Exploring Public Health and Nursing Students' Perceptions of Each Other's Professional Roles.

Public health education specialists and nurses often work interprofessionally in the public health setting. Using a mixed-methods design, this exploratory study evaluated the effect of an online interprofessional case study activity on nursing and public health education students' perceptions of each other's professional role. For the public health experimental group only, a statistically significant change (p < .05) was found in their perceptions of the professional roles of nurses including large changes in six specific domains. Recommendations for implementing interprofessional education programs include more emphasis on education about professional scopes of practice and roles/responsibilities of the health professions.

Age, wage, and job placement: older women's experiences entering the retail sector.

Older women seeking employment often find opportunities limited to low-wage jobs, such as those in retail. We report findings about job placement and starting wages for hourly workers hired at a women's apparel retailer from August 2006 to December 2009. We examine competing hypotheses regarding the role of age in explaining women's job placement and starting wages. Although newly hired women age 55+ earn higher wages and are placed in higher-quality jobs than the youngest women (ages 18-22), they are less likely to be placed in better-quality jobs than their midlife counterparts. Overall, wage differences are largely explained by job quality.

Strain Characterization of Potato virus S Isolates from Tasmania, Australia.

Potato virus S (PVS) is prevalent within potato (Solanum tuberosum) production worldwide. Traditionally, PVS has been split into two strains, Ordinary (PVSO) and Andean (PVSA), based on reaction in herbaceous indicator species such as Chenopodium quinoa. However, recent research has identified further strain designations, such as PVSO-CS (Ordinary and Chenopodium systemic). Forty-four isolates of PVS were collected from potato seed lines in different geographical regions within Tasmania, Australia. Isolates were initially characterized by reactions in C. quinoa. Nineteen isolates were characterized as PVSO, based on the development of local lesions and serological detection in inoculated leaves only. Three isolates were identified as PVSA-like, based on local lesion development in inoculated leaves, mild mottling or chlorotic spots on noninoculated leaves, and serological detection in both inoculated and noninoculated leaves. Thirteen isolates produced no symptoms, and were detected serologically in inoculated leaves only (PVSO-like). Four isolates produced no symptoms but were detected serologically in both inoculated and noninoculated leaves (PVSA-like). Five isolates produced symptoms in inoculated leaves only but were detected serologically in both inoculated and noninoculated leaves (also PVSA-like). The ability of isolates to infect tomato has also been used as a criterion to assist in PVS strain differentiation. A subsample of isolates (n = 16) was unable to infect tomato 'Grosse Lisse'. Seventeen isolates representative of these groupings based on reactions in C. quinoa were also characterized by coat-protein sequencing. Phylogenetic comparisons suggested that all isolates were PVSO rather than PVSA. Therefore, whereas some of these PVS isolates were systemic in C. quinoa, findings from this study suggest that they were not PVSA, and that only PVSO and PVSO-CS isolates are present in Tasmania. The implications of this finding for disease management are discussed.

Cross-national replication of the gender identity interview for children.

We administered the Gender Identity Interview for Children, a 12-item child-informant measure, to children referred clinically for gender identity problems in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (N = 329) and Amsterdam, The Netherlands (N = 228) and 173 control children. Confirmatory factor analysis identified a Cognitive Gender Confusion factor (4 items) and an Affective Gender Confusion factor (8 items). Patients from both clinics had a significantly higher deviant total score than the controls, and the Dutch patients had a significantly higher deviant score than the Toronto patients. In this cross-national study, we are the first to report on the validity of this measure to discriminate children with gender identity disorder from controls outside of North America.

An ethnographic study of intermediate care services in Wales: the hidden work.

AIM: To explore the perceptions of staff working in and referring to community-based intermediate care teams in Wales. BACKGROUND: Central and devolved governments have high expectations of intermediate care to promote independence and quality of life for older people and to solve the system pressures within the acute hospital sector. Developing an evidence base of the effectiveness of a model of care that is characterized by diversity and difference in practice is problematic. METHOD: Fourth generation ethnographic evaluation involving focus groups, non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews with people working within and referring to intermediate care teams. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS: Strong evidence of interprofessional working demonstrated by shared responsibility, coordinated rather than parallel services, understanding of other organizations and recognition and resolution of conflict areas. This generated work which traditional measures would not identify. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Evaluation is inherent in the work of healthcare professionals and managers. Managers need to aware of the systems and structures within which they are required to manage. This is important for intermediate care services as the heterogeneity contributes to the challenges encountered by managers when seeking to describe services and measure their effectiveness. Applying an appropriate evaluation framework will facilitate both.

The role of the occupational physician in substance abuse.

Occupational physicians are in a unique position to intervene early in substance abuse in the workplace. Despite the complexities of and the barriers to identifying and approaching the troubled worker, there are a number of effective methods available to enable a successful intervention and an appropriate referral to the substance abuse treatment system. Motivational interviewing is one effective way to increase motivation, in a short span of time, in a worker facing needed change. Drug testing in the workplace abounds with potential conflict. Guidelines set forth by the ADA and ACOEM can help the occupational physician balance the need to advocate and protect the rights and confidentiality of patients with the need to uphold the well being and safety of the workplace and of the general public.