DRUG TREATMENT COURTS AND THE DISEASE PARADIGM*

A defining feature of the drug treatment court movement is the judicial adoption of the disease model for explaining drug using behavior; an interpretive paradigm that historically has not played a defining role in the adjudication of drug offenders. In drug treatment courts, however, the disease model finds a very central place in the adjudicative process, and profoundly shapes the way judges view and treat defendants. This article examines the application of the disease model to drug and non-drug-related crimes in the context of drug treatment courts, and considers the significance of these developments as it concerns the meaning of criminal justice.     

Practice nurses experiences of mentoring undergraduate nursing students in Australian general practice

Internationally, the delivery of health services has shifted from secondary to primary care, necessitating an exponential growth of the nursing workforce and expansion of the nursing role in general practice. This growth, and the subsequent need to develop this workforce, has created a need to expose undergraduate nurses to general practice nursing as a viable career option. Concurrently, universities are struggling to find sufficient clinical places for their undergraduate students to gain clinical experience. It is logical, therefore, to increase the number of undergraduate nursing student placements in general practice. Through qualitative research methods, this paper seeks to explore the experiences of practice nurses mentoring undergraduate students on clinical placements within the general practice setting. Findings are presented in the following three themes: (1) Promoting Practice Nursing: We really need to get students in, (2) Mentoring future co-workers: Patience and reassurance, and (3) Reciprocity in learning: It's a bit of a two way street, which show the benefits of such placements. Clinical placements in general practice settings can be mutually beneficial in terms of providing quality teaching and learning experiences for students. Conversely, the experience provides an impetus for practice nurses to maintain currency of their clinical skills and knowledge through mentoring student nurses.     

PhD Away Days: a component of PhD supervision

MCCARTHY G., HEGARTY J., SAVAGE E. & FITZPATRICK J.J. (2010) PhD Away Days: a component of PhD supervision. International Nursing Review Aim: This paper describes a peer‐to‐peer and supervisor support and mentoring process that was implemented in one PhD programme in nursing in the Republic of Ireland. Background: PhD Away Days are held once per year and attended by all enrolled PhD students and their academic supervisors. Positive evaluations were obtained both from students and supervisors as collective learning occurred and group cohesiveness developed. All participants expressed interest in continuing the PhD Away Days as they learned from others' experiences. In addition, the range of topics provided learning on topics of concern across content areas, e.g. conceptual and theoretical developments, research design, challenges in data collection, and analysis and publication plans. Most importantly, there was a feeling of togetherness among students, thus decreasing the feeling of being alone with the challenges of PhD work. Conclusions: Plans for the future include the need to have the PhD Away Days continued structured around key topics of concern to both students and supervisors, and to implement content‐specific modules in the PhD programme.     

Real world versus ivory tower: the challenge for academic surgery

Academic surgeons increasingly must balance scientific pursuits with the demands of maintaining a clinical practice. This article describes the core values of the Association for Academic Surgery and how these values can guide the survival of the society and of academic surgery given the changing healthcare landscape. These values include: promotion, diversity and inclusivity, scientific excellence, innovation, collaboration, and mentorship. By redefining academic surgery, enabling the collective mind, and harnessing technology, the society and academic surgery can be resilient in the face of current and future adversity.     

The First American Cough Conference

An academic career in medical research can be wonderfully rewarding if the new biologic and health knowledge one discovers is later translated into the design of better health care strategies or clinical therapy. With so many new investigative methods available, this seems to be an opportune time to enter the research field. However, the seemingly limitless possibilities for discovery might not be realized if an ample new investigator work force is not maintained. Preparing and training young investigators are included in the primary mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),which is to support and facilitate scientific research. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is very involved in research training, as are the professional pulmonary societies, patient disease-related organizations, and pharmaceutical companies who support this partnership. This perspective will review ways, young students initially may become interested in science and perhaps medicine through the help of mentors, and exposure to early research opportunities that allow them to experience the excitement of science. Then, later career development strategies will be presented that might further the interest of undergraduate and young health professionals to pursue medical research. As creative and spirited mentoring efforts are often very important in career selection, current approaches need to be critiqued for improvement.     

增设护理学硕士专业学位的调查研究

目的探讨我国增设护理学硕士专业学位的必要性、设置方案及指导性培养方案。方法在全国范围选择已经开办护理学专业硕士研究生教育的院校,对该护理学院(系)负责护理教育的教师进行问卷调查。结果所有专家均同意设置护理学硕士专业学位,80.6%的专家认为名称应为"护理学硕士专业学位"。90.3%的专家认为设置目的应为:完善护理人才培养体系;培养临床护理专家;促进护理学专业发展。90.3%的专家认为培养目标应为:培养德、智、体全面发展的高层次、应用型、复合型人才。结论我国增设护理学硕士专业学位符合护理学专业的发展及社会需求,是非常有必要的。具体的设置方案和指导性培养方案需要在调查研究的基础上,在实际操作过程中不断改进和完善。     

Stress Management as a Component of Occupational Therapy in Acute Care Settings

The recent explosion of stress literature in the medical community has created a new awareness of "stress" as a potentially destructive force in itself. Contributing the physical and psychological dysfunction, stress has now been linked with a wide range of diagnoses including cancer, cardiac disease and arthritis. The importance of incorporating stress management activities into daily life is increasingly apparent. Occupational therapists concerned with patients' ability to achieve health enhancing independent living skills are in a key position to help patients master stress management skills and incorporate them into activities of daily living. This article will explore the incorporation of stress management into occupational therapy programming for a variety of acute care patients. It will review the components of stress, the stress cycle, the relaxation response, the occupational therapy role based on a model of human occupation, and will review current programs through case study of four patients: one diagnosed with cancer (leukemia), one with anorexia nervosa, one with chronic pain and the fourth, a patient in medical intensive care.     

Mentoring beyond the first year: predictors of mentoring benefits for pediatric staff nurse protégés

This research study explored mentoring benefits among pediatric staff nurse protégés through application of a business mentoring model, the Mutual Benefits Model (Zey, 1991), to nursing. The main finding of this study was that mentoring quality was the single best predictor of mentoring benefits among pediatric staff nurse protégés. The major implication of this study is that nursing leaders and organizations can make lasting impacts through high-quality mentoring relationships even when they are time and resource limited. This study and its pilot study provided a valid and reliable nursing research instrument, the Jakubik Mentoring Benefits Questionnaire, for use in future research to further explore the benefits of mentoring among pediatric nurses. The findings of this study support the conceptualization of effective mentoring relationships in nursing as a triad among the individual mentor, the protégé, and the organization where they work rather than a dyad relationship between the mentor and protégé only.