Experiences and challenges of enrolled nurses undertaking a Bachelor of Nursing Science programme in Namibia.

BACKGROUND:  Globally, enrolled nurses (ENs) are embarking on an educational journey to become registered nurses (RNs) in order to enhance their knowledge and career opportunities. However, their aspiration is not without challenges. In Namibia, the experiences of these nurses have not been extensively researched. OBJECTIVES:  This study aims to explore and describe the experiences and challenges of ENs undertaking a Bachelor of Nursing Science at the University of Namibia. METHOD:  A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research strategy was followed as the basis of conducting the study. A sample of 15 nursing students was purposively selected from the target population of 73 nursing students. This sample size was determined by the saturation of data as reflected in repeating themes. The collected data were analysed thematically using an inductive approach. RESULTS:  Three main themes subsequently emerged from the study: ENs' positive experiences advancing in the Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) programme; nurses' negative experiences advancing in the BNSc programme; and recommendations to ensure effective advancement in the BNSc programmeConclusion: The findings of this study revealed that ENs positively experience becoming a RN when it comes to self-development; however, they have negative experiences such as not receiving exemptions for prior learning and having to learn a new curriculum.Contribution: These findings may be used by the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Public Health management in order to develop targeted interventions and ongoing strategies during their curriculum review cycles to ensure positive student experiences and success within the programme.

Student pharmacists' perceptions of a NAPLEX preparation module in the pharmacy curriculum at one United States college of pharmacy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To investigate final-year student pharmacists' experiences of a new module for North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX®) preparation at one college of pharmacy in the United States. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: All student pharmacists enrolled in a new Spring 2023 module for NAPLEX preparation (n = 118) were invited to complete an electronic questionnaire and participate in a semi-structured interview. The questionnaire investigated the perceived helpfulness, grading, importance, prioritization, structure, and timing of the module in the curriculum, as well as assignment choices, confidence building, and time management using a six-point Likert scale. Semi-structured interviews investigated experiences with NAPLEX modules, time management, and course format. Questionnaire data were descriptively analyzed; interview data were thematically analyzed. FINDINGS: Forty-one completed questionnaires and seven interviews were analyzed. Median scores for questionnaire items were six (denoting strongly agree) for three items, five (denoting agree) for seven items, and four (denoting somewhat agree) for two items. Twenty-three (56%) students desired an online self-directed (asynchronous) course structure. Seventeen (42%) students desired a mixture of short and long course assignments with a greater proportion of short course assignments while another 17 (42%) desired only short course assignments. Two themes were constructed from interviews: timing (when to study for NAPLEX) and structure (how to study for NAPLEX). SUMMARY: Study findings indicated typically positive perceptions of a module for NAPLEX preparation among final-year student pharmacists at a college of pharmacy in the United States. Recommendations from students can be used to improve the module in future years.

Integrating real-world skills and diabetes lifestyle coach training into a revised health promotion and communications course.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Effective communication skills are essential for all pharmacists, regardless of practice setting. An implicit need in pharmacy education is to emphasize direct application of these skills to future healthcare practice prior to experiential rotations. The aim of this article is to describe how we revised a required first professional year (P1) doctor of pharmacy course to achieve two main goals: 1) improve the course relevance by connecting content to real-world skills; and 2) qualify all pharmacy students at our institution as certified National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) lifestyle coaches upon course completion. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Lifestyle coach training approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was integrated into a P1 communications course consisting of 14 modules that include: review of diabetes pathophysiology, group facilitation skills, social determinants of health, food tracking, action planning, participant retention and program administration. This content serves as a direct application of pre-existing course objectives related to knowledge (evidence-based theory) and skills (technical and counseling) required for effective communication with patients, families, and health professionals. FINDINGS: Between 2019 and 2022, the redesigned course was offered to 373 P1 students. Course evaluations during this time were consistently positive. The average evaluation score since DPP activities were integrated into the course was 3.41 (on a 4-point scale). Based upon course evaluations, students appreciated three main benefits of incorporating lifestyle coach certification into the pharmacy curriculum: 1) a certified skill that can differentiate them in the job market; 2) practice of skills on real patients under faculty supervision in the community setting; 3) early exposure to pharmacy patient care topics, thus contributing to professional identity. SUMMARY: Integration of lifestyle coach training into an existing core P1 pharmacy course increased application and assessment of communications skills and allowed wider availability of trained coaches to deliver DPP in the community.

Psychometric Properties of the Principal Instructional Leadership Scale (PILS) in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUNDS: The principal instructional leadership describes how school principals oversee the curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The main aims of the current study were translation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Principal Instructional Leadership Scale (PILS) in a Saudi Arabian population. METHODS: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process has been conducted in five stages, including forward translation, translation synthesis, backward translation, expert committee, and pilot testing. Face, content, construct, and convergent validity were used to establish validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and McDonald's omega (Ω) were used for internal consistency. RESULTS: To validate the PILS structure, the total sample (N = 724) was randomly split into two subgroups, each comprising 362 individuals, for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Five factors obtained from EFA explain 71.07 % of the variance in PILS. The PILS encompasses domains of improving curriculum quality, teaching, and enhancing the effectiveness of adaptive learning, adding to the dimensions covered by previous instructional leadership measures. The five components show strong internal consistency (0.93 to 0.97). Both first-order and second-order CFAs confirmed the 5-factor model, meeting criteria (CFI > 0.91, GFI > 0.9, IFI > 0.9, RMSEA<0.05). All 21 items displayed suitable internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.8, McDonald's omega >0.7). Second-order average variance extracted validity (0.50) indicated PILS validity. Gender invariance analysis revealed no significant differences (∆CFI < 0.01, ΔRMSEA<0.01) in PILS structure between genders. CONCLUSION: The reliability and validity of the Arabic rendition of PILS are commendable, making it suitable for evaluating principal instructional leadership in Saudi Arabia.

The Critical Need for Disaster Medicine in Modern Medical Education.

Current escalation of natural disasters, pandemics, and humanitarian crises underscores the pressing need for inclusion of disaster medicine in medical education frameworks. Conventional medical training often lacks adequate focus on the complexities and unique challenges inherent in such emergencies. This discourse advocates for the integration of disaster medicine into medical curricula, highlighting the imperative to prepare health-care professionals for an effective response in challenging environments. These competencies encompass understanding mass casualty management, ethical decision-making amidst resource constraints, and adapting health-care practices to varied emergency contexts. Therefore, we posit that equipping medical students with these specialized skills and knowledge is vital for health-care delivery in the face of global health emergencies.

Framework for an interprofessional experience addressing health and disability for health professional students.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A Health and Disabilities Interprofessional Education (IPE) course was implemented to join three healthcare disciplines together to collaboratively plan, implement, and reflect on professional roles and responsibilities. The goal and purpose of this course was to create an advancement of interprofessional education and practice within health science professions early in their students' programs utilizing innovative teaching methods working directly with individuals with disabilities. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: 72 students were assigned to interprofessional teams of 10-11 people. Through asynchronous and synchronous learning activities, student teams worked together to plan and conduct community-based client interviews. FINDINGS: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used to explore the impact of interprofessional experiential learning experiences. Qualitative data showed a greater awareness and understanding of the different roles and responsibilities in interprofessional teams as well as a greater appreciation for the value of interacting with persons with disabilities (PWD) during their training. Quantitative data showed a significant change in students' understanding of their roles and responsibilities as a member of an interprofessional team, their confidence with working with PWD in a future healthcare capacity, as well as their understanding of how the social determinants of health may influence the healthcare experience of a PWD. SUMMARY: Interprofessional education and experiential learning opportunities are good ways to facilitate "real" patient care experiences and team roles and responsibilities. This enables healthcare students to practice communication, build relationships, and understand the lived experience of their patients.

When pharmacy and theater collide: How diversity can develop inclusive communication skills.

BACKGROUND: Effective communication with patients and colleagues is key to a pharmacist's ability to provide effective person-centered care. Neurodivergent patients face many barriers when interacting with health professionals; increased awareness and understanding are therefore paramount to the pharmacist's role. This paper describes an innovative teaching partnership between a school of pharmacy and an inclusive theater company which aims to develop awareness and skills of undergraduate pharmacy students in relation to communicating with patients with autism and/or learning disabilities. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY: Forum theater and role-plays were used to complement existing communication skills teaching in Years two and four of the undergraduate MPharm (Master of Pharmacy) program. The sessions were designed and delivered in partnership between academic teaching staff and a theater company of neurodivergent actors. An online evaluation form was used to obtain student feedback on these sessions (two Likert-style questions and three open format questions). CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY: Of the 241 students who attended a session in 2021, 70 (29%) provided feedback. Feedback was positive, with 99% of respondents finding the session useful. Students spoke about how they found the sessions supportive and enlightening, helping them to reflect on their own communication skills. As a result, the teaching has been developed and now expanded through all years of the undergraduate program. While conscious of challenges such as funding and finding the right partner, the authors recommend this rewarding initiative to fellow academics.

An active-learning laboratory focused on critical care topics.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To describe an active-learning laboratory on critical care topics including advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), rapid sequence intubation (RSI), and toxicology and its effect on students' knowledge, skills, and confidence. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Third year pharmacy students (n = 88) participated in a critical care focused laboratory with four stations focused on ACLS review, ABBOJECTⓇ syringe assembly, ACLS simulations, RSI cases, and toxicology. Prior to the critical care focused skills laboratory, students completed an optional assessment composed of six confidence and eight knowledge questions. After the laboratory, students completed the same confidence and knowledge assessment. Descriptive statistics assessed pre/post-assessment responses. Paired pre/post-assessment Likert data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and paired pre/post-test multiple choice responses were analyzed using the McNemar test. FINDINGS: Of the 88 students in the cohort, 76 students completed both the pre/post-assessments (response rate: 86.4%). Students demonstrated a significant increase in their overall knowledge and confidence scores on the post-assessment. All students successfully assembled an ABBOJECTⓇ syringe. The majority of respondents rated the critical care laboratory as excellent or good with regards to how enjoyable and effective the activity was to help understand critical care topics. SUMMARY: A hands-on, active-learning laboratory devoted to teaching and reinforcing common critical care concepts allowed students to gain knowledge and confidence regarding ACLS, RSI, and toxicology.

A meta-narrative review of choose-your-own-adventure style patient case activities in pharmacy education.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this review was to characterize the methods of delivery and assessment of Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA)-style activities in pharmacy education. A secondary objective was to utilize available data to determine best practices for educators interested in developing similar activities. METHODS: A meta-narrative approach according to the guidance of the RAMESES standards was used for this review. A broad literature search was conducted using PubMed and Embase. Studies published on the use of a CYOA-style patient case format in pharmacy education were identified and appraised individually for their relevance. RESULTS: Thirteen studies from the pharmacy education literature were included in the review. Activities were delivered for 25 unique topics, largely in small groups during class via patient simulation or interactive data collection software. Overall, students have a positive perception of CYOA-style activities, with positive results regarding knowledge development and student engagement. The most commonly reported challenge to implementing CYOA-style patient case activities was the up-front time commitment to develop activities. IMPLICATIONS: This review provides a snapshot of the small but expanding body of literature on CYOA-style patient case activities in pharmacy education. CYOA-style activities are recommended for expanded use in pharmacy education as the preponderance of studies that assessed knowledge development showed significant improvement in knowledge after participation in CYOA-style activities. Additionally, students have a positive perception of CYOA-style activities and reported that they were enjoyable, improved their confidence, and helped them learn course material.

Skill or Competency: What Should we be Assessing?

India introduced competency-based medical education (CBME) in the year 2019. There is often confusion between terms like ability, skill, and competency. The provided curriculum encourages teaching and assessing skills rather than competencies. Though competency includes skill, it is more than a mere skill, and ignoring the other aspects like communication, ethics, and professionalism can compromise the teaching of competencies as well as their intended benefits to the patient and the society. The focus on skills also undermines the assessment of relevant knowledge. This paper clarifies the differences between ability, skill, and competency, and re-emphasizes the role of relevant knowledge and its assessment throughout clinical training. It is also emphasized that competency assessment is not a one-shot process; rather, it must be a longitudinal process where the assessment should bring out the achievement level of the student. Many of the components of competencies are not assessable by purely objective methods and there is a need to use expert subjective judgments, especially for the formative and classroom assessments. A mentor adds to the success of a competency-based curriculum.

Defining Medical AI Competencies for Medical School Graduates: Outcomes of a Delphi Survey and Medical Student/Educator Questionnaire of South Korean Medical Schools.

PURPOSE: Given the increasing significance and potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technology on health care delivery, there is an increasing demand to integrate AI into medical school curricula. This study aimed to define medical AI competencies and identify the essential competencies for medical graduates in South Korea. METHOD: An initial Delphi survey conducted in 2022 involving 4 groups of medical AI experts (n = 28) yielded 42 competency items. Subsequently, an online questionnaire survey was carried out with 1,955 participants (1,174 students and 781 professors) from medical schools across South Korea, utilizing the list of 42 competencies developed from the first Delphi round. A subsequent Delphi survey was conducted with 33 medical educators from 21 medical schools to differentiate the essential AI competencies from the optional ones. RESULTS: The study identified 6 domains encompassing 36 AI competencies essential for medical graduates: (1) understanding digital health and changes driven by AI; (2) fundamental knowledge and skills in medical AI; (3) ethics and legal aspects in the use of medical AI; (4) medical AI application in clinical practice; (5) processing, analyzing, and evaluating medical data; and (6) research and development of medical AI, as well as subcompetencies within each domain. While numerous competencies within the first 4 domains were deemed essential, a higher percentage of experts indicated responses in the last 2 domains, data science and medical AI research and development, were optional. CONCLUSIONS: This medical AI framework of 6 competencies and their subcompetencies for medical graduates exhibits promising potential for guiding the integration of AI into medical curricula. Further studies conducted in diverse contexts and countries are necessary to validate and confirm the applicability of these findings. Additional research is imperative for developing specific and feasible educational models to integrate these proposed competencies into pre-existing curricula.

Effects of a Discourse Intervention on End-of-Life Knowledge and Attitudes of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Students.

Several challenges exist to providing effective, formalized end-of-life education for undergraduate nursing students. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of a discourse intervention to the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium Undergraduate Nursing Modules effectively improved junior-level prelicensure bachelor of science in nursing students' knowledge and attitudes toward end-of-life care. This quasi-experimental 2-group comparison, pretest/posttest design consisted of a sample of 135 enrolled in a medical-surgical nursing class. Applying Mezirow's transformational learning theory, a 2-hour discourse intervention that included a self-reflective journal, an unfolding case study focused on loss, and a discussion with question-and-answer session was implemented at the completion of the Undergraduate Nursing Modules for the intervention group. Knowledge and attitude toward end-of-life care were measured before and after the intervention with the Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses and the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying. The findings indicated increased knowledge and positive attitude changes. This study supports the value of theory-based educational interventions, like a discourse intervention, to enhance effective pedagogy when addressing emotionally laden content such as end-of-life care. This study may have also given a glimpse of how a global pandemic may affect end-of-life knowledge and attitudes.

Contributions of African-centered (Africentric) psychology: A call for inclusion in APA-accredited graduate psychology program curriculum.

Over the past few years, there has been increased visibility of, and attention paid to, enduring issues such as racial discrimination toward Black Americans. Black psychologists have been called upon to explain various race-related mental health issues to the public, as well as their colleagues and students. Discussions about how to heal from persistent, intergenerational, oppressive attacks on the African psyche are important, but the theories and treatments in which most practitioners are trained and considered "best practices" are Eurocentric in nature. African-centered (or Africentric) psychology is a well-established school of thought, predating the philosophies often discussed in Western/American psychology's History and Systems curriculum, that provides an authentic understanding of the psychology of people of African descent from an African perspective. In this article, we present the historical contention about the lack of inclusion of an African perspective in conceptualizing and addressing the psychological needs of people of African descent, provide an overview of African-centered psychology including its underlying worldview and philosophy, development, and key contributors, and advocate for the inclusion of Africentric psychology in APA-accredited psychology graduate programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Barreiras e facilitadores da permanência em curso noturno de Odontologia de universidade pública do sul do Brasil / Barreras y facilitadores de la permanencia en un curso nocturno de Odontología en una universidad pública del sur de Brasil / Barriers to and facilitators of permanence in an evening Dentistry course at a public university in southern Brazil

Este estudo analisou as condições de permanência e o perfil sociodemográfico-familiar de estudantes do curso noturno de Odontologia, em Universidade Pública do sul do Brasil. Utilizou dados de pesquisa observacional transversal, realizada pelo autopreenchimento de instrumento online. Todos os 175 estudantes matriculados no curso noturno, primeiro semestre de 2019, foram convidados a participar do estudo. As questões fechadas foram analisadas pela estatística descritiva e as abertas pela análise temática de conteúdo. Participaram da pesquisa 55 estudantes. Em sua maioria, eram mulheres, de 25 a 35 anos, brancas, solteiras, sem filhos, residentes na cidadeem que se localiza a Instituição e cursaram ensino fundamental e médio em escola pública; 50,9% trabalham, mas dependem de apoio familiar para seu sustento e 63,6% possuem renda individual mensal de até 2 salários mínimos. As barreiras associadas à permanência do estudante no curso foram questões financeiras, aspectos organizacionais da Universidade/curso,a condição de ser estudante-trabalhador, conhecimento do corpo docente sobre o perfil dos estudantes do noturno, segurança em torno do campus e tempo de duração do curso. O auxílio financeiro para compra de materiais odontológicos foi reconhecido como estratégia facilitadora da permanência no curso. Estudantes recomendam como estratégias para fortalecer a permanência, a flexibilização de pré-requisitos e horários de chegada nas aulas, acompanhamento de disciplinas no turno diurno, disciplinas/atividades deeducação a distância, maior oferta de atividades extracurriculares em dias/horários considerando o estudante-trabalhador e acompanhamento psicológico. O curso noturno tem possibilitado o acesso do estudante trabalhador na educação superior em Odontologia.Barreiras e facilitadores da permanência foram identificados e devem ser permanentemente analisados (AU).

Este estudio analizó las condiciones de permanencia y el perfil sociodemográfico-familiar de estudiantes del curso nocturno de Odontología, en una Universidad Pública del sur de Brasil. Utilizó datos de una encuesta observacional transversal, realizada porautocompletado de un instrumento en línea. Todos los 175 estudiantes matriculados en el curso vespertino, primer semestre de 2019, fueron invitados a participar en el estudio. Las preguntas cerradas se analizaron mediante estadística descriptiva y las preguntas abiertas mediante análisis de contenido temático. Participaron en la investigación 55 estudiantes. En su mayoría eran mujeres, entre 25 y 35 años, blancas, solteras, sin hijos, residentes en la ciudad donde se encuentra la Institución y que habían cursado estudios primarios y secundarios en una escuela pública; 50,9% trabaja, pero depende del apoyo familiar para su sustento y el 63,6% tiene un ingreso mensual individual de hasta 2 salarios mínimos. Las barreras asociadas a la permanencia del estudiante en el curso fueron aspectos económicos, aspectos organizativos de la Universidad/curso, la condición de estudiante-trabajador, conocimiento de la facultad sobre el perfil de los estudiantes nocturnos, seguridad en los alrededores del campus y duración de la carrera. La ayuda financiera para la compra de materiales dentales fue reconocida como una estrategia facilitadora para la permanencia en el curso. Los estudiantes recomiendan, como estrategias para fortalecer la permanencia, la flexibilización de requisitos y horarios de llegada a clases, seguimiento de asignaturas en turno diurno, asignaturas/actividades de educación a distancia, mayor oferta de actividades extracurriculares en días/horarios considerando al estudiante-trabajador y seguimiento psicológico. El curso nocturno ha permitido a los estudiantes trabajadores acceder a la educación superior en Odontología. Se identificaron barreras y facilitadores de la permanencia y deben ser permanentemente analizados (AU).

This study analyzed the permanence conditions and the sociodemographic-family profile of students of the evening Dentistry course offered by a Public University in southern Brazil. It used data from a cross-sectional observational survey carried out through self-completion of an online instrument. All 175 students enrolled in the evening course in the first semester of 2019 were invited to participate in the study. Closed questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics and open questions were interpreted using thematic content analysis. A total of 55 students participated in the research. Most of them were women, aged between 25 and 35 years, white, single, without children, resident in the city where the Institution is located, and who attended primary and secondary education in public schools. In addition, 50.9% work but depend on family support for their livelihood, and 63.6% have an individual monthly income of up to 2 minimum salaries. The barriers associated with student's permanence in the course were financial issues, organizational aspects of the University/course, the condition of being a working student, teachers' familiarization with the profile of evening students, security around the campus, and course duration. Financial aid for the purchase of dental materials was recognized as a facilitating strategy for permanence in the course. Students recommend, as strategies to strengthen permanence, the flexibility of curriculum prerequisites and arrival times in classes, attending disciplines in the day period, distance education disciplines/activities, a greater offer of extracurricular activities on days/times that take into account the working student, and psychological follow-up. The evening course has enabled working students to access higher education in Dentistry. Barriers to and facilitators of permanence were identified and mustbe permanently analyzed (AU).

O perfil acadêmico dos coordenadores dos cursos de Odontologia brasileiros: uma interface com a Bioética / El perfil académico de los coordinadores de cursos de Odontología brasileños: una interfaz con la Bioética / The academic profile of BrazilianDentistry course coordinators: an interface with Bioethics

As Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para o Curso de Graduação em Odontologia orientam para uma formação humanista, crítica, reflexiva, e pautada em princípios éticos/bioéticos. Considerando que os coordenadores dos cursos de graduação são fundamentais no processo de formação, foi realizada uma pesquisa nacional, objetivando analisar o perfil acadêmico desses atores. Trata-se de pesquisa transversal, documental, exploratória e analítica. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre junho e julho de 2020, a partir da consulta aos currículos na Plataforma Lattes. Realizaram-se análises descritivas e univariada. Foram analisados os currículos dos coordenadores dos 446 cursos de Odontologia em atividade no Brasil. Destes, 53,0% eram do sexo masculino; 94,2% formados em Odontologia; 81,2% possuíam pelo menos uma especialização, 89,5% mestrado e 52,0% doutorado; 0,4% possuíam especialização em bioética e 0,7% em odontologia legal; 0,7% possuíam mestrado em odontologia legal; 11,7% já haviam lecionado disciplinas nas áreas de ética (deontológica e bioética); 3,8% participavam de projetos de pesquisa e 2,0% de projetos de extensão relacionados à ética; e 6,1% tinham publicações relacionadas à deontologia, ética e/ou bioética. Conclui-se que a maioria dos coordenadores possui cursos de especialização e mestrado, e pouco mais da metade possui doutorado. No entanto, poucos têm alguma formação nas áreas de ética e/ou bioética, ou apresentam projetos de extensão e pesquisa nesses campos do conhecimento (AU).

Las Directrices Curriculares Nacionales para los Cursos de Pregrado en Odontología prevén una formación humanística, crítica, y reflexiva basada en principios éticos/bioéticos. Considerando que los coordinadores de los cursos de pregrado son fundamentales en el proceso de formación, se realizó una pesquisa nacional para analizar el perfil académico de esos profesionales. Se trata de una investigación transversal, documental, exploratoria, y analítica. La colecta de datos se realizó entre junio y julio de 2020, a partir de la consulta de planes de estudio en la Plataforma Lattes. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos y univariados. Fueron analizados los currículos de los coordinadores de los 446 cursos de Odontología activos en Brasil. De los mismos, 53,0% eranhombres; 94,2% eran graduados en Odontología; 81,2% tenían por lo menos una especialización, 89,5% maestría y 52,0% doctorado; 0,4% tenían especialización en Bioética, y 0,7% en Odontología Legal; 11,7% ya había impartido asignaturas en las áreas de ética(deontológica y bioética); 3,8% participaba en proyectos de investigación, y 2,0% en proyectos de extensión relacionados con la ética; 6,1% tenía publicaciones relacionadas con la deontología, la ética y/o la bioética. Se concluye que la mayoría de los coordinadores tienen títulos de especialización y maestría, y poco más de la mitad tienen un doctorado. No obstante, pocos tienen formación en las áreas de ética y/o bioética, o presentan proyectos de extensión e investigación en estos campos del conocimiento (AU).

The National Curriculum Guidelines for the Undergraduate Course in Dentistry guide towards for humanistic, critical, and reflective education, with activities based on ethical/bioethical principles. Considering that undergraduate course coordinators are essential in conducting the education process, a nationwide study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the academic profile of these actors. This is a cross-sectional, documentary, exploratory, and analytical study. The data collection was carried out between June and July 2020, from the consultation of curricula on the Lattes Platform. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed. The curricula of the coordinators from 446 Dentistry courses in activity in Brazil were analyzed. Of these, 53.0% were male; 94.2% graduated in Dentistry; 81.2% had at least one specialization, 89.5% had a master's degree, and 52.0% had a doctorate; 0.4% had a specialization in bioethics and 0.7% in legal dentistry; 11.7% had already lectured subjects in ethics (deontology and bioethics); 3.8% had participated in research projects, and 2.0% in extension projects related to ethics; while 6.1% had publications related to deontology, ethics, and/or bioethics. It is concluded that most coordinators have specialization and master's degrees, and just over half have a doctorate. However, few have some training in the areas of ethics and/or bioethics, or have extension and research projects in these fields of knowledge (AU).

Developing a standardized national undergraduate curriculum for future healthcare professionals on self-management support for chronic conditions.

This is a report on the development of the second part of a national undergraduate interprofessional standardized curriculum in chronic disease prevention for healthcare professionals in the Republic of Ireland; National Undergraduate Curriculum for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Part 2: Self-management Support for Chronic Conditions. The development processes involved in Part 1, Making Every Contact Count for Health Behavior Change, were described earlier. This report presents an overview of the development of a national self-management support curriculum and barriers and enablers encountered. The curriculum was developed by a National Working Group, with interprofessional representation from each of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland and the national health service, i.e. the Health Service Executive (HSE). All phases of the project were overseen by a Steering Group and supported in each HEI by a local working group. The aim of the curriculum is to introduce standardized self-management support education across all undergraduate and graduate entry healthcare programmes nationally to prepare future healthcare professionals with knowledge, skills and attitudes to support individuals to self-manage their chronic conditions.

Competency-based postgraduate training: Mentoring and monitoring using entrustable professional activities with descriptive rubrics for objectivity- A step beyond Dreyfus.

Background At Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, a competency-based learning and training (CoBaLT©) model for postgraduate (PG) curriculum, within the regulatory norms, was implemented in 2016 after adequate faculty development programmes. This focused on well-defined outcomes. Methods A review of the outcomes was undertaken in 2018 as part of internal quality assurance receiving feedback from all stakeholders, viz. students, alumni and faculty. Recent publications were also reviewed. A major problem identified was lack of clarity in definition of levels leading to subjectivity in assessment while grading. It was also noted that the process needed to be aligned with the programme outcomes. Further refinements were, therefore, made to align and objectivize formative assessment using entrustable professional activities (EPA) with the aid of descriptive rubrics of sub-competencies and milestones. Addition of detailed rubrics for objectivity takes assessment a step beyond the Dreyfus model, aligning overall to the programme outcomes. Results Achievement of appropriate grades in EPAs by individual candidates ensures entrustability in professional activities by the time of completion of the PG programme. The modification was found more transparent and objective with reference to grading by the teachers and more conducive to reflections by the residents on their performance and how to improve it. Conclusions The use of descriptive rubrics along with EPAs brings transparency and plays a key role as an objective assessment tool, which can lend direction to individual resident learning and entrustability. This is an important component of outcome-based education.

Benchmarking in Academic Physical Therapy Using the PT-GQ Survey: Wave 2 Update With Application to Accreditation Reporting.

OBJECTIVE: The Benchmarking in Academic Physical Therapy study uses the Physical Therapist-Graduation Questionnaire (PT-GQ) survey to develop comprehensive performance benchmarks for physical therapist education. These benchmarks facilitate interprofessional comparisons and have application to accreditation self-study reporting. The purpose of this study is to report updated benchmarks from enrollment Wave 2 of the study, with an emphasis on curricular areas that align with accreditation standards. METHODS: Seventy doctor of physical therapy (DPT) programs (26.5% national sample) administered the survey to graduates during 2020-2021. Where possible, respondent data were contextualized by statistical comparison with published medical student data (Welch t test, Hedges g). RESULTS: There were 1894 respondents who participated in the study (response rate: 63.9%). The average survey duration was 32.9 minutes. White-only, non-Hispanic/Latino/a/x individuals (78.8%) exceeded the 2020 US Census prevalence (60.1%), and only one-half of respondents perceived a benefit to their training from the diversity present in their programs. Over 94% of respondents indicated that their curricula were characterized by "problem solving/critical thinking" and "clinical reasoning," but nearly one-half indicated "busywork" was prevalent. High curricular satisfaction ratings clustered in content areas relating to profession-specific technical skills and low ratings clustered in foundational sciences. DPT respondents reported significantly lower tolerance for ambiguity, significantly more exhaustion, and significantly less disengagement than medical students. Respondents endorsed higher levels of "adaptive" perfectionism (striving for high performance) than "maladaptive" perfectionism (concern over negative evaluations). Respondents with loans (27.7%) had debt exceeding $150,000, the benchmark above which the DPT degree loses economic power. CONCLUSION: PT-GQ benchmarks revealed strengths (eg, curricula emphasizing problem solving/critical thinking and clinical reasoning) and challenges (eg, low diversity, problematic student debt) in physical therapist education. IMPACT: Programs can use benchmarking for quality-improvement efforts and as a data source for accreditation self-study reports. The ongoing study will refine national benchmarks and pilot items to address new research questions.

Implementing and optimizing a communication curriculum in medical teaching: Stakeholders' perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: The relevance of communication in medical education is continuously increasing. At the Medical Faculty of Hamburg, the communication curriculum was further developed and optimized during this project. This article aims to describe the stakeholders' perceived challenges and supporting factors in the implementation and optimization processes. METHODS: The initial communication curriculum and its development after a one-year optimization process were assessed with a curricular mapping. A SWOT analysis and group discussions were carried out to provide information on the need for optimization and on challenges the different stakeholders faced. RESULTS: The curricular mapping showed that the communication curriculum is comprehensive, coherent, integrated and longitudinal. In both the implementation and the project-related optimization processes, support from the dean, cooperation among all stakeholders and structural prerequisites were deemed the most critical factors for successfully integrating communication content into the curriculum. CONCLUSION: The initiative and support of all stakeholders, including the dean, teachers and students, were crucial for the project's success. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Although the implementation of a communication curriculum is recommended for all medical faculties, their actual implementation processes may differ. In a "top-down" and "bottom-up" approach, all stakeholders should be continuously involved in the process to ensure successful integration.