Background The Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) course is an internationally recognised interprofessional course to support health professionals to develop and maintain the knowledge and skills to manage obstetric emergencies. Aims This study investigated changes in confidence and perceived changes in the knowledge of doctors and midwives to manage specific obstetric emergency situations following completion of an ALSO course in Australia. Methods A prospective repeated‐measures survey design was used to survey 165 course attendees from four Australian states pre‐ and postcourse and at six weeks (n = 101). Data were analysed using a Friedman two‐way repeated‐measures analysis of variance and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results There was a significant improvement in confidence and perceived knowledge of the recommended management of all 17 emergency situations immediately postcourse (P < 0.001) and at six weeks postcourse (P < 0.001) when compared to precourse levels for both groups of health professionals. However, a significant decrease in knowledge and confidence for many emergency situations from immediately postcourse to six weeks postcourse (P < 0.05) was also observed in both groups. Conclusions Completion of the Australian ALSO course in Australia has a positive effect on the confidence and perceived knowledge of doctors and midwives to manage obstetric emergencies. However, there needs to be some means of reinforcing the effects of the course for longer term maintenance of knowledge and confidence.

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The acquisition of sufficient vocabulary for maximum comprehension in a foreign language is a difficult task. No doubt, few foreign language students have escaped the frustration caused by the gap between the carefully controlled vocabulary readings in beginning language classes and the independent (extensive) readings required in a history or literature class. A major problem may be that only a limited number of new words can be learned in the classroom. Obviously, the classroom instructor cannot possibly teach directly all the words, and the student cannot efficiently memorize long lists of vocabulary. However, this neverending process of vocabulary acquisition can be greatly enhanced, and the gap between the carefully guided classroom readings and outside independent readings can be narrowed, if the student develops efficient word identification strategies. Word identificafion strategy is defined as the process which the reader uses to assign meaning to a word or group of words. Review of LiteratureAlthough foreign languge researchers who deal with reading skills are few in number, they d o encourage language instructors to provide the student with opportunities to secure meaning from unknown words independently, and they also encourage them to help the student acquire skills that will allow him to increase vocabulary independently. For example, the instructor can show the student how to infer meaning from words by looking for clues in word families,] help the student develop a tolerance for inexactness as well as a willingness

The relationship between high school restructuring and vocational reform was examined in case studies of two large comprehensive California high schools. Data were collected from various sources. Despite several important differences, the reform processes at the two schools shared certain common conditions; substantial change in the nature and scope of vocational preparation requires schoolwide effort.