Initiating your coronation

Earning an advanced degree in biomedical sciences can be a challenging experience, and recent data indicate high levels of stress and anxiety among the current generation of learners. We propose here a new illustration for all graduate students to visualize their didactic journey as a coronation process. Before their coronation, trainees must undergo rigorous preparation. During the training, four key attributes, best described by the acronym COST (Credibility, Opportunity, Strength, and Tenacity), are cultivated. Throughout their academic journey, which is a critical period of intellectual and personal growth, the trainees will enhance their understanding of the responsibility of wearing a CROWN, which requires accepting the Cost of earning a diadem, Revolutionizing their thought construct, being Open to innovation and research, acknowledging that Wealth is intrinsically connected to their health, and Never forsaking their aspiration and pursuits. Executing these principles daily will provide a mechanism on which to rise to the stature of achieving individual career goals (i.e., being a Regent of your life). Actualization of this process requires sacrifice, maturity, and a sense of fearlessness. The results of taking this approach will lead to an educational legacy that establishes a pattern of academic success that can be emulated by future learners.

Public Health Graduate Students' Longitudinal Perceptions of Remote Learning Challenges and Career Goals During an Ongoing Public Health Crisis

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic created a shift from traditional face-to-face learning toward remote learning, resulting in students experiencing unforeseen challenges and benefits through participation in a non-traditional mode of education. Little is known regarding the impact that a shift to remote learning may have had on the learning experiences and the career goals of Master of Public Health (MPH) students. A qualitative study was conducted among a convenience sample of MPH students in the US from January to April 2021. The primary aims were (1) to describe salient challenges or benefits of learning that persisted throughout a semester of remote learning and (2) to describe how being in graduate school during the pandemic impacted students' career goals in public health. A secondary aim was to describe students' general feelings regarding their public health education, given their lived experience of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study findings demonstrated that MPH students had mixed perceptions of how a shift to remote learning during a public health crisis impacted their learning experiences and career goals in public health over one semester. Understanding students' responses can guide public health instructors to best prepare trainees to join the workforce during ongoing and future unforeseen public health crises that continue or have the potential to disrupt learning modalities.

Structural relationships among adolescents' peer attachment, career-related self-efficacy, parents' attitudes and health risk behaviours

Aim

This study aimed to determine whether the peer attachment of adolescents, mediated by career‐related self‐efficacy and having parents with positive attitudes, influences health risk behaviours.

Design

A cross‐sectional questionnaire survey.

Methods

This study adopted the secondary data analysis method, using the 2010 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS). The 7th‐wave panel data of 1,932 first graders in high schools were analysed using structural equation modelling.

Results

The final model provided a good fit for the data. Having a close relationship with peers had a direct effect on adolescents’ health risk behaviours. High peer attachment also had an indirect effect on health risk behaviours, mediated by career‐related self‐efficacy and having parents with positive attitudes. Though adolescents with broad and intimate peer relationships may be exposed to more temptations towards health risk behaviours and tend to make riskier decisions, these influences are reduced by being exposed to positive parenting attitudes and having clear, conscious career goals.

It's Not the CSI Effect: Criminal Justice Students' Choice of Major and Career Goals

The media tends to influence public perceptions of the criminal justice system. The media's impact, known as the CSI Effect, is not well documented in criminal justice majors. The present study adds to a small body of literature regarding the impact of media on criminal justice students' decisions, and seeks to identify the factors that influence students' choices, regarding their major/career goals. Based on the results from surveys administered at an urban university in the United States, most criminal justice students reported that they were not influenced by the media, yet the vast majority believed this to be true of their fellow majors. These students chose criminal justice because they found the subject matter interesting and relevant to the real world, and they wanted to work in a field in which they could be a problem solver. Upon graduation, these students overwhelmingly reported an interest in pursuing a career in federal law enforcement. Unfortunately, corrections, a field dedicated to working with offenders, was the lowest preferred profession among criminal justice students.

Individuation in relation to parents as a predictor of career goals and career optimism in emerging adults

The aim of this study was to examine the associations of Slovenian emerging adults' individuation characteristics (in relation to mother and father) with career goals and career optimism. We were interested in contributions of age, gender, certainty of study choice, and individuation dimensions when predicting intrinsic/extrinsic career goals and career optimism. The participants provided self-reports on the Individuation Test for Emerging Adults, the Career Goals Scale and the Career Futures Inventory. The results showed that age did not relate to emerging adults' career goals; however, older students reported lower career optimism than their younger counterparts. Furthermore, certainty of study choice was the most important predictor of career optimism, and, along with gender, of intrinsic career goals. Emerging adults who reported higher connectedness with both parents and self-reliance in relation to mother had higher intrinsic career goals, while self-reliance in relation to mother was positively associated with stronger optimism about an individual's future career. Fear of disappointing both parents significantly contributed to the prediction of extrinsic career goals and optimism, while parental intrusiveness did not add significantly to the prediction of the two measured career outcomes. The study confirmed the correlational effects of positive and negative aspects of individuation on career outcomes in emerging adulthood.

Misalignment of Career and Educational Aspirations in Middle School: Differences across Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status

Misalignment of educational and career goals (i.e., educational aspirations expressed are inadequate for attaining one's desired occupation) is associated with lower educational attainment and a lack of college readiness, and may contribute to persistent educational and employment disparities. Drawing on data from 249 sixth graders in low-income schools, this research examines misalignment between educational and career aspirations across racial and ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Findings indicate that students in low-income schools aspire to middle and upper middle class careers, but sometimes lack an understanding of the educational degrees required to achieve their goals. Latinos are significantly more likely than other groups to report misaligned aspirations, as are students in the free and reduced lunch program and those without a college-educated parent. Consequently, early gaps in misaligned career and educational goals for disadvantaged students may set them on a trajectory that perpetuates educational and occupational inequalities in this population. We discuss the programmatic implications of these findings in light of the elevated college and career planning needs of students traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

Effective time management: surgery, research, service, travel, fitness, and family

Over 1,500 years ago, the St. Benedictine Monks used planning and strict schedules to increase their productivity. Since then, surgeons have developed several different strategies to manage our time effectively. Finding a balance among career, family, and hobbies is essential for maintaining satisfaction and optimizing productivity. Several recurring themes throughout the medical literature offer potential solutions to help maximize the little time surgeons possess. In this article, we will explore some of the methods and strategies available to help surgeons minimize waste and make the most of the most precious commodity we have-our time.

Educational and career goals of pharmacy students upon graduation

OBJECTIVE

To assess the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' desire to obtain additional degrees after graduation.

METHODS

During the spring 2011 semester, an anonymous 14-question survey instrument was administered to students across all 6 years of the PharmD program to evaluate their interest in obtaining an additional degree after graduation. Demographic data was also collected and analyzed from this convenience sample.

RESULTS

Approximately 34% of the respondents (n=1,239) indicated a desire to seek an additional degree. Of the additional degrees offered in the survey instrument, more than one-third of the students expressed interest in the master of business administration (MBA). Also, 79% of those respondents were willing to take summer courses to achieve a dual or additional degree.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacy students are interested in obtaining an additional degree(s) after graduation and are willing to complete summer courses to achieve their career goals.

Influence of social cognitive and ethnic variables on academic goals of underrepresented students in science and engineering: a multiple-groups analysis

This study investigated the academic interests and goals of 223 African American, Latino/a, Southeast Asian, and Native American undergraduate students in two groups: biological science and engineering (S/E) majors. Using social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), we examined the relationships of social cognitive variables (math/science academic self-efficacy, math/science outcome expectations), along with the influence of ethnic variables (ethnic identity, other-group orientation) and perceptions of campus climate to their math/science interests and goal commitment to earn an S/E degree. Path analysis revealed that the hypothesized model provided good overall fit to the data, revealing significant relationships from outcome expectations to interests and to goals. Paths from academic self-efficacy to S/E goals and from interests to S/E goals varied for students in engineering and biological science. For both groups, other-group orientation was positively related to self-efficacy and support was found for an efficacy-mediated relationship between perceived campus climate and goals. Theoretical and practical implications of the study's findings are considered as well as future research directions.