scholarly journals D I Walker et al Preprint - Assessing Ethical Reasoning among Junior British Army Officers Using the Army Intermediate Concept Measure (AICM)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ian Walker ◽  
Stephen J. Thoma ◽  
James Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Reasoning ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
British Army ◽  
Ethical Judgement ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Professional Groups ◽  
Army Officers ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Modern Warfare

Army Officers face increased moral pressure in modern warfare where character and ethical judgement are vital. The article reports results of a study of 242 junior British Army officers using the Army Intermediate Concept Measure, comprising a series of professionally oriented moral dilemmas developed for the UK context. Results are suggestive of appropriate application of Army values to the dilemmas and of ethical reasoning aligning with Army excellence. The sample does slightly less well, however, for justification than action reasoning and there are differences following initial training for infantry and artillery officers versus other branches of service. Dilemmas involving anti-torture methods and not covering up soldiers’ failings generated best results compared to those requiring balance between compassion and mission, and negotiating personal relationships with military needs. Gender differences favouring women were less than those observed for other professional groups using similar measures. This research further develops a much-needed measure of ethical reasoning among junior Army officers, with potential for use among other ranks. This approach is advocated for other professional groups.

Reflex syncope in the UK Armed Forces

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2021-001945
Author(s):  
Iain Parsons ◽  
J Ellwood ◽  
M J Stacey ◽  
N Gall ◽  
M Grundy-Bowers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
British Army ◽  
Royal Air Force ◽  
Reflex Syncope ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Case Rate ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military

IntroductionReflex syncope is the most common subtype of syncope and, despite not being associated with increased mortality, often results in significant morbidity and costly diagnostics. Reflex syncope can be of concern for certain occupational groups and may be exacerbated by some occupations. Reflex syncope in the military is anecdotally common but the extent in the UK Armed Forces (UKAF) is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and prevalence of reflex syncope in the UKAF.MethodsA retrospective search of the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme using prespecified read-codes was performed at defence primary healthcare centres over the period of 1 January 2019 to 1 January 2020. Data were obtained on 76 103 service personnel (SP) (53% of the UKAF).ResultsThe overall syncope case rate for the UKAF was 10.5 per 1000 person-years (p-yrs). In comparing services there was a significantly increased risk of syncope in the British Army (10.7 per 1000 p-yrs) compared with the Royal Air Force (8.6 per 1000 p-yrs) (p=0.0365), SP who served overseas (16.7 per 1000 p-yrs) in comparison with UK medical centres (10.3 per 1000 p-yrs) (p<0.0001), and British Army units that regularly took part in State Ceremonial and Public Duties (15.8 per 1000 p-yrs vs 10.2 per 1000 p-yrs) (p=0.0035). Army training units conferred a significantly reduced risk of syncope (p<0.0001).ConclusionsThese data are the first to define the incidence and prevalence of syncope in the UKAF. Orthostasis and heat are probable triggers, although recruits are potentially protected. These data offer opportunities to improve the health and well-being of SP, with economic, logistical and reputational benefits for the UKAF. Further research to identify personnel at risk of future syncopal events may allow for targeted use of countermeasures.

scholarly journals PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND A CALL FOR PHILOSOPHICAL LITERACY

Think ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (54) ◽  
pp. 37-47
Author(s):  
Andrew Knight
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Professional Ethics ◽  
Ethical Reasoning ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Professional Workplace

It could be argued that there is now a crisis of confidence in the professions. Although many professionals individually undertake their roles with care and diligence, there have been so many systematic failures involving professionals across a range of sectors, both in the UK and globally, that the special status enjoyed by the professions is being widely questioned. In this article, I argue that recent cases are symptomatic of a lack of ethical reasoning in professional practice, yet professions enjoy an elevated status based on claims that ethics, typically communicated in codes of conduct, are central to their purpose. I argue that to help solve this crisis, philosophical literacy needs to be promoted in school, initial professional education and continuing professional development. Passing tests to superficially demonstrate an understanding of a code is quite different from reasoning through practical dilemmas in the professional workplace with judgements informed by philosophical ideas.

Knowledge and opinions of professional groups concerning FASD in the UK

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raja Mukherjee ◽  
Elizabeth Wray ◽  
Leopold Curfs ◽  
Sheila Hollins
Keyword(s):  
Professional Groups ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals MICHAEL GOVE’S HERITAGE: SCHOOL GOVERNANCE REFORM

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-24
Author(s):  
Richard Riddell
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Conservative Party ◽  
School Governance ◽  
English School ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Governance Reform ◽  
Process Of Change ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Complete Process ◽  
Governance Reforms

This article examines the nature and effects of the radical reforms to English school governance since 2010, the year in which a Coalition Government, led by the Conservative Party, came to power in the UK, and Michael Gove was ­appointed Secretary of State for Education for England, a post he occupied for four formative years of Education reform. These governance reforms were part of a much wider programme of change, arguably fundamental in the sense that they have affected the classroom experiences of students directly. This programme encompassed changes to the curriculum, the assessment of children (and, by proxy, teachers and schools), the initial training and assessment of teachers and, eventually, school inspection, with the most recent revised Ofsted Inspection Framework governing inspections in use from September 2019 (Ofsted 2019). Nevertheless, governance changes provide the framework through which all educational change in the future can be conceived, considered, interpreted, implemented and realised with students. So although all the above changes are identified with Gove, the changes to governance, often still badged as ‘academisation’, may be argued to be the most fundamental and the basis for considering future change and, indeed, Gove’s heritage. No one policy maker controls the complete process of change and its development, of course, one of the features of ‘complexity’, and it is argued here that the methods of realising governance reform in England have severely constrained future choices of direction.

scholarly journals Updating Qualifications for the Career Guidance Profession in Scotland: Navigating the Maze

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Allan ◽  
Janet Moffett ◽  
Peter J. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Career Guidance ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
The West ◽  
Quality Assurance Agency ◽  
Work In Progress ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

This paper describes work in progress to modernise the initial training arrangements for the career guidance profession in Scotland. In a process initiated by the University of the West of Scotland, the Quality Assurance Agency benchmark for the subject is under review. The outcomes of the process may have implications for the training of career advisers and guidance practitioners across the UK.

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