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Background: The importance and usefulness of competency frameworks (CFs) in pharmacy professional development is recognised globally. However, there is no national CF for pharmacists in Japan yet. Objective: This study was conducted to measure the level of relevance of behavioural statements of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework (GbCF) to Japanese foundation-level pharmacy practice, aiming for developing a national framework for foundation-level pharmacists in Japan. Methods: A cross-sectional, anonymous, online self-completed survey was conducted during June and July 2018 in Japan. The questionnaire was adopted from the GbCF, translated into Japanese. A snowballing sampling approach was used. The relevance levels of the GbCF items were assessed by using 4-point Likert scales, and analysed by descriptive and inferential methods. Results: A total 604 useable responses were included in analyses. High levels of relevance levels were found in two clusters (‘pharmaceutical public health’ and ‘pharmaceutical care’), while the other two clusters (‘organisation and management’ and ‘professional/personal’) showed significantly low relevance (relevance = 89.6%, 82.5%, 59.6%, and 67.9%, respectively). The study found little engagement of the academic sector with framework, while the industry sector showed relevance to all clusters evenly. Regarding years working in sectors, there was no progression of relevance in ‘organisation and management’ and ‘professional/personal’ competencies during foundation years as well as very little professional/personal development. Conclusions: The study revealed specific competencies and behaviours which require modifications to adapt the GbCF into the Japanese pharmacy practice environment. This is a key step towards the development of a national framework, illustrating current Japanese foundation-level pharmacy practice compared with global standards. The findings will be used as a base for developing a framework for foundation-level pharmacists in Japan and address concerns such as pharmacist preparedness to advance in management roles and limited personal and professional development. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.

Background: Competence committees play a key role in a competency-based system of assessment. These committees are tasked with reviewing and synthesizing clinical performance data to make judgments regarding residents' competence. Canadian emergency medicine (EM) postgraduate training programs recently implemented competence committees; however, a paucity of literature guides their work. Objective: The objective of this study was to develop consensus-based recommendations to optimize the function and decisions of competence committees in Canadian EM training programs. Methods: Semi-structured interviews of EM competence committee chairs were conducted and analyzed. The interview guide was informed by a literature review of competence committee structure, processes, and best practices. Inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts was conducted to identify emerging themes. Preliminary recommendations, based on themes, were drafted and presented at the 2019 CAEP Academic Symposium on Education. Through a live presentation and survey poll, symposium attendees representing the national EM community participated in a facilitated discussion of the recommendations. The authors incorporated this feedback and identified consensus among symposium attendees on a final set of nine high-yield recommendations. Conclusion: The Canadian EM community used a structured process to develop nine best practice recommendations for competence committees addressing: committee membership, meeting processes, decision outcomes, use of high-quality performance data, and ongoing quality improvement. These recommendations can inform the structure and processes of competence committees in Canadian EM training programs. © © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2020.

The value of arts-based medical education is becoming increasingly well established in undergraduate curricula. However, little is known about its value, and acceptability, to qualified doctors undertaking postgraduate training. In this work we examined GP trainees’ views on whether arts-based education was useful for their professional development and, if so, what they perceived its value to be. All first and second year GP trainees on the Dorset Vocational Training Scheme attended a one day course which showcased how the arts (film, poetry, painting, photography, theatre) could enhance their professional development as doctors. GP trainees rated the day as interesting, enjoyable and thought proving. The majority felt that the arts could contribute to making them more competent and humane doctors. Following this, we ran a mandatory six months arts based course for six GP trainees, and evaluated their feedback through qualitative analysis of a focus group discussion. Overall, GP trainees found the course enjoyable and valuable to their learning. It not only gave them a deeper appreciation of the patient’s perspective, but also encouraged them to think about their own health and wellbeing. © 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The profession of social work is grounded in the pursuit of social justice for people and has more recently incorporated consideration for nonhuman animals and the environment in its approach. Social work practitioners can be instrumental in developing modalities that place value on nonhuman animals and the living world as essential to optimal human health. Intentional interactions with animals and exposure to nature can be powerful inclusions in social work interventions with individuals, groups, and communities when applied using an ethical approach. Recognizing the power of the human-animal-environment bond can influence community health. Advocating for sustainability and conservation can save our global condition. This chapter discusses historical perspectives of nonhuman animal and environmental inclusion in social work practice, including theory, education, training, research, and practice in three core areas defined by the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work: Therapeutic human-animal interactions in social work, Animals in communities, and Conservation social work. Implications for future integration of animals and the environment in social work practice are also discussed. © 2020 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Background: Apprentices are usually exposed to the same workplace agents as qualified professionals. There is therefore a risk of the development of occupational allergy in apprentices exposed to high (HMW-A) and low molecular inhalant allergens (LMW-A). Aims: To evaluate and compare the occurrence of work-related allergy-like symptoms in apprentices exposed to HMW-A and LMW-A in a culinary and hairdressing school during the first and second year of vocational training. Methods: We asked culinary and hairdressing apprentices in their first and second year of vocational training to complete a questionnaire about work-related allergy-like symptoms. In first-year apprentices, we undertook spirometry, skin prick tests for occupational allergens and blood tests for allergen-specific Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. Results: Hypersensitivity to occupational allergens was more frequent in first-year apprentices exposed to HMW-A compared to LMW-A (P < 0.05). Apprentices exposed to LMW-A reported increasing occurrence of skin disorders and upper respiratory tract symptoms between the first and second years of training. First-year apprentices exposed to HMW-A more frequently reported rhino-conjunctivitis and dyspnoea (approximately P < 0.001 and P < 0.05) and those exposed to LMW-A more often reported skin symptoms (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Periodic skin and respiratory health surveillance for apprentices exposed to LMW-A or HMW-A might help with early identification and management of occupational allergy. © 2019 The Author(s). All rights reserved.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine health sciences undergraduate students' perceived meaning of life and coping styles and the correlation between them. Design and Methods: This is a descriptive study. The study sample consisted of 1160 students. Data were collected using a personal information form, the personal meaning profile (PMP), and the ways of coping inventory (WCI). Findings: Participants had the highest mean scores on PMP relationship and intimacy subscales while they had the highest and lowest mean scores on WCI self-confident coping style and submissive coping style subscales, respectively. Practice Implications: It is thought that the study will guide us in the process of vocational training of students or guidance and counseling services provided to them. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background: Entrustable professional activities (EPA) are mainly used in graduate medical education and professional development and have not been widely implemented in nursing undergraduate settings. Nursing EPAs were therefore developed by the Alice Lee Centre of Nursing to translate theoretical nursing competencies into clinical practice and as forms of standardized clinical assessment tools. Feedback from various stakeholders is required to further refine the framework. Objectives: To explore the perceptions and experiences of using the new EPA framework in nursing students and hospital and university clinical instructors. Design: An exploratory qualitative study using focus group interviews. Participants: Seven year-one nursing undergraduates, 12 year-two undergraduates, seven university clinical instructors, and 18 hospital clinical instructors participated in this study. Methods: The students formed five groups, while the clinical instructors formed seven groups, each consisting of three to four participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore stakeholders' experiences and perceptions of the EPA assessment framework. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Despite initial mixed reactions of confusion and relief, many students and clinical instructors commended the comprehensive and structured EPA framework and its emphasis on holistic patient-centered care. EPAs also allow flexible assessment methods, encourage critical thinking among students, and promote team-based care and peer teaching. However, the assessment using a two-dimensional matrix with multiple competencies for the EPAs, subjective assessment criteria, the lack of standardization using checklists, subjective assessment criteria, and the lack of, manpower, and time may potentially affect the accuracy of the clinical assessments. The effectiveness of the EPA framework was also dependent on the quality of feedback, students' intrinsic motivations, and learning environments. The refinement of EPAs and entrustment levels, a physical checklist, and an incorporation of EPAs into school curricula were recommended to improve practitioners' learning experiences. Conclusions: The use of EPAs in nursing education continues to be a novel and evolving process. There remains a need for a further refinement of the EPA framework to tailor to instructors' expectations and students' capabilities. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Importance: Youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) have persistently poor work outcomes. Occupational therapy can support school-to-work transition but is underrepresented in transition practice. Objective: To identify and describe interventions within the scope of occupational therapy for youth with ID who are transitioning from school to work. Data Sources: MEDLINE, ERIC, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched, and hand searching was performed in relevant peer-reviewed journals. Study Selection and Data Collection: Included were peer-reviewed, English-language articles published from 2004 to 2017 describing studies focused on youth with ID with no significant co-occurring physical diagnoses who were transitioning from U.S.based school settings to paid employment. Data extraction was managed using Google Drive. Data were organized on extraction sheets by trained reviewers. The quality of each study was assessed using questions adapted from the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist. Findings: A total of 35 articles were included, 7 of which used randomized controlled designs. All articles described interventions aligned with the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (3rd ed.), but specific mention of occupational therapy was notably absent from the literature. Interventions had little and generally low-level evidence supporting their use. Conclusions and Relevance: Significant and concerning gaps exist in the literature on school-to-work transition for youth with ID, likely impeding evidence-based practice. No included article mentioned occupational therapy or had a contributor who was an occupational therapy practitioner. Practitioners should advocate for occupational therapy's role in transition and contribute reports of occupational therapy transition services for youth with ID to the literature. What This Article Adds: This study demonstrates that occupational therapy is poorly represented in literature describing transition services for youth with ID. Although the articles described interventions within the occupational therapy domain, these interventions were not provided by occupational therapy practitioners and did not have a strong evidence base. © 2020 American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. All rights reserved.

From the East Asian social and cultural perspectives and contexts, this study aimed to understand the relationships and behaviors between nursing students’ sense of filial piety and their decision-making behind selecting nursing education as their major. Forty-two traditional-age nursing students (i.e., six men and 36 women) at their final year of a bachelor’s degree program in nursing were invited. The findings indicated that many nursing students disliked their university major and the potential career pathway as a nursing professional, as none of them selected the major based on their choice and interest. The environmental context and family’s recommendations were the major impacts to influence the decision-making process of the participants. The result also indicated that filial piety, parents’ recommendations, and elderly people’s suggestions were the key factors to influence the selections and decisions of university major and career development pathways. The study provided a blueprint for related staff and professionals to create and design career counselling and services for East Asian youths to enable life investment and development. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Background: This article studies the effect of PIPOL, an integrated program of active labor policies launched by the Friuli Venezia Giulia, an Italian region, in 2014. Objectives: To understand the impact of training in a classroom setting (off-the-job) and work-related training (on-the-job) on employment integration of benefit recipients. Research design: We adopt a counterfactual approach by comparing a target group (treated) against a control group (19,899) extracted by means of propensity score matching and Mahalanobis distance matching among subjects who, while registered in the program over the years 2014–2016, had never benefited from it. The selection of about 7,175 recipients in the program and in each type of intervention was random. Subjects: About 30,000 job seekers made up of 3,911 interns, 2,945 trainees, and 319 recipients of training and internship within PIPOL. Target: Young people, Not in Education Employment or Trainings, and over 30s. Measures: We look at different outcomes: employment tout court and employment in open-ended contracts. Results: The overall net impact of PIPOL was equal to +5 pp on average. Specifically, impact results were classroom training none, internship sizable (+14.1 pp), and training combined with an internship, quite sizable (+9.6 pp). Furthermore, training to gain a qualification was the most effective (+6.4 pp) among those receiving combined training and internship. Internship also increased the chance to find permanent employment (+3 pp). Among recipients, women, immigrants, and low-skilled recipients registered the most sizable impact on finding employment and training in manufacturing and construction was more effective than elsewhere. Conclusions: Italian young people have ever-increasing academic attainment but, due to the sequential nature of the education system, little work-related competences. This could explain the greater success of internships on classroom training. © The Author(s) 2020.