“There hasn’t been a career structure to step into”: a qualitative study on perceptions of allied health clinician researcher careers

Background There are many demonstrated benefits for health service organizations engaging in research. As a result, growing numbers of clinicians are being encouraged to pursue research as part of their clinical roles, including in allied health (AH). However, while the benefits of having clinician researchers embedded in AH services have been well established, the career needs of those engaged in these dual roles are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine perspectives of the career pathway for AH clinicians engaged in “clinician researcher” roles within Australian health services. Methods A qualitative descriptive study was conducted, utilizing semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to ensure selection of varied locations, professions and role types. Results were analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was established using regular peer debriefing during theme development, and respondent validation of final themes. Results Fifty-seven AH clinician researchers, including those who did and did not have research as a formal component of their current role, participated in semi-structured interviews. Key themes were as follows: (1) clinician researchers prefer roles which are embedded in health services; (2) current opportunities for clinician researcher roles in health are insufficient; (3) there are deficiencies in the pathway for clinician researcher careers; (4) clinician researchers are not always valued or incentivized by health services; (5) the current career challenges impair the viability of clinician researcher careers; and (6) the clinician researcher career path has been improving, and there is hope it will continue to improve. Conclusion This study outlines a number of weaknesses in the current career structure and opportunities for AH clinician researchers in Australian health services. In particular, while there are strong intrinsic drivers to pursue this dual career, extrinsic drivers are poorly developed, including a lack of job opportunities, an unstable career pathway and a lack of valuing or incentivizing this career choice within health services. This often means that clinician researchers feel compelled to choose between a research or clinical career, leading to loss of this valuable combined skill set. The findings of this research may assist health services in developing and supporting improved clinician researcher career pathways.

A study on radiotelephony English test design

Radiotelephony English is taught in college for the learners whose future professions are mainly pilots and air traffic controllers. The present study is to analyse the radiotelephony English test design in a university to see the extent of which it evaluates learners’ communicative competence in aviation scope. Theoretical frameworks on communicative competence, modern test theory and ICAO language proficiency requirements for the learners of radiotelephony communication are presented. The study reveals that learners’ communicative competence which includes both radiotelephony and everyday communication skills are important components in radiotelephony test design. The study points out that the application of modern test theory in designing radiotelephony test in college is vital in meeting the validity and reliability of the test and the students’ individual needs in English language learning for future career needs to be reflected in the test design.

PENERAPAN NILAI KEROHANIAN ISLAM DALAM PERANCANGAN KERJAYA PELAJAR TVET

Kerjaya merupakan satu agenda penting dalam Islam dalam merealisasikan konsep dunia sebagai jambatan ke akhirat. Kerjaya yang baik perlu dirancang bagi memastikannya kongruen, halal dan menepati kehendak Islam walaupun dalam bidang teknikal yang penuh dengan amali dan kerja tangan. Penerapan nilai kerohanian Islam merupakan perkara yang perlu ada dalam perancangan kerjaya bagi memastikan pelan perancangan menepati kehendak syariat Islam. Justeru, kajian ini telah dilakukan untuk meneroka penerapan nilai kerohanian dalam perancangan kerjaya pelajar Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET). Kajian berbentuk kualitatif ini menggunakan Focus Group Discussion (FGD) sebagai kaedah kutipan data. Peserta kajian terdiri daripada 12 orang lulusan kolej komuniti dan politeknik telah berjaya dalam kerjaya yang digabungkan bersama tiga orang pensyarah teknikal yang berpengalaman bagi menguatkan hasil dapatan. Hasil analisis tema terhadap perbincangan FGD telah berjaya menemui enam tema utama dan sepuluh sub tema. Tema utama ialah (1) Niat, (2) Azam, (3) Sabar, (4) Istiqamah, (5) Doa dan Tawakal, dan (6) Jaga Hubungan. Hasil kajian ini dapat dijadikan panduan untuk pelajar TVET dalam merangka kerjaya mereka berpandukan syariat Allah SWT. Career is an important agenda in Islam towards the concept of the world as a bridge to after death. A good career needs to be planned to ensure that it is congruent, halal and meets the requirements of Islam even in a technical field that is full of practicals and manual labour. The application of spiritual values is a must in career planning to ensure that the planning meets the requirements of Islamic law. This is because, without the element of spirituality, an individual is empty in terms of manners to be a good employee. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the application of spiritual values in career planning required by Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) students to be a balanced workforce in terms of skills and manners. This qualitative study used Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as the data collection method. The study participants consisted of 12graduates of community colleges and polytechnics who have been successful in their careers, combined with three experienced technical lecturers to strengthen the findings. The results of the thematic analysis of the FGD discussion have successfully found six main themes and ten subthemes. The main themes are (1) Intention, (2) Determination, (3) Patience, (4) Istiqamah, (5) Prayer and Trust, and (6) Keeping Relationships. The results of this study can be used as a guide for TVET students in planning their careers based on the law of Allah SWT.

AN APPROACH OF ENGLISH TEACHING FOR AUTOMOTIVE AND VEHICLE ENGINEERING STUDENTS

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is generally interpreted as an approach to learning English based on the goals/needs of the learner. In the context of learning English in Indonesia, both at secondary and tertiary schools, especially for automotive students, the ESP approach is a popular choice. The application of this approach is in line with the government policy in the field of education which emphasizes the purpose of learning English, namely to improve the ability of students to use English, especially for academic and professional career needs with an emphasis on reading skills that allow students to understand authentic material topics according to their majors. effectively. This article puts forward a theoretical study of the basic concepts of ESP including its definition and role as a learning approach, along with related issues including needs analysis as the main feature of ESP, syllabus, learning objectives, materials, methodology, and evaluation of ESP-based English learning.

“There Hasn't Been a Career Structure to Step Into”: A Qualitative Study on Perceptions of Allied Health Clinician Researcher Careers

Background: There are many demonstrated benefits for health service organisations engaging in research. As a result, growing numbers of clinicians are being encouraged to pursue research as part of their clinical roles, including in Allied Health (AH). However, while the benefits of having clinician researchers embedded in AH services have been well-established, the career needs of those engaged in these dual roles is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine perspectives of the career pathway for Allied Health clinicians engaged in “clinician researcher” roles within Australian health services. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted, utilising semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to ensure selection of varied locations, professions and role types. Results were analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was established using regular peer debriefing during theme development, and respondent validation of final themes.Results: Fifty-seven AH clinician researchers, including those who did and did not have research as a formal component of their current role, participated in semi-structured interviews. Key themes were that: (1) Clinician researchers prefer roles which are embedded in health services; (2) Current opportunities for clinician researcher roles in health are insufficient; (3) There are deficiencies in the pathway for clinician researcher careers; (4) Clinician researchers are not always valued or incentivised by health services; (5) The current career challenges impair the viability of clinician researcher careers; and (6) The clinician researcher career path has been improving and there is hope it will continue to improve.Conclusion: This study outlines a number of weaknesses with the current career structure and opportunities for AH clinician researchers in Australian health services. In particular, while there are strong intrinsic drivers to pursue this dual career, extrinsic drivers are poorly developed, including a lack of job opportunities, an unstable career pathway and a lack of value or incentivization of this career choice. This often means that clinician researchers feel compelled to choose between a research or clinical career, leading to loss of this valuable combined skillset. The findings of this research may assist health services to develop and support improved clinician researcher career pathways.

A Transitional Year Residency Program Provides Innovative Solutions for Unmatched Medical Students

ABSTRACT Background The transition to residency is competitive with more medical students applying for residency positions than slots available, and some will face challenges securing a position in their desired specialty. Our institution created a transitional year (TY) residency program in 2016 to help meet the needs of our medical students who did not initially secure a position in the main residency Match. Objective This report provides a brief overview of the TY program and analysis of the program's value from the inaugural 3 years (2017–2020). Methods The TY program is based at a midsized, urban, academic health center and features a tailorable curriculum emphasizing preparation for residents' specialty career plans. We used participatory action research and appreciative inquiry strategies as part of the annual program evaluation to examine TY residents' perceptions of the program's value. Stakeholder perceptions were also elicited from a purposive selection of 4 program directors and 2 key medical school education leaders. Results Internal evaluations revealed a high rate of resident satisfaction with the TY program and self-reported benefits such as increased confidence, clinical proficiency, and professional enculturation. Stakeholders valued the program as a potential pipeline for increasing physicians in the state and providing valuable direction to students' career trajectories. Conclusions Creating a TY residency program to meet the needs of unmatched medical students was feasible to implement, acceptable to residents in meeting their academic and career needs, and provided a sustainable institutional solution with benefits to multiple stakeholders.

Professional learning and development framework for postdoctoral scholars

Purpose Many postdoctoral scholars are seeking professional learning and development (PLD) opportunities to prepare for diverse careers, roles and responsibilities. This paper aims to develop an evidence-informed framework for PLD of postdoctoral scholars that speaks to these changing career paths. Design/methodology/approach This paper used an integrated knowledge translation approach to synthesize and extend previous work on postdoctoral scholars’ PLD. The authors engaged in consultations with key stakeholders and synthesized findings from literature reviews, surveys and semi-structured interviews to create a framework for PLD. Findings The PLD framework consists of four major domains, namely, professional socialization; professional skills; academic development; and personal effectiveness. The 4 major domains are subdivided into 16 subdomains that represent the various skills and competencies that postdoctoral scholars can build throughout their postdoctoral fellowships. Originality/value The framework can be used to support postdoctoral scholars, postdoctoral supervisors and higher education institutions in developing high quality, evidence-informed PLD plans to meet the diverse career needs of postdoctoral scholars.

ENGLISH MATERIAL NEEDS OF AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS: AN ESP APPROACH

English for automotive technology is a specific discipline in which the students require particular language learning materials to meet their academic and future career needs. Hence, contextual material is a prerequisite to achieving the success of language learning. Drawing on this issue, the present study identified the English material needs of automotive technology students for working in vehicle inspection. The required data were collected using a web-based questionnaire and semi-structured interview from 186 students, 7 English lecturers, and 44 graduates of Poltrada Bali and PKTJ Tegal Indonesia who were purposively selected as the participants. This study classified English materials into content areas of automotive technology, language skills, and linguistic features. The results revealed that content areas needed by the students included vehicle components and their performances, ranging from engine system to support components. This study further suggested that speaking and reading were the most frequently needed skills than the other two skills because of the rapid growth of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and the needs of international information exchange in the automotive field. It was also depicted that the students preferred applied terminologies and translation to grammar since many automotive technology references and vehicle inspection were normally written in English. The results of this study could serve as an overview for lecturers and institution in automotive technology program to create standard syllabus and contextual material textbooks for the students.