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The employment interview is among the most versatile of staffing tools. Yet, the interview is rarely studied as a multipurpose tool. If the interview is used to serve multiple goals, then the interview can be effective (i.e., valid), and effectively designed, in multiple ways. The current study uses qualitative methodology to develop an inductive theory of interview goals and design based on conversational interviews with 29 experienced professional interviewers. Transcript data were analyzed with template analysis grounded in a postpositive epistemology and objectivist ontology. Results suggested that the interview is primarily used to serve three broad goals: performing a targeted assessment, making a positive impression, and informing the applicant. Interviewers reported a variety of strategies for adapting the interview to achieve and balance these goals. In short, findings suggest that the interview is used in multiple ways that have received very little research attention. These findings imply that the concept of interview validity should be expanded to include multiple interviewing goals, and that interview design should be understood as a complex function of these goals. Further implications for the research, theory, and practice of employment interviews are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To estimate and contrast the relationships between nurse staffing and health outcomes in nursing homes with low and high dementia census, to understand the association of staffing hours with dementia care quality. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: A national sample of nursing homes during 2017-2019 (pre-COVID). Data included the Payroll-Based Journal, Medicare Claims, Nursing Home Care Compare, and Long-Term Care Focus. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, regression analyses. We estimated separate linear models predicting six long-term facility-level outcomes. Independent variables included staffing hours per resident-day (HPRD) interacted with the facility percentage of dementia residents, controlling for other resident and facility characteristics. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Hospital-based nursing homes, those with fewer than 30% dementia residents, and missing data were excluded. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found that registered nurses and certified nurse assistants HPRDs were likely to exhibit positive returns in terms of outcomes throughout most of the range of HPRD for both high and low-census dementia facilities, although, high- and low-dementia facilities differed in most outcome rates at all staffing levels. Average predicted antipsychotics and activities of daily living as functions of HPRD were worse in higher dementia facilities, independent movement, and hospitalizations did not differ significantly, and Emergency Rooms and pressure sores were worse in lower dementia facilities. Average marginal effects were not statistically different [CI included zero] between the high and low dementia facilities for any outcome. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that increasing staffing will improve outcomes by similar increments in both low- and high-dementia facilities for all outcomes. However, at any given level of staffing, absolute differences in outcomes between low- and high-dementia facilities remain, suggesting that additional staffing alone will not suffice to close these gaps. Further studies are required to identify opportunities for improvement in performance for both low- and high-dementia census facilities.

In October 2019, the Ensor Learning Resource Center at Georgetown College lost one staff position. While this reduction in force was not a major surprise, what happened over the next three budget years was. With each new year, the library lost positions as part of budget cuts at the institution. To manage these cuts, the library and its staff underwent a major realignment of duties and services to continue to meet patron needs. The article below offers some context and advice for those who may find themselves in similar situations. Recent history in library staffing has seen a reduction in the numbers of qualified librarians and paraprofessionals. According to the IPEDS data, academic libraries have seen an approximately 14% drop in the number of staff and librarians in their ranks. Given this reality, it is incumbent on library leaders to adjust to these new realities, rewriting job descriptions, dropping job duties—including those that are vitally important—and working to ensure building operations continue. This retrenchment in library staffing leads to impacts—both negative and positive—that have far-reaching effects beyond the library walls. As library director at Georgetown College, a small liberal arts campus of approximately 1200 students and a faculty of 75, I faced the situation described above four times in four straight budget years as a staff of seven dwindled to a staff of three. While one staff position was added in October 2022, for three months, a 65,000 square foot building that had to deliver services and spaces for over twelve hundred students ran with a skeleton crew. In this article I offer background to this situation, how it was addressed, and some (hopefully) helpful tips to those in a similar situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Technicians caring for patients receiving dialysis play a critical, frontline role in the care of patients receiving dialysis in the United States. We sought to provide a comprehensive description and identify correlates of US in-center hemodialysis facility patient care technician staffing patterns. STUDY DESIGN: This was an ecological study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: US facilities providing hemodialysis and reporting patient care technician staffing, identified using the US Renal Data System. EXPOSURES: Geography, year, and facility characteristics, including aggregated patient characteristics. OUTCOMES: The study outcome was facility-reported patient-to-patient care technician ratio. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: We examined patient-to-patient care technician ratios by US state and over time and also estimated the differences in patient-to-patient care technician ratios associated with facility characteristics, using robust regression with adjustment for facility-level covariates. RESULTS: The median patient-to-patient care technician ratio among 6,862 US facilities in 2019 was 9.9 (25th-75th percentiles, 8.2-12.0). Median 2019 patient-to-patient care technician ratios varied substantially by US state and region. There was an overall decline (from 10.6 to 9.9) in median patient-to-patient care technician ratios from 2004 to 2019, whereas the percentage of positions that were unfilled increased (from 2.8% to 3.5%). After adjustment, large dialysis organization status (β, -0.42; 95% CI, -0.61 to -0.23) and larger facility size (β, -0.51; 95% CI, -0.68 to -0.33) were associated with lower patient-to-patient care technician ratios. Higher patient-to-registered nurse (β, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65-0.94) and patient-to-social worker (β, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.37-0.70) ratios, presence of licensed vocational nurses or licensed practical nurses at the clinic (β, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.53-1.12), and location in a poverty area (β, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13-0.44) were all associated with higher patient-to-patient care technician ratios. Aggregated patient characteristics of patients treated at the facilities were generally not associated with patient-to-patient care technician ratio after adjustment. LIMITATIONS: Limited causal inference and potential shifts in staffing after 2019. CONCLUSIONS: US dialysis facilities vary considerably in their patient care technician staffing by geography, over time, and by various facility characteristics. Further investigation of US patient care technician staffing is warranted and could lead to better, more stable dialysis staffing, improved staff and patient satisfaction, and higher quality of care.

Background and aim: Nurse staffing levels are associated with patient mortality, but little is known regarding the association between nurse turnover rate and patient mortality. This study investigated the combined effect of the bed-to-nurse ratio and the nurse turnover rate on in-hospital mortality in patients admitted to Korean acute care hospitals using national administrative data. Methods: This study analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) on 459,113 admitted patients and 111,342 employed nurses in 403 hospitals in South Korea from January to December 2016. Differences in in-hospital mortality and nurse turnover among hospital characteristics, including the bed-to-nurse ratio, were explored using the chi-square test. Multilevel, multivariate GEE logistic regression analyses were used to examine the combined effect of the bed-to-nurse ratio and the nurse turnover rate on in-hospital mortality. Results: During the study period, 13,675 (3.0%) patients died during hospitalization, and 13,349 (12.0%) nurses left their jobs. The risk of death among patients admitted to hospitals with a bed-to-nurse ratio of < 2.5 and a nurse turnover rate of ≥ 12% was lower than among patients admitted to hospitals with a bed-to-nurse ratio of ≥ 4.5 and a nurse turnover rate of ≥ 12% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48–0.82). The risk of in-hospital mortality decreased further when the nurse turnover rate was < 12% (OR = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.44–0.79). Conclusion: The bed-to-nurse ratio and nurse turnover rate were jointly associated with patient mortality. When hospitals with a low bed-to-nurse ratio also experienced high nurse turnover, the risk of in-hospital mortality was even greater. The finding of this study will help health policy makers to better understand the importance of both nursing staffing levels and nurse turnover rates. It is necessary to create a comprehensive improvement plan that integrates policies aiming to improve nurse staffing levels and reduce turnover rates into a single strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With a shortage of geriatricians and an aging population, strategies are needed to optimise the distribution of geriatricians across different healthcare settings (acute care, rehabilitation and community clinics). The perspectives of knowledge users on staffing geriatricians in different healthcare settings are unknown. We aimed to understand the acceptability and feasibility (including barriers and facilitators) of implementing a geriatrician-led comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in acute care, rehabilitation, and community clinic settings. Methods: A qualitative description approach was used to explore the experience of those implementing (administrative staff), providing (healthcare providers), and receiving (patients/family caregivers) a geriatrician-led CGA in acute care, rehabilitation and community settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Toronto, Canada. The theoretical domains framework and consolidated framework for implementation research informed the interview guide development. Analysis was conducted using a thematic approach. Results: Of the 27 participants (8 patients/caregivers, 9 physicians, 10 administrators), the mean age was 53 years and 14 participants (52%) identified as a woman (13 [48%] identified as a man). CGAs were generally perceived as acceptable but there was a divergence in opinion about which healthcare setting was most important for geriatricians to staff. Acute care was reported to be most important by some because no other care provider has the intersection of acute medicine skills with geriatric training. Others reported that community clinics were most important to manage geriatric syndromes before hospitalization was necessary. The rehabilitation setting appeared to be viewed as important but as a secondary setting. Facilitators to implementing a geriatrician-led CGA included (i) a multidisciplinary team, (ii) better integration with primary care, (iii) a good electronic patient record system, and (iv) innovative ways to identify patients most in need of a CGA. Barriers to implementing a geriatrician-led CGA included (i) lack of resources or administrative support, (ii) limited team building, and (iii) consultative model where recommendations were made but not implemented. Conclusions: Overall, participants found CGAs acceptable yet had different preferences of which setting to prioritise staffing if there was a shortage of geriatricians. The main barriers to implementing the geriatrician-led CGA related to lack of resources. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the historic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on turnover rates among staff in community mental health and substance use organizations in the United States. While existing literature extensively covers turnover in physical healthcare settings, the mental health and substance use sector's unique challenges have received less attention. The study utilizes a six-year dataset from a large multi-service organization in the northeast to analyze turnover patterns before, during, and after the pandemic. Key findings include a spike in turnover during the pandemic, particularly in Hospital Diversion Programs, and significant variations by age and gender. Despite the pandemic not significantly affecting overall turnover rates, the results offer insights into specific groups at risk for turnover, such as staff under 29 years old. The study concludes by discussing the implications for targeted retention strategies, especially as mental health organizations nationwide adopt the Certified Community Behavioral Health Center model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medication errors cause adverse events; however, studies have yet to examine medication errors related to nursing hours while considering ward characteristics in Japan. Purpose: This study investigated medication errors caused by nurses to quantitatively assess ward activity as busyness in nursing duties. Methods: This study considered patients hospitalized in the general wards of 10 National Hospital Organization institutions between April 2019 and March 2020. The study data were obtained from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination system, incident report system, and reports on nurse staffing and work hours. Data for 27,629 ward days with 88,475 patients were analyzed. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the impact of factors on medication errors. Results: The mean patient age was 71.43 years (SD = 15.08). The medication error rate in nursing wards was 13.71%. The mean nursing time per patient during day shift was 1.95 h (SD = 0.58) in the non-medication error group and 2.06 h (SD = 0.58) in the medication error group (p < 0.01). The nursing time per patient in the medication error group compared to that in the non-medication error group had an odds ratio of 1.31 (p < 0.01) during day shifts. Conclusions/Implications for practice: Contrary to evidence, the results showed that medication errors caused by nurses related to increased nurse time with patients during day shifts. Further investigation is needed on the relationship of busyness with nursing duties to ensure an adequate nurse–patient ratio, nursing time, and improved patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate a causal relationship between mental health staffing and time to initiation of mental health care for new patients. Data Sources and Study Setting: As the largest integrated health care delivery system in the United States, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides a unique setting for isolating the effects of staffing on initiation of mental health care where demand is high and out‐of‐pocket costs are not a relevant confounder. We use data from the Department of Defense and VHA to obtain patient and facility characteristics and health care use. Study Design: To isolate exogenous variation in mental health staffing, we used an instrumental variables approach—two‐stage residual inclusion with a discrete time hazard model. Our outcome is time to initiation of mental health care after separation from active duty (first appointment) and our exposure is mental health staffing (standardized clinic time per 1000 VHA enrollees per pay period). Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Our cohort consists of all Veterans separating from active duty between July 2014 and September 2017, who were enrolled in the VHA, and had at least one diagnosis of post‐traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and/or substance use disorder in the year prior to separation from active duty (N = 54,209). Principal Findings: An increase of 1 standard deviation in mental health staffing results in a higher likelihood of initiating mental health care (adjusted hazard ratio: 3.17, 95% confidence interval: 2.62, 3.84, p < 0.001). Models stratified by tertile of mental health staffing exhibit decreasing returns to scale. Conclusions: Increases in mental health staffing led to faster initiation of care and are especially beneficial in facilities where staffing is lower, although initiation of care appears capacity‐limited everywhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing patient experience is a priority in the health care system. Hospital Consumer Assessment of Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results incentivize hospitals to elevate patient experience, a factor in patient-centered care. Although hospital nursing resources have been positively associated with better HCAHPS ratings, it is unknown how changes in nursing resources are associated with changes in HCAHPS ratings over time. This two-period longitudinal study ranked the associations between changes in nurse staffing, skill mix, nurse education, and work environment on HCAHPS ratings and found that changes in the work environment had the strongest associations (β = 2.29; p <.001) with improved HCAHPS ratings. Our findings provide hospital administrators with empirical evidence that may help make informed decisions on how to best invest limited resources to improve HCAHPS ratings, including the potential utility of improving the work environment through enhancing Nursing Quality of Care and Nurse Participation in Hospital Affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Scandinavian states' staffing of middle and senior‐ranking positions within the United Nations (UN)‐system, in comparison to other members of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is true that the Scandinavian states are overrepresented per the size of their population in both staffing categories; however, when it comes to a comparison of financial contributions to the UN regular budget, the three states are underrepresented compared to the rest of the OECD in staffing funded by that mechanism. Yet, the strong reputation of the Scandinavian states and their practitioners has still enabled them to disproportionately staff senior UN positions. To explain this, this paper utilises Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of capital, field, and habitus to explain how the three states' reputation within the UN‐system gives them an advantage in staffing senior positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When managing resource flexibility in service systems, the conventional wisdom is that server flexibility is beneficial due to the resource pooling effect. However, in practice, flexibility often incurs some additional costs, which makes how much flexibility is optimal and how to best utilize the flexible resource a nontrivial question. In this paper, we study the joint staffing and scheduling problem in service systems with two classes of customers and dedicated and flexible servers. The specific feature we consider is that the flexible server may incur a higher staffing cost or a loss of efficiency. We study how flexibility is best utilized in two scenarios: one with deterministic arrival rates and the other with random/uncertain arrival rates. We utilize a heavy-traffic asymptotic framework to develop structural insights. Our results show that the size of the flexible server pool is of a smaller order than the size of the dedicated server pools, and the flexible servers are mostly used to hedge against system stochasticity or demand uncertainty, depending on which source of randomness dominates. The proposed staffing and scheduling policies are easy to implement and achieve near-optimal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists (ARCS) has long promoted the importance of externally accredited training and assessment of scientific staff within assisted conception centres to ensure professional registration and relevant training at all levels. This not only gives scientific staff the opportunity to empower themselves but also acts to ensure assisted conception centres maintain the highest standards of care and quality for patients whilst meeting HFEA requirements for staffing and training. It also provides assurance to patients that treatment is being delivered by highly trained and competent staff. Clinical embryology practice requires intense concentration, with increasingly complex treatment plans and options coupled with the ever-present consequences of clinical error at the forefront of practitioners' minds, exhaustion and burn out are very real risks. Overloading embryology teams is likely to lead to increased error rates and serious incidents. This guideline aims to bring the sector in line with other Clinical Science specialities to optimise patient care, increase safety, reduce risk (including the risk of legal action against centres and individuals), ensure the use of recognised job titles with appropriate levels of remuneration, and provide centres with a template to work towards for appropriate levels of scientific staffing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of placing a patient on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is complex and requires the activation and coordination of numerous personnel from a variety of disciplines to achieve procedural success, initiate flow, and subsequently monitor the patient's condition. The literature suggests that nighttime cannulation for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is associated with adverse outcomes compared to daytime cannulation. Given the strain on personnel that this process can create, it is plausible that patients who are initiated on VA-ECMO for non-ECPR indications during the nighttime and on weekends, which are generally periods with reduced staffing compared to weekday daytime hours, also may experience worse outcomes, including decreased survival. This study aimed to determine whether nighttime/weekend VA-ECMO cannulation is associated with worse outcomes, including decreased survival. Retrospective cohort study Large quaternary academic medical center Patients VA-ECMO cannulation during the day versus night/weekends We performed a retrospective review of patients at a single center who underwent VA-ECMO cannulation between 2011 and 2021. The 468 patients included 158 patients (33.8%) in the daytime cannulation cohort and 310 (66.2%) in the nighttime/weekend cannulation cohort. Nighttime and weekend VA-ECMO cannulations were not associated with increased 1-year mortality (64.2% vs 60.1%; p = 0.42) or with increased use of renal replacement therapy (25.4% vs 22.2%; p = 0.49). We conclude that nighttime and weekend VA-ECMO cannulations can be performed safely at a large academic medical center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To compare nurse work hours and nursing activities between high‐staffed and low‐staffed general wards to examine the effects of increased staffing on nurse workload and nursing care. Design: A secondary analysis was conducted using cross‐sectional data collected at a tertiary teaching hospital in South Korea in January 2020. Methods: Nursing activities provided by 350 nurses were observed every 10 min during their shifts for three observation days in four high‐ and four low‐staffed wards. Nurse‐to‐patient ratios, nurse work hours, nursing activities and the composition of nursing hours (direct care, indirect care and associated work) were analysed. Results: After excluding non‐productive personal time, nurses in the low‐staffed wards worked 9.28 h, which indicates 1.28 h of overtime work on average, while the high‐staffed wards recorded 7.90 h of productive work time. The nurse‐to‐patient ratio in the high‐staffed wards was 1:4.73, whereas that in the low‐staffed wards was 1:8.87. The proportion of direct care hours out of nurse work hours was higher in the low‐staffed wards (30.9%) than in the high‐staffed wards (25.7%). Nurses in the low‐staffed wards provided a greater number of direct care hours, and the largest difference in direct care hours between the two groups was found on night shifts. Nurses in the high‐staffed wards spent more time communicating with patients and charting, whereas nurses in the low‐staffed wards spent more time on vital signs and medications. Conclusion: Improved staffing had positive impacts on patients and nurses. Patients benefited from better staffing through increased communication with nurses. Better staffing also reduced overtime work and activities conducted during night shifts. Implications for the Profession and Patient Care: Adequate staffing is essential to improve patient care quality and reduce nurse workload. Nursing activities must be prioritised and redesigned to maximise the benefits of increased staffing on patient and nurse outcomes. Reporting Method: We have adhered to the STROBE reporting guidelines. No Patient or Public Contribution: The aim of this study was to compare nurse work hours and nursing activities between high‐staffed and low‐staffed wards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creative economies contribution to the total gross domestic product of countries has been analyzed. Issues have been identified in students preparation in higher education institutions in terms of creative competencies formation, considering existing market features and challenges. Creative economy market analysis has been carried out, as a result of which a shortage of qualified specialists has been found. The relevance of the issue of forming creative competencies among future specialists has been substantiated, considering current requirements and recommendations of industry enterprises representatives. A solution to the issue of personnel shortage has been proposed based on implementation of new and processing existing educational approaches, considering the digital transformation trends in the Russia. The digital transformation impact on a future specialist’s competencies, considering the industry demands, has been established. The necessity of changing the traditional approach to organizing educational process in the context of the post-industrial information society is substantiated. A new approach to the development of creative abilities and the effective use of the creative potential of students of educational institutions of higher education has been proposed. The key competencies of management personnel have been systematized. Based on an expert assessment, the key creative skills of a manager in the era of digital transformation have been identified. Priority tasks have been identified, the solution of which will contribute to forming an effective system of creative training of managerial personnel.

Abstract Background With a shortage of geriatricians and an aging population, strategies are needed to optimise the distribution of geriatricians across different healthcare settings (acute care, rehabilitation and community clinics). The perspectives of knowledge users on staffing geriatricians in different healthcare settings are unknown. We aimed to understand the acceptability and feasibility (including barriers and facilitators) of implementing a geriatrician-led comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in acute care, rehabilitation, and community clinic settings. Methods A qualitative description approach was used to explore the experience of those implementing (administrative staff), providing (healthcare providers), and receiving (patients/family caregivers) a geriatrician-led CGA in acute care, rehabilitation and community settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Toronto, Canada. The theoretical domains framework and consolidated framework for implementation research informed the interview guide development. Analysis was conducted using a thematic approach. Results Of the 27 participants (8 patients/caregivers, 9 physicians, 10 administrators), the mean age was 53 years and 14 participants (52%) identified as a woman (13 [48%] identified as a man). CGAs were generally perceived as acceptable but there was a divergence in opinion about which healthcare setting was most important for geriatricians to staff. Acute care was reported to be most important by some because no other care provider has the intersection of acute medicine skills with geriatric training. Others reported that community clinics were most important to manage geriatric syndromes before hospitalization was necessary. The rehabilitation setting appeared to be viewed as important but as a secondary setting. Facilitators to implementing a geriatrician-led CGA included (i) a multidisciplinary team, (ii) better integration with primary care, (iii) a good electronic patient record system, and (iv) innovative ways to identify patients most in need of a CGA. Barriers to implementing a geriatrician-led CGA included (i) lack of resources or administrative support, (ii) limited team building, and (iii) consultative model where recommendations were made but not implemented. Conclusions Overall, participants found CGAs acceptable yet had different preferences of which setting to prioritise staffing if there was a shortage of geriatricians. The main barriers to implementing the geriatrician-led CGA related to lack of resources. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

Введение:проблема кадрового дефицита в уголовно-исполнительной системе носит ком­плексный характер, требует реализации экономических, воспитательных, организационно- правовых и иных мер. В решении данной проблемы важная роль принадлежит исследованиям различных отраслей научного знания. В частности, прикладным потенциалом обладает психо­логическое изучение кадрового состава с целью определения личностно-профессиональных качеств сотрудников, их профессиональных установок, необходимых для решения сложных задач, стоящих перед уголовно-исполнительной системой. Целесообразна разработка новых подходов к исследованию условий труда и быта квалифицированных работников в современ­ных условиях рынка труда. Цель:изучить представления о профессиональной сфере жизни сотрудников уголовно-исполнительной системы на примере Южного федерального округа Российской Федерации, определить их обобщенный личностный профиль, выявить профес­сиональные установки и мнения относительно индивидуальной профессиональной карьеры и актуальных проблем правового института кадрового комплектования ФСИН России в целом; определить риски потенциальной текучести кадров, произвести их оценку посредством вы­явления признаков, влияющих на данное социальное явление.Методы: теоретический, срав­нительный анализ, онлайн-опрос, статистический метод, метод ранжирования. Результаты: весомую роль играют методики изучения претендента на службу в уголовно-исполнительной системе с учетом современных реалий функционирования исправительных учреждений. Важ­ны своевременная оценка потенциальной текучести кадров, определение признаков, вли­яющих на субъективную установку сотрудника. К числу признаков отнесены гарантированная уверенность в завтрашнем дне, престижность службы в уголовно-исполнительной системе, ее социальное одобрение, конкурентно способный уровень денежных выплат, социальных га­рантий. Необходимо уделять внимание мотивации служения у сотрудников исправительных учреждений, способности выполнять ими миссию по реабилитации и адаптации преступни­ков в социуме.Выводы: эффективность российской пенитенциарной системы должна напря­мую зависеть от решения ключевой задачи - кадрового комплектования учреждений и орга­нов уголовно-исполнительной системы (подбор кандидатов на службу, отбор и расстановка кадров, адаптация, превенция текучести кадров).

Increased engagement of nurse practitioners (NPs) has been recommended as a way to address care delivery challenges in settings that struggle to attract physicians, such as primary care and rural areas. Nursing homes also face such physician shortages. We evaluated the role of state scope of practice regulations on NP practice in nursing homes in 2012-2019. Using linear probability models, we estimated the proportion of NP-delivered visits to patients in nursing homes as a function of state scope of practice regulations. Control variables included county demographic, socioeconomic, and health care workforce characteristics; state fixed effects; and year indicators. The proportion of nursing home visits conducted by NPs increased from 24% in 2012 to 42% in 2019. Expanded scope of practice regulation was associated with a greater proportion and total volume of nursing home visits conducted by NPs in counties with at least 1 NP visit. These relationships were concentrated among short-stay patients in urban counties. Removing scope of practice restrictions on NPs may address clinician shortages in nursing homes in urban areas where NPs already practice in nursing homes. However, improving access to advanced clinician care for long-term care residents and for patients in rural locations may require additional interventions and resources.

Mandated minimum nurse-to-patient ratios have been the subject of active debate in the U.S. for over twenty years and are under legislative consideration today in several states and at the federal level. This paper uses the 1999 California nurse staffing mandate as an empirical setting to estimate the causal effects of minimum ratios on hospitals. Minimum ratios led to a 58 min increase in nursing time per patient day and 9 percent increase in the wage bill per patient day in the general medical/surgical acute care unit among treated hospitals. Hospitals responded on several margins: increased use of lower-licensed and younger nurses, reduced capacity by 16 beds (14 percent), and increased bed utilization rates by 0.045 points (8 percent). Using administrative data on discharges for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), I find a significant reduction in length of stay (5 percent) and no effect on the 30-day all-cause readmission rate. The null effect on readmissions suggests that length of stay declined not because hospitals were discharging AMI patients quicker and sicker, rather, AMI patients recovered more quickly due to an improvement in care quality per day.

Abstract Purpose Minimizing delays in delivering nursing care is paramount for enhancing the overall quality of care. Certain bottleneck variables restrict the workflow of nurses, resulting in extended shift times. This study is designed to pinpoint and analyze the principal factors contributing to bottleneck issues in nursing workflow, to direct improvement endeavors. This study seeks to provide insights into the key variables contributing to nurses’ extended shift times, with the ultimate goal of prioritizing efforts for improvement. Methods A descriptive multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted. A scale was developed for this study by the authors after conducting a literature review, subsequently validated, and its reliability was assessed. Results Among the 31 bottleneck variables, 29 were retained under three persistent bottleneck factors: (1) Nurse staffing— This pertains to the availability of sufficient nursing staff at all times across the continuum of care; (2) Working environment and quality of care—This refers to the availability of necessary skills and resources for nurses to perform their duties effectively and; (3) Medical devices— This factor concerns the availability of fully functional medical devices required for providing care. Conclusion Efforts aimed at enhancing the overall healthcare system should concentrate on addressing persistent bottleneck factors. This may involve the implementation of a healthcare workforce management system, the establishment of standards for a conducive and supportive working environment, and the utilization of a standardized system for the management of medical equipment. The outcomes of this study can be utilized by nurses and policymakers to devise comprehensive strategies for improvement.

AbstractObjectiveMethodsResultsConclusionNeurosurgical care within the NHS has experienced significant shifts since 2000. Although consultant and national training numbers have risen, waiting lists have remained substantially high. This study aims to examine trends in neurosurgical activity at an NHS institution.This is a retrospective study of neurosurgical activity between January 2000 to December 2023 at a single institution. Outcomes included annual inpatient and outpatient caseload, frequencies of cranial/spinal and elective/emergency procedures, staffing and productivity, neurosurgical infrastructure, and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shapiro-Wilk Test, Mann-Whitney U Test and repeated-measures ANOVA were used for statistical significance. Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism were used for data processing.23,141 inpatient and 64885 outpatient cases were included. No significant difference was observed in the cumulative annual inpatient procedures over the study period. A significant increase was observed in the cumulative annual outpatient cases (r = 0.584, p < 0.01) and the proportion of elective surgeries performed over the study period (r = 0.6070, p < 0.01), along with a significant increase in the proportion of cranial surgeries performed during 2019 to 2021 (45.0% vs. 36.3%, p < 0.05). A significant surge was observed in the number of consultants employed over time (r = 0.9884, p < 0.0001), coinciding with significant decreases in annual levels of inpatient (r = −0.891, p < 0.0001) and outpatient (r = −0.933, p < 0.0001) activity per-consultant. No significant change was observed in the number of beds/theatres over time. A significant decrease in annual inpatient activity was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to 2018 (592 vs. 787, p < 0.05). Following the pandemic, there was a significant rebound observed in both inpatient (1342 vs. 787, p < 0.01) and outpatient cases (3712 vs. 2355, p < 0.01), exceeding pre-pandemic levels.Neurosurgical inpatient activity has remained largely stagnant despite an increase in outpatient caseloads, waitlists, and consultant staffing numbers, suggesting the role of other factors including the lack of infrastructural expansion within the NHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aim Design Methods Results Conclusions Reporting Method Patient and Public Contribution Although there has been a significant amount of research on nurse workloads in hospital environments, there has been a lack of comprehensive investigation of the workload of triage nurses. This study assesses the workload fluctuations of triage nurses in various emergency departments in the same region and examines how workload varies based on emergency department visit volumes and seasonal fluctuations.The study is a retrospective, multicentre, observational study from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, in seven Italian emergency departments, gathering information on all patients who went through the triage process.We documented the number of nurses present throughout each shift and adjusted the data to account for the number of patients attended to by each triage nurse per shift. The EDs were classified into high‐inflow, medium‐inflow and low‐inflow categories according to the annual number of patients they served.The study included 1,223,331 emergency department triage assessments. During daytime shifts, triage nurses in high‐inflow emergency departments assessed a median of 74 patients, while those in medium‐inflow and low‐inflow emergency departments assessed 63 and 32 patients, respectively. During nighttime shifts, triage nurses in high‐inflow emergency departments assessed 26 patients, compared to 14 in medium‐inflow and 5 in low‐inflow emergency departments. Significant seasonal fluctuations in the workload of triage nurses were observed.This study reveals substantial disparities in the number of patients triage nurses assess, which vary according to emergency department patient inflow volumes and seasonal factors. The findings emphasise the need for more standardised and equitable workload distribution among triage nurses. Future research should aim to establish a systematic nurse staffing model for triage to ensure manageable workloads and maintain patient safety.The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology was used.No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Midwives play a vital role in maternal and newborn care, yet their workload is a multifaceted and dynamic aspect of their profession. Understanding the factors contributing to midwives' workload is essential for optimizing their performance, ensuring quality care, and promoting overall well-being. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on midwives' workload. Materials and methods: A systematic search of databases, including Pubmed, Willey, Proquest, and ScienceDirect, was conducted to identify relevant studies published from 2013 to 2023 using keywords related to midwives, workload, staffing, job satisfaction, and burnout. Results: Of the 184 publications identified, 15 were included in this review. Most of these reports synthesize key findings related to midwives' workload, highlighting various dimensions, including caseload, patient acuity, staffing levels, work environment, and job satisfaction. Factors contributing to increased workload among midwives encompass the rising complexity of maternal and neonatal cases, inadequate staffing, long working hours, and organizational challenges. Furthermore, excessive workload has been associated to burnout, lower job satisfaction, and potentially negative consequences for both midwives and the women they care for. Conclusion: Further research and policy initiatives are required to address workload-related challenges, promote midwife well-being, and ultimately enhance the quality of care provided to pregnant women and newborns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Set within the broader employment crisis facing Australian schools, attracting preservice teachers to teach in a regional, rural, and remote (RRR) school community has been a longstanding educational priority. Research has identified the role of placement initiatives, the benefits of preparing preservice teachers for RRR contexts, and the centrality and significance of community and relationships. What is less frequently acknowledged is the role of school leaders in acting as the nexus between preservice teachers and the RRR community. Specifically, how leaders effectively support and enact relationship-based initiatives for preservice teachers. This research explores the leadership strategies of a group of high school leaders--leaders from a large metropolitan Prep-Year 12 College (Brisbane, Queensland) and Far North Queensland. Central to the leadership partnerships is a preservice teacher RRR preparation program facilitated by a Brisbane College via their Teacher Enhancement Centre. In this paper, we report on the strengths of their program in establishing key connections. Implications are drawn in relation to how school leaders connect with other leaders and preservice teachers through the program, and how these connections can support place-based experiences for preservice teachers while concurrently addressing the staffing needs of RRR schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online Learning in Queueing Systems Most queueing models have no analytic solutions, so previous research often resorts to heavy-traffic analysis for performance analysis and optimization, which requires the system scale (e.g., arrival and service rate) to grow to infinity. In "An Online Learning Approach to Dynamic Pricing and Capacity Sizing in Service Systems," X. Chen, Y. Liu, and G. Hong develop a new "scale-free" online learning framework designed for optimizing a queueing system, called gradient-based online learning in queue (GOLiQ). GOLiQ prescribes an efficient procedure to obtain improved decisions in successive cycles using newly collected queueing data (e.g., arrival counts, waiting times, and busy times). Besides its robustness in the system scale, GOLiQ is advantageous when focusing on performance optimization in the long run because its data-driven nature enables it to constantly produce improved solutions which will eventually reach optimality. Effectiveness of GOLiQ is substantiated by theoretical regret analysis (with a logarithmic regret bound) and simulation experiments. We study a dynamic pricing and capacity sizing problem in a GI/GI/1 queue, in which the service provider's objective is to obtain the optimal service fee p and service capacity μ so as to maximize the cumulative expected profit (the service revenue minus the staffing cost and delay penalty). Because of the complex nature of the queueing dynamics, such a problem has no analytic solution so that previous research often resorts to heavy-traffic analysis in which both the arrival and service rates are sent to infinity. In this work, we propose an online learning framework designed for solving this problem that does not require the system's scale to increase. Our framework is dubbed gradient-based online learning in queue (GOLiQ). GOLiQ organizes the time horizon into successive operational cycles and prescribes an efficient procedure to obtain improved pricing and staffing policies in each cycle using data collected in previous cycles. Data here include the number of customer arrivals, waiting times, and the server's busy times. The ingenuity of this approach lies in its online nature, which allows the service provider to do better by interacting with the environment. Effectiveness of GOLiQ is substantiated by (i) theoretical results, including the algorithm convergence and regret analysis (with a logarithmic regret bound), and (ii) engineering confirmation via simulation experiments of a variety of representative GI/GI/1 queues. Funding: X. Chen acknowledges support [Grants NSFC72171205, NSFC11901493, and RCYX20210609103124047]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.2020.0612. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based service providers working with people experiencing homelessness encounter many occupational challenges and high turnover rates are a challenge in the sector. This qualitative study examined the perceived causes and decision paths of turnover among service providers working with people experiencing homelessness in Canada. In-depth interviews were completed with 40 service providers working in homeless service, supportive housing, and harm reduction programs. Thematic analysis and a deductive-based matrix analysis were used to identify causes and decision paths of turnover, respectively. Primary causes of employee turnover included: (1) career advancement and growth; (2) incongruence between providers' needs, values, and work position; (3) mental health deteriorations; (4) organizational stability and support issues; and (5) staff dismissal. Further, two contextual factors – low sectoral wages and a transitory work culture – shaped service providers' occupational experiences and had indirect effects on turnover. Push and pull decisions were the primary paths to voluntary turnover among participants. Overall, the findings highlight that employee turnover often occurs voluntarily when service providers experience unmet occupational or work-interacting personal needs, or want to pursue new career-related opportunities. Practice and policy recommendations, including use of realistic job previews and establishment of workforce development strategies, are made to prevent turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Supreme Court dropped several of its most anxiously awaited and controversial cases during the last week of June 2023. While two of the cases, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis and Students for Fair Admissions., Inc., v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, received most of the press, a third case will likely be the most consequential of the three for the hospitality industry. In Groff v. DeJoy, Postmaster General, the Supreme Court, in a 9-0 decision, rejected a 25 year+ interpretation of a Supreme Court case defining employers' obligations to accommodate religion. Because the Court released its Groff decision during the same week as the release of both 303 Creative and the Harvard cases, Groff was lost in the shuffle. However, we argue that Groff 's imprecise but radical change of what constitutes an undue hardship for religious accommodations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 will create confusion, may cause dissention, and will add to an already difficult labor market in hospitality and other industries. To support our proposition, this article examines (a) the development of religious accommodation law before 1977, (b) the 1977 Supreme Court case that the Groff Court rejected, (c) the subsequent precedent of that 1977 case, (d) the passing and development of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and then, (e) the effect of Groff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study examines Ohio's licensed nursing home administrators and state tested nursing assistant's perspectives about job satisfaction, future career and employment plans, potential beneficial changes to their organizations, and their thoughts on reducing turnover rates in their field. Ohio Board of Executives of Long-Term Services and Supports provided their contact list of all 1,969 licensed nursing home administrators in Ohio in the fall of 2023. Two surveys were created for licensed nursing home administrators and state tested nursing assistants. Results were analyzed for themes within the open-ended responses; 28 surveys were received from licensed nursing home administrators and 17 surveys were received from state tested nursing assistants. Residents and their families are among the top reasons for job satisfaction, many employees face symptoms of burnout, and wages are a concern among both state tested nursing assistants and licensed nursing home administrators. Future career plans differed between the two professions and had distinct driving factors. A discussion of licensed nursing home administrators' opinions on improving retention and turnover rates should include more accountability, personal responsibility, and adding opportunities for professional growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of cataloguing and metadata policy and practice across Australian libraries was conducted as a follow-up on the author’s 2013 survey. Responses were collected from 86 libraries, including over half the country’s state and university libraries, as well as from 27 public library networks and 31 other types of library. On average, the libraries were spending 27 hours of staff time on cataloguing, although many more libraries reported a decline in cataloguing time than an increase. This trend was due to acquisitions being increasingly covered by record copy, and to competing demands on staff time, with retiring cataloguers not always being replaced. Nevertheless, large amounts of cataloguing, including original cataloguing, are still being performed by professional staff, with increasing attention being paid to making bibliographic access more culturally inclusive. On the other hand, libraries are presently relying on their bibliographic networks to publish their metadata as linked data, and hardly any are planning to move to BIBFRAME, while RDA’s ‘official toolkit’ is also proving problematic for some libraries. It is suggested that cataloguing in Australian libraries may be prioritised more if their metadata were made more discoverable and more usable by addressing the shortcomings of current systems and standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Centralized scheduling of nursing professionals is regarded as an effective strategy for optimizing workforce allocation and mitigating critical staffing shortages. The aim of this review is to (1) determine the effect of centralized scheduling on unit productivity (ie, overtime, contract labor, and floating), time savings for managers, and staff perceptions and retention and (2) discuss current approaches in the implementation of centralized scheduling in inpatient hospital settings. Methods: This rapid review of the evidence follows methodological guidance from the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group. Four electronic bibliographic databases were searched for research published from 2013 to 2023. A total of 446 articles were identified and screened, with a total of 12 articles included. Studies and reports were included if they addressed the operational question and were conducted in an inpatient hospital within the United States. Results: Case study reports describe improved labor productivity (ie. less overtime and less contracted labor), more consistently balanced staffing of frontline nursing professionals, less staff reassignment (ie, floating), and increased satisfaction and time savings for managers after transitioning to a centralized scheduling model. These findings were consistent with a computational, experimental study that found centralized scheduling resulted in less labor costs and fewer undesirable shifts from the frontline nurse's point of view compared to decentralized schedul\ng. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Minimizing delays in delivering nursing care is paramount for enhancing the overall quality of care. Certain bottleneck variables restrict the workflow of nurses, resulting in extended shift times. This study is designed to pinpoint and analyze the principal factors contributing to bottleneck issues in nursing workflow, to direct improvement endeavors. This study seeks to provide insights into the key variables contributing to nurses' extended shift times, with the ultimate goal of prioritizing efforts for improvement. Methods: A descriptive multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted. A scale was developed for this study by the authors after conducting a literature review, subsequently validated, and its reliability was assessed. Results: Among the 31 bottleneck variables, 29 were retained under three persistent bottleneck factors: (1) Nurse staffing— This pertains to the availability of sufficient nursing staff at all times across the continuum of care; (2) Working environment and quality of care—This refers to the availability of necessary skills and resources for nurses to perform their duties effectively and; (3) Medical devices— This factor concerns the availability of fully functional medical devices required for providing care. Conclusion: Efforts aimed at enhancing the overall healthcare system should concentrate on addressing persistent bottleneck factors. This may involve the implementation of a healthcare workforce management system, the establishment of standards for a conducive and supportive working environment, and the utilization of a standardized system for the management of medical equipment. The outcomes of this study can be utilized by nurses and policymakers to devise comprehensive strategies for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop a framework for understanding the stress appraisal process among acute care nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design: A secondary analysis of open‐ended responses from a cross‐sectional survey of 3030 frontline, acute care nurses in New Jersey and the effect of burnout during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping guided the study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse 1607 open‐ended responses. Results: Nine themes emerged during the secondary appraisal of stress. Five themes contributed to distress and burnout including (1) high patient acuity with scarce resources, (2) constantly changing policies with inconsistent messaging, (3) insufficient PPE, (4) unprepared pandemic planning and (5) feeling undervalued. Four themes led to eustress and contributed to post‐traumatic growth including (1) team nursing to ensure sufficient resource allocation, (2) open channels of communication, (3) sense‐ of‐duty and (4) personal strength from new possibilities. Conclusion: The COVID‐19 pandemic was a traumatic event for patients and the nursing workforce. Internal and external demands placed on acute care nurses increased burnout, however, a subset of nurses with adequate support experienced personal growth. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Beyond mental health interventions for acute care nurses, organizational interventions such as reevaluation of emergency action plans to optimize resource allocation, and work environment strategies such as improved communication and decision‐making transparency are necessary. Impact: To better understand how frontline acute care nurses experienced stress during COVID‐19, a data‐informed framework was developed that included a primary and secondary appraisal of stress. Themes contributing to distress and burnout were identified, and themes leading to eustress and post‐traumatic growth were also identified. These findings can assist nurse leaders in optimizing strategies to reduce burnout and promote post‐traumatic growth in the post‐COVID years. Reporting Method: No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aims of this study are to examine the trajectories of nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD) over the course of hospitalization according to the patient's length of stay (LOS) and to estimate changes in the total nursing hours during hospitalization, average NHPPD, and the number of nurses additionally required when the LOS was reduced by 1 day. Design: This retrospective longitudinal study analyzed patient data collected from a tertiary university hospital located in Seoul, South Korea. The study sample included 11,316 inpatients who were discharged between September 1 and October 31, 2022. Methods: NHPPD over the course of each patient's hospitalization was estimated using the total score of the Korean Patient Classification System‐1 (KPCS‐1), which nurses evaluated and recorded every day from admission to discharge. The NHPPD trajectories were examined using linear mixed models to analyze repeated KPCS‐1 measurements and control for the effects of patient characteristics. The changes in the average NHPPD when LOS was reduced by 1 day were estimated using maximum and minimum estimations. The impact of a 1‐day reduction in LOS on staffing requirements was calculated as the number of nurses additionally required to work each shift and to be hired. Findings: The average LOS was 5.6 days, and the short (1–6 days) and medium (7–14 days) LOS groups accounted for 78.9% and 14.3% of patients, respectively. The NHPPD trajectories showed a "rise‐peak‐decline" pattern. Patients in the short LOS group received the most NHPPD on day 1 (day of admission) or day 2, whereas the NHPPD for patients in the medium LOS group peaked on days 3–6. After peaking, the NHPPD tended to decrease toward the end of hospitalization, with the least NHPPD on the day of discharge, followed by the day before discharge. When LOS was reduced by 1 day, the average NHPPD was estimated to increase by 7.7–50.0% in the maximum estimation, and 0.9–12.5% in the minimum estimation. In response to a 1‐day reduction, 1.10–7.44 nurses were additionally required to care for 100 patients each shift and 5.28–35.70 additional nurses needed to be hired in the maximum estimation. In the minimum estimation, these values were 0.13–1.85 additional nurses per shift and 0.65–8.90 additional nurses to be hired, respectively. Conclusions: Since NHPPD exhibited a "rise‐peak‐decline" trajectory, reducing the LOS by 1 day was estimated to increase the average NHPPD and lead to additional staffing requirements. The additional nurse requirement for a 1‐day reduction was not constant; instead, it increased with each day subtracted from an already shorter LOS. Clinical Relevance: Sufficient nurse staffing is necessary to provide increased NHPPD as a result of shortened LOS. Changes in the LOS should be considered when determining nurse staffing requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aims to comprehensively examine the employment and practices of embryologists in Japan's assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratories, focusing on the impact of various factors such as ART cycle numbers, add‐ons, and regional differences. Additionally, it seeks to assess the extent to which Japanese ART facilities meet international minimum standards set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Methods: A survey was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 among 621 ART facilities in Japan. The study categorized facilities into five ART cycle groups and compared the number of embryologists across these groups. It also examined the correlation between the number of embryologists, ART cycles, add‐ons, and regional differences. Data were analyzed using linear regression and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: The study's findings revealed a significant correlation between the total number of embryologists at each facility and the ART cycles. Notably, there were significant differences in the number of embryologists across all ART cycle categories. Of the 435 facilities, only 44.6% met the ASRM minimum embryologist staffing requirement. The regression analysis further highlighted the significance of ART cycles and preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies as factors. Moreover, the number of embryologists stationed at urban facilities was significantly higher than at nonurban facilities, indicating a potential regional disparity. Conclusion: In Japan, it was first found that more than 50% of ART facilities do not have sufficient embryologists in place relative to the number of ART cycles. Furthermore, the add‐ons and regional differences affect the placement of embryologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring customer satisfaction is one of the main objectives of a call center. We focus on the question of how many agents are necessary and how they should be allocated to maintain a service level threshold and reduce the expected waiting time of the customers. In this paper, we consider a multistage call center that consists of a front and a back office, impatient customers, and an overflow mechanism. Based on the performance evaluation of such a system using a continuous-time Markov chain, a configuration of agents is determined using a binary search algorithm. We focus on structural insights, e.g., convexity conditions, to obtain a quick solution for the staffing problem. Since monotonicity does not always hold, the approach is heuristic. The numerical results show the performance of the algorithm. The influence of the fraction requiring second-level service in the back office and the impatience rate for the minimum number of agents is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workforce modelling for Radiation Oncology Medical Physicists (ROMPs) is evolving and challenging, prompting the development of the 2021 Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) ROMP Workforce (ARW) Model. In the exploration of this model at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, a comprehensive productivity exercise was conducted to obtain a detailed breakdown of ROMP time at a granular level. The results provide valuable insights into ROMP activities and enabled an evaluation of ARW Model calculations. The findings also capture the changing ROMP role as evidenced by an increasing involvement in consultation and advisory tasks with other professionals in the field. They also suggest that CyberKnife QA time requirements in the data utilised by the model may need to be revised. This study emphasises features inherent in the model, that need to be understood if the model is to be applied correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the study was to examine administrative variables and provision of ICT services in Colleges of Education South-South Zone, Nigeria. Four specific objectives, four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 50 staff and 200 students from the population of the study. Two instruments were developed for data collection known as Administrative Variable Questionnaire (AVQ) and Provision of ICT Services Questionnaire (PICTSQ). The instrument was forwarded to three experts in Measurement and Evaluation for scrutiny and vetting to establish it face and content validity. Thirty (30) respondents outside the study area were subjected to trial testing to ascertain the internal consistency of the instrument. Responses obtained were subject to testing using cronbach alpha reliability coefficient. The reliability index of the instruments was 0.82 and 0.78 for administrative variables and provision of ICT services respectively. Simple linear regression analysis was used to test all the four null hypotheses. The findings revealed that there is no significant relationship between funding and provision of ICT, there is significant relationship between staffing and provision of ICT, there is no statistically significant relationship between coordination and provision of ICT and there is no significant relationship between monitoring and provision of ICT services. It was recommended that multiple factors should be use to predict the provision of ICT services in Colleges of Education, South-South, Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that stakeholder in education industries should shift focus from one single factor to multivariate factors in determining the provision of ICT in Colleges of Education South-South Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]