Usage of any items from the University of Cumbria's institutional repository 'Insight' must conform to the following fair usage guidelines.Any item and its associated metadata held in the University of Cumbria's institutional repository Insight (unless stated otherwise on the metadata record) may be copied, displayed or performed, and stored in line with the JISC fair dealing guidelines (available here) for educational and notforprofit activities provided that• the authors, title and full bibliographic details of the item are cited clearly when any part of the work is referred to verbally or in the written form • a hyperlink/URL to the original Insight record of that item is included in any citations of the work • the content is not changed in any way • all files required for usage of the item are kept together with the main item file. You may not• sell any part of an item • refer to any part of an item without citation • amend any item or contextualise it in a way that will impugn the creator's reputation • remove or alter the copyright statement on an item. Abstract Introduction:This study explored what influences the use of social media platforms has within the continuing professional development of occupational therapy students and qualified occupational therapists within one university. It also considered perceived barriers to its use and whether age in line with generation theory, in particular digital natives vs digital immigrants impacted on willingness to utilise social media sites within CPD. Method:A mixed method survey design was utilised to collect qualitative and quantitative data through an online questionnaire. Content analysis was used to code and identify themes. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify the findings, and consider variations across the digital native/immigrant divide. Findings:Results highlighted there was a predominantly positive attitude to social media use within CPD. Accessibility, networking, learning and development were highlighted as advantages to its use. The results suggest that the digital native/immigrant divide does not impact on willingness to use social media within CPD but does impact on perceived knowledge and skills to utilise the platforms confidently. Conclusion:The study has highlighted a need for more structured teaching on professional social media use within the occupational therapy curriculum in both undergraduate and post graduate pre-registration programmes. It has also highlighted a need for more training among qualified occupational therapists, if platforms are to be embraced more universally. Curriculum DevelopmentTwitter, LinkedIn and a range of blogging platforms. These enable communication over a large geographical area virtually over the Internet.

There is a subgroup of students in Florida who were initially interested in OB/GYN but may have been deterred by current medical liability issues. Florida is a state known as being in a professional liability crisis and this survey demonstrates evidence that this has adversely affected students' decisions to pursue OB/GYN.

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