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This study examined the differential impact on 79 high school students of a personal financial management course completed 1 to 4 years earlier. This study used a matched sample design based on a school system's records to identify students who had and had not taken a course in personal financial management. The findings indicated that those who took the course were no more financially literate than those who had not. In addition, those who took the course did not evaluate themselves to be more savings-oriented and did not appear to have better financial behavior than those who had not taken the course. The study raises serious questions about the longer term effectiveness of high school financial literacy courses. (Contains 7 tables.)

This brief report discusses the relevance of postmodern art to contemporary art therapy practice. Postmodernism is defined by art that breaks or blurs the boundaries between product and process, individual and group creation, and artist and viewer. A discussion of contemporary artists who use a postmodern framework, including Anselm Kiefer, Jenny Holzer, Nakahashi Katsushige and others, is provided as an example for how postmodernism may be applied to art therapy. A postmodernist perspective informs a multifaceted therapeutic approach which negotiates the border between individual integrity and community values, blurs the distinction between home and studio, and validates all forms of image-creation with the overall purpose of healing and social empowerment. (Contains 2 figures.)

Introduction. In Australian general practitioner (GP) training, feedback and reflection on inpractice experience is central to developing GP registrars' (trainees') clinical competencies. Patient encounter tracking and learning tools (PETALs) that encompass an audit of consecutive patient consultations, feedback, and reflection are used to determine registrars' in-practice exposure and have been suggested as a tool for learning within a programmatic assessment framework. However, there is limited qualitative literature on the utility of PETALs in GP training. Aim. To provide greater understanding of how PETALs are used in GP training, using Registrars' Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) as a case study. Methods. Medical educators, supervisors, and registrars from two Australian regional GP training organisations participated in focus groups and interviews, designed to explore participants' perceptions of ReCEnT's utility. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results. Eight themes were identified that enhance our understanding of: how ReCEnT reports are used (reassuring registrars, facilitating self-reflection, identifying learning needs), what enables ReCEnT to reach its full potential (a culture of reflection, meaningful discussions with supervisors and medical educators, valuing objective data), and differences in understanding about ReCEnT's role in a programmatic assessment framework (as a tool for learning, as 'one piece of the puzzle'). Discussion. The findings were used to develop a Structure-Process-Outcomes model to demonstrate how ReCEnT is currently used and explores how it can be used for learning, rather than of learning, in a programmatic assessment framework for GP training. ReCEnT's longitudinal format has potential for enhancing learning throughout training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Practice managers and other administrative and management staff in Aboriginal Medical Services operate in a highly specialised cultural, social and administrative environment requiring a unique skill set. The TAFE NSW Diploma in Practice Management for Aboriginal Medical Services (DPMAMS) addresses the need for training in these skills. This study sought to explore DPMAMS graduates' experiences of having undertaken the diploma course, and the effects on their subsequent work practice and career. Methods: A qualitative study utilising individual, semi-structured interviews conducted via videoconference and employing a thematic analysis approach was performed. Results: Ten DPMAMS alumni participated. At the time of DPMAMS completion, two participants were Aboriginal Medical Services practice managers, two were reception staff, five were in non-practice manager administrative or management roles and one was in a clinical role. Principal themes in the study findings were related to (1) the rich and singular learning environment with emphasis on peer-to-peer learning (which also facilitated 'communities of practice' extending the collaborative learning model to post-DMAMS peer learning and support); (2) knowledge and subsequent professional and personal confidence (leading to taking on increased workplace responsibility including post-DPMAMS mentoring roles); (3) translational effects on personal work and professional performance; (4) translational effects on work processes at the participants' Aboriginal Medical Services; and (5) the permeating influence of Aboriginal culture and commitment to Aboriginal communities. Conclusions: The DPMAMS is an education/training program of perceived high value and fitness for purpose. The findings of utility of education that is empowered by culture, values and peer support may be applicable in wider settings. Practice managers in Aboriginal Medical Services operate in a highly specialised cultural, social and administrative environment requiring a unique skill set. The TAFE NSW Diploma in Practice Management for Aboriginal Medical Services addresses these skills. In this qualitative study, we explored alumni's experiences of the Diploma in Practice Management for Aboriginal Medical Services, and its influence on their work and careers. The Diploma in Practice Management for Aboriginal Medical Services entailed a rich and singular learning environment with emphasis on peer-to-peer learning, informed by a permeating influence of Aboriginal culture and commitment to Aboriginal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]