scholarly journals Paramedics marching toward professionalism

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter OMeara

Over the past decade paramedics have seen changes in their level of clinical practice, education and training, and increased their participation in research. This has increasingly placed them alongside other health professionals and helped develop their own sense of professional identity.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Windy SY Chan ◽  
Angela YM Leung

BACKGROUND Although much research has been done investigating the roles of social network sites (SNSs) in linking patients and health professionals, there is a lack of information about their uses, benefits, and limitations in connecting health professions only for professional communication. OBJECTIVE This review aimed to examine the utilization of SNSs for communication among health professionals in (1) frontline clinical practice, (2) professional networks, and (3) education and training to identify areas for future health communication research. METHODS This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. A systematic search of the literature published in the last 10 years (January 1, 2007, to March 1, 2017) was performed in March 2017, using the following electronic databases: MEDLINE via OvidSP, EMBASE, CINAHL Complete, and InfoSci-Journals. The searches were conducted using the following defined search terms: “social media” OR “social network” OR “social network site” OR “Facebook” OR “Twitter” OR “Linkedin” OR “Instagram” OR “Weibo” OR “Whatsapp” OR “Telegram” OR “WeChat” AND “health” OR “health profession.” RESULTS Of the 6977 papers retrieved, a total of 33 studies were included in this review. They were exploratory in nature, and the majority used surveys (n=25) and interviews (n=6). All retrieved studies stated that SNSs enhanced effective communication and information sharing. SNSs were used for supporting delivering of clinical services, making referrals, and sharing information. They were beneficial to network building and professional collaboration. SNSs were novel tools to enhance educational interactions among peers, students, instructors, and preceptors. The application of SNSs came with restraints in technical knowledge, concerns on data protection, privacy and liability, issues in professionalism, and data protection. CONCLUSIONS SNSs provide platforms facilitating efficient communication, interactions, and connections among health professionals in frontline clinical practice, professional networks, education, and training with limitations identified as technical knowledge, professionalism, and risks of data protection. The evolving use of SNSs necessitates robust research to explore the full potential and the relative effectiveness of SNSs in professional communication.


Author(s):  
K McCormick

British engineers have claimed that their important contributions to economic and social well-being, based on their achievements as practical people, have gone unrecognized or unrewarded. Yet over the past thirty years efforts to boost the social prestige of British engineers appear to have undermined the social arrangements which fostered the strong practical ethos. Increasing reliance on the full-time educational system is tending to raise social prestige through bringing the ‘all graduate profession’ and through trends to recruitment from higher social backgrounds. Yet these trends have been associated with a fall in traditional and recognizable training. This paper examines both the nature of the ‘practical’ tradition and efforts to raise ‘prestige’ and asks whether the engineering profession is caught on the horns of an irresolvable dilemma—to boost either prestige or practicality. The paper concludes that in principle the British pattern of education and training has much to commend it still, with the strong emphasis on training elements in a working environment. But it is argued that its success will depend on engineers and their employers becoming much more active in the field of training.


Author(s):  
Susan E. Kotowski ◽  
Kermit G. Davis

Over the past year, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a switch from a majority of classes being taught in-person to a majority being taught online. The switch has led to an increase in the amount of time students are utilizing technology for learning purposes. This study assessed how technology use has changed during the pandemic, particularly related to laptop use, and the postures students work in and the discomfort they’re experiencing while participating in online learning. The results of the survey (n=1,074) found that laptop use is up significantly (used the majority of the time by 70.2% of students), students are working in poor postures (up to 80% working with deviated neck postures), and are experiencing high levels of discomfort (up to ~60% reporting moderate/extreme discomfort in their upper extremities). The results bring to light the urgent need to provide ergonomics education and training for designing good work environments.


Author(s):  
Jenia Vassileva ◽  
Kimberly E Applegate ◽  
Graciano Paulo ◽  
Eliseo Vano ◽  
Ola Holmberg

Abstract In March 2021 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organised an online Technical Meeting on Developing Effective Methods for Radiation Protection Education and Training of Health Professionals with attendance of 230 participants representing 66 Member States and 24 international organizations, professional bodies and safety alliances. By means of a pre-meeting survey, presentations by experts, topical panel discussions and post-meeting feedback to the meeting summary, the meeting identified strengths, common weaknesses and possible solutions and actions for improving radiation protection education and training of health professionals. Available guidelines and resources for radiation protection training were also reviewed. The meeting discussion resulted in a strong consensus for the need of: (a) international guidance on education and training in radiation protection and safety for health professionals, (b) an international description of minimum standards of initial and ongoing competence and qualification in radiation protection for relevant professional groups, considering the available recommendations at international and regional levels. The proposed actions include provisions for train-the-trainer credentialing and facility training accreditation, balance between the online and face-to-face training, improved on-the job training, as well as improved inclusion in training programmes of aspects related to application of new technologies, ethical aspects, development of communication skills, and use of software tools for improving justification and optimisation. The need for making the ongoing training practical, applicable, and useful to the trainee was highlighted. The international consultation initiated by the IAEA was appreciated as a good approach to understand and promote coordination and collaboration at all levels, for best results in education and training in radiation protection of health professionals. Implementing such a holistic approach to education and training in radiation protection would contribute towards qualification and competence of health professionals needed to ensure application of high standards for quality and safety in medical uses of ionizing radiation.


Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman

Mental health clinicians invest in many years of hard work to develop their clinical competence through graduate coursework and through supervised clinical experiences. All this is done with the ultimate goal of becoming independently licensed to practice in one’s profession. Because licensure is such an important event, signifying the culmination of so much education and training, it may be natural to believe that becoming licensed means that one is now clinically competent. This chapter addresses how clinical competence and licensure should be viewed and understood. Licensure assesses one’s competence to enter the profession, but it cannot guarantee competence in all areas of clinical practice at the time of licensure or in the future. How to maintain, update, and expand one’s competence over time is addressed. Risks and threats to competence are discussed, and recommendations are provided for ensuring one’s ongoing competence over time.


Author(s):  
Des Spence

Contrary to traditional thinking and teaching, it is not illness that dictates the health-seeking behaviour of a population but the healthcare system itself, and—most importantly—our actions as healthcare professionals. A scourge affecting clinical practice in the developed world today is the medicalization of all interactions, accompanied by overinvestigation, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment. The medical profession retains its traditional duty, wherever possible, to diagnose disease and treat or cure illness appropriately, also to comfort the sick, irrespective of the ability to cure. At the same time, a long-held principle of medicine at all levels is to do no harm, while at the same time supporting the maintenance of health and protecting those who are well. This chapter explains how maintaining the balance between these apparent conflicting precepts is a scarce skill that needs to be taught by example during the education and training of the modern doctor.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S4-S4
Author(s):  
A Katherine Harrington ◽  
Phyllis Cummins

Abstract Labor force participation rates for middle-aged and older Canadians have increased substantially over the past two decades, with increases for women outpacing men. Given the importance of adult education and training (AET) to stay competitive in later career, we used a mixed methods approach to examine gender differences. Our analysis of the 2012 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data indicated that, for ages 55-65, rates of AET participation are similar for both men and women. However, women are less likely than men to have AET funded by their employers. Findings suggest that women are more likely to need alternate funding sources for AET, such as other organizations or through self-funding. In addition, our review of literature, policy-related documents, and key informant interviews identified possible changes in policies and practices for the promotion of AET for middle-aged and older Canadians.


Author(s):  
Huasong Peng ◽  
Muhammad Bilal ◽  
Hafiz Iqbal

Herein, we reviewed laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs) along with their health-related biological risks to provide an evidence base to tackle biosafety/biosecurity and biocontainment issues. Over the past years, a broad spectrum of pathogenic agents, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, or genetically modified organisms, have been described and gained a substantial concern due to their profound biological as well as ecological risks. Furthermore, the emergence and/or re-emergence of life-threatening diseases are of supreme concern and come under the biosafety and biosecurity agenda to circumvent LAIs. Though the precise infection risk after an exposure remains uncertain, LAIs inspections revealed that Brucella spp., Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Rickettsia spp., and Neisseria meningitidis are the leading causes. Similarly, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as well as hepatitis B (HBV) and C viruses (HCV), and the dimorphic fungi are accountable for the utmost number of viral and fungal-associated LAIs. In this context, clinical laboratories at large and microbiology, mycology, bacteriology, and virology-oriented laboratories, in particular, necessitate appropriate biosafety and/or biosecurity measures to ensure the safety of laboratory workers and working environment, which are likely to have direct or indirect contact/exposure to hazardous materials or organisms. Laboratory staff education and training are indispensable to gain an adequate awareness to handle biologically hazardous materials as per internationally recognized strategies. In addition, workshops should be organized among laboratory workers to let them know the epidemiology, pathogenicity, and human susceptibility of LAIs. In this way, several health-related threats that result from the biologically hazardous materials can be abridged or minimized and controlled by the correct implementation of nationally and internationally certified protocols that include proper microbiological practices, containment devices/apparatus, satisfactory facilities or resources, protective barriers, and specialized education and training of laboratory staffs. The present work highlights this serious issue of LAIs and associated risks with suitable examples. Potential preventive strategies to tackle an array of causative agents are also discussed. In this respect, the researchers and scientific community may benefit from the lessons learned in the past to anticipate future problems.


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