Undergraduate dental sleep medicine teaching at German university dental schools - a questionnaire-based survey.

PURPOSE: Diagnosing and treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) requires fundamental understanding of sleep medicine, including training and clinical experience. So far, dental sleep medicine (DSM) has not yet become a mandatory part of dental education in Germany. This questionnaire-based survey for both lecturers and students aimed to evaluate DSM education among undergraduate students. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was sent to the managing directors and student councils of all 30 German university dental schools. The questionnaire contained 13 questions on teaching quantity and content, lecturers' knowledge, and future interest in DSM. For each university dental school, only one questionnaire should be completed by the student council and the managing director. A scoring system assessed lecturers' knowledge based on clinical experience and qualifications. Descriptive data and correlation coefficients were calculated (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The responses of 24 lecturers (80%) and 28 students (93.3%) could be evaluated. DSM was reported to be included in the curriculum by 14 lecturers (58.3%) and 4 students (14.3%). Mean teaching hours per semester were 1.4 ± 1.4 h (lecturers) and 0.2 ± 0.6 h (students) accordingly. Greater knowledge of lecturers in DSM was positively correlated with the inclusion of DSM in the curriculum (P = 0.022) and with the number of teaching hours per semester (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Postgraduate education and incorporating DSM knowledge into undergraduate education ("Teach the Teacher") seems to play a key role in fundamentally training future dentists in this field.

Structured Online Systematic Review Training for Medical Students: An Elective Module in Physiology.

Background Recently, elective posting has been introduced by the National Medical Commission (NMC) of India in the undergraduate competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum. To successfully implement it in medical colleges, facilitators (medical teachers) need to commit extra time. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of online teaching-learning methods for implementing an elective module for undergraduate medical students at Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India. Methods An online module for systematic review methods was developed using the Delphi method. This module was used to train 30 medical students divided into six groups. One resident and one faculty facilitated each group. After the elective program of 15 days, program feedback and evaluation using the Kirkpatrick model were obtained from the students. Results A total of 30 undergraduate medical students with a mean age of 22.7±0.95 years participated in the study. All of them successfully conducted a systematic review per group. The students' feedback was 86.33% positive, and the project evaluation showed an 84% positive opinion. The highest score was for understanding, facilitators' knowledge, and experience. The lowest score was for the immediate applicability of the knowledge. Conclusion An online systematic review training module can be used for elective teaching-learning for final-year medical students, particularly within limited time and resource constraints. Students appreciated the module's clear objectives, appropriate complexity, and facilitators' expertise, leading to improved communication, engagement, and critical-thinking skills. Despite some limitations, these findings suggest that online learning can complement traditional methods and address logistical challenges in medical education, warranting further research on its long-term impact and broader applicability.

Effectiveness of an intervention program to develop e-cigarette control leaders at the University in Lampang Province, Thailand.

INTRODUCTION: The use of e-cigarettes is increasing worldwide, especially among young adults. Due to the health risks, this study aimed to assess undergraduate students' e-cigarette use and attitudes toward them, and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program to develop e-cigarette control leaders at the University in Lampang province, Thailand. METHODS: Participatory action research (PAR) was conducted among 46 undergraduate students. To assess the situations of undergraduate students' e-cigarette use and attitudes toward them, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 of those students - nine users and nine non-users. The remaining 28 were student leaders who were given questionnaires and took part in focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention program in developing e-cigarette control leaders. Descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to analyze quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis of the content. This study took place at the University in Lampang province, Thailand, in 2023. RESULTS: Regarding the use of e-cigarettes on the part of undergraduate students and their attitudes about their use, the majority of users stated that e-cigarettes were accessible, appealing, and more socially acceptable than conventional cigarettes. However, most non-users cited vapor smell and health impacts as their main reason for not using e-cigarettes. The intervention program to develop leaders in e-cigarette control could significantly enhance the leaders' knowledge (p<0.001) and attitude regarding e-cigarettes (p=0.001). After their anti-e-cigarette campaign, the soft skills and managerial abilities of the leaders in e-cigarette control improved, and the knowledge and attitude regarding e-cigarettes of undergraduate students who attended the campaign also increased. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention program to develop leaders in e-cigarette control resulted in positive outcomes. This program could enhance the leaders' knowledge and attitude regarding e-cigarettes. Their soft skills and managerial abilities in e-cigarette control also improved.

Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, and dental education: Implications for reflective assignments and qualitative research.

INTRODUCTION: Reflections enable students to gain additional value from a given experience. The use of Chat Generative Pre-training Transformer (ChatGPT, OpenAI Incorporated) has gained momentum, but its impact on dental education is understudied. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether or not university instructors can differentiate reflections generated by ChatGPT from those generated by students, and to assess whether or not the content of a thematic analysis generated by ChatGPT differs from that generated by qualitative researchers on the same reflections. METHODS: Hardcopies of 20 reflections (10 generated by undergraduate dental students and 10 generated by ChatGPT) were distributed to three instructors who had at least 5 years of teaching experience. Instructors were asked to assign either 'ChatGPT' or 'student' to each reflection. Ten of these reflections (five generated by undergraduate dental students and five generated by ChatGPT) were randomly selected and distributed to two qualitative researchers who were asked to perform a brief thematic analysis with codes and themes. The same ten reflections were also thematically analyzed by ChatGPT. RESULTS: The three instructors correctly determined whether the reflections were student or ChatGPT generated 85% of the time. Most disagreements (40%) happened with the reflections generated by ChatGPT, as the instructors thought to be generated by students. The thematic analyses did not differ substantially when comparing the codes and themes produced by the two researchers with those generated by ChatGPT. CONCLUSIONS: Instructors could differentiate between reflections generated by ChatGPT or by students most of the time. The overall content of a thematic analysis generated by the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT did not differ from that generated by qualitative researchers. Overall, the promising applications of ChatGPT will likely generate a paradigm shift in (dental) health education, research, and practice.

Pain tolerance as a 'barrier' to nonsuicidal self-injury: A longitudinal study.

Theoretical perspectives underscore that low pain tolerance may be a relevant 'barrier' to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, there is limited longitudinal work on the link between pain tolerance and NSSI, which is needed to assess if pain tolerance precedes NSSI engagement, and/or if NSSI precedes altered pain tolerance. Further, assessing both NSSI frequency and versatility (or number of NSSI methods), in addition to engagement, can provide a more nuanced understanding of the influence of pain on NSSI severity. In the present study, 1125 undergraduate students at a large university (72 % female, Mage = 17.96) reported on their NSSI frequency, NSSI versatility, and perceived pain tolerance. Four individual regressions were run to examine the potential bidirectional nature of the association between NSSI frequency and pain tolerance, and NSSI versatility and pain tolerance. Pain tolerance predicted both NSSI frequency and versatility over time. Neither NSSI frequency nor versatility predicted pain tolerance. Results suggest that high pain tolerance may be a risk factor for severe NSSI engagement.

Symbolic access: medical students' awareness of institutional culture and its influence on learning, a phenomenographic study.

BACKGROUND: The discussion of access in medical education has its focus largely on physical and epistemological access, leaving a qualitative gap regarding sociocultural factors which enable access in this context. This study introduces and defines symbolic access, a concept with a specific lens on sociocultural inclusion, and the influence it has on student learning within the South African medical education landscape. METHODS: A phenomenographic design was used to explore students' conceptions of symbolic access and its impact on learning. One-on-one exploratory interviews were conducted with fifteen final year medical students at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Interviews were analysed using Sjöström and Dahlgren's seven-step phenomenography model. RESULTS: Four categories of description were induced, which described students' understanding of symbolic access, these were rejection, disregard, invalidation, and actualization. Four dimensions of variation were discovered expressing the diversity of events which informed the collectives' understanding of the phenomenon. These dimensions were; interactions with educators, peer relationships, educational environment, and race. Categories of description and dimensions of variation formed the Outcome Space, a visual representation of the student experience of symbolic access. The outcome space had a double narrative related to symbolic access; exclusion (major) and actualization (minor). Medical student's chief experience within the medical community was exclusion, however clinical immersion, meaningful participation, peer-relationships, and clinical skills lessons facilitated community enculturation, and impacted learning. CONCLUSION: Despite deeply exclusionary experiences throughout their programme, medical students articulated a paradox of both awareness and no awareness of symbolic access. The awareness of symbolic access was predominantly influenced by clinical experiences and clinical immersion during the pre-clinical and clinical years of study. Further, descriptions of valuable learning experiences were connected to clinical events and the involvement with patient care. This study suggests that the actualization of symbolic access and description of meaningful learning experiences are linked. Medical educationalists should design undergraduate curricula with early clinical immersion at the fore and explore symbolic concepts pertaining to access, as they are linked to transformative learning experiences for the medical student.

Virtual reality experiential learning improved undergraduate students' knowledge and evaluation skills relating to assistive technology for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

BACKGROUND: The aging population has caused assistive technology (AT) to receive attention. Thus, ensuring accurate user comprehension of AT has become increasingly crucial, and more specialized education for students in relevant fields is necessary. The goal of this study was to explore the learning outcomes in the context of AT for older adults and individuals with disabilities through the use of VR experiential learning. METHODS: A parallel-group design was used. Sixty third-year university students studying gerontology and long-term-care-related subjects in Taiwan were enrolled, with the experimental (VR) and control (two-dimensional [2D] video) groups each comprising 30 participants. Both groups received the same 15-minute lecture. Subsequently, the experimental group received experiential learning through a VR intervention, whereas the control group watched a 2D video to learn. The students' knowledge of AT was assessed using a pretest and posttest. Additionally, their skills in evaluation of residential environments were assessed using the Residential Environment Assessment (REA) Form for Older Adults. All data analyses were performed with SPSS version 22. RESULTS: In the posttest conducted after the intervention, the experimental group exhibited a significant 20.67 point improvement (p < 0.05), whereas the control group only exhibited improvement of 3.67 points (p = 0.317). Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated a significantly higher score (+ 2.17 points) on the REA Form for Older Adults than did the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: VR experiential learning can significantly improve undergraduate students' knowledge and evaluation skills in relation to AT for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Supporting learners in prison healthcare work-integrated learning settings through simulation: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students and nurse preceptors indicate that a comprehensive orientation is vital to successful work-integrated learning placements in Prison Health Services. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate a Prison Health Service orientation package that included innovative asynchronous online video simulations with branched decision-making and feedback opportunities to stimulate learning and improve students' feelings of preparedness for a placement in this setting. METHODS: A cross-sectional pre and post design was used to evaluate the resource. Students were given access to the package and invited to complete a pre-placement survey evaluating the resource and their feelings of preparedness for placement. Following placement, they re-evaluated the resource in terms of how well it prepared them for the placement and how well prepared they felt. Third year Australian undergraduate nursing students from one university who completed a Prison Health Service work-integrated learning placement in 2018, 2021, and 2022 were invited to participate. Placements were unavailable in 2019 and 2020. Independent t-tests were used to determine differences in scale means and level of preparedness between pre- and post-survey responses. RESULTS: Twenty-three of 40 (57.5%) eligible nursing students completed the pre-placement survey and 13 (32.5%) completed the post placement survey. All respondents to the pre-placement survey indicated that they felt satisfactorily, well, or very well prepared after completing the orientation package prior to their clinical placement. Students were significantly more likely to consider themselves well prepared by the package after they had attended placement (p < .001). All students post placement indicated that overall, the simulation resources and the specific simulation scenario about personal boundaries and management of manipulative behaviours was useful for their placement. The majority of students would recommend the orientation package to other students. Suggestions for improvement included streamlining the resource to reduce the time to complete it. CONCLUSIONS: Asynchronous online simulation with the capacity for branched decision making and feedback along with a comprehensive online orientation package were perceived as useful to prepare undergraduate students for placement in the Prison Health Service work-integrated learning setting.

The Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention on Helicobacter pylori for University Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori infection is widespread and harmful, rendering its eradication a serious public health problem. Undergraduate students' general understanding of H. pylori infection is relatively poor. This was a second-phase research study to evaluate the efficacy of an educational intervention in raising awareness among university students. Methods: A quasi-experimental approach was employed, with 108 undergraduate students at King Saud University as participants. First, during the October 2021 academic year, data were gathered using a validated survey. The survey was divided into sociodemographic characteristics and H. pylori knowledge. Second, we assessed the effectiveness of an educational intervention to increase university students' awareness of the topic. Results: Before the intervention, the percentage of students that had good (9.3%), fair (28.7%) and poor (62%) knowledge of H. pylori infection changed to 55.6%, 41.7%, and 2.8% respectively. There was a significant increase in overall and domain-wise mean knowledge score after the educational intervention (p = 0.001). The pretest knowledge was independent of all socio-demographic variables except "whether or not they had heard about H. pylori infection" (χ2= 8.666, p = 0.013). Conclusion: Educational intervention may help increase students' awareness of H. pylori infections.

Factors influencing Australian nursing and midwifery students COVID-19 vaccination intentions.

Background: Vaccination for COVID-19 has become a cornerstone management plan for many countries. Australian state governments made vaccinations mandatory for all healthcare workers. Despite evidence on the important role vaccines hold in preventing or decreasing serious disease, there have been many nurses and midwives who have demonstrated vaccine hesitancy. This hesitancy has also been present in undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. The aim of this study was to explore factors influencing Australian nursing and midwifery students' intentions towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccine; identify the barriers and facilitators to obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine; and understand students' perceptions of mandating the COVID-19 vaccine and identify any impact on their studies.. Methods: Cross-sectional mixed method study utilising an online survey platform. Data were analysed using binomial and multinomial logistic regression through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. A content analysis was completed for the qualitative data. Results: There were 715 participants and 556 who completed the survey in full. Nurses made up the majority of participants (n = 409), 133 participants were midwives and 30 were in dual nursing/midwifery programs. Education and communication were identified as two major factors that facilitate vaccine acceptance. Conclusions: Vaccines are integral in the prevention of contracting COVID-19 or reducing the severity of the symptoms. However, many nursing and midwifery students have shown reluctance towards getting vaccinated. The mandate to be vaccinated to attend clinical placement has led to the inability of some students to complete their course. The findings from this study are valuable in informing the future COVID-19 vaccination strategies and improving vaccine acceptance. COVID-19 remains a global health risk and therefore further research is needed of vaccine acceptance amongst the future health workforces. It is crucial knowledge for policy makers and healthcare services as they plan for any future pandemics and implement Australia's national vaccine strategy.

Are students performing the same in E-learning and In-person education? An introspective look at learning environments from an Iranian medical school standpoint.

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated medical students' intended learning outcomes based on e-learning and in-person education. METHODS: In this cross-sectional comparative analytical study, a group of 126 undergraduate medical students' intended learning outcomes under two different teaching methods, including e-learning and in-person, were repeatedly measured based on the census sampling method. Participants were in the preclinical curriculum phase (physiopathology) at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), Iran. Due to expert panel opinion, the same medical teachers and similar difficulty of lessons were considered in two investigated academic semesters. In addition, difficulty and discrimination indexes of formative and summative assessments were controlled for two study groups. The students' learning outcome index was the knowledge test scores participants received in the relevant lessons of the General Medicine (GM) curriculum preclinical courses. RESULTS: The findings indicated that students learning outcomes were significantly higher during e-learning than in in-person education for all examined variables (P < 0.05). Moreover, the difference between students' Grade Point Average (GPA) categories among the two groups was significant (P = 0.022). Students with a GPA of less than 14 experienced higher increments in their average scores after the e-learning compared to in-person education. Compared to face-to-face courses, improvements in pharmacology, theoretical semiology, and pathology scores after e-learning courses were statistically significant (P < 0.001). The differences in mean scores related to practical pathology and semiology in the two approaches were not statistically significant, P = 0.624 and P = 0.149, respectively. Furthermore, the overall students' average scores increased significantly during e-learning versus in-person education (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We concluded that e-learning could be appreciated as a successful method of medical education and can be used as an alternative educational method. However, considering the importance of practical or clinical courses in medical education, further research about the efficacy of the e-learning approach is highly recommended.

Prevalence and effects of menstrual disorders on quality of life of female undergraduate students in Makerere University College of health sciences, a cross sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Menstrual problems affect as high as 90% of adolescent females and are the main reason for gynecology visits. Dysmenorrhea was the most frequent menstrual disorder for which adolescents and their parents were referred to a physician. Many undergraduate students are adolescents who undergo several hormonal changes that affect menstrual patterns. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of menstrual disorders and to determine the effect of menstrual disorders on quality of life (QOL) of female undergraduate students at Makerere University college of health sciences. METHODS: A cross sectional study design using a self-administered questionnaire. WHO (World Health Organization) QOL-BREF (QOL-Best Available Reference document) questionnaire was used to assess QOL of participants. Collected data was double entered into EPIDATA, and transferred to STATA for analysis. Data was presented using tables, and analyzed using percentages, frequencies, medians, interquartile range, means and standard deviations, t-test and ANOVA were used to establish statistical significance. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the participants, 275 were included in the data analysis. The median age of the participants was 21 years with range of 18-39 years and interquartile range of 20-24 years. All the participants had attained menarche. Of the participants, 97.8% (95%CI: 95.2-99.0) (269/275) reported some form of menstrual disorder. Premenstrual symptoms were the commonest disorder (93.8% (95%CI: 90.2-96.1), N = 258) followed by dysmenorrhea (63.6% (95% CI: 57.7-69.1), N = 175), irregular menstruation (20.7% (95%CI: 16.3-25.9), N = 57), frequent menstruation (7.3% 95% CI:4.7-11.0, N = 20) and infrequent menstruation (3.3% (95% CI:1.7-6.2), N = 9). Dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms significantly reduced the QOL scores of participants. CONCLUSION: Menstrual disorders were highly prevalent with negative effects on QOL and class attendance. Efforts should be made to screen and possibly treat menstrual disorders among university students as well as to conduct further studies to elucidate more on the effects of menstrual disorders on quality of life.

A cross-sectional study in college-based nursing education: The influence of core self-evaluation and career calling on study engagement in nursing undergraduates.

AIM: To investigate undergraduate nursing students' general study engagement using intra-individual assessment and to evaluate the impact of core self-evaluation and career calling on study engagement. DESIGN: A descriptive and cross-sectional design. METHODS: Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire survey. Four hundred and twenty nursing students from first- to fourth (final)-academic year in Guangzhou Medical University were invited to participate in the spring of 2021. The Cronbach's alpha, one-way analysis of variance, Bonferroni post hoc analysis, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The first- and fourth-year undergraduates showed significantly higher levels of study engagement (first-year undergraduates, 3.52 ± 0.59; fourth-year undergraduates, 3.54 ± 0.64), core self-evaluation (first-year undergraduates, 3.04 ± 0.48; fourth-year undergraduates, 3.11 ± 0.45) and career calling (first-year undergraduates, 3.65 ± 0.47; fourth-year undergraduates, 3.69 ± 0.50) than those of second-year undergraduates (study engagement, 3.32 ± 0.61; core self-evaluation, 2.93 ± 0.52; career calling, 3.41 ± 0.50) and third-year undergraduates (study engagement, 3.16 ± 0.61; core self-evaluation, 2.88 ± 0.50; career calling, 3.34 ± 0.38). The Pearson correlation analysis among nursing students revealed a significant positive correlation between core self-evaluation, career calling and study engagement (p < 0.01). A partial mediation effect of career calling was present in the relationship between core self-evaluation and study engagement.

Analysing the Impact of an Elective Research Experience on Medical Students' Research Perceptions.

Introduction: Physicians are at the centre of bench-to-bedside research, yet the number of physicians engaging in research is declining. One solution to overcome this alarming trend is exposing medical students to research. This study aims to assess the impact of engaging medical students in research, and the feasibility of conducting research solely using online communication. Methods: A pilot elective research opportunity was offered to medical students enrolled to the University of Malta Doctor of Medicine and Surgery course by a resident academic (summer 2021) of the same institute to assess the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Europe. An anonymous survey was distributed to seventy medical students recruited to participate in this elective research project. The data collected was analysed and interpreted. Results: A response rate of 88.73% was achieved. "Career progression" and "lack of time" were the most reported motivating and hindering factors towards conducting research, respectively, before engaging in a research experience. Research experience helped overcome reported barriers (p < 0.01), while also challenging students' perceptions towards research. An increase in positive perceptions towards research was observed after conducting research. An overwhelming majority (90.47%) of participants reported that mentorship played an influential role in their overall experience, and 95.24% commented that they would like research opportunities to be made available by their faculty. Discussion and Conclusion: Giving students the opportunity to conduct research demonstrated how research experience improves students' soft skills and the understanding of research. This study also portrayed how remote research opportunities are effective in engaging students and increased the number of students who would consider a career in research. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-023-01727-w.

North American Undergraduate Students' Sexual Orientation Beliefs: Exploring Differences across Diverse Sexual and Gender Identities.

Societal beliefs about various aspects of sexual orientation have been shown to influence whether people have discriminatory or supportive attitudes toward diverse sexual orientations. The overall aim of this study is to measure the beliefs about sexual orientation among a diverse sample of university students from two institutions in Canada and the United States of America. Specifically, we explored how beliefs varied among individuals with differing sexual orientations and gender identities, while controlling for cultural differences. A total of 475 participants completed an online survey comprising of the Sexual Orientations Beliefs Scale (SOBS). ANCOVAs revealed that sexual orientation was a significant factor for all four subscales of the SOBS (naturalness, homogeneity, informativeness, and discreteness). Sexual orientation was the most significant predictor of endorsing different sexual orientation beliefs. We found a significant interaction between gender and sexual orientation, revealing that perceptions of sexual orientation differ between straight-identified men and straight women.

Exploring clinical learning experiences of novice physiotherapy students in a hospital setting.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to clinical practice experiences ensures undergraduate physiotherapy students meet the clinical competencies required to graduate as autonomous practitioners. Much of the research literature has investigated the clinical experiences of medical students. While recent studies have explored physiotherapy students' experiences with simulation, few have explored their perspectives of a clinical placement in a hospital setting at the early learning stage of a four-year programme. OBJECTIVE: To explore the perspectives of novice undergraduate physiotherapy students on a clinical placement in a real hospital setting. METHODS: Fifteen Year 3 undergraduate physiotherapy students participated in semi-structured interviews midway through a three-week tertiary care clinical placement. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged: 1) student attributes affecting placement experience; 2) impact of the educator on student experience; and 3) effects of the clinical environment on student experiences. CONCLUSION: The real clinical environment promotes a rich learning experience for students, while the clinical educator is pivotal to guiding student learning through provision of resources and feedback. Provision of early orientation and timely clarification of expectations is important to alleviate anxiety and allow students to prepare themselves.

The introduction of registered undergraduate students of midwifery in a tertiary hospital: Experiences of staff, supervisors, and women.

BACKGROUND: The Registered Undergraduate Student of Midwifery (RUSOM) workforce model provides final year midwifery students an opportunity of paid employment and gain experience as an assistant to midwives. A RUSOM supports the work of midwives by providing care to women and their newborns. Little is known about how the RUSOM role impacts the range of stakeholders in maternity care settings. AIM: To evaluate the acceptability of the RUSOM role, how it is experienced by staff and women, and its impact on quality of care. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach including 9 qualitative focus groups (n = 41) and 4 descriptive surveys (n = 135) was used. FINDINGS: The introduction of the RUSOM role has numerous benefits for the service, midwifery staff, women, and the RUSOM themselves. The RUSOM relieved the burden on the postnatal ward, giving midwives more time to work at their higher end of scope in direct clinical care. Having a clear scope of practice for the role ensured there were clear boundaries between the RUSOM and the midwife, resulting in the positive satisfaction for the maternity services team and women in their care. DISCUSSION: Employing RUSOM staff has both immediate and long-term benefits for maternity services. The role had the potential to improve the professional development of upcoming midwives, leading to high quality and experienced graduates that are an invaluable asset to a maternity service. CONCLUSION: The positive outcome from this evaluation provides evidence for the expansion of the RUSOM model which can enhance the quality of care for women.

Meaning in life among Chinese undergraduate students in the post-epidemic period: A qualitative interview study.

Background: COVID-19 epidemic has lasted for nearly 3 years, and revolutionized social life. In the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese undergraduate students to explore their understanding and experience of meaning in life. Meaning of life is interpreted from four aspects: life goals, life value, life enthusiasm, and life freedom. These four aspects are independent yet interrelated. Based on the free grasp of life, individuals explore and pursue the true meaning of life goals, acquire life value in evaluating the completion of life goals, and subsequently experience enthusiasm for life. Life enthusiasm and the perception of life value can help individuals to further understand and possess their meaning of life. Materials and methods: The present study adopts the qualitative method to understand the experience of meaning in life among Chinese undergraduate students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and six people participated the study. The Grounded Theory was adopted to analyze the qualitative data. Results: (1) Chinese undergraduates had clear life goals and obtained a certain sense of achievement and satisfaction when striving for these goals. (2) The life value of Chinese undergraduates was mainly to their families, but there was also a willingness to make due contributions to the country and society. (3) Chinese undergraduates' feelings about life were polarized, but they all expressed the view of "living in the moment and cherishing the present." (4) Chinese undergraduate students see life freedom as freedom of choice and generally believed that COVID-19 did not restrict their lives very much. (5) Chinese undergraduate students gained a deeper understanding of meaning in life after this major public health emergency.

Competencias sociales, emocionales e interculturales como parte fundamental del perfil integral de estudiantes de pregrado / Social, Emotional, and Intercultural (SEI) Competences as a Fundamental Part of the Integral Profile of Undergraduate Students

Resumen En el perfil profesional de los programas educativos de todas las disciplinas se señala que las competencias de los estudiantes universitarios tendrán que reflejar sus conocimientos, capacidades y habilidades para operar en un mundo más interconectado globalmente. Las competencias Sociales y Emocionales, como parte fundamental del ser y de la memoria social dan a los estudiantes de pregrado un punto de partida para su formación y al mismo tiempo influye en la constitución de la inteligencia Intercultural que le permitirá al futuro profesional desempeñarse en un contexto global, como parte fundamental del perfil integral.

Abstract: In the professional profile of educational programs of all disciplines, it is pointed out that the competences of undergraduate students will have to reflect their knowledge, abilities, and skills to operate in a more globally interconnected world. The Social and Emotional competences, as a fundamental part of the being and of the social memory give undergraduate students a starting point for their formation, and at the same time, influence the constitution of Intercul tural intelligence that will allow the future professional to perform in a global context, as a fundamental part of the integral profile.

The Daily Rhythmic Changes of Undergraduate Students' Emotions: An Analysis Based on Tencent Tweets.

Emotional stability is of great importance for undergraduates and has significant predictive power for mental health. Emotions are associated with individuals' daily lives and routines. Undergraduates commonly post their opinions and feelings on social networks, providing a huge amount of data for studying their emotional states and rhythms. Based on the construction of the emotion dictionary of undergraduates' Tencent tweets (TTs)-a social network for users to share their life situations and express emotions and feelings to friends-we used big data text analysis technology to analyze the emotion words in 45,996 Tencent tweets published by 894 undergraduates. Then, we used hierarchical linear modeling to further analyze the daily rhythms of undergraduate students' emotions and how demographic variables are associated with the daily rhythmic changes. The results were as follows: (1) Undergraduates tweeted about more positive emotions than negative emotions (love was most common and fear was the least common); (2) The emotions in undergraduates' tweets changed considerably from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., but were fairly stable during the day; (3) There was a rising trend in the frequency of using emotion words in Tencent tweets during the day as each hour progressed, and there was a higher increase in positive emotion than negative emotion; and (4) The word frequencies and daily rhythms of emotions varied depending on demographic variables. Gender was correlated with the frequencies of gratitude and the daily rhythms of anger. As the grade increased, the frequency of emotion words in most subcategories in TTs decreased and the fluctuation in daily rhythms became smaller. There was no significant difference in the frequency and daily rhythm of emotion words used in TTs based on having had a left-behind experience. The results of the present study provided emotion expression in social networks in Chinese collectivist culture. This study added new evidence to support the notion that positive and negative emotions are independent dimensions.