Orientation of medical trainees to a new clinical environment (the ready-steady-go model): a constructivist grounded theory study

Background High-quality orientation of trainees entering a new clinical workplace is essential to support education and patient safety. However, few consultants receive extensive formal training to support new trainees and must create their own ways of integrating newcomers into their clinical team and work environment. We aim to conceptualise the strategies consultants use in the early stages of working with new trainees that will be useful for future faculty development in this area. Methods We used constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology by interviewing fifteen consultants in three medical specialties, to explore how trainees are integrated into a new clinical environment. We used CGT principles and procedures (iteration, constant comparison, and theoretical sampling) to analyse and construct a conceptual interpretation of the empirical data. Results Consultants’ central concern when introduced to a new cohort of trainees was that they had the required knowledge and skills (ready), were adapted and integrated into the new workplace and clinical team (steady), and safely participating in practice (go). Consultants used two broad strategies: formal orientation and informal orientation. Both these approaches had the common goal of intensifying interaction between consultants and trainees to get trainees to a position where they were ready, adapted, integrated, and participating safely and efficiently in practice. Several disruptors were identified by participants that delayed and sometimes completely inhibited the orientation process. Conclusions The model of orientation constructed through this research could be a valuable tool to support faculty development initiatives, the reflective learning practice of clinical supervisors, and curriculum design. The disruptors were identified as valid priorities for improving trainee orientation in postgraduate medical education. Future research should involve a longitudinal approach to explore trainee engagement with orientation upon entering a new clinical workplace.

Culture treason theory(CTT) Conceptualization/Behavior Freezing theory.

The culture treason theory (CTT) is a cultural and behavior changes theory that explains all negative conscious and unconscious barriers, resistance, frustrations, moral pains felt by the person when he/she might adopt new culture (in a broad sense) or behavior. The conflict of new and existing behavior (in a narrow sense) in the mind of the person creates doubt and confusion. This theory development used the grounded theory process through ontological constructionism and epistemological interpretivism. The right appraisal of the CTT determines reasons for barriers, health-related issues' root causes, and the right strategies to use. Hence, it can help to predict the behavior adoption time.

How Correctional Officers Experience Inmates Suicidal Behavior? – Qualitative Research and Development of The Model of a House

As first responders in prisons, correctional officers are more exposed to suicides than the general population. The aim of the study was to explore how they experience the suicidal behavior of inmates and how they cope with potential psychological consequences of these experiences. We conducted interviews with 11 male correctional officers working in 12-h shifts, and analysed the data using a grounded theory approach. Results were conceptualised in The Model of a House, which consists of five parts representing different aspects of the experience. The model provides an overall understanding of how correctional officers experience the suicidal behavior of inmates.

The Six Components of Social Interactions: Actor, Partner, Relation, Activities, Context, and Evaluation

Social interactions are essential aspects of social relationships. Despite their centrality, there is a lack of a standardized approach to systematize social interactions. The present research developed (Study 1) and tested (Study 2) a taxonomy of social interactions. In Study 1 (5,676 descriptions of social interactions from N = 708 participants, age range 18–83 years), we combined a bottom-up approach based on the grounded theory with a top-down approach integrating existing empirical and theoretical literature to develop the taxonomy. The resulting taxonomy (APRACE) comprises the components Actor, Partner, Relation, Activities, Context, and Evaluation, each specified by features on three levels of abstraction. A social situation can be described by a combination of the components and their features on the respective abstraction level. Study 2 tested the APRACE using another dataset (N = 303, age range 18–88 years) with 1,899 descriptions of social interactions. The index scores of the six components, the frequencies of the features on the most abstract level, and their correlations were largely consistent across both studies, which supports the generalizability of the APRACE. The APRACE offers a generalizable tool for the comprehensive, parsimonious, and systematic description of social interactions and, thus, enables networked research on social interactions and application in a number of practical fields.

Grounded Theory and Serendipity. Natural history of a Research

The paper deals with the issue of “serendipity” (which constitutes the context of discovery) in field research and the analysis of data by using the grounded theory methodology. The thesis of the paper is: the methodology of grounded theory is naturally associated with serendipity. We describe two aspects of serendipity in grounded theory: 1. substantive, and 2. theoretical. We present in the paper serendipity phenomenon by using the case of research on the “social world of pet owners”. We show how the research is developed by a sequence of decisions being made by researchers. The process of emergence of the main analytical category, subcategories and the whole theoretical construction during the long time of the field research and theoretical group analysis is presented, as well as the procedure of coming to unanticipated theoretical conclusions. It was all possible because of the interactional character of serendipity happening during the research in grounded theory style of investigation.