Investigating the attitudes of Canadian paramedic students towards homelessness

AbstractIntroductionWhen paramedics are dispatched, it is expected that every patient receives the same level of care regardless of variable factors. Homelessness is a growing social issue across Canada that is particularly prevalent in urban areas. The quality of healthcare delivered to individuals experiencing homelessness may be influenced by negative attitudes held by healthcare professionals. There is an absence of literature quantifying the perspectives of paramedics towards homelessness; therefore, the focus of this study was to identify the attitudes of paramedic students towards homelessness and to continue the conversation in regards to the evolving educational needs of paramedic students.MethodsThis study employed a longitudinal design of a convenience sample of first year paramedic students in a college program in Ontario, Canada. The ‘Health Professional’s Attitude Towards the Homeless Inventory’ (HPATHI) was distributed to participants before and after placement and clinical exposure. The questionnaire includes 19 statements which participants respond to on a Likert scale. Mean scores were calculated, and statements were categorized into attitudes, interest, and confidence. Data were collected post-placement on interactions with persons experiencing homelessness.ResultsA total of 52 first year paramedic students completed the HPATHI pre-placement and 47 completed the questionnaire post-placement. Mean scores for attitudes (pre 3.64, SD 0.49; post 3.85, SD 0.38, p=0.032), interest (pre 3.91, SD 0.40; post 3.84, SD 0.39,p=0.51) and confidence (pre 4.02, SD 0.50; post 3.71, SD 0.67, p=0.004) were largely positive, but there was a demonstrated decreasing trend in confidence with, and interest in, working with those experiencing homelessness. Participants reported an average of 60 hours of placement, during which 15 participants (32%) reported interactions with people experiencing homelessness.ConclusionFirst year paramedic students demonstrate overall positive attitudes towards those experiencing homelessness, and the mean score for attitudes improved over the surveys. However, there were demonstrable decreases in confidence and interest over time, which may be related to the type and frequency of interactions during clinical placement. Paramedic education programs may benefit from the inclusion of focused education on homelessness, specific clinical experiences, and education related to social determinants of health.

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Student perceptions of the care of children: impacts of pre-clerkship pediatric and primary care clinical teaching

Canadian Medical Education Journal ◽

10.36834/cmej.36624 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. e38-e49 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Beverley Karras ◽

Saumya Selvaraj ◽

Athena McConnell ◽

Deirdre Andres ◽

Krista Trinder ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Care ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

Clinical Teaching ◽

Clinical Skills ◽

Multidisciplinary Care ◽

Medical Specialty ◽

Pediatric Care ◽

Clinical Exposure ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Before And After

Background: Pediatric clinical skills teaching sessions provide an early opportunity for students to be exposed to the medical care of children. This report describes second and third year medical students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards working with children before and after the pediatric clinical skills teaching sessions, and the experiences of those students precepted by pediatricians only compared to those students working with a combination of pediatricians and family physicians.Method: A 13 question survey was voluntarily completed before and after teaching sessions. Written reflective assignments were qualitatively analyzed for key themes. Response rate averaged 68% with class sizes of 84 and 85 students.Results: Students’ perceptions of the care of children were generally very positive. Some differences were found based on gender, phase of study and prior clinical exposure to pediatric care. Pre and post responses were similar, regardless of preceptor specialty. Students with family physician preceptors identified the themes of prevention, health promotion and multidisciplinary care in their reflections. Conclusions: Students had already formed positive attitudes toward the medical care of children and intended to care for children in their future practice. Further research is needed into the effects of pre-clerkship experiences in the care of children on choice of medical specialty.

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An Exploratory Study Assessing Relations of Demographic Characteristics with Police Recruits' Attitudes toward Abuse of Children and Abusive Parents

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.101.2.451-456 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 101 (2) ◽

pp. 451-456

Author(s):

George T. Patterson

Keyword(s):

Exploratory Study ◽

Child Neglect ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Abused Children ◽

Police Recruits ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Academy Training

The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the relationships of demographic characteristics with attitudes toward abusive parents and abused children in a convenience sample of 183 police recruits. Police academy training staff invited recruits to complete a questionnaire which contained three vignettes and a 36-item questionnaire that depicted child neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and demographic information. Analysis of responses showed that African Americans and Latinos reported more negative attitudes of anger, disgust, sadness, and discomfort toward an abusive parent than the Euro-American group. Women reported more negative attitudes toward an abused child and also more positive attitudes of sympathy and caring toward an abused child. Results partially support previous research suggesting demographic characteristics influence report of attitudes toward abusive parents and abused children. These findings about the influence of demographic characteristics on positive and negative emotional reactions toward abusive parents and abused children add to the literature.

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Hematology-Oncology Fellows’ Training in Geriatrics and Geriatric Oncology: Findings From an American Society of Clinical Oncology–Sponsored National Survey

Journal of Oncology Practice ◽

10.1200/jop.2017.022111 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. e900-e908 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Ronald J. Maggiore ◽

William Dale ◽

Arti Hurria ◽

Heidi D. Klepin ◽

Andrew Chapman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Older Adults ◽

Geriatric Oncology ◽

The United States ◽

First Year ◽

Clinical Experiences ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Electronic Survey ◽

Knowledge Based ◽

American Society

Purpose: Older adults compose the majority of patients with cancer in the United States; however, it is unclear how well geriatrics or geriatric oncology training is being incorporated into hematology-oncology (hem-onc) fellowships. Methods: A convenience sample of hem-onc fellows completed a (written or electronic) survey assessing their education, clinical experiences, and perceived proficiency in geriatric oncology during training; knowledge base in geriatric oncology; confidence in managing older adults with cancer; and general attitudes toward geriatric oncology principles. Results: Forty-five percent of respondents (N = 138) were female, 67% were based in the United States, and most (60%) were past their first year of training. Most fellows rated geriatric oncology as important or very important (84%); however, only 25% reported having access to a geriatric oncology clinic and more than one half (53%) reported no lectures in geriatric oncology. Fellows reported fewer educational experiences in geriatric oncology than in nongeriatric oncology. For example, among procedure-based activities, 12% learned how to perform a geriatric assessment but 78% learned how to perform a bone marrow biopsy ( P < .05). Of those completing the knowledge-based items, 41% were able to identify correctly the predictors of chemotherapy toxicity in older adults with cancer. Conclusion: Despite the prevalence of cancer in older adults, hem-onc fellows report limited education in or exposure to geriatric oncology. The high value fellows place on geriatric oncology suggests that they would be receptive to additional training in this area.

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Attitudes Toward Aging and Death Anxiety: Aging and Death Class

OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying ◽

10.2190/6xyn-v0j2-eaut-yf2v ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 59-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jennifer Davis-Berman

Keyword(s):

Death Anxiety ◽

Death And Dying ◽

Fear Of Death ◽

Course Development ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Attitudes Toward Aging ◽

Before And After ◽

Post Test ◽

Aging Class

Attitudes toward aging and fear of death were examined and compared before and after completion of a course on aging or a course on death and dying. Dramatic decreases in fear of death were observed in both classes at post-test. Despite the reduction in fear, the death class maintained negative attitudes toward aging. The aging class, however, managed to maintain positive attitudes toward older adults, while at the same time reducing death anxiety. Contradictions with the existing literature are discussed, and implications are presented for course development and implementation.

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Outcome of combination of methods of educational interventions in physiology for first-year MBBS students

International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences ◽

10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20191297 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 972

Author(s):

Srabani Bhattacharya ◽

Rucha Wagh ◽

Sundaram Kartikeyan ◽

Aniruddha A. Malgaonkar ◽

Sandhya S. Khadse

Keyword(s):

Gender Difference ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Cognitive Domain ◽

First Year ◽

Clinical Exposure ◽

Clinical Scenarios ◽

Before And After ◽

Post Test ◽

Domain Scores

Background: This comparative, before and after study (without controls) was conducted in a municipal medical college to compare the cognitive domain scores obtained by first-year MBBS students after didactic lectures with that obtained after an educational intervention that combined integrated teaching with clinical scenarios.Methods: After obtaining prior permissions, the purpose of the study was explained to first-year MBBS students and written informed consent was obtained. After attending curriculum-based didactic lectures on the alimentary system, the students (n=62, females: n=29, 46.77% and males: n=33, 53.23%) took a pre-test comprising ten questions (total 20 marks). After the pre-test, the participants attended an educational intervention that combined integrated teaching with clinical scenarios on the same topic. Subsequently, the post-test was administered using a questionnaire that was identical to that of the pre-test.Results: The mean overall marks obtained in the pre-test was 14.73±1.87 (95% CI: 14.26-15.19), while that obtained in the post-test was 17.16±1.73 (95% CI: 16.73-17.59), exhibiting highly significant (p <0.00001) difference. The gender difference in scores was significant (p=0.011) for only question no. 1 in the pre-test and there was no significant gender difference in the post-test.Conclusions: A combined method of educational intervention was found to enhance the cognitive domain scores of students. Though a larger study would be needed to generalize the findings, male students seem to need an additional educational intervention to improve their cognitive domain scores. Despite time limitations in the teaching schedule for the first-year MBBS course, integrated teaching with case scenarios can be implemented to impart early clinical exposure.

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Technology readiness, attitude towards computers and computer literacy among first year nursing students : a canadian perspective

10.32920/ryerson.14661339.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rita Wilson

Keyword(s):

Nursing Students ◽

Technology Use ◽

Computer Use ◽

Computer Literacy ◽

Computer Applications ◽

Technology Readiness ◽

First Year ◽

Health Care Environment ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Positive Attitudes

This descriptive correlational study used a convenience sample (n=30) recruited from one Canadian School of Nursing to investigate first year nursing students' preparedness for technology use. It examined the students' general technology readiness, attitudes toward computer use in general and in nursing as well as their general computer literacy. Most students were average "techno-ready", had positive attitudes toward computer use in general and in nursing and had low self-perceived proficiency in various computer applications. There was beginning evidence in support of statistically significant positive relationships among the students' technology readiness, their attitude towards computers and their computer literacy. The findings did not support correlations between the students' attitude towards computers and their computer literacy or between their technology readiness and their computer literacy. These findings suggest that some first year nursing students may need additional supports to enhance their preparedness to work in today's technology-rich health care environment.

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Political Activity Indicators in Public Opinion Surveys

Filosofija Sociologija ◽

10.6001/fil-soc.v31i4.4351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Vladas Gaidys

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

Close Relation ◽

Political Activity ◽

Main Attention ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Public Opinion Surveys ◽

Before And After ◽

The Difference ◽

Open Question

Indicators of regular public opinion surveys are analysed in the aspect of political activity. The main attention of analysis was focused on the indicators of voting preferences ‘will not vote’, ‘don’t know’ and ‘no answer’, also on frequencies of mentioning popular politicians in an open question, neutral answers to questions about trust in President and Seimas. The empirical basis of the paper is surveys conducted in 1989–2020 and the joined file of eleven surveys in 2019. The analysis of the data shows the difference in the answers ‘don’t know who to vote for’ before and after the elections: after the elections a considerably bigger part of respondents have their opinion on voting preferences. In an open question ‘Which politicians, in your opinion, best represent your interests?’, the highest result was fixed in 1989–1990, in the time of the highest political activity in society, and the lowest was fixed in the 20s. The neutral evaluations of President are in a close connection with positive attitudes to this institution and the neutral evaluations of Seimas are in a close relation with negative attitudes to this institution.

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At-risk student teachers’ attitudes and aspirations as learners and teachers of mathematics

South African Journal of Childhood Education ◽

10.4102/sajce.v5i3.218 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Trevor Moodley ◽

Stanley A. Adendorff ◽

Subethra Pather

Keyword(s):

Student Teachers ◽

School Teacher ◽

High School Teacher ◽

First Year ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Teacher Qualities ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Teachers Attitudes

This study explored foundation phase first year student teachers’ perceptions about mathematics. The focus on their attitudes towards mathematics in two roles – (1) as learners of mathematics, based on their prior experiences at school and (2) as aspirant teachers of mathematics for children in the early grades. Data sources were students’ drawings/collages as well as written interpretations and elaborations of the drawings/collages. The findings indicated that participants had generally negative attitudes towards the learning of mathematics. Factors such as the transition from primary to high school, teacher qualities and mathematics-related anxiety contributed to the shaping of their attitudes. It was encouraging to note that over half the participants expressed positive attitudes in their roles as future teachers, with all expressing the desire to provide better mathematics experiences to their future learners.

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A consumer-led intervention to improve pharmacists' attitudes toward mental illness

Mental Health Clinician ◽

10.9740/mhc.2016.03.95 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 95-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nathaniel M. Rickles ◽

Alison DaCosta

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Student Attitudes ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Past Research ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Persistent Mental Illness ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Before And After ◽

Attitudes Toward Mental Illness

Abstract Introduction: Individuals with a severe and persistent mental illness often manage complex medication regimens and would benefit from support and education from their pharmacist. Past research has shown that community pharmacists have negative attitudes toward mental illnesses, and these attitudes affect willingness to provide services to patients with mental illnesses. Consumer-led interventions have shown benefit to improve student attitudes toward mental illness. However, there are no known studies showing the benefit of consumer-led educational programs to improve pharmacist attitudes toward mental illness and willingness to provide services to those with mental illnesses. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of a consumer-led continuing education program on pharmacists' attitudes toward and willingness to provide services to consumers with mental illnesses. Methods: Fifty pharmacists participated in the program with 2 parts: discussion on the history of mental health care and consumers sharing their experiences. Pharmacists completed 1 survey before and after the program. Surveys asked about pharmacists' attitudes toward mental illness and willingness to provide services to individuals with schizophrenia compared to asthma. Data were analyzed using descriptive and paired t tests. Results: Paired t tests showed a significant decrease in social distance and increase in positive attitudes and willingness to provide services to patients with mental illnesses immediately after the program. Discussion: The immediate increase in positive attitudes and willingness to provide services to consumers with mental illnesses indicates that consumer-led interventions may be an effective way to improve the provision of pharmacy services to patients with mental illnesses.

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Attitudes towards animals and belief in animal mind among first-year veterinary students before and after an introductory animal welfare course

Animal Welfare ◽

10.7120/09627286.30.4.004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 409-418

Author(s):

JA Robbins ◽

JA Danielson ◽

AK Johnson ◽

RL Parsons ◽

MW Jorgensen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Female Gender ◽

First Year ◽

Veterinary Students ◽

Sociodemographic Variables ◽

Animal Mind ◽

Food Animal ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Before And After ◽

Students Attitudes

Veterinarians are increasingly looked to for guidance on matters relating to animal welfare, yet little is known about US veterinary students' attitudes and beliefs about animals. In 2019, we surveyed all first-year veterinary students at a major US veterinary college (n = 123) before and after taking a required one-credit introductory animal welfare course. Attitudes were measured using the Pests, Pets and Profit (PPP) scale and belief in animal mind (BAM) was measured using an ad hoc measure adapted from previous work. Pre- and post-course comparisons indicated the introductory animal welfare course had no immediate effect on veterinary students' attitudes or BAM. Veterinary students' attitudes were most positive for animals considered pets, followed by pests and those used for profit. Students believed most species possess a wide variety of mental capacities, including many secondary emotions often considered uniquely human (eg guilt, embarrassment, jealousy). Sociodemographic variables consistently associated with more positive attitudes towards animals were: female gender, vegetarianism and liberal political ideology. Preferring a career involving large or food animal practice was consistently associated with less positive attitudes towards animals. Belief in animal mind explained 3% of the variation in attitude scores, whereas sociodemographic variables explained 49% of variation in attitude scores. Female gender, vegetarianism and preferring small (vs large or food animal practice) were all associated with greater BAM scores. Understanding veterinary student attitudes towards animals and beliefs about the mental capacities of animals is important when evaluating a veterinarian's ability to adhere to their oath.

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