The Vanishing Physician Scientist: A Critical Review and Analysis

Review of the concept of “the vanishing physician-scientist” shows: 1) medical school admissions reject most students wanting medical research careers; 2) college years before medical school are the best time for students to begin research; 3) efforts to entice admitted medical students and residents to do research are too little too late, yielding people not equipped to compete for grants with PhD track peers and less motivated because they have clinical careers to fall back on; 4) the MD/PhD could be replaced by the PhD/MD with uninterrupted research: a full PhD in parallel with part-time medical school followed by part-time residencies. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Accountability in Research to view the free supplemental file.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Abstract

SOCIAL CARE OF THE ELDERLY. THE EFFECTS OF ETHNICITY, CLASS AND CULTURE. Marjorie Cantor and Mark Brennan. Springer Publishing Company. 1999. 360 pp. ISBN #0-8261-1263-3. Reviewed by Annette Kaye.

HANDBOOK OF GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT (third edition). Joseph J. Gallo, MD, MPH; Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN; Gregory J. Paveza, MSW, PhD; and William Reichel, MD. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen, 2000, 361pp. ISBN 0-8342-1284-X. Reviewed by Carole Ashendorf.     

Youth and Provider Perspectives on Social Service Providers' Roles in Mental Health Services

ABSTRACT

In 1994 and 1996, the Youth Services Project interviewed 792 youths from St. Louis City. Although the youths showed a high need for mental health services (20% met diagnostic criteria), less than half of the youths with problems received services. Past contact with a social service provider, but not a teacher, physician, etc., significantly predicted care for mental health problems (odds ratio = 1.5). Social service professionals (largely social workers) served more youths than did any other profession. Of youths with persistent problems, 25% received services from social service professionals, 3% from MD/PhD level psychiatrists or psychologists, 7% from primary care medical doctors, 12% from teachers/coaches, 15% from other helpers, and 37% received no services at all.     

Internal and External Factors of Plagiarism: Evidence from Chinese Public Sector Universities

This study explores the effects of internal and external factors that encourage plagiarism from the perspective of students. We collected student data from five public sector universities in Anhui Province, China, by randomly distributing survey questionnaires to 250 students, 176 of which were usable. We analyzed the collected quantitative data through multiple regression analysis. Our research results demonstrate that external and internal factors have a great influence on plagiarism. The control behavior and teaching factors have a significantly positive impact on plagiarism, while ICT and web does not have a considerable impact on plagiarism. Among the external factors, a significant positive correlation exists between external stress, pride, and plagiarism; however, no significant relationship exists between academic skills and plagiarism. The article concludes that grade level and enrollment status (full-time or part-time) are inversely correlated to plagiarism, which proves that the higher the academic level, the less the plagiarism behaviors occur. This concept may be due to the fact that the higher the academic level, the stronger the plagiarism constraints might be, which in turn leads to a drastic decrease in plagiarism. Moreover, a negative relationship emerges between enrollment status (full-time or part-time) and plagiarism because part-time students who are committed to employment are less likely to give their full attention to their studies.     

Safe Schools Policy for LGBTQ Students and commentaries

Two proposed U.S. federal laws would provide explicit protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students in public schools. These federal laws follow actions by many states and school districts to define and implement laws or policies to protect the safety of LGBTQ students in schools. Research during the past decade has shown that LGBTQ youth are a vulnerable population, and that the negative school experiences of LGBTQ students often contribute to their vulnerability. This Social Policy Report reviews research relevant to these federal, state, and local laws and policies. Research on sexual orientation/identity development is reviewed, with attention to the growing numbers of youth that “come out” or disclose their LGBTQ identities to others during their school-age years. Schools are often hostile environments for LGBTQ students; this evidence is considered along with research on the consequences for compromised achievement and emotional and behavioral health. We then review strategies in education policy and practice that are associated with well-being for LGBTQ (and all) students.     

Assessing the Awareness of Egyptian Medical Students about Responsible Conduct of Research and Research Ethics: Impact of an Educational Campaign

This is a quasi-experimental pre-post assessment study utilizing an anonymous self-administered questionnaire to assess Egyptian medical students’ awareness about responsible conduct of research (RCR) and research ethics. Students’ were assessed before and after an RCR awareness campaign. Our results showed that most of the pre-campaign respondents were not familiar with the basic principles and terms of RCR. An increase in the awareness about RCR across all discussed topics was noted following the campaign. We concluded that an educational awareness campaign is effective in increasing medical students’ awareness about RCR and should be incorporated into current medical school curricula in Egypt.     

Low‐Income Students and College Attendance: An Exploration of Income Expectations*

Objectives. Some have hypothesized that unrealistic expectations regarding their futures may explain the weak link between expectations and realizations among low‐income (particularly minority) youth. Unfortunately, there is little evidence characterizing students' expectations around the time that they make college decisions that would allow one to study this hypothesis. Methods. In this exploratory article, I analyze data on income expectations from a small sample of low‐income minority high school seniors in Baltimore City, MD; and use data from Dominitz and Manski's sample of higher‐income white students in Madison, WI, and the NELS88 for comparisons. Results. I find little evidence that the income expectations of lower‐income minority students are so different from those of higher‐income students. Rather, the expected returns to postsecondary education appear similar between the two samples of high school seniors. Analysis of a nationally representative sample of high school seniors suggests that lower‐income students do not place less weight on expected economic returns to college when making their plans than do more advantaged students, although low‐income students are less able to translate their college plans into actual college attendance. Conclusions. These results suggest that differing income expectations do not explain the weaker relationship between expectations and educational attainment among low‐income students.     

Improved governance of Indian school system through school consolidation

Formal education is provided in schools that should be accessible to citizens, facilitating them to reach the schools with ease, safety and without travelling too large a distance. The requirement of accessibility, however, brings into consideration the corresponding cost and resource utilization. There exists a vast school network in India, with many schools established under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program. However, the existence of too many schools, mostly low in enrolment, is creating problems in terms of quality of teaching and infrastructural facilities offered by these schools. This trade-off between large size schools having good infrastructure and conducive ecosystem, and many small schools deprived of it, can be addressed by appropriate school consolidation. The current study presents a mathematical programming model for school consolidation that aims to minimize the total disruption and transfer the students to an alternative school considering the school network. The model is then applied to a case for a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Various scenario runs have been done to come out with the appropriate policy parameters for the given district and the results are highly encouraging. The model and analysis can be replicated as well as customized according to the needs of different states.     

Practitioners preferences of care coordination for older people: A discrete choice experiment

These findings demonstrate the importance of organisations providing care coordination for older people receiving long-term funding. Further research is required to investigate the influence of service setting on practitioner preferences.

This study explored practitioner preferences about the relative value of attributes of care coordination services for older people. A Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) survey was used to identify the views of 120 practitioners from 17 services in England in 2015. The survey design was informed by an analysis of standards of care coordination, a postal survey and a consultation with carers of older people. Results of the DCE survey were supplemented by a content analysis of qualitative comments and fieldwork notes. Most respondents were over 30 years of age, female and almost half worked part-time. Continuity of care (care provided by the same care coordinator) and the ability to access the range of services outlined in the care plan were the most important service attributes. Service setting influenced practitioner preferences. Those in specialist services for people with dementia identified the length of time a service was provided as another important attribute. The DCE methodology has provided the opportunity to systematically canvas practitioner preferences.     

A Shrinking “Digital Divide”? The Provision of Classroom Computers across Urban School Systems

Objective . To determine the extent of the urban school "digital divide"—the varying provision of computer technology to students of different races and classes—and whether it has changed in the 1990s. Methods . Ordinary least squares and logit regression analysis is conducted on the 1995 Council of Urban Boards of Education survey, encompassing 72 urban school districts. Results . Districts with a higher percentage of African American students provided fewer computers per student, whereas community educational level, family income, and Latino enrollment had no effect. On the other hand, districts with more African American students reported recent decreases in the student-to-computer ratio, and comparisons with recent research suggest that the magnitude of this digital divide has decreased. Conclusions . Urban school districts appear to be addressing the digital divide, although inequalities in computer access remain.     

Addressing the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Examining Micro- and Macro-Level Variables that Affect School Disengagement and Subsequent Felonies

Abstract

This study examines the School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP) by identifying individual legal and extra-legal variables and school-level factors that predict juvenile/criminal justice involvement using 2006–2012 matched data from education and justice systems (n?=?21,457). The role of school disengagement is also assessed, measuring unexcused absences that follow suspensions in the previous academic year. For the court-involved subsample (n?=?7349), after controlling for student behavior, demographic, and school-level factors; extra-legal racial differences remain a significant factor in determining higher counts of felonies with African American and Multi-racial students at increased likelihood (1.65 and 1.86 times, respectively for the higher latent class) of juvenile/criminal justice involvement as compared with White students. And, although White students were found to either be more disengaged or equally disengaged when compared with students of color, sharp differences in criminal justice involvement and outcomes exist by race/ethnicity. These findings suggest that addressing the STPP will require future research and focus on more than individual-level behaviors (school disengagement and school-based offenses) and attention to the impact of extra-legal variables and systemic implicit bias.     

浅析高校学生兼职维权体系之构建

目前,兼职已成为高校学生改善物质生活条件,掌握就业技巧,提升社会实践技能的重要方式。由于立法不健全及劳动力市场的不完善,大学生的兼职权益屡受侵犯。通过分析高校学生兼职权益受侵害现状及原因发现,要保护高校学生合法的兼职权益,就需要构建高校学生兼职维权体系。     

The Interplay Between Social and Cultural Determinants of School Effort and Success: An Investigation of Chinese‐Immigrant and Second‐Generation Chinese Students' Perceptions Toward School*

Objective. Educational research suggests that close‐knit, supportive immigrant communities can encourage students' school success; however, less agreement exists about why students outside of those communities—particularly in urban areas—do not always do as well in school, even when those students perceive themselves to be working as hard as their higher‐performing immigrant peers. This article explores the relationship between Chinese‐immigrant and second‐generation Chinese students' perceptions and social/cultural factors that influence their lives in a large urban school. Methods. Longitudinal interviews with students, as well as observations at the school, took place from September 2000 to May 2001. Results. Chinese immigrants in this study are motivated to work hard and value demanding teachers, difficult curriculum, and discipline more than their second‐generation Chinese peers; the second‐generation students talk of wanting more entertaining, knowledgeable teachers while not being willing or able to work as hard for school success. Conclusions. These findings indicate that differences in students' perceptions of their own effort and success in school may depend greatly on the social environment in which students find themselves, as well as the culturally‐driven actions available within those environments.     

Palliative care patients' experiences of healthcare treatment

Kennett C, Payne M. Palliative care patients' experiences of healthcare treatment Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 262–271 © 2009 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. This article reports on a thematic analysis of the opinions of 34 palliative care patients about medical and healthcare treatment expressed in comments, narratives and discussions during a series of facilitated group discussions undertaken as part of training events for medical students. Palliative care patients often have long healthcare careers, which enables them to compare different professionals and services, thus offering a more powerful and complex analysis of patient experience than that obtainable from analysis of complaints or satisfaction surveys, and permits some understanding to be obtained of the attitudes that condition evaluations of services. The patients balanced negative views with positive experiences. They appreciated open, listening, equal and friendly relationships with professionals in which careful explanation fostered their confidence in the overall service. They criticised inflexible services that did not consider their broad needs, and in which relationships with professionals were characterised by busy‐ness and professional distance.     

School Size and the Interpersonal Side of Education: An Examination of Race/Ethnicity and Organizational Context*

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to extend research on the connection between school size and student outcomes by examining how school size was related to interpersonal processes and whether the interpersonal effects of school size varied by race/ethnicity. Methods. We applied multilevel modeling techniques to a sample of 14,966 students in 84 schools from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results. Increasing school size was associated with decreasing student attachment to school and to teachers as well as extracurricular participation. Student attachment and teacher bonding diminished with increasing school size at a decreasing rate (reaching minimums in schools with between 1,700–2,000 students), but extracurricular participation dropped at a steady rate. These patterns did not differ substantially by race/ethnicity. Conclusions. The size of the educational institution influences interpersonal dynamics among actors in the institution and does so similarly across student groups. More generally, this research demonstrates the importance of organizational characteristics for social life.     

Prevalence of Industry Support and its Relationship to Research Integrity

Most U.S. clinical trials are funded by industry. Opportunities exist for sponsors to influence research in ways that jeopardize research objectivity. The purpose of this study was to survey U.S. medical school faculty to assess financial arrangements between investigators and industry to learn about investigators' first hand knowledge of the effects of industry sponsorship on research.

Here we show first-hand knowledge that compromises occurred in: research participants' well-being (9%), research initiatives (35%), publication of results (28%), interpretation of research data (25%), and scientific advancement (20%) because of industry support. Financial relationships with industry were prevalent and considered important to conducting respondents' research.     

School Students at Work

Over half of three hundred fifth-formers surveyed had taken holiday jobs and over a third worked part-time during the school term. The average remuneration for those who worked was $1.75 for boys and $1.20 for girls and the average time in employment per week was almost twenty hours in the holidays and about seven and a half during term. While the respondents reported that they worked for money and to gain acceptance in the adult world, a majority of them stated that they favoured compulsory work experience, advocating that all students should spend time on farms or in factories as part of their education.