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The conceptual complexity of employability remains a barrier for its integration into discipline-based curricula. In the health professions, a particular challenge lies in integrating employability with the dominant paradigms of competency and professionalism. In this study, we explore these contextual challenges, and present the rationale and conceptual basis for a potential re-framing of employability within the context of this discipline group. We propose a novel definition and a conceptual model of employability better aligned to the needs of health professions. While employability has proven difficult to define broadly, it is framed around the expectations of both the employer and employee, thus may be viewed as a mutual transaction of expectations, which is most sustainable when all are optimally satisfied. Given that most work contexts involve multiple stakeholders, employability is defined here from an individual’s perspective as their capacity to sustainably satisfy the optimal balance of all stakeholder demands and expectations in a work context, including their own. We draw upon a scan of the literature and evidence from one health profession, veterinary science (including re-analysis of comments from a stakeholder survey), to inform a conceptual model of employability for these contexts. We propose employability is only partly comprised of skills and knowledge (human capital), and more of psychological capital spanning approaches to work, approaches to self, and approaches to others. The expectations underpinning employability are partly oriented to the work itself, and partly to the human interactions supporting it; partly to efficacy and partly to sustainability. These principles establish a matrix of five domains: effective practice, productive relationships, professional commitment, and psychological resources, plus a central element of reflective identity representing the fundamental growth process of self-awareness and identity formation. By this c

Background Employability has been defined within the veterinary context as a set of personal and professional capabilities that enable a veterinarian to gain employment, contribute meaningfully to the profession, and develop a career pathway that achieves satisfaction and success. This study explicitly addressed the construct of veterinary employability by exploring the perceptions of multiple stakeholders (recent graduates, employee veterinarians, veterinarian and non‐veterinarian employers, para‐veterinary staff, academics and policy makers). Methods A four‐part online survey was distributed internationally via various agencies. Free‐text responses, ratings of capabilities and rankings of categories were analysed. Results The congruence of stakeholder responses was notable, regardless of age and geographical location, with minor differences noted in academics’ and para‐veterinary staff responses, and gender. The most important capabilities were honesty, ethical behaviour, communicating effectively and collaboratively with clients, knowing when to ask for help, and the willingness to learn. The categories of communication and teamwork ranked highest. Conclusion This study adds granularity to the existing evidence for the importance of communication and teamwork. The relationship between the veterinarian (self) and their work, enabled by engagement, meaning and purpose, and respect for their profession was a key finding, and illustrative of how to achieve personal satisfaction and well‐being within the profession.

This paper presents a mini-review of employability as a guiding outcome in veterinary education—its conceptualisation, utility, core elements and dimensions, and pedagogical approaches—through a summary of the findings of a major international project with the same aims (the VetSet2Go project). Guided by a conception of the successful veterinary professional as one capable of navigating and sustainably balancing the (sometimes competing) needs and expectations of multiple stakeholders, the project integrated multiple sources of evidence to derive an employability framework representing the dimensions and capabilities most important to veterinary professional success. This framework provides a useful complement to those based in narrower views of competency and professionalism. One notable difference is its added emphasis on broad success outcomes of satisfaction and sustainability as well as task-oriented efficacy, thus inserting “the self” as a major stakeholder and bringing attention to resilience and sustainable well-being. The framework contains 18 key capabilities consistently identified as important to employability in the veterinary context, aligned to five broad, overlapping domains: veterinary capabilities (task-oriented work performance), effective relationships (approaches to others), professional commitment (approaches to work and the broader professional “mission”), psychological resources (approaches to self), plus a central process of reflective self-awareness and identity formation. A summary of evidence supporting these is presented, as well as recommendations for situating, developing, and accessing these as learning outcomes within veterinary curricula. Though developed within the specific context of veterinarian transition-to-practise, this framework would be readily adaptable to other professions, particularly in other health disciplines.

Background: While little is known about the motivations underpinning veterinary work, previous literature has suggested that the main influences on veterinary career choice are early/formative exposure to animals or veterinary role models. The aim of this study was to develop and provisionally validate a veterinary career motivations questionnaire to assess the strength of various types of career motivations in graduating and experienced veterinarians. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of experienced veterinarians (n=305) and a smaller cohort of newly graduated veterinarians (n=53) were surveyed online using a long-form questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to iteratively derive a final, short-form questionnaire for survey of a second cross-sectional sample of experienced veterinarians (n=751). Results: EFA derived a final questionnaire with 22 items loading onto six factors (social purpose, animal orientation, vocational identity, challenge and learning, career affordances, and people orientation). While motivations based on animal orientation were predictably strong, those based on vocational identity were not universal and were weaker in younger and graduate veterinarians; both of these motivations were rated lower by male veterinarians. Motivations based on challenge and learning emerged as some of the strongest, most universal and most influential; people orientation and social purpose were also important, particularly for older veterinarians. Conclusion: The major motivations for pursuing a veterinary career may best be represented as an intrinsic passion for animal care and for learning through solving varied challenges. These motivations are largely intrinsically oriented and autonomously regulated, thus likely to be supportive of work satisfaction and wellbeing.

This study qualitatively explored success factors across career transitions in veterinary practice. Semistructured interviews were conducted independently with pairs of veterinary employers and their recent graduate employees, focusing on success in gaining initial employment, their transition to practising veterinarian and longevity in the veterinary profession. The divergence and convergence of interviewees’ perspectives, the changing emphasis of capabilities over different career phases, and the meaning of success were explored. Overall, the perspectives of employers and employees were similar, and highlighted communication skills, confidence, diligence and reliability, and technical skills and knowledge as important themes for initial employment and transition to practice. Other important success factors for initial employment included interpersonal skills, teamwork and team fit, enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and previous experience with the graduate. Support, resilience and work–life balance were important to the transition to practice phase. For career longevity, work–life balance remained an important theme, but also continual learning, business skills and goal-setting. Success was defined around enjoyment and personal satisfaction, developing proficiency, and maintaining passion for the profession. Job fit was a persistent theme throughout. This exploratory study highlights the capabilities and factors supporting success in veterinary career transitions, some of which may be inconspicuous in traditional competency-based frameworks.

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Success in veterinary practice requires careful balancing of stakeholder needs. The aim of this study was to investigate the current expectations and needs of veterinary clients across a range of practice types. Interviews and focus groups were undertaken with veterinary clients to identify the capabilities of veterinarians that result in the best client experience, generating a 'Veterinary Capability Framework'. This comprised six main capabilities each containing 4-10 behavioural indicators: client relationships; professionalism; communication skills; decision-making and problem solving; commitment to animal welfare; and commitment to quality and the profession. An online survey was then conducted to validate the importance of these capabilities, which was completed by 1446 mostly UK and Australian clients. The data have allowed us to develop a 'Client Hierarchy of Needs' which emphasises the fundamental importance of commitment to animal welfare and veterinary capabilities to the client experience. This study is part of the VetSet2Go project, a collaborative international project to define the capabilities most important for employability and success in the veterinary profession today.

[No abstract available]

An adult Intermediate Egret in breeding plumage (pre-alternate moult) observed at Lake Joondalup, Western Australia, in January 2016 was identified as a vagrant of the Asian nominate taxon Ardea intermedia intermedia. Subspecific identification was established from the extent of black on the bill (which increased during the bird's stay at the site, of at least 17 days), and was confirmed independently by its proportionally short and thickly tapering bill, which was found to lie outside the range of Australian A. i. plumifera from an image-based analysis of the bills of each taxon. This is the first documented record of this taxon for Australia.

Universities have a long tradition of sharing information and knowledge, through books, journals and conferences. Recently, various 'open' initiatives have emerged to extend this sharing to teaching materials, in what we broadly call Open Education. This presentation will unpack some of the concepts involved in Open Education, including Open Content, (an overarching term encompassing Open Educational Resources, OER; Open Textbooks; and Open Courseware), and Open Courses. We will discuss various elements of open content, exploring their emerging use at Murdoch University. Apart from some human factors, the major barriers to the use and production of open content are: •Intellectual property (IP) legislation and regulations, which assert the University's ownership of IP embodied in teaching materials, and impede the ability of staff to freely share content. •Transnational education (TNE) business models, in which the University licenses access to the content of a unit to another entity. The presentation will discuss the use of Creative Commons licensing to protect the rights of both the university and the individual creator, while still allowing use and repurposing by others. It will also explore the idea of licensing certification for passing a unit rather than licensing access to content. It will then turn to the concept of Open Courses, which complement open content by adding learning tasks and teacher support, either implicitly or explicitly. The conversation will continue with a critique of the evolving, and much-hyped, Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) concept, analysing the pros and cons of open access to a largely teacher-free learning environment from a pedagogical perspective and the nature of students who might successfully engage with it. The presentation will conclude with an analysis of the institutional factors involved in contributing to Open Education. We argue that a considered approach to Open Education can provide benefits to students, staff and t

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent joint disease. Its slow progressive nature and the correlation between pathological changes and clinical symptoms mean that OA is often well advanced by the time of diagnosis. In the absence of any specific pharmacological treatments, there is a pressing need to develop robust biomarkers for OA. We have adopted a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic strategy to identify molecular responses to surgically induced OA in an animal model. Sheep underwent one of three types of surgical procedure (sham (control), meniscal destabilization, MD or anterior cruciate ligament transaction, ACLT), and for every animal a serum sample was collected both pre- and postoperatively, thus, affording two types of "control" data for comparison. 1D 1H NMR spectra were acquired from each sample at 800 MHz and the digitized spectral data were analyzed using principal components analysis and partial least-squares regression discriminant analysis. Our approach, combined with the study design, allowed us to separate the metabolic responses to surgical intervention from those associated with OA. We were able to identify dimethyl sulfone (DMSO 2) as being increased in MD after 4 weeks, while ACLT-induced OA exhibited increased 3-methylhistidine and decreased branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). The findings are discussed in the context of interpretation of metabolomic results in studies of human disease, and the selection of appropriate "control" data sets.

The study design included a multidisciplinary examination of the mineral phase of ovine intervertebral disc calcifications. The objective of the study was to investigate the mineral phase and its mechanisms of formation/association with degeneration in a naturally occurring animal model of disc calcification. The aetiology of dystrophic disc calcification in adult humans is unknown, but occurs as a well-described clinical disorder with hydroxyapatite as the single mineral phase. Comparable but age-related pathology in the sheep could serve as a model for the human disorder. Lumbar intervertebral discs (n = 134) of adult sheep of age 6 years (n = 4), 8 years (n = 12) and 11 years (n = 2) were evaluated using radiography, morphology, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, histology, immunohistology and proteoglycan analysis. Half of the 6-year, 84% of the 8-year and 86% of the 11-year-old discs had calcific deposits. These were not well delineated by plain radiography. They were either: (a) punctate deposits in the outer annulus, (b) diffuse deposits in the transitional zone or inner annulus fibrosus with occasional deposits in the nucleus, or (c) large deposits in the transitional zone extending variably into the nucleus. Their maximal incidence was in the lower lumbar discs (L4/5-L6/7) with no calcification seen in the lumbosacral or lower thoracic discs. All deposits were hydroxyapatite with large crystallite sizes (800-1,300 Å) compared to cortical bone (300-600 Å). No type X-collagen, osteopontin or osteonectin were detected in calcific deposits, although positive staining for bone sialoprotein was evident. Calcified discs had less proteoglycan of smaller hydrodynamic size than non-calcified discs. Disc calcification in ageing sheep is due to hydroxyapatite deposition. The variable, but large, crystal size and lack of protein markers indicate that this does not occur by an endochondral ossifi

Autologous bone graft, the standard of bone grafting in achieving spinal fusion, is associated with several limitations and complications. The use of bone marrow cells (BMCs) as a potential cell source for spinal fusion, combined with a suitable scaffold to promote bone formation, may be a better choice. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of natural bone collagen scaffold (NBCS) combined with autologous-enriched BMCs for induction of osteogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Ovine-enriched BMCs were co-cultured with NBCS for 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks to investigate whether NBCS would support the population expansion and differentiation of enriched BMCs. Using an ovine interbody fusion model, NBCS seeded with autologous enriched BMCs was implanted into the lumbar disc space. Fusion outcomes were compared with the use of the autograft, NBCS without BMCs, and BMCs without NBCS. In vitro results demonstrated that NBCS facilitated the population expansion and differentiation of ovine-enriched BMCs, promoting the expression of collagen type I and the formation of a mineralized matrix. The use of NBCS combined with enriched BMCs in vivo enhanced the spinal fusion rate (6 of 6 at 10 week) (p<0.05), the biomechanical stiffness of fusion masses, and bone volume at the fusion site (p<0.05). Histological findings also revealed that a combination of NBCS and BMCs induced new bone formation that integrated well with host bone tissue. In conclusion, NBCS is an effective scaffold that supports ovine-enriched BMCs. The combination of NBCS and BMCs may be a useful alternative for autograft in induction of spinal fusion.

This guide, developed through a collaboration between Murdock University, The University of Queensland, and The University of Sydney includes scenarios, descriptions of the Calgary-Cambridge Method, and workshops/lesson plans for communication training.

To the Editor: We write to caution against the now routine presumption, recently repeated in this journal by Sondergaard and coworkers (1), that circulating levels of C-telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II) represent a direct surrogate measure of articular cartilage degradation, particularly after menopause or ovariectomy. A growing body of research suggests that intervertebral discs (IVDs) also represent a likely source of CTX-II following either natural or surgical menopause. The evidence for this is as follows. First, articular cartilage is but one tissue pool of type II collagen in the body. One canine dissection study estimated that articular cartilage and IVD represent 0.06% and 0.10% of dry body weight, respectively, both of which were dwarfed by other extraarticular cartilage pools (2). Second, IVD is an estrogen-responsive tissue. Human IVD cells express estrogen receptor β and respond to exogenous estradiol in vitro (3). Third, several studies have demonstrated narrowing of IVD height in postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal or hormone-treated women (4, 5), and that this narrowing is rapidly progressive in the period immediately following menopause (5), suggestive of rapid tissue remodeling, if not frank IVD degeneration. Fourth, animal studies confirm IVD changes following surgical ovariectomy, notably in rats, which show a significant (2–3-fold) increase in lumbar disc pathology, apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells, and up-regulation of the pathological mediator inducible nitric oxide synthase following ovariectomy (6, 7). Our own research group has also demonstrated altered IVD biomechanical function in ovariectomized ewes 6 months after ovariectomy (Cake M et al: unpublished observations). Furthermore, a link between elevated CTX-II levels and IVD disease has been directly demonstrated by Garnero et al (8), who showed by multivariate analysis that the contribution of lumbar disc space narrowing to circulating CTX-II levels was similar to

Background This study examined the effect of bilateral meniscectomy on ground reaction forces (GRFs) in sheep, and the therapeutic effect of two hyaluronan (HA) preparations. Methods Eighteen sheep were subjected to bilateral lateral meniscectomy and were treated from 16 to 20 weeks postoperatively with intraarticular Hyalgan (Fidia Farmaceutici), HYADD4-G (a novel amide derivative; Fidia Farmaceutici), or saline placebo (n = 6 per group). GRFs were assessed at baseline and 6, 12, 16, 22, and 26 weeks postoperatively. Rheological parameters and HA content of synovial fluid samples were assessed using micro-Fourier rheometry. Results Meniscectomy significantly reduced GRF and abolished the normal two-peak vector. GRF deficits were partially ameliorated by both HA preparations: Hyalgan increased peak vertical forces at 6 weeks post-treatment (week 22), while HYADD4-G increased vertical impulse post-treatment. Both HA treatments, but not saline placebo, restored a twopeak composite force vector at 6 weeks post-treatment. Neither HA preparation significantly modulated osteoarthritis (OA) severity, or synovial fluid parameters. Conclusions This study showed that GRF responses to bilateral meniscectomy in sheep mimic available data for human meniscectomy and OA patients. However, this time course suggests that gait deficits are temporally unrelated to observed cartilage or synovial fluid changes. The bilateral ovine meniscectomy model demonstrates modest but quantifiable changes in GRF that mimic human OA and are amenable to modification by known OA therapies such as HA.

Perlecan is a modular heparan sulphate and/or chondroitin sulphate substituted proteoglycan of basement membrane, vascular tissues and cartilage. Perlecan acts as a low affinity co-receptor for fibroblast growth factors 1, 2, 7, 9, binds connective tissue growth factor and co-ordinates chondrogenesis, endochondral ossification and vascular remodelling during skeletal development; however, relatively little is known of its distribution in these tissues during ageing and development. The aim of the present study was to immunolocalise perlecan in the articular and epiphyseal growth plate cartilages of stifle joints in 2-day to 8-year-old pedigree merino sheep. Perlecan was prominent pericellularly in the stifle joint cartilages at all age points and also present in the inter-territorial matrix of the newborn to 19-month-old cartilage specimens. Aggrecan was part pericellular, but predominantly an extracellular proteoglycan. Perlecan was a prominent component of the long bone growth plates and displayed a pericellular as well as a strong ECM distribution pattern; this may indicate a so far unrecognised role for perlecan in the mineralisation of hypertrophic cartilage. A significant age dependant decline in cell number and perlecan levels was evident in the hyaline and growth plate cartilages. The prominent pericellular distribution of perlecan observed indicates potential roles in cell-matrix communication in cartilage, consistent with growth factor signalling, cellular proliferation and tissue development.

This is the first study to immunolocalise perlecan in meniscal tissues and to demonstrate how its localisation varied with ageing relative to aggrecan and type I, II and IV collagen. Perlecan was present in the middle and inner meniscal zones where it was expressed by cells of an oval or rounded morphology. Unlike the other components visualised in this study, perlecan was strongly cell associated and its levels fell significantly with age onset and cell number decline. The peripheral outer meniscal zones displayed very little perlecan staining other than in small blood vessels. Picrosirius red staining viewed under polarised light strongly delineated complex arrangements of slender discrete randomly oriented collagen fibre bundles as well as transverse, thick, strongly oriented, collagen tie bundles in the middle and outer meniscal zones. The collagen fibres demarcated areas of the meniscus which were rich in anionic toluidine blue positive proteoglycans; immunolocalisations confirmed the presence of aggrecan and perlecan. When meniscal sections were examined macroscopically, type II collagen localisation in the inner meniscal zone was readily evident in the 2- to 7-day-old specimens; this became more disperse in the older meniscal specimens. Type I collagen had a widespread distribution in all meniscal zones at all time points. Type IV collagen was strongly associated with blood vessels in the 2- to 7-day-old meniscal specimens but was virtually undetectable at the later time points (>7 month).