BACKGROUND: The underrepresentation of women in leadership remains a pervasive issue, prompting a critical examination of support mechanisms within professional settings. Previous studies have identified challenges women face, ranging from limited visibility to barriers to career advancement. This survey aims to investigate perceptions regarding the effectiveness of women\'s leadership programs, mentoring initiatives, and a specialized communication course. Particularly it specifically targets addressing the challenges encountered by professional women.
METHODS: This multi-center, observational, international online survey was developed in partnership between ESICM NEXT and the ESICM Diversity and Inclusiveness Monitoring Group for Healthcare. Invitations to participate were distributed to both females and men through emails and social networks. Data were collected from April 1, 2023, through October 1, 2023.
RESULTS: Out of 354 respondents, 90 were men (25.42%) and 264 were women (74.58%). Among them, 251 completed the survey, shedding light on the persistent challenges faced by women in leadership roles, with 10%-50% of respondents holding such positions. Women\'s assertiveness is viewed differently, with 65% recognizing barriers such as harassment. Nearly half of the respondent\'s experience interruptions in meetings. Only 47.4% receiving conference invitations, with just over half accepting them. A mere 12% spoke at ESICM conferences in the last three years, receiving limited support from directors and colleagues, indicating varied obstacles for female professionals. Encouraging family participation, reducing fees, providing childcare, and offering economic support can enhance conference involvement. Despite 55% applying for ESICM positions, barriers like mobbing, harassment, lack of financial support, childcare, and language barriers were reported. Only 14% had access to paid family leave, while 32% benefited from subsidized childcare. Participation in the Effective Communication Course on Career Advancement Goals and engagement in women\'s leadership and mentoring programs could offer valuable insights and growth opportunities. Collaborating with Human Resources and leadership allies is crucial for overcoming barriers and promoting women\'s career growth.
CONCLUSIONS: The urgency of addressing identified barriers to female leadership in intensive care medicine is underscored by the survey\'s comprehensive insights. A multifaceted and intersectional approach, considering sexism, structural barriers, and targeted strategies, is essential.

UNASSIGNED: Addressing the retention challenges faced by non-metropolitan speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is crucial for achieving health services equity in Australia. This study assesses the applicability of previous literature findings to the current context of Australian SLPs. Furthermore, identifying specific factors influencing the retention of SLPs in outer regional, remote, and very remote areas of Australia.
UNASSIGNED: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 SLPs, who have been employed in non-metropolitan areas of Australia within the last 5 years. The collected data underwent online screening, with the interviews transcribed and analysed using content analysis techniques.
UNASSIGNED: Retention rates of non-metropolitan SLPs in Australia were categorised into three themes: professional, personal, and latent. The professional category included professional support, professional development, premature responsibilities, generalist skills, and funding. The personal category included community, family/relationships, burnout, and social justice. The latent themes included finances, management, and faith.
UNASSIGNED: Retention rates of non-metropolitan SLPs in Australia are influenced by both protective factors and risk factors. Three recommendations to improve community access and reduce the current equity gap are outlined, namely: (a) tailored/bespoke professional education to maintain/enhance the clinical competence required, (b) prioritise community immersion and improve mentoring, and (c) strategies and policies to support SLPs.

The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report sets out sobering scenarios about the future for our young people and appeals for \'deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions\'. Although technological responses are essential to achieve these reductions, technocratic solutions alone will not solve the environmental emergency; a widespread societal transformation is needed. Education can play a profound role in this transformation as it is fundamental to building a society with knowledge, skills and motivation to tackle climate change so as to regenerate ecological and social systems. This commentary reflects on multiple dimensions of education\'s role, focusing particularly on schools and the important contribution that all subjects can make towards developing interdisciplinary, complex understandings of the environmental emergency and living more sustainably. Drawing from a recent nationwide survey of teachers in England carried out by the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, we highlight a troubling lack of engagement in formal professional development related to climate change and sustainability, even amongst a \'climate change engaged\' cohort of teachers, and the imperative for comprehensive professional learning for teachers from across all subjects and year levels.

Blended learning (BL), a teaching method merging online and face-to-face learning, is lauded for its potential to enrich educational outcomes and tackle challenges entrenched in conventional teaching practices. In countries like Pakistan, where equitable access to quality professional development remains an obstacle, BL is a promising avenue to surmount training barriers. While BL adoption has evolved swiftly, research into its integration within teacher training remains limited. Notably, no comprehensive model exists describing the motivational factors influencing teachers\' perceptions and intentions regarding the blended mode of teacher training. This study aims to identify the motivational elements that motivate schoolteachers in teacher training institutions in Pakistan to incorporate blended learning into their programs. The motivational factors identified in BL literature have been employed to craft a motivation model grounded in their causal relationship. This quantitative study examines the interplay between multiple motivational factors and their impact on BL adoption within teacher training and the BL environment. Surveying 350 schoolteachers (participants) from teacher training institutions, we employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques with Smart PLS 4.0 for data analysis. Results reveal that extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors significantly influence teachers\' motivation to adopt BL for training. Notably, \"overall training quality\" and \"educational environment\" were non-influential. Overall, the findings underscore that considering a blend of extrinsic and intrinsic factors can wield a 65 % influence on BL adoption. The study\'s results provide practical guidance for educational leaders, curriculum designers, and faculty members aiming to cultivate a unified blended learning environment for teacher professional development. These insights also underscore the importance of incorporating essential motivational factors into forthcoming blended learning training programs.

The teaching of emotional intelligence (EI) in pharmacy curriculums is an important part of a pharmacy learners\' professional development and is crucial to improving interactions with health care providers and patients. However, the coaching of students to understand strengths and weaknesses related to their EI scores and how to facilitate these opportunities for personal growth is often the missing link from the teaching process. This commentary explores a college of pharmacy\'s experience with the incorporation of EI into the curriculum, with a focus on coaching students beyond the assessment numbers they receive. This requires placing emphasis on the broad applicability of EI, its personalization, and the actionable potential for growth. Guided reflections and individualized coaching, which differ from general teaching practices in pharmacy curricula today, can be used to promote the application of results as drivers for personal and professional success. Colleges/schools of pharmacy should consider investing resources in not only teaching students about EI but also coaching students as part of their professional journey.

UNASSIGNED: Virtual care appointments expanded rapidly during COVID-19 out of necessity and to enable access and continuity of care for many patients. While previous work has explored health care providers\' experiences with telehealth usage on small-scale projects, the broad-level adoption of virtual care during the pandemic has expounded opportunities for a better understanding of how to enhance the integration of telehealth as a regular mode of health care services delivery. Training and education for health care providers on the effective use of virtual care technologies are factors that can help facilitate improved adoption and use. We describe our approach to designing and developing an accredited continuing professional development (CPD) program using e-learning technologies to foster better knowledge and comfort among health care providers with the use of virtual care technologies. First, we discuss our approach to undertaking a systematic needs assessment study using a survey questionnaire of providers, key informant interviews, and a patient focus group. Next, we describe our steps in consulting with key stakeholder groups in the health system and arranging committees to inform the design of the program and address accreditation requirements. The instructional design features and aspects of the e-learning module are then described in depth, and our plan for evaluating the program is shared as well. As a CPD modality, e-learning offers the opportunity to enhance access to timely continuing professional education for health care providers who may be geographically dispersed across rural and remote communities.

Since effective and successful AAC service delivery relies on the knowledge and competence of professionals in the field of AAC, sufficient training in AAC will equip professionals to provide quality AAC service delivery. However, many professionals lack training in AAC and structured opportunities for professional development are sorely needed. As there is no consensus on the amount, mode of delivery and content of AAC training, the purpose of this scoping review was to identify AAC training programs for professional development and to describe the characteristics and effects of such programs. A five-pronged search strategy was used to identify relevant studies. The certainty framework was used to appraise the quality of included studies. Charted data included general study characteristics; participant characteristics; training characteristics (i.e., training goals; instructional materials and strategies; training duration); quality appraisal; and reported effects of the training. The scoping review identified 34 studies for inclusion. The results showed the potential of AAC training programs for continuous professional development to increase professionals\' skills in AAC intervention. A range of training characteristics was identified to guide the development of future training programs. Gaps in the research related to the training of AAC professionals were also identified to guide future research.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYACS) are patients diagnosed with cancer between 15 and 39 years of age. AYACS are often derailed from planned educational and occupational endeavors due to disruption from cancer treatment and its consequences. The study objective was to examine how a personal cancer diagnosis impacted AYACS\' experiences related to these endeavors.
METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted as part of a larger study assessing psychosocial challenges among a younger AYACS subset aged 15-25 years old at the time of cancer diagnosis. Interviews were coded based on responses and were used to develop themes related to educational and occupational endeavors.
RESULTS: Data were collected from 35 participants. Five themes emerged: (1) Pauses in educational attainment had a detrimental effect on educational goals for some participants, but further solidified and sculpted educational plans for others; (2) Although participants experienced challenges accomplishing educational goals, supportive school environments helped surmount these challenges; (3) Participants reflected on rethinking career aspirations, though some desired to pursue the same occupation planned before cancer diagnosis; (4) Participants experienced challenges, including physical and cognitive limitations, upon returning to work; and (5) Participants valued autonomy and normalcy through work and appreciated supportive and flexible work environments.
CONCLUSIONS: AYACS prioritize professional achievement, yet encounter challenges in achieving professional goals. Our findings create a foundation for developing and testing prospective interventions to promote continuance of school and work during cancer treatment when feasible, and proactive reintegration strategies for those who paused professional goals due to cancer treatment.

The employees who work in infection prevention and control (IPC) are very important in the field of health-care because they are committed to protecting patients, staff, and visitors from the risk of acquiring infections while in the hospital. The complexity of infection control in hospitals is alwaysgrowing in tandem with the rapid developments that are being made in medical technology andpractices. IPC personnel are required to maintain vigilance and continually improve their monitoringof the entire health-care process due to the ongoing development of IPC guidelines and regulations, the fluctuating infection risks, and the emergence of new infectious diseases. As a result, individuals involved in the prevention and control of infections in health-care settings absolutely need to participate in continual training and professional development. This reviewemphasizes the need of relevant professionals to engage in ongoing training and professional development to maintain their skills in the area of healthcare-associated infection control and prevention. Personnel working in IPC may more effectively react to newly discovered health risks andmake certain that hospital infection (HI) management gets the appropriate attention if they have atimely and in-depth awareness of best practices. They are better able to maintain their composure, react correctly, and deliver the most effective infection control and prevention techniques for the health-care system, all while increasing awareness about the significance of effective HI management.

UNASSIGNED: Historically, the requirement to produce scholarship for advancement has challenged health professions educators heavily engaged in teaching. As biomedical scientists or healthcare practitioners, few are trained in educational scholarship, and related faculty development varies in scope and quality across institutions. Currently, there is a need for faculty development and mentoring programs to support the development of these skills.
UNASSIGNED: The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) established the Medical Educator Fellowship (MEF) Program to foster health professions educational scholarship. MEF addresses the following: curriculum design, teaching methods and strategies, assessment, educational scholarship, and leadership. Participants receive mentorship and faculty development, and complete an educational scholarship project. Using a logic model, we conducted a retrospective program evaluation with data from Program records, database searches, graduate surveys, and focus groups.
UNASSIGNED: Over 14 years, MEF graduated 61 participants with diverse terminal degrees from five continents and six academic program areas. Graduate survey responses indicated enhanced post-Program skills in all focus areas, that the majority would recommend MEF to a colleague, and that mentorship, networking, and professional development were strengths. Focus group outcomes indicated professional growth, increased confidence, and increased sense of community.
UNASSIGNED: MEF addresses health professions educators\' need for faculty development and mentorship in educational scholarship. Evaluation outcomes suggest that MEF effectively enhanced perceived skills across focus areas. Similar programs are essential to support faculty who dedicate significant time to teaching. Organizations like IAMSE can demonstrate the value of educational scholarship and positively impact health professions educator careers by supporting such programs.