Writing grant applications: A practical guide for the novice researcher.

Background: Grants are a vital element in clinical research activities and research careers, unlocking opportunities to delve into an area and make new discoveries. However, securing a grant can be a daunting task.

Objective: In this article, the authors provide guidance for novice researchers regarding the grant application process.

Registrars as teachers: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of Australian general practice registrars in teaching roles.

Background: GP registrars (specialist vocational trainees in general practice) are interested in teaching, and there are considerable benefits to teaching during training. There are, however, significant barriers for registrars as teachers, including inadequate funding, time pressures, and limited teacher training. Current evidence does not include medical educator (ME) perspectives or compare teaching settings (e.

Experienced general practitioners' and practice nurses' views on the older-person health assessment forms.

Objective Health assessments (HAs) are available annually for community-dwelling older people: the 75+HA for non-Indigenous Australians aged ≥75 years and the 55+IHA for Indigenous Australians aged ≥55 years. Medicare requires general practitioners (GPs) to cover the items within the relevant HA form. This study explored the views of experienced GPs and practice nurses (PNs) towards the older-person HA forms.

Recent trends in health assessments for older Australians.

Non-Indigenous older Australians (aged 75+ years) are encouraged to undertake an annual health assessment (75+HA) to identify overlooked medical conditions, holistically assess the management of current chronic conditions and highlight potential risk factors for poor health. Uptake in the 2000s has been previously reported to be slowly increasing, but still very low. This study aimed to identify the uptake of 75+HA between 2011 and 2019, comparing State and National trends over a 9-year period.

Attitudes of general practitioners and practice nurses regarding older person health assessments.

Health assessments (HAs) are available for community-dwelling older people to receive annually from general practitioners (GPs), but have low uptake. Little is known regarding the views of GPs and practice nurses (PNs) towards older person HAs and whether this might contribute to the low uptake. The objective of this study was to explore the attitudes of GPs and PNs towards older person HAs.

What is learned from an Australian older person health assessment?

Objective To examine what new health information is identified at a patient's most recent 75+HA compared with their standard GP consultations in the prior 24 months. Methods Parameters measured included newly identified chronic conditions, new management for previously diagnosed chronic conditions, medication management, referrals, vaccinations, and positive test results for the monitoring of previously diagnosed chronic conditions. A retrospective patient record study collecting data from two GP clinics in metropolitan and regional Victoria was undertaken.

Maternal iodine dietary supplements and neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone in Gippsland, Australia.

Background And Objectives: Pregnant women are at particular risk of iodine deficiency due to their higher iodine requirements. Iodine is known to be essential for normal growth and brain development, therefore neonatal outcomes in mildly iodine deficient areas, such as Gippsland, are a critical consideration. This study aimed to investigate whether iodine supplementation prevented iodine insufficiency as determined by neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) screening criteria.

Conversation Maps and Diabetes Education Groups: An Evaluation at an Australian Rural Health Service.

Objective. The rural Central Gippsland Health Service (CGHS) assists patients with diabetes through the provision of diabetes education. The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the CGHS 5-week didactic program and a modified group-participatory Conversation Maps diabetes education program.

Educators' expectations of roles, employability and career pathways of registered and enrolled nurses in Australia.

In Australia, like other countries, two levels of nurse are registered for entry to practice. Educational changes for second level nurses in Australia have led to questions regarding roles and career options. This paper reports on interviews with nursing course coordinators to examine educator expectations of roles and career pathways of registered and enrolled nurses.

Senior nurse role expectations of graduate registered and enrolled nurses in Australia: Content analysis of open-ended survey questions.

Abstract Changes to educational preparation and scope of practice for enrolled nurses (ENs) in Australia have impacted on role expectations. This paper reports results of a survey of senior nurses in Victoria, Australia, regarding opinions of the differences in role expectation and scope of practice for graduate registered and ENs. Content analysis of open-ended survey questions was used to identify themes in the written data.

Similarities and differences in educational preparation of registered and enrolled nurses in Australia: An examination of curricula content.

Unlabelled: Abstract Background: Variations exist internationally in the types and numbers of nurses registered to practice. Whilst the United Kingdom has phased out second level nurses, countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States have maintained a two level system. In Australia, the two levels of nurse authorised to practice are the registered nurse whom complete an undergraduate nursing degree, and enrolled nurse (EN) whom complete either a certificate or diploma programme.

Senior nurse role expectations of graduate registered and enrolled nurses in Australia: Content analysis of open-ended survey questions.

Abstract Changes to educational preparation and scope of practice for enrolled nurses in Australia have impacted on role expectations. This paper reports results of a survey of senior nurses in Victoria, Australia, regarding opinions of the differences in role expectation and scope of practice for graduate registered and enrolled nurses. Content analysis of open-ended survey questions was used to identify themes in the written data.

Similarities and differences in educational preparation of registered and enrolled nurses in Australia: An examination of curricula content.

Abstract Background: Variations exist internationally in the types and numbers of nurses registered to practice. Whilst the United Kingdom has phased out second level nurses, countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States have maintained a two level system. In Australia, the two levels of nurse authorised to practice are the registered nurse whom complete an undergraduate nursing degree, and enrolled nurse whom complete either a certificate or diploma program.

Comparisons of the educational preparation of registered and enrolled nurses in Australia: the educators' perspectives.

Similar to the U.S.A.

Senior nurse role expectations of graduate registered and enrolled nurses on commencement to practice.

Objective: This paper reports on a project to examine the expectations of senior nurses regarding graduate roles of registered and enrolled nurses educated in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: Participants completed an online survey to indicate whether predetermined competencies were in the roles of graduate enrolled or registered nurses or not in the role of either nurse. Chi-squared analysis was used to identify differences between participant groups.

The changing skill mix in nursing: considerations for and against different levels of nurse.

Aim: To investigate the current literature to gain an understanding of skill mix, why it is being manipulated and how it affects patient care and health-care costs.

Background: Due to workforce shortages, economic constraints and increasing patient acuity, employers are looking at methods of providing patient care whilst maintaining costs. Registered nurses make up a large percentage of the health-care budget.

Compulsory medical rural placements: senior student opinions of early-year experiential learning.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine senior medical student (year 3-5) opinions of their early-year (year 1-2) rural placement.

Design: We assessed the impact of MBBS early-year rural placements through a follow up of this cohort in their later years using a cross-sectional questionnaire.

Setting: The questionnaire was administered to year 3-5 medical students at their clinical school.

Learning styles of first-year undergraduate nursing and midwifery students: a cross-sectional survey utilising the Kolb Learning Style Inventory.

It is important that educators understand their students' learning styles. In this study we investigate the learning styles of first-year undergraduate nursing and midwifery university students and whether these learning styles are influenced by student demographic characteristics. A cross-sectional survey including demographic questions and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory was utilised.

Learning preferences of first year nursing and midwifery students: utilising VARK.

The diversity of first year students is increasing with new schemes promoting access to higher education courses. It is important to assess the learning styles of students in order to cater for their differing learning needs. The aim of this study was to profile first year nursing/midwifery students at two campuses of Australian Catholic University, to investigate their learning preferences and the effect demographic background has on these preferences.

Chronic type 1 diabetes in spontaneously hypertensive rats leads to exacerbated cardiac fibrosis.

Introduction: Diabetes in human subjects is often associated with hypertension. The aim of this study was to examine the development of cardiac fibrosis following induction of type 1 diabetes in genetically hypertensive rats.

Methods: Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) injection in 8-week-old normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) for a duration of 16 or 24 weeks.

Angiotensin II type 2 receptor antagonizes angiotensin II type 1 receptor-mediated cardiomyocyte autophagy.

Autophagy has emerged as an important process in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, but the proximal triggers for autophagy are unknown. Angiotensin II plays a central role in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. In this study, we used angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) and type 2 (AT(2)) receptor-expressing adenoviruses in cultured neonatal cardiomyocytes to provide the first demonstration that neonatal cardiomyocyte autophagic activity is differentially modulated by AT(1) and AT(2) receptor subtypes.

The angiotensin II type 2 receptor causes constitutive growth of cardiomyocytes and does not antagonize angiotensin II type 1 receptor-mediated hypertrophy.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has important actions on the heart via type 1 (AT1) and type 2 (AT2) receptors. The link between AT1 receptor activation and the hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes is accepted, whereas the contribution of the AT2 receptor, which reportedly antagonizes the AT1 receptor, is contentious. This ambiguity is primarily based on in vivo approaches, in which the direct effect of the AT2 receptor and its modulation of the AT1 receptor (at the level of the cardiomyocyte) are difficult to establish.