The competency index for clinical research professionals: a potential tool for competency-based clinical research academic program evaluation.

Background: Accreditation of graduate academic programs in clinical research requires demonstration of program achievement of Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competence-based standards. Evaluation of graduate programs include enrollment, student grades, skills-based outcomes, and completion rates, in addition to other measures. Standardized measures of competence would be useful. Methods: We used the Competency Index for Clinical Research Professionals (CICRP), in a separate-sample pretest-posttest study to measure self-confidence or self-efficacy in clinical research competency comparing cohorts of students entering and completing a master's degree program in clinical research across three semesters (summer 2021 - spring 2022). CICRP is a 20-item Likert scale questionnaire (0 = Not at all confident; 10 = extremely confident). Results: The study sample of 110 students (54 in the entry course, 56 in the exit course) showed overall 80.9% entered the program with only a baccalaureate degree and 55.5% had no prior experience in managing clinical trial research. Cronbach alpha for the instrument showed a high level of content validity (range 0.93-0.98). Median CICRP item rating range at entry was [1, 6] and at exit [7, 10]. Mean CICRP total score (sum of 20 items) at entry was 72.7 (SD 41.9) vs. 167.0 (SD 21.1) at exit (p < 0.001). Mean total score at program entry increased with increasing years of clinical trial management experience but attenuated at program exit. Conclusion: This is the first use of the CICRP for academic program evaluation. The CICRP may be a useful tool for competency-based academic program evaluation, in addition to other measures of program excellence.

Survival of Black and White Patients With Stage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is associated with aggressive biology and limited treatment options, making this disease a historical challenge. The influence of race and socioeconomic status on the survival of stage IV SCLC remains mostly unknown. Our study is designed to investigate the clinical survival outcomes in Black and White patients with stage IV SCLC and study the demographic, socioeconomic, clinical features, and treatment patterns of the disease and their impact on survival in Blacks and Whites. METHODS AND RESULTS: Stage IV SCLC cases from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) diagnosed between 2004 and 2014 were obtained. The follow-up endpoint is defined as death or the date of the last contact. Patients were divided into two groups by white and black. Features including demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, treatments and survival outcomes in Blacks and Whites were collected. Mortality hazard ratios of Blacks and Whites stage IV SCLC patients were analyzed. Survival of stage IV SCLC Black and White patients was also analyzed. Adjusted hazard ratios were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Patients' median follow-up time was 8.18 (2.37-15.84) months. Overall survival at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months were 52.4%, 25.7%, 13.2% and 7.9% in Blacks in compared to 51.0%, 23.6%, 11.5% and 6.9% in Whites. White patients had significantly higher socioeconomic status than Black patients. By contrast, Blacks were found associated with younger age at diagnosis, a significantly higher chance of receiving radiation therapy and treatments at an academic/research program. Compared to Whites, Blacks had a 9% decreased risk of death. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that Blacks have significant socioeconomic disadvantages compared to Whites. However, despite these unfavorable factors, survival for Blacks was significantly improved compared to Whites after covariable adjustment. This may be due to Blacks with Stage IV SCLC having a higher chance of receiving radiation therapy and treatments at an academic/research program. Identifying and removing the barriers to obtaining treatments at academic/research programs or improving the management in non-academic centers could improve the overall survival of stage IV SCLC.

The Program "Reflexion 1"-the Condition of Intensive Formation of Metacognitive Skills in Elementary School.

Metacognitive skills associated with reflexive actions in solving problems are an essential condition for the successful mastering of school programs and a strong indicator of the intellectual development of primary school-aged children. The purpose of this empirical research is to study the influence of the author's program of non-educational content, "Reflexion 1", on the formation of reflexive actions in solving problems for children aged 9 years. Thirty-two classes were conducted (once a week, outside school hours) with the experimental group of students from September to May, according to the specified program. The results show that the lessons in the "Reflexion 1" program contribute to a significant increase in the number of children aged 9 years with substantial reflexive actions in solving problems.

A Master of Public Health with a Concentration in Mass Gatherings Health.

Introduction The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is in a unique position and different from other nations that periodically host an event, such as the World Cup or the Olympics. The KSA is faced annually with millions of pilgrims coming from around the world to participate in the Hajj, Umrah, and Ziarah rituals. Continuously hosting such huge mass gatherings poses overwhelming challenges to the Saudi healthcare system. Consequently, an additional specialized cadre of qualified public health personnel is needed. The purpose of this article is to describe the establishment of an academic public health program that addresses this need. Materials & Methods In response to the dire need for public health specialists, a landmark project was launched in 2013 at Alfaisal University (AU). The project aimed to establish a Master of Public Health (MPH) program with a concentration in the health aspects of mass gatherings. The MPH program was created in collaboration with the United States-based Partners HealthCare International (PHI), the Saudi Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine (GCMGM) at the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MOHU). A needs assessment was conducted to help in the program development. The needs assessment drew on the unpublished findings of an institutional review board (IRB)-approved anonymous market survey that was administered to prospective students of the MPH program. Results The needs assessment study revealed the need for an MPH program with concentrations in mass gatherings health, health policy and management, and biostatistics and epidemiology. Consequently, we designed an MPH program to include these three concentrations. In particular, the mass gatherings health concentration aimed at preparing qualified public health specialists to help manage risks to the Saudi public health system, to analyze health data, and to recommend policies associated with the continuous mass gatherings events. Challenges to program development included working with multiple governmental agencies, absence of a frame of reference to develop a program curriculum, a lack of qualified faculty, lengthy and tedious government approval procedures, and inadequate funding. After obtaining the required approvals, the MPH program with a concentration in mass gatherings health was inaugurated in the fall of 2016. This program is accredited by the Saudi government to prepare public health specialists trained and locally certified in mass gatherings health issues. Conclusions The public health experts of the AU have established what may be the first MPH program with a concentration in mass gatherings health. The main challenges to program development were identified, and appropriate actions to meet these challenges were taken. This innovative MPH produces certified specialists equipped with the analytical and policy-making tools necessary to continuously monitor and improve the public health aspects of mass gatherings. Besides, the program provides a frame of reference for the development of unique public health programs, not only in the KSA but worldwide.

Essential Components of Educational Programs on Biomedical Writing, Editing, and Publishing.

The primary objective of educational programs on biomedical writing, editing, and publishing is to nurture ethical skills among local and international researchers and editors from diverse professional backgrounds. The mechanics, essential components, and target outcomes of these programs are described in this article. The mechanics covers the objectives, design, benefits, duration, participants and qualifications, program formats, administrative issues, and mentorship. The essential components consist of three core schedules: Schedule I Basic aspects of biomedical writing, editing, and communications; Schedule II Essential skills in biomedical writing, editing, and publishing; and Schedule III Interactive lectures on relevant topics. The target outcomes of the programs comprise knowledge acquisition, skills development, paper write-up, and journal publication. These programs add to the prestige and academic standing of the host institutions.

Using Concept Mapping in the Development of a School of Public Health.

Schools of Public Health have a wide variety of essential stakeholders. Broad input in program planning should assist in ensuring well-developed plans and strong community buy-in. The planning of a school can better address the needs of multiple stakeholders from systematic broad-based input from these constituents using concept mapping. In this study, we used concept mapping to prioritize a set of recommendations from diverse stakeholders to assist in the process of planning a school. A set of statements was generated on essential elements for the proposed school from a broad group of stakeholders. The statements were then distilled into unique themes, which were then rated on importance and feasibility. Cluster maps and pattern matches were used to analyze the ratings. Unique themes (N = 147) were identified and grouped into 12 clusters. Cluster themes included leadership, faculty, culture, school, and curriculum. Pattern matches revealed a significant, modest correlation between importance and feasibility (r = 0.27). A broad range of perspectives was used to identify relevant areas to address in the development of a school.

Essential Components of Educational Programs on Biomedical Writing, Editing, and Publishing

The primary objective of educational programs on biomedical writing, editing, and publishing is to nurture ethical skills among local and international researchers and editors from diverse professional backgrounds. The mechanics, essential components, and target outcomes of these programs are described in this article. The mechanics covers the objectives, design, benefits, duration, participants and qualifications, program formats, administrative issues, and mentorship. The essential components consist of three core schedules: Schedule I Basic aspects of biomedical writing, editing, and communications; Schedule II Essential skills in biomedical writing, editing, and publishing; and Schedule III Interactive lectures on relevant topics. The target outcomes of the programs comprise knowledge acquisition, skills development, paper write-up, and journal publication. These programs add to the prestige and academic standing of the host institutions.

Military and academic programs outperform community programs on the American Board of Surgery Examinations.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of American Board of Surgery (ABS) Qualifying Examination (QE) and Certifying Examination (CE) outcomes comparing residency programs by academic, community, or military affiliation. We hypothesize that the larger academic programs will outperform the smaller community programs. METHODS: In this retrospective study from 2002 to 2012, examination performance on the ABS QE and CE were obtained from the ABS for all of the general surgery residency programs. Programs were categorized by academic, community, and military affiliation. Both nonparametric and parametric statistics were used for comparison, using an α = 0.05. RESULTS: There were 137/235 (58.3%) academic programs, 90/235 (38.3%) community programs, and 8/235 (3.4%) military programs that satisfied inclusion criteria for this study. The Mann-Whitney U tests showed that the military programs outperformed academic and community programs on the ABS QE and the ABS CE, and had a higher proportion of examinees passing both examinations on the first attempt (all p≤0.02). One-tailed Student t-tests showed that academic programs had higher pass rates than community programs on the ABS QE (85.4%±9.5% vs. 81.9%±11.5%), higher pass rates on the ABS CE (83.6%±8.3% vs. 80.6%±11.0%), and a higher proportion of examinees passing both examinations on the first attempt (0.73±0.12 vs. 0.68±0.15) (all p≤0.01). The chi-square and Fisher exact tests showed that examinees performed highest in military programs, followed by academic programs, and lowest in community programs on the ABS QE and ABS CE (all p≤ 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Military programs have the highest degrees of success on all of the ABS examinations. Academic programs outperform community programs. These results have the potential to affect application patterns to established general surgery residency programs.

Las actividades docentes de los profesores clínicos del PUEM desde la perspectiva de sus residentes / PUEM's clinical professors' teaching activities from their residents' perspective

Introducción: Se busca describir las actividades docentes en el ámbito clínico desde la perspectiva de los residentes del PUEM. Objetivos: 1) Identificar la frecuencia con que los profesores clínicos realizan actividades educativas en 4 áreas: docencia, supervisión, organización y relaciones interpersonales, 2) distinguir por especialidad el desempeño de los instructores, 3) indagar diferencias en la evaluación del docente según el grado académico de los residentes. Material y métodos: La "Encuesta de Alumnos del PUEM 2010" incluyó en la sección del desempeño docente 13 preguntas de frecuencia y 2 de valoración. Se consideraron actividades educativas de las 4 áreas mencionadas en 10 especialidades. La muestra fue de 1816 casos y se buscaron asociaciones significativas (p < 0.05) entre las variables. Resultados: En las opciones de respuesta "siempre" y "casi siempre", las relaciones interpersonales fueron las mejor valoradas (> 80%), la organización continua de actividades académicas y asistenciales fue mencionada en más de 2 terceras partes de las respuestas. La frecuencia de actividades docentes vinculadas a la estructura curricular, y la supervisión se ubicaron en promedio por debajo de la media. Las mejores calificaciones fueron para los profesores de Medicina Familiar y las más bajas para Ortopedia. Por grado académico, R1 y R5 consideraron que la labor docente fue más constante y los R2 menos. Discusión: La relación personal entre profesores y residentes es adecuada y los estudiantes se perciben integrados a sus servicios; no obstante, el apego a los programas académicos y la supervisión no sucede con suficiente frecuencia.

Introduction: The aim is to describe the teaching activities in the clinical context from the residents' perspective. Objectives: 1) To determine how frequently clinical professors perform teaching activities in the four areas: teaching, supervision, organization and interpersonal relationships, 2) to distinguish professors' performance by specialty 3) To inquire differences in the evaluation of professors according the residents' academic year. Materials and methods: The "Survey among PUEM's Students 2010" included 13 frequency questions and 2 of valuation in the section of teaching performance. Teaching activities from the four previously mentioned areas in ten specialties were considered. The sample was 1816 cases; significant associations (p <0.05) among variables were assessed. Results: In the answer choices: "always" and "almost always", interpersonal relationships obtained the highest score (>80%), the regular organization of academic and healthcare activities was mentioned in more than 2/3 of the answers. The frequency of teaching activities related to the curricular structure, and supervision were situated below average. The highest scores were for family medicine professors and the lowest for orthopedia. By academic grade, first and fifth year residents considered that teaching activities were more constant; while second year students considered them the least constant. Discussion: Personal relationships between clinical professors and residents are adequate. Students perceive themselves integrated to their wards; however the fulfillment of academic programs and supervision are not frequent enough.

Evaluación del desempeño docente: la experiencia del programa académico de odontología de la Universidad del Valle, 2005-2007 / Teachers performance evaluation: the experience of the dentist academic program of the Universidad del Valle

Antecedentes: La evaluación de la actividad docente llevada a cabo por la opinión de los estudiantes es un proceso que ha tenido su desarrollo en el Programa Académico de Odontología desde hace aproximadamente diez años. Este tipo de evaluación tiene su origen formal en la década de 1920 del siglo pasado en universidades de Europa y de Estados Unidos. Objetivo: Analizar los resultados del desempeño docente según una encuesta realizada a los estudiantes del Programa Académico de Odontología entre 2005 y 2007, y determinar si existe diferencia significativa en el desempeño docente según la categoría y las áreas de formación del programa. Método: Se hizo un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal, con los cuestionarios de evaluación de la docencia realizados por los estudiantes del Programa Académico de Odontología de la Universidad del Valle entre los años 2005 a 2007.Resultados: Se evaluaron 474 profesores en total. El promedio durante los cinco semestres evaluados para los profesores fue de 4.4. Se encontró que en cuatro de los cinco semestres analizados hay diferencias significativas en los resultados de la evaluación por los estudiantes en la variable categoría docente. Además, que no existen diferencias significativas en la evaluación por los estudiantes en el área de formación del Programa Académico.

Background: Teaching activity evaluation as a result of students’ opinion is a process that has been developing in the Dentist Academic Program for approximately ten years. This kind of evaluation has its formal origin in American and European universities during the 1920´s. Objective: To analyze the results of the teacher’s performance trends according to the inquiries undertaken by the Dentist Academic Program students of the Universidad del Valle from 2005 to 2007, and to determine if there are significant differences in the teacher’s evaluation results according to academic ranks and program formation areas.Method: A descriptive transversal study was carried out, with teaching evaluation questionnaires undertaken by students of the Dentist Academic Program of the Universidad del Valle during 2005 and 2007. Results: A total of 474 teachers were evaluated. The average results during the five semesters evaluated for the teachers were 4.4. It was found that in four of the five semesters analyzed do exist significant differences in the results of the evaluation by the students at the level of teachers’ academic ranks. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the results of the students’ evaluation for the Academic Program Areas.

Aportaciones para una conceptualización del objeto de formación del programa de Psicología con énfasis en psicología social de la Fundación Universitaria Luis Amigó / Contributions for a conceptualization of the training object of the Psychology program with emphasis on social psychology of the Fundación Universitaria Luis Amigó

El objeto de formación esta referido a los objetos propios de cada profesión, los cuales se hacen explícitos en "los contenidos de formación" que un programa académico dispone para llevar a cabo los procesos formativos de sus estudiantes y que constituyen en si mismos la identidad y particularidad sustantiva de éstos.

The training object is referred to the objects of each profession, which are made explicit in the "training contents" that an academic program has to carry out the training processes of its students and that constitute in themselves the identity and substantive particularity of these.