Search

Objectives: The objective of this paper was to determine the extent to which dry needling is instructed in entry-level education programs for physical therapists. Methods: Program directors from 226 entry-level education programs recognized by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education were recruited via e-mail to participate in an anonymous 35-item electronic survey during the 2017-2018 academic year. The survey evaluated dry needling curricula, faculty qualifications, attitudes and experience, and programs' future plans for teaching dry needling. Results: A total of 75 programs responded to the survey (response rate = 33.1%). Forty (53.3%) had integrated dry needling theory and psychomotor training into their programs and 8 (10.6%) planned to include such content in their curriculum in the future. Of the 40 respondents, 28 indicated that dry needling education was integrated into a required course, 4 indicated that dry needling was an elective course, and 8 did not specify how dry needling education was integrated. Faculty teaching dry needling appear to be well qualified, with the majority having 5-10 years of experience using dry needling in clinical practice. The primary reason for programs not teaching dry needling is that it was not considered an entry-level skill. Discussion: There appeared to be variability in how dry needling was integrated into the curricula, as well as in the depth and breadth of instruction. Our research may serve as a baseline for faculty to assess existing dry needling curricula and as a guide for developing curricula in new or existing physical therapy programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the author's views about principles for optimizing U.S. student-edited law review platforms, and it mentions the professional activities of law teachers which include teaching, service, and scholarship. The attitudes of legal scholars are addressed, along with the value that is associated with student-edited law reviews. Writing skills, legal research, and reasoning are assessed, as well as information about virtual roundtable-related liquid networks.

Background: Evidence based practice (EBP) is being increasingly utilized by health care professionals as a means of improving the quality of health care. The introduction of EBP principles into the chiropractic profession is a relatively recent phenomenon. There is currently a lack of information about the EBP literacy level of US chiropractors and the barriers/facilitators to the use of EBP in the chiropractic profession. Methods: A nationwide EBP survey of US chiropractors was administered online (Nov 2012-Mar 2013) utilizing a validated self-report instrument (EBASE) in which three sub-scores are reported: attitudes, skills and use. Means, medians, and frequency distributions for each of the sub-scores were generated. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of the sample. Means and proportions were calculated for all of the responses to each of the questions in the survey. Results: A total of 1,314 US chiropractors completed the EBASE survey; the sample appeared to be representative of the US chiropractic profession. Respondents were predominantly white (94.3%), male (75%), 47 (+/- 11.6) years of age, and in practice for more than 10 years (60%). EBASE sub-score means (possible ranges) were: attitudes, 31.4 (8-40); skills, 44.3 (13-65); and use, 10.3 (0-24). Survey participants generally held favorable attitudes toward EBP, but reported less use of EBP. A minority of participants indicated that EBP coursework (17%) and critical thinking (29%) were a major part of their chiropractic education. The most commonly reported barrier to the use of EBP was "lack of time". Almost 90% of the sample indicated that they were interested in improving their EBP skills. Conclusion: American chiropractors appear similar to chiropractors in other countries, and other health professionals regarding their favorable attitudes towards EBP, while expressing barriers related to EBP skills such as research relevance and lack of time. This suggests that the design of future EBP educational interventions should capitalize on the growing body of EBP implementation research developing in other health disciplines. This will likely include broadening the approach beyond a sole focus on EBP education, and taking a multilevel approach that also targets professional, organizational and health policy domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School achievement among black, white, and Hispanic elementary school children was investigated, and efforts were made to study the beliefs about academic achievement of the children and their mothers. A total of approximately 3,000 first, third, and fifth graders enrolled in 20 schools in the Chicago metropolitan area were given achievement tests in mathematics and reading. Black and Hispanic children performed at a significantly lower level than white children, but at fifth grade ethnic differences in mathematics scores were no longer significant when mothers' education was statistically controlled. This was not the case in reading, where differences were found after controlling for the effects of mothers' education. Interviews with subsamples of approximately 1,000 mothers and children revealed greater emphasis on and concern about education among minority families than among white families. Black and Hispanic children and mothers evaluated the children and their academic abilities highly; they were positive about education and held high expectations about the children's future prospects for education. Mothers of minority children and teachers in minority schools believed more strongly than white mothers and teachers in the value of homework, competency testing, and a longer school day as means of improving children's education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]