The World Economic Forum identified complex problem solving, critical thinking skills that facilitate it and creativity as the top skills needed in 2020 and beyond. [1] Critical thinking broadly consists of three components, i.e. information, processing (thinking) skills and the habit of using the processed information to direct behaviour. [2] In the health professions, the ability to gather information and evaluate associated assumptions and evidence to guide courses of action are key to preventing and solving problems. [3] Numerous studies reported that high-fidelity simulations are useful to improve critical thinking, decision-making, confidence, all-round communication skills and readiness for practice, [4][5][6] and in medical and nursing education, it is extensively used to link classroom teaching to clinical practice. [7][8][9][10] The essence of simulation-based education in healthcare is to expose students to real-life situations without the risk of harming patients, while they pursue specific learning outcomes. [11,12] The innate authentic nature of highfidelity simulations can however profoundly increase students' cognitive load, which may affect their learning experience and clinical performance. The incorporation of cognitive load theory (CLT) to facilitate the development of simulations that consider the cognitive interplay between working memory and long-term memory to optimise learning, [13] is therefore indicated. CLT is based on the principle that a person's working memory -the part concerned with learning and problem solving -has a limited capacity when dealing with novel information. However, when the working memory can access appropriate information stored in the long-term memory, its capacity seems to be limitless. [14] Students' total working memory load or cognitive load consists of the sum of the intrinsic cognitive load and the extraneous cognitive load. Intrinsic load (IL) refers to the inherent difficulty of the information or simulation, while extraneous load (EL) mostly refers to suboptimal instructional design factors that do not enhance learning. [15] Should either one or both components exceed working memory capacity, learning will be impaired. In developing simulation scenarios, educators should therefore consider the inherent difficulty of the scenario and increase students' working memory capacity accordingly by way of populating their long-term memories with the necessary information prior to the simulation. [15] Several interacting scenario elements that need to be considered simultaneously during the simulation, should preferably not be based on skills not yet mastered, [15] and a simulation requiring e.g. clinical reasoning, decision-making and complex communication, should be written around radiographic procedures that students can competently perform without much thinking. It is, however, also true that a slightly excessive cognitive load often results in associated increased learning, [14] and educators' challenge is to find the balance between an increased cognitive loa...

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Environmental health is one of the key areas in the Reconstruction and Development Programme in South Africa because of its close links with the primary prevention of disease. The possibility of individual differences between job-satisfied and job-dissatisfied environmental health officers were investigated. The individual differences found between these groups can be used to select and train students for training who show a tendency towards the indicated personality traits. A relationship is indicated by researchers between job-satisfaction and job performance; it can therefore be expected that the selection of environmental health officers with the indicated tendencies in personality, values, achievement motivation, interests and biographical information will have a positive effect on productivity in environmental health.<p> <strong>Opsomming</strong> <br>Omgewingsgesondheid is een van die sleutelareas in die Heropbou- en Ontwikkelingsprogram in Suid-Afrika, vanwee die noue band wat dit met die primere voorkoming van siektes het. Hierdie studie ondersoek die moontlikheid van individuele verskille tussen werkstevrede en nie-werkstevrede omgewingsgesondheidsbeamptes. Die individuele verskille wat tussen die groepe gevind is, kan gebruik word vir die keuring en opieiding van studente met n neiging tot die aangeduide persoonlikheidstrekke.'n Verband word tussen werkstevredenheid en werksprestasie word deur navorsers aangedui. Daar kan dus verwag word dat die keuring van omgewingsgesondheidsbeamptes met die aangeduide geneigdhede in persoonlikheid, waardes, prestasiemotiverings, belangstellings en biografiese besonderhede, n positiewe bydrae tot produktiwiteit in Omgewingsgesondheid sal lewer

Background: Mammography is not supported optimally by patients as a screening and diagnostic tool for breast cancer, often as result of negative perceptions amongst patients which originate from a range of factors.Objectives: The objective of the wider study was to probe some of the factors impacting on patient perceptions. This article reports findings regarding patients’ preferences and perceptions concerning mammographer personality traits.Method: Descriptive, exploratory research employed a non-probability, convenience sampling method to collect data by means of a questionnaire from 274 mammogram patients in four clinical training centres in Gauteng. Respondents had to rate 24 personality traits in mammographers in terms of importance. Validity, credibility, reliability and ethical considerations were addressed.Results: A questionnaire return rate of 91% was achieved. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis facilitated interpretation of the data and four factors emerged from the personality trait scale.Conclusion: Patients seem to rate mammographers in terms of the trust they instil, the care that they emanate, how safe they make patients feel and how well they communicate. As mammographer-patient interaction plays an integral role in the way patients perceive mammogram experiences, these factors are conceptualised as also being fundamental elements of an optimal mammogram experience.Agtergrond: Mammografie word nie optimaal deur pasiënte as diagnostiese en siftingsmetode vir borskanker ondersteun nie, deels as gevolg van pasiënte se negatiewe perspepsies daarvan, wat aan ’n veskeidenheid faktore toegeskryf kan word.Doelstellings: Die doel van hierdie studie was om van die faktore wat pasiënte se persepsies beïnvloed, te ondersoek. Pasiënte se persepsies en voorkeure ten opsigte van mammograwe se persoonlikheidseienskappe word in hierdie artikel bespreek.Metode: In dié beskrywende, verkennende studie is ’n nie-waarskynlikheid-gerieflikheidsteekproef-metode gebruik om data van 274 mammogram-pasiënte in vier kliniese opleidingsentrums in Gauteng met behulp van ’n vraelys in te win. Die respondente moes die belangrikheid van 24 persoonlikheidseienskappe van mammograwe beoordeel. Geldigheid, betroubaarheid, geloofwaardigheid en etiese oorwegings is in ag geneem.Resultate: Van al die vraelyste is 91% ingehandig. Die data is met behulp van beskrywende statistiek en faktoranalise geïnterpreteer, en vier faktore is uit die persoonlikheidskaal geïdentifiseer.Gevolgtrekking: Dit blyk dat pasiënte mammograwe beoordeel volgens die vertroue wat hulle inboesem, die sorg wat hulle verleen, hoe veilig hulle pasiënte laat voel, asook hoe goed hulle kommunikeer. Aangesien die mammograaf-pasiënt-verhouding pasiënte se indrukke van mammogramme sterk beïnvloed, kan hierdie vier faktore as fundamentele elemente van ’n optimale mammogram-ondersoek beskou word.

This chapter presents the findings of a comparison between two different computer reading programmes with the aim of compiling a minimum set of requirements for such a programme in a third world educational environment. It further examines the challenges, benefits and limitations of implementing technology assisted reading on a wide scale. The results of this study are used to formulate strategies to best obtain results in reading difficulties. Consequently, reading difficulties are a world- wide problem and therefore require new and innovative ideas to be effectively addressed. Moreover, reading difficulties do not exist in isolation, and should be addressed in small groups with a holistic approach to ensure the best chance of successfully addressing the problem. The facilitator – learner ratio is important to ensure individual attention to learners. The flexibility and adaptability of the software are therefore important aspects during software implementation. When deciding on effective reading software, the applicability of assistive technology as part of an intervention strategy in reading difficulties should be considered as the most important aspect.