Examining Social Work Students Knowledge of and Attitudes About Abortion and Curriculum Coverage in Social Work Education

Despite social work's stated commitment to abortion rights, research on this topic is not prolific within the discipline (Begun et al., 2016). If we are to live up to our ethical principles, this should be changed. The authors posit that increasing students’ exposure to and understanding of abortion is necessary in the preparation of competent social work practitioners. Using Begun et al.’s (2016) Social Workers’ Abortion Attitudes, Knowledge, and Training questionnaire, the authors expanded the survey by creating additional questions about social work curriculum coverage and training experiences, as well as further content on abortion. Findings indicate that most social work students believe abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances, and also that abortion laws should be less restrictive in the United States. Reported religion and political affiliation had significant effects on several of the abortion attitude statements. Only 7.2% of respondents indicated that abortion is regularly discussed in social work classrooms, and only 2.7% of respondents report they have received training on the topic of abortion in their field placement. The results suggest that social work curriculum coverage on reproductive justice is tenuous and inconsistent at best, leaving students to grapple without the necessary professional foundation.

Current status and developments of German curriculum-based residency training programmes in radiation oncology

Purpose The current status of German residency training in the field of radiation oncology is provided and compared to programmes in other countries. In particular, we present the DEGRO-Academy within the international context. Methods Certified courses from 2018 and 2019 were systematically assigned to the DEGRO-Curriculum, retrospectively for 2018 and prospectively for 2019. In addition, questionnaires of course evaluations were provided, answered by course participants and collected centrally. Results Our data reveal a clear increase in curriculum coverage by certified courses from 57.6% in 2018 to 77.5% in 2019. The analyses enable potential improvements in German curriculum-based education. Specific topics of the DEGRO-Curriculum are still underrepresented, while others decreased in representation between 2018 and 2019. It was found that several topics in the DEGRO-Curriculum require more attention because of a low DEGRO-curriculum coverage. Evaluation results of certified courses improved significantly with a median grade of 1.62 in 2018 to 1.47 in 2019 (p = 0.0319). Conclusion The increase of curriculum coverage and the simultaneous improvement of course evaluations are promising with respect to educational standards in Germany. Additionally, the early integration of radiation oncology into medical education is a prerequisite for resident training because of rising demands on quality control and increasing patient numbers. This intensified focus is a requirement for continued high standards and quality of curriculum-based education in radiation oncology both in Germany and other countries.

Improving undergraduate education in surgical paediatrics using near-peer assisted learning tutorials

Introduction Near-peer assisted learning (NPAL) has been welcomed in recent years as a favourable method for teaching medical students. It has proven advantages for both the educator and the learner. As such it was identified as an ideal approach for delivering the local curriculum within a paediatric surgical setting. Short duration of placements further suggests that structured tutorials would best guarantee coverage of the student curriculum. Our hypothesis was that the introduction of a structured programme such as this could lead to reduced dependence on senior staff for teaching, increased exposure of junior staff as educators, and increased coverage of the curriculum. Methods Curriculum outcomes were identified, and a series of tutorials developed for delivery by juniors within the department. Pre and post intervention questionnaires were given to students rotating through the department. Results 70 responses were analysed (23 pre; 47 post intervention). Reliance on Consultant teaching dropped 29% and engagement of surgical, GP and foundation trainees in teaching increased by 29%, 43% and 9% respectively. Overall curriculum coverage increased by 12%. Conclusion A near-peer assisted tutorial programme is an effective way of increasing coverage of the medical curriculum with benefits for tutors and learners, whilst increasing junior engagement in teaching and reducing burden on Consultants.

Measuring school leadership and management and linkages with literacy: Evidence from rural and township primary schools in South Africa

This paper describes a process to develop and trial new metrics in South Africa to quantify school leadership and management practices or processes that are considered theoretically related to literacy outcomes. The predictive validity of these measures is assessed in challenging contexts, including 60 township and rural primary schools in South Africa. We observe a randomness to how better leadership and management practices are distributed across better and worse performing schools. Regression analyses confirm weak and inconsistent linkages between measured leadership and management dimensions and literacy outcomes across the sample. However, we find evidence of stronger linkages with intermediate outcomes, including monitoring curriculum coverage. This research contributes to a burgeoning, yet underdeveloped literature on educational management and leadership in Africa and the challenges of measurement in this context.

Paediatric Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM): behaviours, trends and implications

IntroductionFree Open Access Meducation (FOAM) describes online resources assisting learning in medicine. Little is known about users or their behaviours.MethodsUsing Google Analytics for a popular FOAM site (www.paedatricfoam.com), we explored user demographics and patterns of behaviour. We analysed these further with descriptive and statistical tests using SPSS (version 26). Data are presented as mean (SD).ResultsThere were 181.44 (75.16) mean daily users accessing the site throughout a 4-month period during 2018/2019. 68.9% of users were female; 44% were 25–34 years; 57.3% used a mobile device. The mean session duration was 73.55 (9.41) seconds, with more time spent per session and a greater number of pages per session observed in users accessing the site from a desktop or tablet as opposed to a mobile phone. 84.3% of mobile users left the site after viewing a single page. Referral source was also associated with device used (p<0.001). Age was not related to user behaviours (p>0.05).DiscussionFOAM is a rapidly developing form of medical education, with large user numbers seen for a site just 2 years old. The site is being used by many beyond its intended readership. Rather than accessing multiple pages from a desktop, users have varied online behaviours, with the majority viewing a single page on a mobile phone, referred by social media or Google.ConclusionsGoogle Analytics can powerfully display usage of medical websites but has important limitations if statistical exploration is required. FOAM users are a heterogenous group, and thus content should be designed with this in mind. Further research must be prioritised focussing on the scope, curriculum coverage, accuracy of information and the effectiveness of FOAM as an educational resource.

Ready to Respond: A Survey of Interdisciplinary Health-Care Students and Administrators on Disaster Management Competencies

ABSTRACTBackground:A sense of competency and confidence in disaster management is linked to response willingness and efficacy. This study assessed current health-care student disaster competency curricula and resultant confidence.Methods:A survey was sent to students and administrators in nurse practitioner (NP), master of public health (MPH), and medical/osteopathic schools (MD/DO), assessing curriculum coverage of 15 disaster management competencies (1-4, total 15-60), and confidence in performing 15 related behaviors (1-7, total 15-105). One-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post-hoc and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to examine group differences.Results:A total of 729 students and 72 administrators completed the survey. Low coverage of all topics was reported by both students and administrators (mean 24.4; SD 9.6). Among students, NP students (21.66 ± 8.56) scored significantly lower than MD/DO (23.32 ± 8.19; P &lt; 0.001) and MPH students (26.58 ± 9.06; P &lt; 0.001) on curriculum coverage. Both administrators and students expressed low confidence in competence, with students significantly lower (P &lt; 0.001). NP students scored higher (63.12 ± 20.69; P &lt; 0.001) than both MPH (54.85 ± 17.82) and MD/DO (51.17 ± 19.71; P &lt; 0.001) students.Conclusions:Health-care students report low coverage of topics considered to be necessary disaster response competencies, as well as their confidence to execute functions. This may negatively impact willingness and ability of these professionals to respond effectively in a disaster.

Learner-centered Pedagogy: A Double-edged Sword?

Managing state school lessons and private language school classes has been a persistent concern for Iranian learners. This study reports on implementing learner-centered pedagogy as a potential resource to deal with managing this dilemma. Data from the learners’ diaries and teacher reflective journals were generated to explore their perceptions about this innovation. The findings indicated that the learners referred to the positive impacts of the course on meeting their ongoing needs and wants, especially assisting them with managing both state school lessons and those of the language class. The learners also raised a number of challenges, particularly problems with curriculum coverage. Additionally, the teacher experienced restructurings in his perceptions about LCP in that he developed more adaptability to LCP, mediated by classroom occurrences and his personal-experiential enhanced awareness. The study suggests that innovative pedagogies can be leveraged to deal with contextual problems effectively, yet they should be anchored in the exigencies of the teaching context in order to safeguard the advantages against the possible discrepancies.

Tasks for Part 3 MRCOG Clinical Assessment

Tasks for Part 3 MRCOG Clinical Assessment is a key resource for the new Part 3 MRCOG examination. Containing over 75 clinical tasks mapped to the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology curriculum, this practical guide helps candidates' apply core knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant to the day-to-day clinical practice. Split into 20 chapters, this resource offers wide curriculum coverage based on the principles of good medical practice providing a thorough assessment of the reader's knowledge. The number of tasks provided for different areas of study reflects the depth of knowledge and breadth needed for the exam so candidates can ensure a suitable amount of time is dedicated to key scenarios they may encounter. Each task provides detailed instructions to the candidate, role player and the examiner with detailed explanations and further reading. Written by experts in the various fields, and edited by experienced examiners, Tasks for Part 3 MRCOG Clinical Assessment is essential reading for candidates preparing for the MRCOG Part 3 exam worldwide.