Prevalence of and incentives for board certification among hospital pharmacy departments in California

Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. Purpose Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) certification is endorsed to distinguish pharmacists for advanced practice areas, yet perceived value to stakeholders remains poorly described. This study characterized how board certification is integrated in hospital pharmacy departments across California. Methods A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in which a survey was administered to all hospital pharmacy directors in California between November 2019 and March 2020. Licensed institutions and corresponding pharmacy directors were identified from the California State Board of Pharmacy. The survey queried for institution and pharmacy director characteristics and if/how board certification was integrated. Multivariable logistic models identified predictors of institutions with at least 25% full-time board-certified pharmacists and those that reward board certification. Results Surveys were completed by 29% of institutions. Most of these institutions were urban (81%) and nonteaching (57%), with fewer than 325 hospital beds (71%), and with fewer than 50 full-time pharmacist positions (86%). The majority reported that less than 25% of their pharmacists were board certified. Currently, 47% consider board certification during hiring and 38% reward board-certified employees. Predictors of institutions with 25% or more board-certified pharmacists included being a teaching institution (odds ratio [OR], 2.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-7.06), having 325 or more beds (OR, 7.17; 95% CI, 2.86-17.97), and having a pharmacy director who was previously or currently board certified (OR, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.46-9.35). Hospitals with 100 or more pharmacist positions predicted institutions that reward board certification (OR, 16.69; 95% CI, 1.78-156.86). Conclusion Board certification was an employment preference for almost half of the hospital survey respondents in California. Institutions more likely to reward board-certified pharmacists are larger, urban, and teaching hospitals and have pharmacy directors who have been board certified.

Curriculum Evaluation - A Cross-Sectional Study under selected Nursing College of KUHS

Aim: A cross-sectional design (analytic) was adopted for the study and the aim of this study was to discover whether the curriculum is fulfilling its purpose and whether students are actually learning. Background: According to the history of education, the term ‘curriculum’ was originally related to the concept of a course of studies followed by a pupil in a teaching institution. Curriculum is a set of specific knowledge, skills and activities for students and it may be defined as planned activities to foster teachers' teaching and student's learning1. The term curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a specific course or program. Curriculum evaluation is an essential phase of curriculum development. Through evaluation a faculty discovers whether a curriculum is fulfilling its purpose and whether students are actually learning. Curriculum evaluation is crucial to measuring curriculum effectiveness in any educational setting2. Methods: A cross-sectional design (analytic) was adopted for the study. Eighty two graduates were selected by total enumerative sampling technique. Results: The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The various categories of the curriculum evaluation tool were summarized using frequency and percentage, separately for B.Sc and PB.BSc graduates. Conclusion: Out of six areas evaluated, 100% satisfaction was ensured in all areas except in assessment of organization of teacher’s materials, which concluded that 20% of graduates asked for improvement in special facilities and equipments for the curriculum updation.

Assessing for Learning: Teacher Training in Practice Involving 14 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Students

In this age of answerability, assessment is a dominant factor that can either promote or weaken learners’ education internationally. Yet many of the usual practices followed by institutions show that assessments in the classroom continue to be a challenge for teachers. This signifies that assessment is either not well understood or not done effectively during all stages of education. The study reported in this article attempted firstly to detect how prepared teachers were to perform assessments for learning, and secondly to enhance teachers’ assessment practices. It focused on the qualities of good assessment practices, different methods of assessment, types of assessment, and feedback and assessment to enhance learning in the classroom. A qualitative approach was used, involving 14 participants who had completed a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) at a distance teaching institution. Results revealed inter alia a need for longer teaching practice periods, the use of taxonomies on different cognitive levels, and subject-specific workshops. It is recommended that more practical examples, like lecture videos, taxonomies, and rubrics, should be employed, and assessment processes should embrace technology.

“A festa da Arte”

Este trabalho realiza uma discussão sobre o uso do jornal como fonte histórica a partir de uma análise das publicações feitas sobre o Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte pelo jornal A Ordem, entre os anos de 1936 e 1952. Com o objetivo de compreender como o referido periódico realizava suas publicações sobre esse espaço de ensino musical, e a fim de ter acesso às suas edições na íntegra, realizou-se uma pesquisa na Hemeroteca Digital da Biblioteca Nacional, na qual encontraram-se as edições nas quais o Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte foi mencionado. A pesquisa é de natureza qualitativa e exploratória, com procedimentos de caráter bibliográfico e documental, através da análise das notas encontradas no jornal A Ordem. Para a interpretação dos dados, traz-se a compreensão de Barros (2019) acerca do jornal como fonte histórica e não como objeto de estudo, e de Albuquerque Junior (2013) sobre documentos, que trazem vida, sentimentos, emoções, e acontecimentos da vida de um homem do passado. No período analisado, A Ordem publicou conteúdos diversificados sobre o Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte, informando sobre período de matrículas, início de ano letivo, resultado de exames, recital dos alunos, trazendo notas com o diretor da instituição e outras que faziam referências indiretas à mesma. Desse modo, o periódico local se mostrou um importante parceiro na realização das atividades da instituição. Palavras-chave: Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte. Jornal A Ordem. Documento. The "art celebration": a ordem newspaper as a research source regarding music professional education in Rio Grande do Norte (1936-1952) Abstract This work deals with the use of the newspaper as a historical documental source. The research is based on an analysis of the publications of the Institute of Music of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil in the A Ordem newspaper between the years 1936 and 1952. To understand how the periodical realized its publications regarding the musical teaching institution, and in order to have access to its full editions, a survey in the Digital Periodical Library of the Brazilian National Library was realized where issues where the forementioned Institute were found. The research is of qualitative and exploratory nature and considered bibliographic and documentary strategies, through the analysis of the notes found in the newspaper. The research is as of a qualitative and exploratory nature, with bibliographic and documentary procedures, through the analysis of the notes found in the newspaper A Ordem newspaper. For data interpretation, the researched relied on works such as Barros (2019) that deals with newspapers as documental sources and not only as an empirical object. The research also considered works of Albuquerque Junior (2013) about documents, which emphasize life, feelings, emotions, and events from the life of a men in this period. In this context A Ordem newspaper published a diversified type of contents regarding the aforementioned institute. Some reports dealt with student enrollment period, beginning of the school year, exam results or students' recitals. Others were reports written by the institute´s director or mentioned the institute indirectly. Thus, the local newspaper proved to be an important ally in the broadcasting of the institution's activities. Keywords: Music Institute of Rio Grande do Norte. A Ordem newspaper. Document.

Assessment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Experiences Within a Large Southeast Training Program

Background The United States has become increasingly diverse resulting in greater strides to improve workforce diversity and inclusivity. Objective The objective of this study is to identify trainees in Graduate Medical Education who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning (LGBTQ) and compare their experiences as a trainee to non-LGBTQ trainees within the medical workplace. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, exploratory survey from December 1, 2020 to January 14, 2021 at a single, large teaching institution. We collected data anonymously and stored it in a REDCap database. We excluded surveys in which trainees did not respond to sexual orientation. We used contingency tables and Fisher’s exact test to identify outcomes associated with sexual orientation and gender identity particularly with regard to professionalism, well-being, and satisfaction with training. Results We distributed the survey to 840 trainees. 730 trainees were included with 23 (3.2%) self-identifying as LGBTQ and 707 (96%) as Straight. LGBTQ trainees were more likely to experience offensive remarks based on race/ethnicity (p = 0.03) and sexual orientation (p = 0.01). Secondary analysis based on race found that Blacks and Other were more likely to report differences based on professionalism and satisfaction with their training program. There was no difference seen among LGBTQ trainees based on race. Conclusion We found trainees who identified as LGBTQ were more likely to experience discrimination/microaggressions. Also, underrepresented minorities in medicine were more likely to encounter discrimination and dissatisfaction with their training. More efforts are needed in academics to promote safe and supportive LGBTQ and minority training experiences.

Timesync: Web Based Timetable Scheduling and Visualization System for Schools and Colleges

Timetable scheduling is a problem that concerns every teaching institution. Every semester or year a new timetable must be produced to take account of faculty, student and course changes causing a necessarily large amount of work. All institutions face a considerable number of difficulties especially before the start of academic semesters in colleges due to the increased number of students and courses. Also, visualizing the timetable needs drastic amount of work like to print them on papers and display it then to its respective classes, that too in colleges need to be secured since it got snatched away by the students there. And timetable updation require to follow full steps as followed during its creation in traditional paper-based method but here using timesync, it makes everything so smooth that it need to only update it with its user-friendly UI and no need to follow other steps as in orthodox method. The main objective of this study is to develop a web-based application for timetable scheduling and visualizing for schools and colleges. However, some work and studies still need to be done to make this system further smart and consistent as described in the recommendations section.

Stress, anxiety and depression levels among nurses working at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan

Introduction: Though mental disorders have remained global issues, their relationship with stressful life styles and occupations are a modern phenomenon. Anxiety and depression can become permanent components of personality, thereby affecting productivity and social activities. Objective: To determine the stress, anxiety and depression levels among nurses working at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Medical Teaching Institution, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 100 nurses by using convenient sampling technique at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Medical Teaching Institution, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, over 6 months duration from March 2020 to August 2020. A valid, reliable and adopted DASS-21 Scale was used for data collection. The data were analyzed for descriptive statistics by SPSS version 22.0. Results: Among all participants, 76% were female and 26% were male and have experience from 6 months to 20 years. More than half of the participants were highly affected by stress, anxiety and depression, and significant associations have been found between demographic variables, stress, anxiety and depression. The mean score of Stress, Anxiety and Depression was 16.74, 14.12 and 16.44 respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, health care settings should provide their employees a respectful, culture sensitive and supportive environment to single female staff where they feel safe and happy. Lastly, cross-sectional surveys should be conducted on these psychological problems to find out the key factors behind them. Keywords: Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Nurses, Tertiary Care Hospital

Sextuplets: management of a higher order pregnancy in a medium-resource setting

A 28-year-old gravida 1 para 0 was referred to the Mt. Hope Maternity Hospital, a tertiary teaching institution at 8 weeks of gestation with excessive vomiting in pregnancy secondary to a sextuplet pregnancy. She was given empirical clomiphene citrate 100mg for 10 days after having difficulty conceiving with know polycystic ovarian syndrome. She conceived after the first course of clomiphene citrate. After being counseled on the many maternal and fetal complications with higher-order pregnancy and a clear road-map for the management of the pregnancy, which included multifetal pregnancy reduction (MFPR), this was declined due to socio-cultural and ethical grounds. Cervical cerclage was inserted at 12 weeks gestation and thromboprophylaxis commenced. Urgent Caesarean delivery was arranged at 31 weeks of pregnancy secondary to worsening symptoms of overdistension. This study aims to outline management of a higher order pregnancy when the standard approach of MFPR is unacceptable to the patient. Central to this cause was circumventing risks of higher order gestations such as preterm labor, pre-eclampsia, thrombosis and anaemia.