Letter.

Your story linking 12-hour shifts with sickness absence is an insulting view of the situation.

Impact of VANA academic-practice partnership participation on educational mobility decisions and teaching aspirations of nurses.

This study reports findings assessing the influence of the Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Academy (VANA) academic-practice partnership program on nurse decision making regarding educational mobility and teaching aspirations. We conducted national surveys with nursing faculty from VANA partnership sites in 2011 (N = 133) and 2012 (N = 74). Faculty who spent more hours per week in the VANA role and who reported an increase in satisfaction with their participation in VANA were more likely to have been influenced by their VANA experience in choosing to pursue a higher degree (p < .

Identification of poor performance in a national medical workforce over 11 years: an observational study.

Background: Poorly performing doctors are a source of harm but do not commonly feature in discussions of patient safety. Few countries have national mechanisms to deal with these doctors; most opt for suspension and/or exclusion from clinical practice. This study reports on the 11-year experience of dealing with concerns about doctors' performance in the UK National Health Service (NHS).

Which clinical errors lead to the referral of UK paediatricians to the National Clinical Assessment Service?

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to determine which clinical errors lead to the referral of UK paediatricians to the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS). Data for the 10-year period from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2011 were analysed. Referrals are classified into clinical, behavioural and health related.

The structure of the dental workforce in the 21st century.

Graham Try (page 9) has suggested that the UK is heading towards dentist shortage. This paper picks up the story from there, speculating on how a shortage of dentists might stimulate changes in working methods. The market place will look for workforce configurations which make business sense at practice level and which deliver services in a form which patients find helpful and convenient.

An alarming lack of public awareness towards oral cancer.

Objective: To determine public awareness and knowledge of oral cancer in Great Britain.

Design: The respondents were selected according to a systematic probability sample designed to be representative of all adults in Great Britain (GB). The overall design was similar to previous omnibus surveys carried out by National Opinion Poll (NOP).

A survey of dental professionals' health and well-being.

Past research has indicated that working within dentistry may offer a considerable threat to health. However, no data have previously been published regarding the general well-being and lifestyles of dental personnel. This descriptive study, which was undertaken by the BDA, aimed to examine the self-perceived health and well-being of people working in dental surgeries and to describe their health related behaviours.