Exotic Animal Practice in Australasia.

The diverse and unparalleled ecological landscape of Australasia has forged a unique environment for exotic animal practice, characterized by its rich biodiversity and stringent legislation. From its origins in the 1960s to its current status as a dedicated specialist niche, the exotic pet veterinary profession in Australasia has undergone a remarkable evolution. The profession faces hurdles in education and training, with limited dedicated institutes offering comprehensive programs, leading to a knowledge gap that employers must bridge. However, the close-knit community of passionate veterinarians has forged unique training pathways and opportunities, establishing a vibrant and highly skilled group of professionals.

The Health Narratives Research Group (HeNReG): A self-direction process offered to help decrease burnout in public health nurse practitioners.

Founded in accordance with 19th century sex roles and public health concerns, nursing evolved as other-directed, dependent on physician-focused diagnosis, prescription decisions, and public health advancements. The result of this other direction is that public health nurse practitioners have endured significant workplace stress resulting in burnout, especially during COVID-19. To help decrease their burnout, nurses require development of self-direction. The Health Narratives Research Group (HeNReG) has the potential to reduce burnout in nurse practitioners by encouraging the development of self-direction. The HeNReG process is presented through historically analyzed documents regarding reducing burnout in health researchers by developing self-direction including: (1) three years of archived year-end feedback results provided by participants, (2) archived participant responses to specific HeNReG-related writing prompts, and (3) a comparison of HeNReG results with the outcomes of resilience programs. The conclusion-the HeNReG offers an effective option for reducing burnout in health researchers that has the potential to decrease nurse practitioner burnout in a way that resilience programs do not. Tailoring the HeNReG process to public health nurses is discussed, inviting future research for reducing burnout in public health nurses.

Professional becoming of male nurses: a qualitative study in Lithuania.

PURPOSE: To reveal the features of Lithuanian male nurses' professional becoming. METHODS: The participants were six men who had been working as nurses for over a year, and one man who had been formerly employed as a nurse for over a year. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive thematic analysis by Braun & Clarke. RESULTS: 17 themes emerged after analysis: nursing not being the first choice, weird feelings of being in the minority during studies, having a vague initial idea of the work and a hard time starting the job; desire to help and interact with people, a tiring but fascinating variety of work, wide professional opportunities and love for the job; the challenges of high pace and workload, undervaluation and stereotypes, coping by standing up for oneself and separating work and life; the importance of a good team, gender being of little significance and joy that the number of men is increasing. CONCLUSION: These findings contribute to the growing knowledge of male nurses' experiences. The study sheds light on the challenges and rewards of being a male nurse in Lithuania, providing guidance for future research and highlighting the need to raise public awareness.

"Ripping Off the Band-Aid": uncovering future health care Professionals' "Fractured Knowledge" about sexual and reproductive health.

Background: Research has shown the role of identity on future health professionals' confidence and competence in addressing the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of their patients. While there has been some work in increasing the sexual health literacy of future providers via various curricular approaches and comprehensive clinical-based training, there are research gaps on how social differences around identity impact future healthcare professionals' knowledge and practices around SRH. Objectives: This article presents research findings on the experiences of US undergraduate students attending a campus that provides training in the health sciences and health professions. Our study aims to understand the perspectives of these students as they pertain to their future career choices in healthcare, with a focus on how their past experiences learning about sex, sexuality, and reproduction impact their current and future professional trajectories. Methods: We present a qualitative analysis from 40 in-depth interviews with U.S. undergraduates. The interview questions were designed in collaboration with undergraduate researchers interested in sexual health education. These student researchers collected all the interview data and worked with senior researchers to analyze some of these data. Results: The themes that emerged from the interviews were around experiences with what students perceived as "fractured" sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge they received as children and adolescents. This knowledge shaped essential aspects of their identity as young adults and future healers. Data indicated unique processes implicated in how past as well as present socialization experiences learning about sex, sexuality, and reproduction positions undergraduates in health professions to see young adulthood as a journey of "catching up" on sexual knowledge but also as an ongoing experience of anticipation and planning influencing their career-building journey. Conclusions: The importance of sexual health literacy among healthcare professionals cannot be overstated, as it is vital in providing patient-centered and non-judgmental sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care and services. To date, there is a shortage of studies looking at the impact of sexual health knowledge on healthcare professionals. More research is needed on educational strategies that could be implemented at the intra-personal level to assist college-aged young adults in healthcare career tracks to "catch up" or "fill in the gaps" in their sexual education journey.

Internet addiction, new contemporary reality in Benin: exploratory analysis of associated factors among medical and paramedical students in 2022 / L'addiction à internet, une réalité contemporaine au Bénin : analyse exploratoire des facteurs associés chez des étudiants du secteur médical et paramédical en 2022.

INTRODUCTION: Nowadays, Internet addiction is a major concern due to the growing number of Internet users and the consequences associated with this addiction. PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with Internet addiction among health sciences students at the University of Abomey-Calavi. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 346 students from the Faculty of Health Sciences and the National Institute of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Abomey-Calavi. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Internet addiction was assessed using K. Young's "Internet Addiction Test." Logistic regression modeling was employed to explore factors associated with Internet addiction. The strength of the association was assessed using odds ratios; the confidence interval (CI) was 95%; and a p-value < 0.05 in the final model was considered significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of Internet addiction was 31.8% (95% CI: [23.26% - 41.38%]). Factors associated with Internet addiction were the participant's field of study, poor relationships with friends and family, communication difficulties, depression, and psychoactive substance consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of Internet addiction exists among students in health sciences institutions in Benin. These findings can support the development of prevention and intervention strategies centered on addressing a public health issue that is still insufficiently recognized.

Introduction: De nos jours, l'addiction à Internet est une préoccupation majeure en raison de l'évolution croissante du nombre d'internautes mais aussi de ses conséquences. But de l'étude: Dans cette étude, nous avons déterminé la prévalence et les facteurs associés à l'addiction à Internet chez les étudiants des sciences de la santé de l'Université d'Abomey-Calavi. Méthodes: Il s'agit d'une étude transversale menée auprès de 346 étudiants de la Faculté des sciences de la santé et de l'Institut national médico-sanitaire de l'Université d'Abomey-Calavi. Ces derniers ont été sélectionnés par échantillonnage aléatoire simple. L'addiction à Internet a été mesurée grâce à l'outil « Internet addiction test de Young ¼. Une modélisation par régression logistique a été utilisée pour explorer les facteurs associés à l'addiction à Internet. La force de l'association a été évaluée avec un rapport de cotes et son intervalle de confiance (IC) à 95 % ; une valeur p <0,05 dans le modèle final a été considérée comme significative. Résultats: La prévalence de l'addiction à Internet était de 31,8 % (IC95 % : [23,26 % - 41,38 %]). La filière d'études, les mauvaises relations avec les proches, les difficultés de communication, la dépression et la consommation de substances psychoactives étaient associées à l'addiction à Internet. Conclusions: Il existe des évidences qui montrent l'addiction à Internet des étudiants des institutions universitaires de santé au Benin. Ces évidences peuvent soutenir la mise en place de stratégies de prévention et de prise en charge axées sur la communication autour d'un phénomène encore insuffisamment perçu comme le problème de santé publique qu'il constitue.

The expansion of medical education in the Dutch East Indies and the formation of the Indonesian medical profession.

In 1851, the colonial administration of the Dutch East Indies established a two-year program to educate young Javanese men to become vaccinators in Batavia (today's Jakarta). During the following sixty years, the medical curriculum was expanded several times; in 1913, it consisted of a ten-year program. In 1927, the Batavia Medical School, granting degrees equivalent to those of Dutch university-affiliated medical schools, commenced operations. Consequently, a steadily increasing number of Indonesian physicians with various credentials were employed by the colonial health service, plantations, sugar factories and mines, or established private practices. They became a social group that occupied an ambiguous and even paradoxical position somewhere between Europeans and the indigenous population. During the 1910s, this inspired these physicians to obtain credentials and professional recognition equal to those of their European colleagues. Several of them became active in journalism, politics and social movements. During the 1920s, several became radicalised and criticised the nature of colonial society. In the 1930s, following the increasingly repressive nature of colonial society, most of them remained active in the public sphere while a small group dedicated itself to improving medical research and health care. After the transfer of sovereignty from the Netherlands to Indonesia on 27 December 1949, this small cadre reestablished medical education and health care, and built the Indonesian medical profession.

Comparing trends in medical education between the United Kingdom and Australia: A personal perspective.

Medical schools must create doctors who can address health workforce challenges. This article compares broad trends in medical education between the United Kingdom and Australia. Medical schools both help develop and are constrained by the health workforce. Innovations developed in Britain, like medical doctor degree apprenticeships, are unlikely to address workforce issues. Australia's medical curricula have more effectively adapted to its workforce needs.

The mental health consequences of COVID-19 on a sample of health professions students: a mixed methods study.

Objective: To assess and examine how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the mental health of a sample of health professions students (HPS) using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Participants: Participants included 41 HPS enrolled in a co-curricular interprofessional education (IPE) program. Measurements: Measures included the CES-D scale, PSS scale, and the GAD scale. Qualitative description was used to explore the experiences of these HPS. Results: The HPS explained that fear of acquiring COVID-19, transmitting the virus to loved ones, and dying as a result of the disease negatively influenced their mental health. The HPS revealed that there were some beneficial outcomes resulting from the pandemic, including the strengthening of family bonds and the cultivation of resiliency. Conclusions: The pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health of these HPS. It is essential that these students receive support for their mental health in order to provide optimal care to the population they serve.

Diogenes' tub and the double bind of science and vocation in the late Middle Ages.

Intellectuals tend to cherish heroes who embody their ideal way of life. The fact that the personas of the unworldly Greek philosophers Diogenes and Crates were so popular in the late Middle Ages proves that Max Weber's Idealtypus of the "authentic man of science" (as termed by Steven Shapin) has been problematic for centuries. This finding gives cause to modify Max Weber's and Shapin's viewpoints about the loss of the "authentic man of science" due to professionalization. The development of the university as an educational institution in the High Middle Ages chained the academic once and for all to a formal training that costs time and money: investments that were expected to have reward. Soon, university-trained experts were highly appreciated by local and national authorities. By combining Frank Rexroth's and Marcel Bubert's ideas on the coming into being of an "amor sciendi" in the twelfth century Arts faculties, with David Kaldewey's and Klaas van Berkel's appeals for academic autonomy, my article argues that academics have always struggled to protect the pursuit of truth, even while they recognized its vital importance from the beginning.

When the Penny Drops: Understanding how social class influences speciality careers in the UK medical profession.

In the UK, the medical profession is socially exclusive and socially stratified as doctors from more advantaged backgrounds are more likely to train for specialities with more competitive entry. However, in research to date the causes and consequences of social stratification have been overlooked. We explore this subject here, drawing on a qualitative study comprising in-depth interviews with 30 medical students and doctors from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds negotiating medical school and early careers. Using Bourdieu's 'theory of practice' we show how socialisation in the family and at school influences how aspirant medics from less advantaged backgrounds view the world, suggesting some inclination towards more community orientated careers, which may be less competitive. However, these tendencies are encouraged as they lack stocks of social, economic and cultural capital, which are convertible to power and position in the field. While allowing for both choice and constraint our core argument is that speciality outcomes are sometimes inequitable and potentially inefficient, as doctors from more advantaged backgrounds have privileged access to more competitive careers for reasons not solely related to ability or skill. Our main theoretical contribution is to literature in the sociology of medical education where ours is the first study to open-up the 'black box' of causal factors connecting medical students' resources on entering the field of education and training with speciality outcomes, though our findings also have important implications for practitioners, the profession and for patients. We discuss the implications for safe and effective healthcare and how this informs directions for future research.

Dental Students' Satisfaction With Web-Based Learning During the Initial Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated an accelerated shift in education, moving from traditional learning to web-based learning. This transition introduced a notable transactional distance (TD) between the instructors and learners. Although disease control and staff and students' safety are the top priorities during a pandemic, the successful delivery of education is equally crucial. However, the ramifications of this swift transition are particularly critical in the context of dental education. Dental education is inherently practice oriented, necessitating hands-on training and manual skills development, which poses unique challenges to distance learning approaches. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine dental students' web-based learning satisfaction and experience of TD, investigate the predictors of web-based learning satisfaction, and explore the perceptions of students about the advantages and disadvantages of web-based learning. METHODS: This study explored the factors associated with web-based learning satisfaction using TD theory during the transition to web-based education. Psychological factors that could influence satisfaction were adapted from the health belief model. We conducted a cross-sectional web-based survey of 345 dental students from 2 institutions in South Korea who were enrolled in the spring semester of 2020. Data were collected between July 8 and September 14, 2020. Qualitative analysis was used to examine responses to open-ended questions concerning perceptions of web-based learning. RESULTS: A multivariate hierarchical linear regression model was used to analyze the effects of student characteristics, TD, and psychological factors (ie, perceived risk of infection and efficacy belief of web-based learning) on web-based learning satisfaction. The average score for web-based learning satisfaction was 3.62 (SD 0.84), just above the midpoint of the possible range (1-5). Self-regulated learning (ß=0.08; P=.046), learner-instructor interaction (ß=0.08; P=.03), and learner-content interaction (ß=0.64; P<.001) were associated with higher levels of satisfaction. Moreover, a significant association was revealed between high efficacy beliefs in web-based learning (ß=0.20; P<.001) and satisfaction. Although the learning structure (synchronous vs asynchronous) did not exhibit a significant association with satisfaction, the qualitative analysis results revealed that each structure possesses distinct strengths and weaknesses. The students in synchronous learning (79/345, 22.9%) recognized heightened autonomy in the "learning environment" (19/79, 24%); however, technical issues (28/79, 35%) and reduced concentration (15/79, 19%) were identified as downsides. Conversely, the students in asynchronous settings (266/345, 77.1%) emphasized unlimited access to learning content (74/266, 27.8%) and the flexibility of "learning in preferred time" (69/266, 25.9%). Nevertheless, challenges, such as self-management difficulties (66/266, 24.8%) and limited interactions (55/266, 20.7%), were evident. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that efforts to minimize TD, facilitating self-regulated learning and interaction among students and instructors, are critical for achieving web-based learning satisfaction. Moreover, establishing a common understanding among students regarding the necessity and efficacy of web-based learning during epidemics could enhance their satisfaction.

Emotional burnout, job satisfaction, and intention to leave among pre-hospital emergency healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-hospital emergency healthcare workers (PHEHW) assumed critical responsibilities in controlling and preventing the spread of the virus. OBJECTIVE: This descriptive study aimed to explore the emotional burnout, job satisfaction, and intention to leave among PHEHW during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The study was conducted with 401 emergency medical technicians and paramedics. The Sociodemographic Data Form, the Emotional Burnout Scale, the Job Satisfaction Scale, the Intention to Leave the Profession Scale were used to collect data. The findings were assessed with a significance level set at p <  0.05 and a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The participants demonstrated moderate scores in emotional burnout, job satisfaction, and intention to leave the profession. The analysis revealed a negative correlation, indicating that as emotional burnout increased, job satisfaction decreased, and the intention to leave the profession heightened. Notably, the participants who had 6-9 years of service, lacked knowledge about COVID-19, had no COVID-19 training, underwent COVID-19 testing, and experienced the loss of a healthcare worker due to COVID-19 exhibited higher levels of burnout. Furthermore, those who had 6-9 years of service, lacked knowledge about COVID-19, had no COVID-19 training, and lost a healthcare worker due to COVID-19 reported lower levels of job satisfaction. Additionally, participants who had 6-9 years of service, lacked knowledge about COVID-19, had no COVID-19 training, and experienced the loss of a healthcare worker due to COVID-19 displayed a greater intention to leave the profession. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to implement improvement initiatives that will increase the motivation and job satisfaction of PHEHW. These include the regulation of working hours and shifts, augmenting staff numbers, enhancing working conditions, improving salaries, and implementing strategies aimed at fostering motivation and job satisfaction.

Bioethics: No Method-No Discipline?

This article raises the question of whether bioethics qualifies as a discipline. According to a standard definition of discipline as "a field of study following specific and well-established methodological rules" bioethics is not a specific discipline as there are no explicit "well-established methodological rules." The article investigates whether the methodological rules can be implicit, and whether bioethics can follow specific methodological rules within subdisciplines or for specific tasks. As this does not appear to be the case, the article examines whether bioethics' adherence to specific quality criteria (instead of methodological rules) or pursuing of a common goal can make it qualify as a discipline. Unfortunately, the result is negative. Then, the article scrutinizes whether referring to bioethics institutions and professional qualifications can ascertain bioethics as a discipline. However, this makes the definition of bioethics circular. The article ends by admitting that bioethics can qualify as a discipline according to broader definitions of discipline, for example, as an "area of knowledge, research and education." However, this would reduce bioethics' potential for demarcation and identity-building. Thus, to consolidate the discipline of bioethics and increase its impact, we should explicate and elaborate on its methodology.

Venous disorders as an occupational disease - a systematic review on epidemiology, pathophysiology, and modification strategies.

Background: Forced postures are common in the workplace. Work in the primary economic sector is characterised by a high degree of physical activity and movement; however, activities in the secondary and tertiary sectors commonly require workers to stand or sit. An expansion of the tertiary sector in recent decades has meant that people in industrialised and emerging economies primarily sit or stand at work. The aim of the systematic review was to identify occupational factors relating to the presence of chronic venous disease (CVD), to place these in the context of developments in the workplace, and to determine whether measures are in place to prevent CVD. Patients and methods: We performed a systematic literature review to analyse studies assessing work-related risk factors for CVD. We searched for publications in the PubMed database, the clinic library of BG Hospital Bergmannstrost Halle, and the registry of the German Statutory Accident Insurance. Using occupation-specific keyword combinations, we identified 27,522 publications. The publications underwent an automatic and manual filtering process according to the PRISMA guidelines and 81 publications qualified for the review. Ultimately 25 studies were included in the systematic review. Results: All of the subjects of the studies worked in the secondary and tertiary sectors. No studies looked at the relationship between venous disorders and primary sector occupations. Standing at work for more than four hours a day, repeated heavy lifting, and cumulative time working in a sitting or standing position are risk factors for the development of CVD. Sitting is less of a risk factor than standing or walking. Conclusions: Occupational history and the patient's activity profile are important diagnostic tools which can help confirm a diagnosis and justify treatment when findings are inconsistent. Compression therapy is the primary form of secondary and tertiary prevention. There continues to be a lack of primary preventive measures related to workplace design.

The European Union's governance of teachers and the evolution of a bridging issue field since the mid-2000s.

Concerned with European Union (EU) governance of teachers since the mid-2000s, this paper makes an empirical as well as theoretical contribution to education policy studies in the context of EU governance. Drawing on neo-institutional field theory and an empirical material of policy documents and interviews, the paper analyses the consolidation and evolution of a field at the EU level that is focused on the governance of the teaching profession. We argue that this field constitutes a bridging issue field, spanning several policy domains, including education, employment and economy, and characterised by non-linear and relatively slow change. We demonstrate how the field since the mid-2000s has become elaborated via the strategic framing of teacher skills and careers as policy issues, the mobilisation of actors and networks, and an expanding institutional infrastructure of mechanisms and policy instruments. Theoretically, the paper advances the debate on EU governance by highlighting the epistemic gains of neo-institutional field theory in making sense of soft governance contexts and their trajectories as an outcome of the interplay between issue framings, different types of actors, and institutional infrastructure.

Developing criteria for a profession to be considered as profession of allied health in Malaysia: a qualitative study from the Malaysian perspective.

BACKGROUND: The Malaysian Allied Health Profession Act (Act 774) regulates the practice of allied health practitioners in Malaysia, with two described professions viz. allied health profession (AHP) and profession of allied health (PAH). While AHPs have been clearly identified by the law, comprehensive implementation of the act requires development of specific criteria in defining any profession as PAH in the Malaysian context. Hence, the research aims to explore and identify the criteria for defining such professions for healthcare policy direction in Malaysia. METHODS: This research utilised two methods of qualitative research (document review and focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 25 participants from four stakeholders (higher education providers, employers, associations and regulatory bodies). Both deductive and inductive thematic content analysis were used to explore, develop and define emergent codes, examined along with existing knowledge on the subject matter. RESULTS: Sixteen codes emerged from the FGDs, with risk of harm, set of competency and skills, formal qualification, defined scope of practice, relevant training and professional working within the healthcare team being the six most frequent codes. The frequencies for these six codes were 62, 46, 40, 37, 36 and 18, correspondingly. The risk of harm towards patients was directly or indirectly involved with patient handling and also relates to the potential harms that may implicate the practitioners themselves in performing their responsibilities as the important criterion highlighted in the present research, followed by set of competency and skills. CONCLUSIONS: For defining the PAH in Malaysia, the emerged criteria appear interrelated and co-exist in milieu, especially for the risk of harm and set of competency and skills, with no single criterion that can define PAH fully. Hence, the integration of all the empirically identified criteria must be considered to adequately define the PAH. As such, the findings must be duly considered by policymakers in performing suitable consolidation of healthcare governance to formulate the appropriate regulations and policies for promoting the enhanced framework of allied health practitioners in Malaysia.

Veterinarians and zoonotic pathogens, infections and diseases - questionnaire study and case series, Finland.

BACKGROUND: Veterinarians are at risk for numerous zoonotic infections. In this paper, we summarise descriptions of zoonotic infections from a questionnaire study and a series of work-related zoonotic cases, aiming to add to the knowledge on occupational zoonotic risks of veterinarians. METHODS: We collected data on zoonotic infections contracted by veterinarians in Finland in two studies:1) using a questionnaire in 2009, and 2) inviting veterinarians who had encountered an occupational zoonosis to report it in structured interviews in 2019. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In the questionnaire study in 2009, of 306 veterinarians several reported zoonotic bacterial skin infections (12%), dermatophytosis (ringworm; 4.2%), virus infections (3.9%), bacterial gastroenteritis (3.3%), other bacterial zoonoses (2.3%), and parasitic infections/infestations (2.3%). In the 2019 interviews, 16 occupational zoonosis cases were reported. Of them, seven were selected to the case series. The selected cases included Capnocytophaga canimorsus sepsis following a dog bite, cryptosporidiosis after a contact with calves, cutaneous listeriosis following calving assistance, Salmonella gastroenteritis contracted at laboratory, Trichophyton dermatophytosis after equine contact, Bacillus anthracis exposure at necropsy, and exposure to rabies through a horse bite. In four of the seven cases, the veterinarian disagreed or strongly disagreed with having had good knowledge of the zoonosis before the incident. The results from the questionnaire study and the case series illustrate the variety of zoonotic pathogens that veterinarians may encounter. There is a need to improve the occupational health of veterinarians and to increase awareness in the occupational health sector. We encourage addressing this need using a One Health approach.

Mental health stigma in the medical profession: Where do we go from here?

Mental health conditions are highly prevalent among physicians with high rates of depression, anxiety, stress-related disorders, suicidal ideation and burnout reported among medical practitioners at all levels of training and practice. This phenomenon is in part contributed by a highly stressful clinical environment with an often suboptimal support system for doctors. Concerningly, there is hitherto a striking reluctance amongst medical trainees/practitioners to seek treatment/help for mental health-related conditions due to fear of associated stigma and negative career repercussions. In this article, we sought to raise awareness of the mental health stigma that has long been prevailing in the medical community, and review the key drivers of such stigma at the individual, community and organisational level. In general, drivers of mental health stigma in the medical profession include self-stigmatisation predisposed by physician personality and character traits, societal stereotypes about mental illness permeating through the medical community, and systemic constructs such as mandatory mental health declarations for medical licensure that perpetuate the unfortunate perception that mental illness appears synonymous with job impairment or incompetency. To destigmatise mental health issues in the medical profession, we herein propose multi-pronged strategies which can practically be implemented: 1) normalisation of mental health issues through open dialogue and sharing, 2) creating a supportive, "psychologically friendly" work environment through increased accessibility to workplace mental health support services, peer support systems, and reduction of psychiatric "name-calling" practices, and 3) reviewing systemic practices, in particular the mandatory mental health declarations for medical registration, that perpetuate mental health stigma.

ASPIRE for excellence in curriculum development.

The objective of the ASPIRE award programme of the International Association for Health Professions Education is to go beyond traditional accreditation processes. Working in partnership with the ASPIRE Academy, the programme aims to encourage and support excellence in health professions education, in part by showcasing and exemplifying best practices. Each year ASPIRE award applications received from institutions across the globe describe their greatest achievements in a variety of areas, one of which is curriculum development, where evaluation of applications is carried out using a framework of six domains. These are described in this paper as key elements of excellence, specifically, Organisational Structure and Curriculum Management; Underlying Educational Strategy; Content Specification and Pedagogy; Teaching and Learning Methods and Environment; Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation; Scholarship. Using examples from the content of submissions of three medical schools from very different settings that have been successful in the past few years, achievements in education processes and outcomes of institutions around the world are highlighted in ways that are relevant to their local and societal contexts.

Nursing's professional character: A chimera?

Does nursing possess a character? The idea that professions have characters is hard to sustain, and the possibility that nursing as a collectively or occupation lacks a character is worth considering. To this end it is argued that absent robust theoretical and/or evidential scaffolding it is implausible to suppose that nursing has an objectively real (reality describing) character, and if 'nursing's character' is chimeric or illusory, aspects of our conception of professionalism require reappraisal. Specifically, traits and values that attach to nursing and are implicated in the concept of character are, shorn of their moorings, untethered. This may be significant.