A qualitative study on the working experiences of clinical pharmacists in fighting against COVID-19

Background The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has overwhelmed healthcare systems across the world. Along with the medical team, clinical pharmacists played a significant role during the public health emergency of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore the working experience of clinical pharmacists and provide reference for first-line clinical pharmacists to prepare for fighting against COVID-19. Methods A qualitative study based on descriptive phenomenology was employed with face-to-face and audio-recorded interviews to study the working experience of 13 clinical pharmacists (including two clinical nutritional pharmacists). All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the interview data were analyzed thematically using NVivo software. Results Four themes emerged from interview data, including roles of clinical pharmacists, working experiences of clinical pharmacists, psychological feelings of clinical pharmacists, and career expectations of clinical pharmacists. Conclusions The results contributed to a deeper understanding of the clinical pharmacists’ work experiences in COVID-19 and offered guidance to better prepare clinical pharmacists in participating in a public health crisis.

From the Periphery to the Center: Young People's Agonistic Pathways Towards Higher Education

The present research analyzes the mobilities of young people from the periphery of Rio de Janeiro towards a renowned university situated in a central region of the city. Focusing on a case study with four students, we carried out an in-depth investigation of the dynamics of their professional trajectories. Their personal identifications and values, their future career expectations and the pressures and the demands of attending such a university were investigated. Three focus groups meetings were organized with these students. The results show that the displacement from home to the university, social and racial segregation, and arduous academic demands are factors that pose enormous difficulties to these students and require intense psychological work on their part to persist in their educational investment. Intense conflicts with regards to living up to their ideals characterize an agonistic pathway in their educational endeavor. On the other hand, the prestige of the university, family influence and the belief in upward social mobility were found to support these young people’s decision not to give up. This contradictory dynamic, riddled with uncertainties, mobilizes these young people to find a way to permanently renovate their personal stakes in higher education.

Perceived Parental Expectations and Level of Stress among Adolescents: A Cross Sectional Study at Bagalkot

Background: Parental support is needed for every school student to achieve their academics and career expectations. However, when parents have high expectations rather than support, it would reflect in academics and career expectations of their children. When they could not achieve their parents’ expectations, it prompts stress and impacts their academic achievement and career expectations. Aims: The aim of the study was to find out the correlation between perceived parental expectations and level of stress among adolescents and its association with their socio-demographic variables. Methodology: A structured questionnaire was developed to collect the demographic information, perceived parental expectations among adolescents was measured using structured rating scale and level of stress of adolescents was measured using Modified dave smith’s stress scale from a sample of 100 adolescents who are studying in 8th, 9th and 10th standards of Shri B.V.V sangha`s English Medium High School, Vidyagiri at Bagalkot in Karnataka state India, were selected by disproportionate stratified random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: Majority (48%) of parental expectations of adolescents had high expectations and majority (53%) of adolescents had moderate stress. A positive correlation (r=0.296) found between parental expectations and stress among adolescents. A significant association was found between the perceived parental expectations and birth order (χ2= 13.079; P<0.05) and number of siblings (χ2= 24.637; P<0.05) and a significant association was found between level of stress and family income (χ2= 14.710; P<0.05) and birth order (χ2= 15.416; P<0.05). Conclusion: The overall findings of the study revealed that, there was a positive correlation found between the perceived parental expectations and level of stress among adolescents. Keywords: Perceived parental expectations, stress and adolescents.

Career Strategies in the Context of Personal and Professional Development of Management Personnel

The article deals with the issues of personal and professional development of the management personnel reserve. The authors focus on the problems of staffing the public administration system, primarily the public civil service, emphasize that one of the key issues that directly affect the quality of public administration and the effectiveness of the public civil service is the personal and professional development of management personnel, effective leadership. Based on the analysis of the results of sociological research and statistical data, key problem areas in staffing and the implementation of personnel policy in the civil service, the possibility of implementing personnel strategies are determined. Noting the role of the managerial personnel reserve, the directions for improving the work with the personnel reserve in the context of a personality-oriented approach are substantiated, trends in changes in career expectations and the possibility of taking them into account in the formation of developmental activities are noted.

Occupational Stress among Lecturers: The Case of Female Lecturers in University Education, Winneba

The purpose of this study was to explore occupational stress among female lecturers in University of Education, Winneba. Two research questions were framed to guide the study. A triangulatory mixed method approach of quantitative and qualitative methods were used in order to obtain a fuller picture on female lecturers’ stress with future recommendations grounded in the research. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyse the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Seventy-five respondents were selected using purposive sampling method using structured questionnaires and six were interviewed using semi-structured interview guide. The results revealed that the causes of stress among the female lecturers are abundant and wide-ranging extending from heavy workload, pressure from meeting deadlines, overlapping responsibilities, demands from career expectations, to working home at the expense of rest among others. Stress experienced by female lecturers affected their work as well as their home life. The study recommended amongst others that the university should reduce the workload of female lecturers by employing the services of more lecturers or Teaching Assistants and also female lecturers should be supported to manage stress through counselling and assertive training.