Early career mentoring for translational researchers: mentee perspectives on challenges and issues.

BACKGROUND: The education and training of early career biomedical translational researchers often involves formal mentoring by more experienced colleagues. PURPOSES: This study investigated the nature of these mentoring relationships from the perspective of mentees. The objective was to understand the challenges and issues encountered by mentees in forming and maintaining productive mentoring relationships. METHODS: Three focus groups (n=14) were conducted with early career researchers who had mentored career development awards. Thematic analysis identified, categorized, and illustrated the challenges and issues reported by mentees. RESULTS: The range of mentee challenges was reflected in five major categories: (a) network--finding appropriate mentors to meet various needs; (b) access--structuring schedules and opportunities to receive mentoring; (c) expectations--negotiating the mechanics of the mentoring relationship and its purpose; (d) alignment--managing mentor-mentee mismatches regarding interests, priorities, and goals; and (e) skills and supports--developing the institutional supports to be successful. CONCLUSIONS: Mentoring relationships created for academic training and career development contend with tasks common to many other relationships, namely, recognizing compatibility, finding time, establishing patterns, agreeing to goals, and achieving aims. Identifying challenges faced by mentees can facilitate the development of appropriate trainings and supports to foster mentoring relationships in academic and career settings.

Contaminants in human nail dust: an occupational hazard in podiatry?

BACKGROUND: There has been limited literature indicating that podiatrists' health may be at risk from exposure to human nail dust. Previous studies carried out in the UK have shown that large amounts of dust become airborne during the human nail drilling procedure and are present in the air up to 10 hours after a clinical session. This increases the risk of Respiratory Tract (RT) infection for the practitioner. METHODS: This study used a nasal swabbing technique and fungal culture to determine whether podiatrists (n = 50) had the same microbes present in their nasal cavities as non-podiatry health professional control group (n = 45). All swabs were cultured, counted and identified for each subject. Survey data of use and type of nail drill, type of mask used and frequency of change over a two week period. RESULTS: The results showed podiatrists had a greater range of microbes in their nasal cavities although the controls had greater overall numbers of organisms. The known pathogen and common mould, Aspergillus fumigatus was ost commonly found fungus within the podiatric group with 44% of the group having the fungus present. All nail drills used by the podiatrists had some form of dust extraction (except one). Of concern was 17% (n = 8) of the podiatrists did not use a mask at all whilst drilling and seemed unaware of any infection control issues. Simple disposable masks were the most frequently worn with only half being changed after each patient further increasing the cross infection risk CONCLUSION: The high levels of Aspergilus contamination is a significant finding in the podiatry group as this fungus is small enough to enter the tissue of the nasal cavity and as a small particle will stay airborne in the room for up to 16 hours. Aspergilus has been shown to cause brain and soft tissue tumours in extreme cases. The high levels of upper respiratory track problems reported in the literature may well be caused by this fungal agent. The non use and use of inappropriate masks by podiatrists is clearly an occupational hazard to their health and well being.

Disaster preparedness : Environmental health guidelines

These guidelines serve as a concise source of practical and relevant advice enabling non-professional sanitarians to deal with some fundamental problems which they are likely to encounter following a disaster. Although written primarily for use by assessors in the field they might provide a useful model for national guidelines