Demographics and study practices of psychiatry trainees sitting the RANZCP written examinations

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 551-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Khanna ◽  
Gabrielle Matta ◽  
Bharat Visa ◽  
Anna Ryan

Objectives: This study explored trainee preparation for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) written examinations. We examined the relationship between candidates’ prior psychiatry experience, preparation techniques and expenses, perceptions of the exam and a pass result. We also examined perceptions of well-being. Method: A web-based survey was sent to RANZCP trainees. The association between responses and exam outcome was analysed using SPSS Statistics 23. Results: A total of 23% ( n = 38) of the cohort responded to the survey. Respondents studied for an average of 7.8 months for the essay-style exam and 4.4 months for the multiple-choice questions. The mean months of total psychiatry experience prior to sitting was 36.1 months. Every additional 50 hours of study increased odds of passing by 23%. Respondents who believed that exam preparation would affect outcome had an almost 4-fold higher odds of passing than those who did not. Ratings of well-being before release of results were also positively associated with passing. Conclusions Trainees are sitting the written exams with clinical experience commensurate with RANZCP recommendations. Total study hours and favourable perceptions of exam processes appear to be predictors of success.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S71-S71
Author(s):  
Eleanor S McConnell ◽  
Kirsten Corazzini ◽  
T Robert Konrad

Abstract Although the impact of dementia on the health and well-being of those living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related Disorders (ADRD) and their care partners has been widely studied, less attention has been paid to how the disease impacts individuals within the context of their larger social networks. This symposium presents findings from a series of integrated studies aimed at strengthening measurement of health and well-being among older adults with living with dementia and well-being among members of their social networks. Findings will be presented from five studies: (1) a scoping review of social network measurement in older adults in chronic illness, including dementia, that emphasizes the use of technology in measuring older adults’ social networks; (2) a simulation study to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of sensor technology to measure social interaction among a person living with dementia and others in their immediate surroundings; (3) development of a web-based application that allows older adults to map and activate their social networks; (4) a qualitative analysis of interviews from persons living with dementia, their unpaid caregivers, and paid caregivers from an adult day health program concerning well-being focused outcomes; and (5) a mixed methods analysis of the feasibility of using both traditional and novel measures of health and well-being deployed among networks of people living with dementia. Emerging technologies for measuring social networks health and well-being hold promise for advancing the study of the relationship-based nature of care for people living with dementia.


2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Macdonald

Objective: This review examines how psychiatric clinical supervision is represented in the psychiatric literature and its relevance for Australasian psychiatry. Method: The literature was first identified then reviewed using Medline and Psychlit, manual searches of relevant journals and personal contact with some key workers in Australia and New Zealand. Results: The predominantly American literature written two to three decades ago reflected the conditions in which psychiatry was practised at that time, largely based in asylums or private offices and informed by the dominant psychoanalytic discourse of that era. These articles, frequently anecdotal and with little empirical support, conceptualized supervision as a developmental process, a syndrome, or a process of identification. They focused substantially on the nature of the relationship between the trainee and supervisor. More recent writers have included trainees’ perspectives. They have identified a number of problems with supervision, including role conflicts, uncertainty about boundaries, lack of supervisory training and lack of effective feedback, and have introduced the concepts of adult learning as highly relevant. These concerns, however, have led to little change to date. Conclusion: The implementation by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) of new training by-laws provides an opportunity to define the meaning of supervision in the current clinical context, to undertake research to clarify the key elements in the process, and to evaluate different techniques of supervision.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0310057X2110057
Author(s):  
Diana Strange Khursandi ◽  
Victoria Eley

There are no published data on the age of retirement of anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand. We surveyed 622 retired Fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists to determine their ages of complete retirement from clinical practice, demographics, and whether they had retired at the age they had intended to retire. We also aimed to explore factors affecting the decision to retire, the practice of ‘winding down’, common post-retirement activities, and the arrangement of personal and professional affairs. Responses were received from 371 specialists (response rate 60%). The mean (standard deviation) age of retirement was 65.2 (6.9) years. The mean (standard deviation) retirement ages ranged from 62.0 (7.1) years (those who retired earlier than planned) to 68.0 (4.3) years (those who retired later than they had intended). The mean (standard deviation) age of retirement of the male respondents was 66.0 (6.5) years, and for female respondents was 62.7 (7.7) years. Two hundred and thirty-three respondents (63%) reported winding down their practice prior to retirement, and 360 (97%) had made a will. Poor health and loss of confidence were the two most common factors in the retirement decisions of those who retired earlier than they had planned. Our results may assist current practitioners plan for retirement, and suggest strategies to help health services, departments and private groups accommodate individuals in winding down their practice.


2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 704-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad G. Fakih ◽  
Iram Enayet ◽  
Steven Minnick ◽  
Louis D. Saravolatz

Objective.To evaluate the effectiveness of a Web-based course on infection control accessed by physicians in training.Design.Educational intervention.Setting.A 607-bed urban teaching hospital.Participants.A total of 55 physicians in training beginning their first postgraduate year (the iPGYl group) and 59 physicians completing their first, second, or third postgraduate year (the oPGY group).Intervention.Individuals in the iPGYl group took a Web-based course on infection control practices.Measurements.Persons in the iPGYl group who took the Web-based course completed an evaluation test consisting of 15 multiple-choice questions (total possible score, 15 points). The same test was given to persons in the oPGY group, who did not take the Web-based course. We compared scores of the Web-based test taken by subjects in the iPGYl group immediately after the course with scores of the test they took 3 months after the course and with test scores of subjects in the oPGY group.Results.The mean score (±SD) for subjects in the iPGYl group who took the Web-based course was 10.6 ± 2.2, compared with 8.0 ± 2.5 for subjects in the oPGY group (P<.001). The mean score (±SD) for subjects in the iPGYl group 3 months after completing the course decreased to 8.0 ± 2.4 (P< .001 by the paired f test). For the oPGY group, significant differences were found between the scores (±SD) for subjects in the internal medicine (9.9 ± 2.3), emergency medicine (8.4 ± 1.7), pediatrics (7.0 ± 1.7), and family medicine (5.8 ± 1.6) residency programs (P< .001); there were no significant differences in scores according to the year of residency.Conclusions.Web-based infection control courses are an attractive teaching tool for physicians in training and need to be considered for teaching infection control. The evaluation of information retention will help identify physicians in training who require further training.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz D. Kaczmarek ◽  
Błażej Bączkowski ◽  
Jolanta Enko ◽  
Barbara Baran ◽  
Peter Theuns

AbstractCuriosity is a personality trait that is inversely related to depression and positively related to subjective wellbeing. However, the relationship between curiosity and these two outcomes is still unclear which hampers our general understanding of well-being. Based on research within positive psychology that showed character strengths such as curiosity can indirectly decrease depression, we hypothesized that the inverse relationship between curiosity and depression would be mediated by subjective well-being. Two hundred and fifty seven participants, between 18 and 64 years old (M = 24.50, SD = 8.33) completed a web-based survey comprising: The Curiosity and Exploration Inventory - II, Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression and the Steen Happiness Index. We found that well-being mediated the relationship between curiosity and depression. The results indicate that curious individuals tend to report higher levels of subjective well-being which, in turn, is associated with lower levels of depression. Our findings contribute to the understanding of positive results obtained from clinical samples that underwent positive psychotherapy of depression.


2012 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. O'Driscoll ◽  
Johannes Oeffner ◽  
Adam J. Dunford

Abstract O'Driscoll, R. L., Oeffner, J., and Dunford, A. J. 2013. In situ target strength estimates of optically verified southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 431–439. Estimates of the acoustic target strength (TS) of southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) at 38 kHz were obtained using an autonomous acoustic–optical system (AOS) mounted on a demersal trawl. Data were collected from aggregations of spawning adult [mean fork length (FL) 34.4 cm] and immature (mean FL 24.6 cm) southern blue whiting south of New Zealand. Mean TS was estimated from 162 tracks containing 695 echoes from targets identified from video as southern blue whiting. The mean TS was –37.9 dB with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of –39.7 to –36.6 dB for 21 immature fish and –34.6 dB (95% CI –35.4 to –34.0 dB) for 141 adults. A logarithmic fit through the mean TS values produced a TS–fork length (FL) relationship from optically verified targets of TS = 22.06 log10FL – 68.54. This new relationship gives TS values within 1 dB of those estimated using the relationship recently adopted by ICES for blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) of TS = 20 log10TL – 65.2 (where TL is total length) obtained from in situ measurements, but higher values than those estimated from the previous relationship for southern blue whiting of TS = 38 log10FL – 97, which was based on swimbladder modelling.


2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 629-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Utter ◽  
Simon Denny ◽  
Sue Crengle ◽  
Shanthi Ameratunga ◽  
Terryann Clark ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between area-level socio-economic status and healthy and less healthy eating behaviours among adolescents and to determine whether the relationship between area-level socio-economic status and dietary behaviours was related to the relevant attitudes and environments.DesignData were collected as part of Youth’07, a nationally representative survey of the health and well-being of New Zealand youth.SettingNew Zealand secondary schools, 2007.SubjectsA total of 9107 secondary-school students in New Zealand.ResultsStudents from more deprived areas perceived more supportive school environments and cared as much about healthy eating as students in more affluent areas. However, these students were significantly more likely to report consuming fast food, soft drinks and chocolates.ConclusionsAddressing area-level socio-economic disparities in healthy eating requires addressing the availability, affordability and marketing of unhealthy snack foods, particularly in economically deprived areas.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh nazari ◽  
Vahid Shaygannejad

Abstract Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease with disabling consequences. Social support is an important aspect of performance among patients and attention to perceived social support as a factor influencing health promotion is essential. Therefore, this study was performed with the aim to determine the relationship between spiritual well-being and perceived social support in patients with MS.Methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted on 120 patients with MS. The participants were over 18 years of age and referred to the MS Clinic of Kashani Hospital, Isfahan‎, Iran. The subjects were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS software. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: The mean (SD) disease duration and age of participants were 8.1 (5.9) and 33.67 (8.7) years, respectively. Moreover, 75.9% of the participants were women and 76.1% were married. The mean score of spiritual well-being was 87.08. The mean score of perceived social support was 61.52 (14.9). Pearson correlation test indicated a direct relationship between spiritual well-being and the total score of perceived social support (r = 0.415, P < 0.001) and the emotional (r = 0.328, P = 0.004) and informational (r = 0.311, P = 0.006) dimensions, but not the instrumental dimension (r = 0.197, P = 0.081). Multiple linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between spiritual health and social support in the emotional dimension (P < 0.05)Conclusion: This study confirmed the relation between perceived social support and spiritual well-being of people with MS. Thus, it is necessary that perceived social support, as a strong predictor of spiritual health status, is considered in the designing of health promotion interventions for patients with MS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-226
Author(s):  
Mazyar Dogohar ◽  
◽  
Shayesteh Salehi ◽  
Narges Sadeghi ◽  
◽  
...  

Background: Earthquakes are among the most natural catastrophic disasters. Adults’ response to disasters largely depends on their physical health, mobility, self-efficacy, resource, and income level. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between self-efficacy with spiritual adjustment and life expectancy in earthquake-stricken adults living in Sarpol-e Zahab City, Iran. Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive-analytical study that was done on 135 earthquake-stricken adults in Sarpol-e Zahab City. The study data were collected using the Scherer general self-efficacy questionnaire, Herth’s life expectancy questionnaire, spiritual adjustment, and demographic data in Spring 1998. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS version 24 and descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: In this study, 135 adults were enrolled, 65.2% were men and the rest were women. The Mean±SD age of the samples was 41.64±11.49 years. The Mean±SD values of self-efficacy, spiritual adjustment, and life expectancy were 55.64±10.29, 150.47±35.17, and 28.44±5.75, respectively. There was a significant and positive correlation between self-efficacy and spiritual adjustment. There was a positive and significant relationship between self-efficacy and life expectancy as well as life expectancy and spiritual adjustment. Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed a high correlation between self-efficacy, life expectancy, and spiritual adjustment. People with high spiritual well-being and life expectancy are more adaptable to their problems; accordingly, their reinforcement of spiritual well-being and life expectancy increases their adaptability to the situation. Therefore, it is recommended that educational programs be developed to increase the self-efficacy of earthquake-affected individuals and increase their life expectancy and spiritual well-being.


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 1775 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Nicol ◽  
J. L. Klotz

On the basis of published reports, the daily intake of the alkaloid ergovaline from the consumption of endophyte-containing ryegrass in New Zealand ranges from 0.008 to 0.287 mg ergovaline/kg LW0.75.day. Most of the reports are based on the use of standard endophyte-containing ryegrass and, thus, it is difficult to disassociate the impact of ergovaline consumption from that of lolitrem B. However, physiological effects of ergovaline consumption, such as reduced circulating prolactin concentration, vasoconstriction and elevated core temperature, have been detected at fairly low ergovaline intake, whereas decreased feed intake, liveweight gain and milk production have not generally been observed in animals at an intake below 0.07 mg ergovaline/kg LW0.75.day. Intakes above this value represent only 17% of published values. There are insufficient data to suggest a threshold ergovaline intake associated with heat stress with animal-welfare implications. The relationship between published ergovaline intake and the corresponding ergovaline concentration in pasture is poor (R2 = 0.48), but on average an intake of 0.07 ergovaline/kg LW0.75.day is associated with an ergovaline concentration in ryegrass of 0.70 mg/kg DM. About 16–18% of published ergovaline concentrations in ryegrass pasture exceed this value. The ergovaline concentration in ryegrass is greater in the basal parts of the plant than in the leaf and during the late summer–autumn than in spring. Animals grazing in the lower sward horizons (horizontal grazing plane) are more at risk of high ergovaline intake, although the reduction in grazing intake induced by grazing at low pasture height aids in limiting ergovaline intake. As pasture growth rates decline in late summer, supplementary feed may be used to maintain stocking rate and, if such feeds have zero ergovaline concentration, they serve to dilute the mean dietary ergovaline intake. Ergovaline-containing ryegrass pastures are widely used in New Zealand. It appears that farmers consider the risks of depressed animal production on these pastures to be less than the benefits ergovaline bestows through its deterrent effect of specific insect attack and thus greater survival and pasture persistence.


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