PLAR in Nursing: Implications of Situated Learning, Communities of Practice and Consequential Transition Theories for Recognition

The under-utilization of recently arrived immigrants is almost an accepted fact in Canada. A persistent problem is the non-recognition of prior learning (e.g. competencies) of immigrant professionals. Based on findings of a research study, the purpose of this article is to examine possible reasons for the non-recognition of immigrant nurses' prior learning in the province of Ontario. The theoretical concepts of situated learning, communities of practice and consequential transition are explored for their relevance to the question, ‘why is recognition so difficult to achieve?’ These concepts coupled with an inductive thematic analysis of prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) candidates' perspectives on nursing, PLAR and their role as professionals are combined to identify possible explanations and their implications. Findings suggest that, in the absence of some form of assessment, transition and recognition process, individuals located outside the periphery of legitimate participation are powerless to negotiate the meaning of their knowledge and skills. Internationally educated nurses who bring competencies acquired in cultures and educational systems unfamiliar to Canadian authorities stand outside the periphery of the nursing community without a place or voice in the discourse. The findings also suggest that if labour force development and professional integration are public goals, the full engagement of the nursing community of practice (including internationally educated nurses and the regulatory body) is necessary for the development of a shared understanding of PLAR, its quality and its outcomes.     

Group Psychotherapy: A Behavioral Approach

Abstract

This clinical report highlights some of the processes arising in a therapy group of persons with persistent and chronic psychiatric illnesses as they cope with the stress of their long–standing therapist’s impending retirement. Members were initially disbelieving that the therapist would leave and were also concerned about their future care, particularly in terms of medications. Gradually they were more able to experience their feelings of loss and their genuine caring for the therapist and the group, using higher level defenses and increasing their ability to tolerate strong affects. They became increasingly able to demonstrate empathy, notably in their ability to consider the therapist’s emotions. The clinical material also illustrates the therapist’s personal involvement, countertransferences and expressions of concern.     

Access to nutritious food,socioeconomic individualism and public health ethics in the USA: a common good approach

Good nutrition plays an important role in the optimal growth, development, health and well-being of individuals in all stages of life. Healthy eating can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. However, the capitalist mindset that shapes the food environment has led to the commoditization of food. Food is not just a marketable commodity like any other commodity. Food is different from other commodities on the market in that it is explicitly and intrinsically linked to our human existence. While possessing another commodity allows for social benefits, food ensures survival. Millions of people in United States of America are either malnourished or food insecure. The purpose of this paper is to present a critique of the current food system using four meanings of the common good--as a framework, rhetorical device, ethical concept and practical tool for social justice. The first section of this paper provides a general overview of the notion of the common good. The second section outlines how each of the four meanings of the common good helps us understand public practices, social policies and market values that shape the distal causal factors of nutritious food inaccessibility. We then outline policy and empowerment initiatives for nutritious food access.     

Book review

Individualizing clinical assessments of the life‐world

Fischer, Constance T. Individualizing Psychological Assessment. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1985, 410 pp.

The body in psychotherapy

Smith, W. L. Edward. The Body In Psychotherapy. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1985, 189 pp., $18.95.     

Performance on the Hamilton search task,and the influence of lateralization,in captive orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica)

Psittacines are generally considered to possess cognitive abilities comparable to those of primates. Most psittacine research has evaluated performance on standardized complex cognition tasks, but studies of basic cognitive processes are limited. We tested orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica) on a spatial foraging assessment, the Hamilton search task. This task is a standardized test used in human and non-human primate studies. It has multiple phases, which require trial and error learning, learning set breaking, and spatial memory. We investigated search strategies used to complete the task, cognitive flexibility, and long-term memory for the task. We also assessed the effects of individual strength of motor lateralization (foot preference) and sex on task performance. Almost all (92 %) of the parrots acquired the task. All had significant foot preferences, with 69 % preferring their left foot, and showed side preferences contralateral to their preferred limb during location selection. The parrots were able to alter their search strategies when reward contingencies changed, demonstrating cognitive flexibility. They were also able to remember the task over a 6-month period. Lateralization had a significant influence on learning set acquisition but no effect on cognitive flexibility. There were no sex differences. To our knowledge, this is the first cognitive study using this particular species and one of the few studies of cognitive abilities in any Neotropical parrot species.     

Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Community-Based Participatory Research to Enhance Mental Health Services

Historically, consumers of mental health services have not been given meaningful roles in research and change efforts related to the services they use. This is quickly changing as scholars and a growing number of funding bodies now call for greater consumer involvement in mental health services research and improvement. Amidst these calls, community‐based participatory research (CBPR) has emerged as an approach which holds unique promise for capitalizing on consumer involvement in mental health services research and change. Yet, there have been few discussions of the value added by this approach above and beyond that of traditional means of inquiry and enhancement in adult mental health services. The purpose of this paper is to add to this discussion an understanding of potential multilevel and multifaceted benefits associated with consumer‐involved CBPR. This is accomplished through presenting the first‐person accounts of four stakeholder groups who were part of a consumer‐involved CBPR project purposed to improve the services of a local community mental health center. We present these accounts with the hope that by illustrating the unique outcomes associated with CBPR, there will be invigorated interest in CBPR as a vehicle for consumer involvement in adult mental health services research and enhancement.