Development, implementation and evaluation of an interprofessional graduate program for nursing-paramedicine double-degree graduates

Over the past decade, several Australian universities have offered a double degree in nursing and paramedicine. Mainstream employment models that facilitate integrated graduate practice in both nursing and paramedicine are currently lacking. The aim of the present study was to detail the development of the Interprofessional Graduate Program (IPG), the industrial and professional issues that required solutions, outcomes from the first pilot IPG group and future directions. The IPG was an 18-month program during which participants rotated between graduate nursing experience in emergency nursing at Northern Health, Melbourne, Australia and graduate paramedic experience with Ambulance Victoria. The first IPG with 10 participants ran from January 2011 to August 2012. A survey completed by nine of the 10 participants in March 2014 showed that all nine participants nominated Ambulance Victoria as their main employer and five participants were working casual shifts in nursing. Alternative graduate programs that span two health disciplines are feasible but hampered by rigid industrial relations structures and professional ideologies. Despite a 'purpose built' graduate program that spanned two disciplines, traditional organisational structures still hamper double-degree graduates using all of skills to full capacity, and force the selection of one dominant profession.

The tax treatment of employee stock options : generous to a fault

In the 2000 budgets, both the federal and Ontario governments introduced changes to the tax treatment of employee stock options for the explicit purpose of making their tax treatment in Canada similar to or more favourable than that in the United States. The federal budget added a deferral, similar to that currently applicable to options granted by Canadian-controlled private corporations, for up to $100,000 per year of public company stock options. The Ontario budget introduced an exemption from tax for employees involved in research and development on the first $100,000 per year of employee benefits arising on the exercise of qualified stock options or on eligible capital gains arising from the sale of shares acquired by the exercise of eligible stock options. These proposals reflect the apparent acceptance by the two governments that there is a “brain drain” from Canada to the United States of knowledge workers in the “new” economy and that reductions in Canadian taxes should stem this drain. In the author’s view, the tax treatment of employee stock options, even without these changes, is overly generous. Both the federal and provincial proposals ignore the fact that most employee stock options are taxed more favourably in Canada than in the United States in any event. In particular, most employee stock option benefits in Canada are taxed at capital gains tax rates, whereas in the United States most are taxed at full rates. While the US Internal Revenue Code does provide capital gains tax treatment for certain employee stock option benefits, a number of preconditions must be met. Most important, the shares acquired pursuant to the options must be held for a minimum of one year after the option is exercised. In addition, there are monetary limits on the amount of options that qualify for capital gains treatment. In Canada, there are generally no holding period requirements or monetary limits that apply in order for the option holder to benefit from capital gains tax rates. Empirical evidence indicates that the vast majority of employees in the United States exercise their options and immediately sell the shares acquired. These “cashless exercises” do not benefit from capital gains treatment in the United States, whereas similar cashless exercises in Canada generally do. This empirical evidence suggests not only that the 2000 budget proposals are unwarranted, but also that the existing treatment of employee stock options in Canada is already more generous than that in the United States. This article begins with a theoretical “benchmark” for the taxation of employee stock options. The author suggests that employee stock options should be treated in the same manner as other income from employment. In theory, the value of the benefit should be included in income when the option is granted or vests. However, owing to the practical difficulty of valuing employee stock options, the theoretical benchmark proposed is that the value of the benefit (the difference between the fair market value of the shares acquired and the strike price under the option) be taxed when the shares are acquired, and the employer be entitled to a corresponding deduction. The employee stock option rules in Canada and the United States are then compared and contrasted with each other and the benchmark treatment. The article then examines the arguments that have been made for favourable treatment of employee stock options. Included in this critique is a review of the recent empirical work on the Canadian brain drain. Empirical studies suggest that the brain drain—if it exists at all—is small and that, despite what many newspapers and right-wing think-tanks would have us believe, lower taxes in the United States are not the cause. One study, concluding that taxes do have an effect on migration, suggests that even if Canada adopted a tax system identical to that in the United States, the brain drain would be reduced by a mere 10 percent. Indeed, even if Canada eliminated income tax altogether, it would not stop the brain drain. If governments here want to spend money in order to stem the brain drain, they should focus on other areas. For example, Canada produces fewer university graduates in the fields of mathematics, sciences, and engineering than any other G7 country except Italy. The short supply of university graduates in these fields, the apparent loss of top-calibre academics to US
universities, and the consequent lower levels of university research in these areas (an important spawning ground for new ideas in the “new” knowledge-based economy) suggest that Canada may be better served by devoting more resources to its university institutions, particularly in post-graduate programs, rather than continuing the current trend of budget cuts that universities have endured and may further endure if taxes are reduced.
As far as employee stock options are concerned, if Canada does want to look to the United States for guidance on tax reform (which it seems to do with increasing frequency of late), it should adopt the US rules applicable to nonstatutory options, which are close to the proposed benchmark treatment. In the absence of preferential tax treatment, employee stock options would still be included in compensation packages provided that there were sound business reasons for their use. No persuasive evidence has been put forward that the use of stock options, in the absence of tax incentives, is suboptimal. Indeed, the US experience suggests quite the opposite.

The nature and implications of support in graduate nurse transition programs : an Australian study

It is widely recognized that support is critical to graduate nurse transition from novice to advanced beginner-level practitioner and to the integration of neophyte practitioners into safe and effective organizational processes. Just what constitutes support, however, and why (if at all) support is important, when, ideally, support should be given, by whom, how, and for how long, have not been systematically investigated. Building on the findings (previously reported) of a yearlong study that had, as its focus, an exploration and description of processes influencing the successful integration of new graduate nurses into safe and effective organizational processes and systems, the findings presented in this article strongly suggest that support is critical to the process of graduate nurse transition, and that integration into “the system” is best provided during the first 4 weeks of a graduate nurse transition program and thereafter at the beginning of each ward rotation; that “informal teachers” and the graduate nurses themselves are often the best sources of support; and that the most potent barriers to support being provided are the untoward attitudes of staff toward new graduates. Drawing on the overall findings of the study, a new operational definition of support is proposed and recommendations are made for future comparative research on the issue.

Graduate Nurse Program Coordinators' perspectives on graduate nurse programs in Victoria, Australia: A descriptive qualitative approach

Aims: The purpose of this study was to describe the formal preparation nursing graduates are given throughout their first year of nursing in terms of educational structure and content of work-based year-long graduate nurse programs, from the perspectives of Graduate Nurse Program Coordinators. Background: In Australia, graduate nurse programs aim to provide a supportive learning environment, assisting nursing graduates in applying their theory to practice and supporting them in becoming safe, competent and responsible professionals. Internationally, research has demonstrated an increase in the job satisfaction and more importantly retention rates of newly qualified nurses who are supported in their first year of employment in some type of transition program. Method: Using a descriptive qualitative approach, individual semi-structured interviews were used. These interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed to reveal themes and sub-themes. Results: The interviews provided an insight into the various aspects of preparation that nursing graduates are given in their first year of practice with the main theme to emerge from analysis, nature of transition programs. The three subthemes associated with nature of transition programs consisted of composition of rotations and study days and supernumerary strategies. Findings indicate variation in pedagogical models underpinning graduate nurse programs across Victoria. Clinical rotations varied between three to twelve months, the number of study days offered were between four and thirteen days and there was variation in supernumerary time and strategies within the programs investigated.

eBusiness and information systems : academic programs in Australia and New Zealand in the e-Age

Universities are increasingly turning to ‘fashionable’ education programs to attract bright, high-quality students to both under-graduate and post-graduate degree programs. Traditional offerings in technology areas, such as Information Systems and Information Technology are being augmented by newer, more marketable degrees in areas such as eCommerce/eBusiness. This paper analyses the eCommerce/eBusiness and Information Systems (IS) / Information Technology (IT) academic programs in Australian and New Zealand universities on the basis of Kotler and Fox's service offering model of educational institutions; and considers what differences exist between these two apparently similar areas of academic endeavour. Finally we look at the trends of academic program delivery in the e-age and question whether universities need to take a more consumer-product approach to the issue of attracting appropriate students.

Graduate evaluation of engineering management studies at Deakin University

Australia has long recognised the importance of the inclusion of management studies in undergraduate engineering courses. A survey of recent graduates of the engineering programs at Deakin University was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the management studies in those programs. The survey respondents suggest that those management skills most highly valued by graduates were generic professional practice skills, and that more opportunities to develop these skills in undergraduate studies would be beneficial. Survey respondents suggested the inclusion in the course of more ‘real world’ examples of engineering management.

Online student portfolios for demonstration of engineering graduate attributes

Engineers Australia is the Australian professional body that accredits undergraduate engineering programs. It espouses an ‘outcomes-based’ program accreditation philosophy, but imposes mandatory ‘process’ requirements for off-campus programs that are in addition to the requirements for conventional on-campus programs. The focus on off-campus engineering study raises the question: how can learning outcomes, regardless of mode of study, be effectively measured? The current answer appears to be ‘graduate attributes’. The literature reveals a range of sophistication in approach to graduate attributes from identifying desirable graduate attributes, through to evidence-based certification of individual student attainment of graduate attributes. Many engineering accrediting bodies around the world identify student portfolios as a strategy for demonstrating student attainment of graduate attributes. The increasing use of online technology by students and educators alike, including as part of assessment, means that many of the reported applications of student portfolios are online portfolios. The effectiveness of online student portfolios will depend on them being embedded in day-to-day educational practice, rather than being an optional extra given a low priority by busy students. This paper presents a survey of the related literature and briefly outlines a project in progress at Deakin University to trial an online student portfolio.

A systematic approach to learning aimed at graduate physiotherapists practicing in South West Victoria

Mandatory standards developed by allied health professions for registration and accreditation purposes require continuing professional development (CPD) that can be accessed by all professionals, particularly those practicing in regions removed from the bigger cities. To improve and maintain competencies and standards of care CPD programs need to be accessible and provide opportunities for lifelong learning of efficacious evidence-based intervention. Despite the benefits of CPD, problems reported include access and lack of clarity on the usefulness of CPD in relation to clinical practice. The aim of this study was to develop a CPD program for physiotherapists in the south west of Victoria by employing a systematic approach that included a needs assessment as a vehicle to compose the 2004/2005 program and to optimise ease of attendance, relevance and perceived applicability to clinical practice. The education delivered was purposely in line with the principles of adult learning and presenters were instructed to focus for at least one-third of the workshop time on praxis. This study measured attendance levels throughout the program and satisfaction with the education received in terms of perceived clinical benefits in order to understand the benefits of employing detailed local needs assessments for rural professionals. All workshops and presentations were evaluated with regard to suitability of the venue, presenter style, content, applicability to clinical practice and overall impression by using 7-point Likert scales. Modes and medians both were 7, with seven being rated as highly successful. Attendance was high, 57.2% attended four or more sessions and 68.6% attended at least one workshop in the clinic over the period. In addition, 22.9% attended at least one of the two conducted courses that were held in that period. Although most physiotherapists (68.6%) reported some effect, 20% of the physiotherapists perceived that the CPD program had a large effect on their clinical skills and 29.4% found that patient demand had increased. This paper will discuss the results in light of approaches for allied health workplace learning.

Trends in professional education programs for teachers

Increasingly, politicians, bureaucrats, the business community, members of our communities and even members of the teaching profession, are asking questions about professional preparation for teachers, questions like: What is the value of teacher education? What should beginning teachers know and be able to do? How can we make judgements about what they know and are able to do? How can teacher preparation contribute to the retention of high quality beginning teachers who continue to grow and learn?

In this paper, I examine these issues and examine how effective teacher preparation has attempted to respond to these issues, particularly in graduate teacher education programs. I argue that we need to be cognisant of the following aspects when developing and implementing high quality professional education of teachers:

• Connect teacher education to the first year of teaching;
• Prepare teachers who investigate their professional practice within communities of learners
• Prepare teachers with a strong professional knowledge base that helps them make informed professional judgments
• A cohort model that builds strong relationships and professional networks
• Early, regular and sustained school experiences that systematically build professional knowledge and skill. Closely monitored by suitably qualified university personnel and supervising teachers
• Professional standards for beginning teaching and a capstone teacher performance assessment

Can you teach all of the people some of the time? The development and evaluation of information literacy programs at the University of Queensland Library

Information skills and computer literacy are now seen by many within the academic community as essential. They are key graduate attributes required by students for lifelong learning and leadership roles in business and industry, government and society. Trends in the higher education sector bringing a renewed focus to teaching and preparing students for a global knowledge economy are outlined.

This paper focuses upon the power of a teaching and learning policy framework which supports the integration of information literacy into the curriculum. The increasing ease with which collaborative partnerships are formed between academic planners, course coordinators and librarians is highlighted by case studies of successful programs. Challenges are identified and change strategies described.

The limitations of front-end loading in undergraduate university programs

This paper shows how Mead’s theory of emergence can prove explanatory in how the theory-practice gap is co-created and sustained in front-end loading university programs. Taking teacher education as an exemplar, we argue that the trainee teacher encounters different and oft-times conflicting environmental, social and cultural conditions in the two “fields of interaction” of the training program, namely, on-campus work and in-school experience. The argument draws on interview and focus group data collected via a study of first-year graduate teachers of an Australian teacher education program. We conclude that role taking and self-regulated behaviour within the two environmental fields of interaction in front-end loading programs inhibit the trainee professional from exercising the power of agency to implement theory learned at university in practice in the workplace. Further, we propose that Mead’s theory of emergence proves effective in explaining a major limitation of front-end-loaded university programs.

Mapping WIL activities in the curriculum to develop graduate capabilities : a case study in accounting

Big business continues to request universities to produce graduates who possess both technical and generic skills. Although work-integrated learning (WIL) programs can be used to develop these skills, WIL placements in Australia are undertaken by a minority of students. Perceiving a gap, one Australian university undertook a major WIL revamp to expand WIL offerings embedded within its courses. This required major organizational change that impacted significantly on curriculum design. From a quality assurance perspective, this paper provides an overview of a revised WIL program in the accounting discipline, and discusses the issues and challenges associated with the revised WIL program four years after its implementation. The findings demonstrate that the discipline area has not yet fully met the revamped WIL program as defined by university policy. Recommendations are provided that form a valuable learning tool for educational institutions considering embedding broadly defined WIL within their courses.

Graduate attributes as a focus for institution-wide curriculum renewal: innovations and challenges

Curtin University's Curriculum 2010 (C2010) initiative aimed at ensuring degree programs were excellent and sustainable. Before C2010, graduate attributes were not universally emphasised and indicators showed room for improvement in generic skills. C2010 focused on embedding graduate attributes through three strategies. The first was embedding graduate attributes in degree programs and mapping for constructive alignment of outcomes and assessments. The second strategy was related: programs were reviewed drawing on evidence including perspectives of graduates, employers and program teams on the relative importance of graduate attributes and the extent to which they were generally demonstrated or developed. The third strategy was a university-wide eportfolio system enabling students' self- and peer-assessment of graduate attributes. Since completion of C2010, proxy indicators show improvement. However, this paper highlights the challenges associated with graduate attributes and renewal. These include: academic staff engagement, the time needed for innovations to come to fruition and evidencing achievement of graduate attributes.

The limitations of front-end loading in undergraduate university programs

This paper shows how Mead’s theory of emergence can prove explanatory in how the theory-practice gap is co-created and sustained in front-end loading university programs. Taking teacher education as an exemplar, we argue that the trainee teacher encounters different and oft-times conflicting environmental, social and cultural conditions in the two “fields of interaction” of the training program, namely, on-campus work and in-school experience. The argument draws on interview and focus group data collected via a study of first-year graduate teachers of an Australian teacher education program. We conclude that role taking and self-regulated behaviour within the two environmental fields of interaction in front-end loading programs inhibit the trainee professional from exercising the power of agency to implement theory learned at university in practice in the workplace. Further, we propose that Mead’s theory of emergence proves effective in explaining a major limitation of front-end-loaded university programs.

Graduate teacher preparation for rural schools in Victoria and Queensland

Graduate teachers' preparedness for working in rural settings are mediated by the development of pedagogical expertise, professional engagement with parents and the community, and broader notions of preparation to teach in rural contexts. The Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project is a four-year longitudinal study tracking teacher education graduates in Queensland and Victoria to investigate the effectiveness of their programs in equipping them to meet the learning needs of students in a diverse range of school settings. A sub-set of the SETE data was examined to explore graduate teacher preparation for rural schools, specifically the authors analysed 1,539 point-in-time survey responses (April 2013) and findings from a case study exploring two teachers' transitions from teacher education into teaching positions at a rural primary school in Victoria. The case study is read iteratively with survey analysis to grapple with the issues associated with graduate teacher preparation for rural schools.