Consulting in occupational health nursing. An overview

1. The term consultant is defined as anyone who provides professional advice or services, which may include internal and external consultants. Consulting is a challenging way to practice occupational health nursing. 2. The consulting process involves problem solving and the creation of change. This process may be illustrated by using the nursing process and the steps of assessment, analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. 3. Successful occupational health nursing consultants are excellent communicators, are willing to market themselves, love problem solving, and are self starters.     

The competency movement within psychology: An historical perspective.

The authors provide a recitation of events in recent years that document an increased focus on competency-based models of education, training, and assessment in professional psychology, particularly clinical, counseling, and school psychology, based on the work of the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Task Force on Assessment of Competence in Professional Psychology. The article begins with the inclusion of competencies as part of the "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct" (APA, 2002). Next, accreditation practices in the United States and Canada are summarized. Competency-based education, training, and credentialing efforts in professional psychology are reviewed, including graduate, practicum, internship, and postdoctoral levels; licensure; postlicensure certifications; and board certification. General and specialty credentialing efforts both in North America and internationally follow. The Competencies Conference: Education and Credentialing in Professional Psychology and work on developing competencies for the profession are discussed. Then initiatives focused specifically on the assessment of competence are delineated. Implications for continued progress toward a culture of the assessment of competence are discussed in light of the historical origins within the profession of the competency-based movement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some historical notes and remarks on prevention in environmental and occupational health

Throughout history, there are many illustrations showing more or less rational efforts to avoid disease, but preventive measures have often been, and still are, neglected or even counteracted for economic reasons. Some examples of early preventive actions are given along with illustrations of how the increasing knowledge through epidemiological and other research has created a foundation for adequate decisions to the benefit of health protection, although frequently taken after much discussion and considerable time-lag from the first evidence of a particular health risk. There is also an inherent problem in successful health protection since both public and political support for the issue might get lost along with the scientific activity and knowledge in the field.     

From mental health to social action: Clinical psychology in historical perspective.

Presents the shift from a clinical service framework to broadening social action involvement of clinical psychology since World War II. The origins of this movement are discussed. Current trends are presented. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An expanded perspective on children's mental health.

Comments on three articles (see records 2005-11115-003, 2005-11115-004, and 2005-11115-005) on the status of children's mental health services in the United States, which appeared in the September 2005 issue of the American Psychologist. The current authors suggest that, although this series of articles provides important information, the articles fall short in meeting the mark of comprehensively describing the solutions necessary to effectively address the crisis facing children's mental health in this country. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biological warfare. A historical perspective

Several modifications of the 3H-tetracycline bone labeling method for measuring whole skeleton bone resorption were tested. Under steady state conditions of whole skeleton resorptive activity, bone labeling for intervals longer than 2 weeks prior to experimentation did not significantly alter the urinary 3H-tetracycline loss curve. The utilization of nonlinear regression analysis showed that the urinary loss of 3H-tetracycline was best described by double exponential equations, indicating the loss of label from two distinct and independent exchangeable bone compartments. This conclusion was supported by the finding that soft tissues were effectively depleted of 3H-tetracycline by 24 hours after the final injection of label. Hence, it was concluded that approximately 40% of the 3H-tetracycline loss from skeletal bone is associated with a "fast" compartment which is depleted within 6 or 7 days after label loading. The size and rate of 3H-tetracycline loss from the fast compartment decreased (40%) with age such that the depletion time remained constant between 8 and 24 weeks of age in both male and female rats. The remaining 60% of 3H-tetracycline loss from a "slow" compartment which was depleted in about 70 days in young (8 week) rats. This compartment, which is believed to reflect cell-mediated resorption of calcified bone; decreased in size with age in both male (50%) and female (30%) rats. The rate of label loss from this compartment, however, remained relatively high so that the depletion time decreased (approximately 35%) between 8 and 24 weeks of age. By determining whole skeletal mass and calculating these parameters on the basis of skeletal mass, we were further able to demonstrate significantly higher resorptive activity in female than in male rats by 24 weeks of age.     

Accreditation of psychology's graduate professional education and training programs: An historical perspective.

For over 46 years, the American Psychological Association (APA) has sponsored an accreditation system for professional doctoral and internship programs. Throughout its history, national conferences in psychology have consistently supported this accreditation system, at times with reservations. Recently, both academic and professional groups of psychologists have sought a stronger role in this process. The factors leading to APA's accreditation system, its evolution, and the recent major changes enacted in response to the discipline's interests are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and psychopathology: A historical perspective.

The possible links between personality psychology and psychopathology are examined with the goal of understanding the constraints that set boundaries to the possible contributions of one to the other. The reciprocal nature of these contributions is described. The historical survey looks at the early concepts of the humors and temperament; at the concept of a general vulnerability to psychosis and deviance, represented by the 19th-century concept of degeneracy; and at later typologies arising from the work of H. J. Eysenck, Freud, E. Kretschmer, Pavlov, and W. H. Sheldon. The impact of current developments in neuropsychology and in cognitive psychology is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lifting injury: a study of the occupational health perspective

This article reports the results of a national questionnaire survey of 66 occupational health staff regarding the circumstances of nurse injury. Eight causative factors were identified as either a frequent direct cause or major contributory factor. Three circumstances were identified when nurses are most at risk of injury. The most frequently cited effect of the introduction of Manual Handling Operations Regulations (HSE 1992a) was more training and updating. Having an increased complement of lifting aids and more widespread use was the second most common.     

Modern clinical neuropsychology in historical perspective.

The emergence of clinical neuropsychology as a specialized area of knowledge and application has resulted from a convergence of interests and activities in a number of developmental domains. These include basic experimental research in physiological, comparative, and cognitive psychology; the development of quantitative and qualitative neuropsychological principles and procedures for clinical application; and the syndromal analysis of the behavioral consequences of central nervous system (CNS) lesions. Seen in broad historical perspective, these developmental directions appear to account for the increased socialization of this speciality in education, program accreditation, and individual competency credentialing. This process is seen as a natural and productive professionalization of the speciality, based on the considerable expansion of interdisciplinary as well as disciplinary knowledge and practices during the past half century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Animal awareness: Current perceptions and historical perspective.

An examination of the writings of 19th and early 20th century comparative psychologists such as G. J. Romanes (1883, 1888) and C. L. Morgan (1903, 1923) indicates that they were well aware of many of the issues raised by the recent "cognitivism" in psychology and ethology. A survey completed by 349 Ss in undergraduate ethology classes, an animal behavior conference, and meetings on creationism on attitudes concerning mental continuity between humans and nonhumans showed that emotional continuity was considered more likely than intellectual continuity and that acceptance of evolution favorably disposed Ss to both. Critical anthropomorphism often aids in formulating testable hypotheses, but cognitive approaches to animals are in danger of suffering a fate similar to the earlier comparative mentalism. (88 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Putting psychology in its place: An introduction from a critical historical perspective.

Review of book: Putting Psychology in its Place: An Introduction from a Critical Historical Perspective by Graham Richards, Routledge, 1996, x + 197 pp. Reviewed by Raymond E. Francher. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An assessment of ergonomic educational resources. An important tool for occupational health nurses

1. Extensive ergonomic education and training resources exist at the organizations responding to OSHA's survey. However, the availability and use of ergonomic resources by employees is low and varies considerably among industry types. 2. Limited research is available about effective methods of ergonomic training to workers and their supervisors. A critical need exists to determine the best methods for the successful dissemination of ergonomic information. 3. Occupational health nurses can contribute significantly to the advancement of ergonomic knowledge and skills, and the dissemination of ergonomic information in the workplace, primarily through health education and research.     

Interactionism in personality from a historical perspective.

Starting from a distinction between 3 different conceptions of human behavior (personologism, situationism, and interactionism) and between 2 different conceptions of the environment (physical vs psychological environment), the present article focuses on the interactionist position, which has been preferred in some recent conceptions of personality. By reviewing different classical theories of psychology, it is argued that the modern interactionist conceptualization is not new in personality psychology. It can be traced back to the works of J. R. Kantor and K. Lewin and is also advocated in many of the succeeding classical works. By reviewing the previous interactionists' conceptions of the environment, it is argued that their emphasis on the psychological environment in explaining person-situation interactions presents the same main thought as that found in the recent cognitively colored interactionism. By reviewing empirical strategies and results within the interactionist framework, it is argued that the inaptness of previous methods has impeded the development of interactionism and explains why it has not had an impact until now. (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An airport director's perspective on disaster planning and mental health needs.

The Director of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport describes the responsibilities of major airports in disaster planning and response, including mental health needs. He discusses the impact of changes in the industry on airports' disaster plans, relevant Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and typical features of airport disaster plans. The need for psychological services is underscored by experiences in several recent crashes. Psychologists and other mental health professionals are urged to respond to airport directors' requests for assistance in planning, as well as to be more proactive in communities where these issues have yet to be addressed by airport management. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)