Confronting mortality: the Iliad''s androktasiai

This article describes the results of a survey of radiography program directors on positioning competencies for entry-level radiographers. The survey asked program directors to classify projections as essential, important, rarely needed or for reference only. The objective of the study was to rank radiographic projections from most to least important in clinical practice. The data are provided for use by educators and employers in determining which projections are essential entry-level competencies.     

The Great Eight Competencies: A Criterion-Centric Approach to Validation.

The author presents results of a meta-analysis of 29 validation studies (N=4,861) that uses the Great Eight competency factors (Kurz & Bartram, 2002) as the criterion measurement framework. Predictors of the Great Eight competencies based only on personality scales show moderate to good correlations with line-manager ratings for all 8 of the competencies. On their own, ability tests correlate with 4 of the 8 competencies, and together ability and personality data yield operational validities ranging from 0.20 to 0.44 for the 8 competencies. Operational validities for aggregated predictors with aggregated criteria were estimated to be 0.53. The value of differentiating the criterion space and of relating predictor variables to criterion variables in a one-to-one fashion is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Curriculum trends in nurse-midwifery education. Views of program directors

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which nurse-midwifery education programs are addressing the practice competencies that have been recommended by the Pew Health Professions Commission and others as essential for effective practice in the 21st century. This study was part of a larger survey of eleven health professions education programs. The 56 nurse-midwifery program directors whose names and addresses were provided by the American College of Nurse-Midwives were surveyed by mailed questionnaire, with a response rate of 59% (n = 33). The study sought to identify current and ideal emphasis placed on 33 broad topics, most important curriculum topics, and barriers to curriculum change as perceived by respondents. Findings revealed that nurse-midwifery program directors would like to see greater emphasis placed on every topic except one (tertiary/quaternary care). Desired increases ranged from .04 to 1.36. The overall mean rating for all topics was 3.51 for current emphasis (5-point scale) and 4.18 for ideal emphasis, both of which were higher than any other survey group. The greatest desired increases (> 1.00) were for "primary care," "managed care," "use of electronic information systems," and "business management of practice." Respondents identified "primary care," "health promotion/disease prevention," and "accountability for cost-effectiveness and patient outcomes" as the most important topics. The top three barriers to curriculum change were identified as "already crowded curriculum," "inadequate funding," and "limited availability of clinical learning sites," the last being statistically significant compared with other survey groups. Findings indicate that nurse-midwifery program directors perceived that they are adequately addressing most of the curriculum topics, while continuing to focus on the need for curriculum change as the health care environment changes.     

The epitaxially induced crystal growth of calcium oxalate by crystalline uric acid

The forces which have and are producing change in dietetics are recapitulated, as are developments in the profession which have evolved since 1972 when the Study Commission on Dietetics made its report. The coordinated undergraduate program in dietetics has gained much ground; in 1972, there were but seven such programs. Today there are forty-three. More than three hundred traineeships are currently preparing over five hundred trainees to take their places in the profession. Another facet of training involves programs for dietetic technicians and dietetic assistants, designed to open up the career ladder concept. Continuing education is of prime importance for those beyond the entry-level of competence. The dietitian's first responsibility is to society, preceding that for the profession-as has been plainly indicated in a number of A.D.A. Position Papers and the emphasis of the Association in its legislative thrust on the value of nutrition education in preventive health care. Concern of the Association about the competency of practicing dietitians has also been reflected in the early appointment of a Committee on Professional Standards Review. The Association, as a member of the National Nutrition Consortium, is an advocate for a "National Nutrition Policy" and must continue to work for recognition that nutritional care is basic to comprehensive health care.     

Social competence intervention and evaluation in the inner city: Cincinnati's Social Skills Development Program.

Describes a large-scale early intervention program conducted in an inner city based on a social competence conceptualization. The key elements of the school-based program and an evaluation study are presented. The program focuses on children's competencies and problems in assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Ratings by teachers indicated that interventions improved competencies, but not problems, compared to controls. Further evaluations and more intensely behavioral interventions are warranted. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dynein inner arm heavy chain identification in cAMP-activated flagella using class-specific polyclonal antibodies

In 1993, the Medical College of Pennsylvania (MCP), mindful of the rapidly changing environments of health care delivery, created three surveys to gather information from outside the school that would help the faculty plan how the curriculum and advising system could better prepare students and residents for the demands of twenty-first-century medicine. The first survey focused on the MCP seniors graduating that year and asked about their perceptions of their medical education and their specialty and residency choices. The second survey, directed to 40 medical residency program directors in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and surgery, sought to identify the characteristics of applicants that these directors valued when selecting entrants to their programs. The third survey, of 30 employers of physicians representing four practice environments (private practice, hospitals/other health systems, academic medical centers, and health maintenance organizations), sought information on hiring and recruitment practices and the skills, competencies, and attitudes these employers valued most when hiring recently graduated physicians. The responses showed several differences and/or misperceptions among the views held by the three groups surveyed and suggest that medical educators have not adapted as rapidly as have employers to changes in the health care environment. Academic health centers must broaden their missions and make changes in their own institutional cultures, both to maintain their own viability and to train physicians who have the balance between scientific and technical competency and essential personal characteristics (such as empathy) that the next century's practice will probably demand.     

Multicultural competence: Criteria and case examples.

How do you as a professional psychologist know if you are competent to treat clients whose cultural origins and values differ from your own? What awareness, knowledge, and skills do you need? With whom should you consult? When should you refer? Adopting an idiographic, inclusive approach, the authors identify 12 minimal multicultural competencies for practice and illustrate their usefulness through 3 case examples. Suggestions for how professional psychologists can augment and evaluate their own multicultural competencies are offered as well as implications for professional psychology educators. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social justice in practicum training: Competencies and developmental implications.

This article addresses the challenge in the predoctoral education of professional psychologists of providing practicum training experiences with a strong social justice focus while also ensuring that students are acquiring the full range of foundational competencies expected of practicing psychologists. The theory-based distinction between interactional, procedural, and distributive justice will be discussed as a framework for considering a developmental progression in practicum training, moving from individually focused skills to more advanced competencies emphasizing social/institutional change. The article concludes with aspirational recommendations for any academic program seriously committed to the pursuit of social justice as part of its training mission. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparing psychologists to work with children: A comparison of curricula in child-clinical and school psychology programs.

This study examined the curriculum requirements of APA-accredited PhD programs preparing psychologists to work with children. A category system for analyzing program curricula is presented. Substantial overlap was found in curriculum requirements between child-clinical and school psychology programs, particularly in "core" psychology, research methods, and intervention courses. Program types were best distinguished by more course work in consultation and education in school programs and more course work in psychopathology in child-clinical programs. Child-clinical trainees, on average, also undertook significantly more supervised experience. The observed commonalities between the program types suggest that a combined approach to training may be feasible. However, variations in requirements within program types make it difficult for the profession to articulate clearly the core competencies possessed by graduates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Guidelines for Education and Training at the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Levels in Consulting Psychology/Organizational Consulting Psychology.

The purpose of these "Guidelines for Education and Training at the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Levels in Consulting Psychology/Organizational Consulting Psychology" is to provide a common framework for use in the development, evaluation, and review of education and training in consulting psychology/organizational consulting psychology (CP/OCP). The intent of these guidelines is to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the area of the practice of CP, especially OCP, within the scientific discipline and profession of psychology. Towards these ends, this document is intended as guidance for psychologists who teach or plan curricula for teaching CP/OCP at doctoral or postdoctoral levels of professional education and training in psychology. The guidelines are structured in the form of overarching principles, general competencies, and domain-specific competencies that are ideally obtained by persons receiving training at the doctoral or postdoctoral level in CP/OCP. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptualizing cross-cultural school psychology competencies.

This Delphi study was designed to identify essential cross-cultural competencies for school psychologists. The investigation extends the results of the Rogers and Lopez (in press) Delphi study by using a distinct panel of experts, different instrumentation, and a modified process to identify cross-cultural competencies for school psychologists. The term cross-cultural is defined broadly and refers to racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse clients from African American, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander backgrounds in addition to individuals with diverse handicaps, sexual orientations, economic status, religious backgrounds, and gender. In this study, the investigators used the Delphi technique to poll the opinions of 11 experts in cross-cultural school psychology using an open-ended questionnaire. The panelists reached high levels of agreement in identifying 89 essential cross-cultural competencies. The competencies reflect a wide range of knowledge and skills for school psychologists working in broad ranging capacities with students with cross-cultural backgrounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A competency-based approach to couple and family therapy supervision.

The competency-based movement continues to guide professional psychology. This has been highlighted through the establishment of essential foundational and functional competencies. The current paper focuses on the intervention competency domain and delineates its relevance within the field of couple and family therapy (CFT). We begin by providing an overview of 8 essential components of CFT: developing a systemic formulation, forging a systemic therapeutic alliance, understanding family-of-origin issues, reframing, managing negative interactions, building cohesion/intimacy/communication, restructuring/parenting, and understanding and applying evidence-based CFT models. We then provide a brief illustration of foundational and functional competencies essential to CFT. We conclude by addressing the CFT competency within an integrative approach to supervision and provide a case illustration that depicts this process. The relevance of establishing unique, evidence-based, theory-specific competency components is highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimizing Owner∕Contractor Core Competencies for Capital Programs

This paper proposes a process to help managers of capital project organizations, within owner companies, select key competencies for their capital programs and, where appropriate, leverage contractor personnel and expertise. The process involves evaluation of owner and contractor competencies and determination of the best possible sourcing strategy for each competency required in the owner's capital program. The sourcing strategy is defined in terms of work relationships that clearly identify primary and secondary roles and responsibilities. The resulting work structure helps owners and contractors avoid gaps and eliminate overlaps in their work relationships. The proposed process also provides an approach to evaluate alignment of work structures between owner's corporate objectives and their capital programs. Work structure and alignment indicators consider project delivery approaches, contract types, organizational relationships, and other relevant factors such as proprietary technology. Thus, this paper provides a decision process that can help managers optimize owner and contractor competencies for capital program success.     

Executive coaching: The need for standards of competence.

Psychologists working in the emerging competency area of "executive coaching" must promote a more complete understanding of what constitutes effectiveness in this arena—particularly when the expected outcome is sustained behavior change. Experienced psychologists must accept accountability for the need to inform and educate corporate decision makers about the core skills, competencies, experience, and related professional issues critical for successful outcomes. These educative efforts are essential if executive coaching for sustained behavior change is to be established as a respected consultative area adding value to organizationally based leadership development initiatives. The purpose of this article is to begin the dialogue among psychologists about the need to become more proactive in their educative efforts with these decision makers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term effects of a school-based secondary prevention program for young maladapting children.

Assessed the current status of 61 4th–6th graders seen 2–5 yrs earlier in an intervention program for children experiencing school adjustment problems. Based on comparisons of teacher ratings of Ss' problems and competencies at 3 time points (referral, termination, and follow-up), program Ss were found to have maintained initial intervention gains. At follow-up, they were significantly better adjusted than a demographically comparable, teacher-identified group of current problem children (n?=?61), but not as well adjusted as a randomly selected, demographically matched "never-seen" group (n?=?27). The 3 groups did not differ systematically on measures of self-esteem or academic achievement. The absolute placement of the seen sample on those measures was at the midpoint of the normal range. Thus, the immediate gains shown by young, maladjusted Ss seen through the early intervention program endured over time. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A family practice education system based on patient care outcomes in family practice settings

The philosophy, goals, objectives, methodology, and results of a family practice faculty development program are described. Developing family practice educators who will create an education system based on patient care outcomes in family practice settings is the central philosophical purpose of this faculty development program. On completion of the program all participants recognized the essential nature of this philosophical goal and were more comfortable and confident in their ability to: (1) determine resident learning needs; (2) organize curriculum units; (3) use different teaching techniques; and (4) understand their own personal teaching needs and interests. The implications of these changes for developing a family practice curriculum based on patient needs are described.     

Competency-Based Model for Predicting Construction Project Managers’ Performance

Using behavioral competencies to influence human resource management decisions is gaining popularity in business organizations. This study identifies the core competencies associated with the construction management role and, further, develops a predictive model to inform human resource selection and development decisions within large construction organizations. A range of construction managers took part in behavioral event interviews where staff were asked to recount critical management incidents, decisions, and actions from which their key competencies could be identified. By delineating the sample according to their levels of performance measured against a range of role-specific performance criteria, the competencies defining superior management performance could be determined. These were then used to construct a logistic regression model from which a project manager’s performance can be predicated. The validated results reveal that “self-control” and “team leadership” are the most predictive behaviors of effective project management performance within the framework of the model. The paper explores the potential role and application of the framework to underpin human resource management decision making with regards to recruitment, performance management, succession planning, and resource allocation.     

Current status of graduate education in psychology.

Surveyed chairmen of psychology departments in 32 state universities and 9 private universities offering doctoral-level programs in basic and applied psychology, to determine the extent to which education and training is available for graduate students in the applied areas of psychology, specifically clinical psychology. Results indicate the following: (a) For all practical purposes, the PhD degree is the only doctoral degree being awarded in both basic and applied psychology. (b) The majority of the departments offering advanced graduate work in psychology insist on a variable core of required courses. (c) The comprehensive examinations taken by students in these programs are largely broad and integrative and are more likely to be administered by either a departmental examining committee or the student's own program committee. (d) For those departments in which a core of courses is not required of all doctoral students, there are substitute requirements, including demonstration of competencies and knowledge in content areas through examinations, or in the successful completion of a minor academic area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instruments for minimally invasive surgery: principles of ergonomic handles

Although the advantages of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) have been clearly established for the patient, the surgeon must cope with disadvantages caused by unergonomic instrument handles. Pressure areas and persisting nerve lesions have been described in the literature. The shape of the instrument handles has been identified as the reason for these disorders. To prevent these, it is necessary to use ergonomically designed handles for MIS instruments. Anatomic, physiologic, and ergonomic facts as well as the results of the authors' own experiences and tests are presented. On this basis, an ideal ergonomic working posture for the laparoscopic surgeon and an optimal grasp for manipulating the instruments' functional elements are recommended. To enable the surgeon to evaluate ergonomic handles for MIS instruments according to his own needs, 14 criteria for genuine "ergonomic handles" are established. On the basis of these criteria, deficiencies of handles currently available (ring and shank handles at an angle or with axial extension to the instrument shaft, and pistol handles) are discussed. Furthermore, new handles, developed by the authors according to the criteria for genuine ergonomic handles, are presented.     

Random assignment to abstinence and controlled drinking: Evaluation of a cognitive-behavioral program for problem drinkers.

Assessed cognitive-behavioral program with a goal of either abstinence or controlled drinking using 70 early-stage problem drinkers who were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 goal conditions and within each condition to 1 of 2 therapists. Ss averaged 6 individual weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 90 min. Both groups were taught to identify risk situations and existing competencies, to develop cognitive and behavioral coping, and to assess their progress objectively. The controlled-drinking group was also taught procedures for moderate drinking. Over the 2-yr follow-up period, no significant differences were found between the groups in reported alcohol consumption. Six months after treatment, drinking had been reduced from an average of about 51 drinks/week to 13, and this reduction was maintained throughout the 2nd year. Reports of drinking were corroborated by independent measures. Although the outcomes of the groups were similar, controlled drinking was considered to be a more suitable goal; it was more acceptable to the majority of the clients, and most of those assigned to abstinence developed moderate drinking on their own. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)