipends. These results provide evidence that Title IV-E education could help retain MSW graduates in PCW.

30% of Recent Family Medicine Graduates Report Participation in Loan Repayment Programs.

Rising educational debt may discourage entry into primary care and practice in safety net settings, but little is known about participation in loan repayment programs that are thought to be part of the solution. A survey of 2052 recent family physician residency graduates found that 30% pursued loan repayment, only a portion of which is tied to service obligations, suggesting opportunities for research and areas for the attention of policymakers.

Repayment by VA of Educational Loans for Certain Psychiatrists. Final rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is adding to its medical regulations a program for the repayment of educational loans for certain psychiatrists who agree to a period of obligated service with VA. This program is intended to increase the pool of qualified VA psychiatrists and increase veterans' access to mental health care.

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program. Final rule.

This final rule makes regulatory changes to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) based on the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. These changes strengthen requirements to protect the health and safety of children in child care; help parents make informed consumer choices and access information to support child development; provide equal access to stable, high-quality child care for low-income children; and enhance the quality of child care and the early childhood workforce.

Opinion and Special Articles: "Physician debtor".

The increasing cost of attending medical school has contributed to increasing physician indebtedness. The burden of medical school debt has implications for physician career choice, professional satisfaction, and burnout. This opinion discusses the impact of physician indebtedness, the importance of improving debt awareness among neurology trainees, and program- and policy-level solutions to the debt crisis.

Caregivers program. Final rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adopts, with changes, the interim final rule concerning VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. VA administers this program to provide certain medical, travel, training, and financial benefits to caregivers of certain veterans and servicemembers who were seriously injured during service on or after September 11, 2001. Also addressed in this rulemaking is the Program of General Caregiver Support Services that provides support services to caregivers of veterans from all eras who are enrolled in the VA health care system. Specifically, changes in this final rule include a requirement that Veterans be notified in writing should a Family Caregiver request revocation (to no longer be a Family Caregiver), an extension of the application timeframe from 30 days to 45 days for a Family Caregiver, and a change in the stipend calculation to ensure that Primary Family Caregivers do not experience unexpected decreases in stipend amounts from year to year.

Dispute brewing over plans to cut training funds.

Health Education England's (HEE) plans to cut funding for nursing degree programmes would be illegal if imposed without the consent of universities, a legal expert has warned.

Conflicts of interest in medical school: missing policies and high need for student information at most German universities.

OBJECTIVES: Medical students interact with pharmaceutical representatives already during medical school. The goal of this study was to find out: Do policies exist at German medical faculties that govern the interactions between medical students and pharmaceutical representatives, do schools offer courses on the subject and do students attend these courses? And What are the attitudes of medical students concerning the role of pharmaceutical companies in medical teaching? METHODS: All 36 German medical faculty deans and 1151 medical students at eight German universities were asked to complete a questionnaire of 4 and 7 questions, respectively, regarding the above mentioned topics. RESULTS: 30 (83.3%) deans and 1038 (90.3%) medical students filled in the questionnaire, respectively. According to the deans' answers, only one school had a policy concerning conflicts of interest and one had a policy governing the interactions between medical students and industry. 8 (26.7%) deans showed an interest in constructing a policy or educational an activity on this subject. 149 (14.4%) students had participated in an activity that focussed the subject of conflicts of interest and 779 (77.8%) wanted more education on the subject. 701 (73.4%) were opposed to an improvement of medical studies through financial support by pharmaceutical companies, whereas 216 (21.9%) were of the opinion that students should not meet with pharmaceutical representatives. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike in other countries, like the US, most German medical faculties do not have policies that govern the interactions between medical students and pharmaceutical companies. Since most students want to be taught more about these interactions, the implementation of respective policies and lectures would be desirable.