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Background: The issue of transition from student to practitioner of Chinese medicine (CM) in Australia and other Western countries has received little formal attention. Workforce studies, while not up to date nationally in Australia, suggest that the majority of CM practitioners practice as sole practitioners or in small practices. Data from the state of Victoria suggest that a significant proportion of the CM workforce is relatively new to the profession. It is not known how many graduates successfully enter the workforce and importantly, remain in it. Objectives: An initial survey of final-year bachelor degree CM students in Australian education institutions in 2008 suggested that students felt 'somewhat' prepared for clinical practice in eight dimensions of clinical practice. The authors conducted a follow-up study to this initial one, seeking to investigate perceptions of confidence in CM graduates in various aspects of clinical practice within the first year of completing their degree. Methods: A content-validated survey based on the previous study was distributed to a subset of 30 graduates from the original study cohort who had indicated a willingness to participate in this follow-up survey. Results: There were a small number of responses ( n=12), limiting the usefulness of the quantitative questions. However, some interesting qualitative outcomes from the long-answer part of the survey support findings from the previous study that recent practitioners would like more clinical experience, as well as support in developing their business and interpersonal skills, and the option to participate in a professional mentoring arrangement. Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that both education providers and professional associations may be able to play important and complementary roles in assisting CM students to successfully transition into the workforce. If CM is to continue to develop as a profession in Australia, it will be important that more attention be given to how to assist new graduates to successfully transition into and remain in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Chinese medicine is a complex domain of theoretical and practical approaches that is being increasingly put under the research spotlight. The "Chinese Medicine in Australia"research project attempted to capture the clinical features of practitioners of Chinese medicine. Participants and Interventions: The project involved a national survey of Chinese medicine professional association members and registered practitioners in the state of Victoria, Australia (n = 655; response rate, 42%-55%) completed in 2012-2013. Design: The content and face validated survey was developed using new and previous workforce survey questions. Results: This paper reports on the workforce and practice characteristics of the survey respondents. Chinese medicine practitioners are highly educated, come from diverse backgrounds, and have chosen to practice predominantly in sole or multipractitioner private practice settings. An interest in the philosophy of Chinese medicine and previous experiences contributed to practitioners' decisions to study and practice Chinese medicine. Incorporating a variety of techniques, practitioners describe themselves as practicing predominantly Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine. Conclusions: The results from this survey contribute to the understanding of the nature and description of Chinese medicine practice in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Aims Survival after cancer diagnosed during childhood or adolescence continues to improve with new treatments and supportive therapies. Optimal long-term care requires that risks to vulnerable organs are clearly defined and translated into guidelines that are implemented into practice. PanCareLIFE is a pan-European consortium that addresses survivorship issues comprising fertility, hearing impairment and quality of life. This article describes the scientific basis of PanCareLIFE's studies. Methods PanCareLIFE involves 17 partner institutions from eight European countries, with additional 11 data providers from five other countries. Study designs and methods include molecular genetic, cohort and case-control studies, a longitudinal study and an intervention study. Ethics and data protection issues have been taken into account from the beginning. Results PanCareLIFE will investigate the way that treatment impairs female fertility, by evaluating anti-Müllerian hormone levels and the underlying genetic susceptibility to loss of fertility. For our fertility studies, more than 6000 survivors have completed questionnaires, more than 1500 provided serum samples and more than 400 case-control triads have been identified. Fertility preservation guidelines for boys and girls will be developed. More than 2000 survivors have contributed audiograms for the ototoxicity study. Almost 1000 samples were sent for genetic analysis related to ototoxicity and gonadal reserve. The SF-36 questionnaire will measure quality of life in more than 10,000 survivors. Conclusions The large number of subjects enrolled in PanCareLIFE and the detailed information accumulated will allow in-depth evaluation of important outcomes. Fertility preservation guidelines will help patients and their families make informed decisions and contribute to their long-term well-being. Highlights • PanCareLIFE is a large pan-European study on late effects after childhood cancer. • Studies of hearing loss, fertility impairment and quality of life are included. • Clinical and genetic methods with new guidelines will lead to improved health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]