Digital Commons Network^™

The Predictive Ability Of Decision-Making For Cognitive Dissonance Among Nursing Students, Adnan Yousef Atoum, Omar Atallah Al-Adamat, Emran A. Abu Aqoulah, Aya Al-Ali, Marah Al-Smadi

Health Professions Education

Purpose: The present study aimed to examine the levels of cognitive dissonance and decision-making among nursing students at Irbid National University-Irbid, Jordan, and to investigate the predictive ability of decision-making for cognitive dissonance.

Method: The study sample consisted of (251) male and female nursing students at Irbid National University-Irbid, Jordan. The cognitive dissonance scale and the decision-making scale were used after assuring validity and reliability.

Results: The study results indicated that the level of cognitive dissonance was low, and the level of decision-making ability was high. The study results also indicated that decision-making variable explained 17.2% of …

Factors Associated With Academic Outcomes And Leave Of Absence Among Health Professions Graduate Students, Laura Plummer, Emile Boutin, Hien Nguyen, Devashish Tiwari, Sanah Chatiwala, Deborah Altsher, Nara Gavini, Keshrie Naidoo

Health Professions Education

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the extent to which health professions graduate students' demographic, academic, and environmental factors influence time to graduation. It also aimed to explore the experiences of graduates who took a leave of absence (LOA), including their perspectives on the factors contributing to delayed graduation and the strategies that supported their reintegration and eventual success.

Methods: A mixed methods explanatory sequential design with the qualitative analysis providing deeper context to the quantitative data. The qualitative arm of the study utilized a phenomenological approach. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviations for the continuous variables, …

Firearm Violence In Health Care Professional Education In The United States: A Scoping Review., Kim D. Dao, Melissa D. Burgemeister, Sierra M. Hakanson, Audrey Rc Elias, Liana C. Wooten

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Despite widespread recognition of firearm violence (FV) as a public health crisis in the United States (US), gaps persist in understanding the education provided to health care professionals (HCPs) regarding prevention and management. This scoping review aimed to characterize FV education curricula for HCPs in the US, focusing on identifying target learners and understanding curricular content and implementation to inform future educational initiatives.

Methods: This scoping review was conducted according to Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane. Search terms included “health occupations”, “allied health personnel”, “gun violence/prevention”, “firearm violence/prevention”, “curriculum”, “education”, …

Relationship Between Turnover, And Resilience Among Critical Care Nurses In Oman. An Implication For Nursing Practice., Mohammed Qutishat

Health Professions Education

Background: Critical care nurses face numerous challenges, including increased anxiety, depression, and traumatic incidents. Workplace stress can lead to Burnout and turnover, with a significant percentage of global hospital nurses planning to leave within a year. Resilience and positive attitudes towards mental health are crucial for nurses, as they serve as societal leaders. In Oman, many nurses plan to leave their current jobs within a year, highlighting the need for healthcare organizations to create measures to avoid stressors and foster worker well-being.

Aim: To examine the relationship between turnover and resilience among critical care nurses in Oman.

Method: This study …

Students' Perceptions Of The Elective Modules: A Multicentre Study From Institutions Of Northwest India, Reshu Gupta, Shrishti Upadhyay, Praveen Singh

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Evaluation of students’ perception of the newly introduced Electives Module by the National Medical Commission, India, within the curriculum of competency-based medical education, effective from admission batch 2019, by gathering their feedback and opinions to assess the effectuation of the program.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Phase III Part II MBBS students of admission batches 2019 and 2020 at two medical institutions in Jaipur, a city in Rajasthan, India. The perceptions were evaluated via a questionnaire designed in alignment with the objectives of the elective modules of the National Medical Commission of India and included …

Tracing The Evolution Of Signature Technologies In Health Professions Education: Developments, Challenges, And Possibilities, Jacob Kelley, Kimberly B. Garza, Kelley Noll, Allison Chung

Health Professions Education

Purpose. This integrative literature review traces the evolution of signature technologies in health professions education and their impact on teaching and learning. By exploring these technologies, it highlights the ways these advancements shape learning experiences and the preparation of future healthcare professionals. While these technologies present opportunities for enhanced learning, they also introduce challenges related to accessibility, cost, and effectiveness.

Method. Using Torraco’s framework for integrative literature reviews, this article synthesizes existing scholarship to trace the historical development of signature technologies in health professions education. The authors conducted searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar for literature published primarily between …

Varieties And Forms Of Capstone Experiences In U.S. Pharmacy Education, Mohammed A. Islam, Erfan Kohzadi, Laleh Zamirian

Health Professions Education

Purpose: In health professions education, capstone courses provide students with a culminating experience, enabling them to integrate and apply clinical and practice skills in real-world settings. With their growing adoption in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curricula, this study examined the prevalence, diversity, and structure of capstone courses across US programs. The aim was to identify emerging patterns that can inform the development of models aligned with accreditation standards, workforce expectations, and ongoing curricular improvement.

Methods: A systematic content analysis of 142 US pharmacy program websites was performed. The recorded data included course objectives, format, credit hours, course placement, teaching methods, …

Peer Assisted Mentoring As A Catalyst For Academic Success In Final-Year Dental Students: An Action Research Approach, Manovijay Balagangadharan, Babyjohn John, Saranyan Ravi, Sabitha Gokulraj, D.N. Shrienitha

Health Professions Education

Purpose Peer-assisted mentoring (PAM) is increasingly recognized as an effective educational strategy in health professions education. It fosters collaborative learning, where mentors and mentees engage in knowledge exchange, critical thinking, and skill development. This study aimed to explore the influence of peer-assisted mentoring on the academic performance of final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students, in comparison to their non-mentored counterparts, while also assessing its broader educational benefits.

Methodology An action research study was conducted during the 2023–2024 academic year at Vinayaka Mission’s Sankarachariyar Dental College, Salem, Tamil Nadu, and India. High-achieving dental interns were selected and trained to serve …

Medical Educator Portfolios As The Curriculum Vitae Of Educationists: A Comprehensive Review, Sami Mohamed

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Health professions education (HPE) continually evolves, driven by medical educators who hold dual roles as clinicians and educators. Medical Educator Portfolios (MEPs) provide a structured approach to documenting contributions within this context. The increasing complexity and diversity of personal and professional experiences highlight the need for a more comprehensive descriptor of accomplishments. Therefore, this review aims to outline core components of MEPs and comprehensively describe their sequential design, while highlighting their significance within HPE

Methods: This comprehensive narrative review was conducted through a systematic literature search across multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, focusing on …

Knowledge And Attitudes Of Medical Students About Research Methodology, Statistics, And Statistical Inference: An Assessment For Clinical Research Comprehension Skills, Laith Ashour, Lama Al-Mehaisen, Afnan Rababa, Osama Alrjoob, Moutaz Amayrh, Malak Al-Rabe'e, Qusai Al-Anasweh, Hala Al-Miqdadi, Nada Freihat, Mohammad Al Khreisha, Ala' Al Doaikat, Al-Mo'tasem Bellah Al-Rahamneh, Hamzeh Hatamleh, Fayez Zedat

Health Professions Education

Objectives: Medical students require a solid understanding of statistics in research papers. However, literature lacks sufficient studies on their proficiency, especially on Jordanian aspect. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on 361 medical students to evaluate their attitudes toward statistics, their knowledge in research methodology, and their ability to correctly interpret commonly used statistics in medical research. Statistical attitudes were assessed using three scales (value, difficulty, and interest) from the SATS-36 scale. Additionally, a novel author's-validated scale was created to measure students' research methodology knowledge. The scale validity was assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Multiple linear regression analysis was …

Beyond Clinical: A Proposed Policy Literacy Pathway In Health Sciences Education, Zarina Syed

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Health sciences graduates require not only clinical competence but also the ability to interpret, engage with, and enact policy. Yet, undergraduate curricula often emphasize technical skills, leaving gaps in policy literacy. Method: This conceptual paper proposes a scaffolded Policy Literacy Pathway to progressively integrate policy understanding across health sciences curricula. Results: Policy is framed as a dynamic, context-dependent process, aligning global ethical frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals with regional legislation and professional regulations. The pathway comprises four stages: Encounter, Iterative Engagement, Critical Reflection, and Policy Enactment. These guide students from initial exposure to policy issues through analysis …

Healthcare Students' Perspective On The Clinical Placement Learning Environment: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Third- And Fourth-Year Students At A College Of Health Sciences In The Uae., Wuni Abdul Razak, Fatima Alrayssi, Arwa Alkarbi, Latifa Al Saedi, Suliman Salih, Ajnas Alkatheeri, Mohamed Hassaneen, Mohd Nazmi Nordin, Mbambo Collen, Emne Hammoud, Shaik Balkhis Banu, Monika Sachdeva, Noon Kamil

Health Professions Education

Purpose: This study evaluates the clinical placement learning environment from the standpoint of Year 3 and Year 4 healthcare students in the UAE. Methods: The perspectives of healthcare students on clinical learning environments were studied using the validated Undergraduate Clinical Education Environment Measure (UCEEM). Third- and fourth-year (fifth-year pharmacy students inclusive) undergraduate healthcare students (radiography and medical imaging, emergency health, midwifery, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and psychology) (n=647) at a United Arab Emirates university were invited to participate in the study. The UCEEM contains 25 items under two overarching aspects, experiential learning and social engagement, with four subscales: learning opportunities at …

The Role Of Application Questions In Identifying Underrepresented Applicants In A Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study, Michael Bourassa, Allison Bourassa, Saurabh Mehta

Health Professions Education

Purpose: The underrepresentation of U.S minority groups in the physical therapy profession remains a persistent challenge, with student enrollment in U.S doctoral education programs being the main pipeline to increase representation within U.S healthcare fields. This study aims to examine the association between non-academic application questions and applicant diversity in a Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Methods: The main outcomes measured in this study include demographic and cognitive variables, as well as non-academic application questions, for a single DPT program admissions cycle. Demographic variables include race, gender, and age, while cognitive variables include GRE scores and GPA. General non-cognitive question …

Determinants Of Postgraduate Education Pursuit Among South African Trained Paramedics: A Cross-Sectional Study, Naseef Abdullah, Patricia Mcinerney, Simpiwe Sobuwa

Health Professions Education

Introduction: The knowledge economy necessitates a highly skilled workforce, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) navigating sustainable development trajectories. Within healthcare systems, paramedics represent a critical professional group whose advanced education directly impacts emergency care quality and system improve ment. While postgraduate qualifications are essential for paramedics to effectively develop and implement evidence- based emergency care and address unique healthcare challenges, the determinants influencing their educational advancement remain poorly understood. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study collected data from 265 Paramedics registered as Emergency Care Practitioners with the South African Health Professions Council through an online survey. Participants were recruited …

Copyright Protection Or Media Suppression? The Digital Millennium Copyright Act's Impact On News Media And Journalism, Alenis Olivera

FIU Law Review

When copyright law collides with press freedom, which one survives the takedown? The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was once hailed as a necessary adaptation to copyright protection issues in the digital age. But now, nearly three decades since its incorporation into the Copyright Act, the DMCA has continued to cast a shadow over the journalism industry. The DMCA’s notice-and-takedown system, originally designed to protect copyright owners by allowing for quick removal of infringing content, has become a mechanism that risks suppressing lawful reporting and undermines the First Amendment’s guarantee of a free press. This Comment will explore how the …

Silenced By Fear: Undocumented Immigrant Victims Of Sexual Assault, Adriana Isabel Herrera

FIU Law Review

Imagine being sexually assaulted and then having to choose between justice or deportation. In today’s climate of heightened immigration enforcement, many undocumented immigrant victims of sexual assault understandably remain silent. After all, who would risk everything just to report a crime that might get them deported? The fear of being separated from their families, ripped from the lives they have built, and sent back to dangerous conditions in their home countries prevents these victims from coming forward and seeking justice. Additionally, the current protections available to them are flawed and insufficient—primarily due to the U visa cap and prolonged processing …

Private Equity In Healthcare: The Case For Stricter Regulations, Ryan Scivally

FIU Law Review

Private equity has become an increasingly influential force in American healthcare. Hundreds of billions of dollars have flown into healthcare acquisitions over the last decade, and a growing share of physician practices and health services are coming under investor control. This Comment argues that the current regulatory framework has not kept pace with that expansion. Existing federal tools, primarily antitrust and fraud enforcement, leave most transactions unreviewed because many deals fall below reporting thresholds. At the state level, doctrines such as the corporate practice of medicine are unevenly enforced and often avoided through management services’ organization structures. These structures preserve …

Table Of Contents

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Dayna Rieger

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Constructive Taxation: How Filing Requirements Turn Tax Benefits Into De Facto Taxes, Orli Oren-Kolbinger

FIU Law Review

Constructive taxation reveals a mismatch between the redistributive objectives Congress claims to pursue and how tax administration is carried out. Procedural barriers allocate benefits through bureaucratic processes rather than on the basis of need or eligibility, reflecting implicit judgments about who deserves them. Low-income households must still file, even when the government already has the necessary information to determine eligibility. Examining this through Congress’s taxing and spending powers, the Article shows that refundable credits function as tax expenditures, using the tax code to deliver benefits while creating administrative burdens that resemble economic penalties. When procedural barriers prevent eligible taxpayers from …

Owning Trading Opportunities, Kevin Douglas

FIU Law Review

Owning Trading Opportunities identifies the doctrines and policy rationales used to protect property rights in corporate opportunities. It then explores adopting these doctrines and rationales to reform the notions of "fairness," "public interest," "investor protection," "market confidence," and "economic efficiency" driving the regulation of insider trading.

This approach yields several benefits. First, it shows that a policy commitment to equal trading opportunities for all investors is the functional equivalent of a commitment to fostering equal access to information for all investors. The U.S. Supreme Court attempted to reject the latter but failed by embracing the former.

Second, corporate opportunity cases …

Large Language Scholarship, Alan Rozenshtein, Kevin Frazier

FIU Law Review

Generative AI isn’t just coming for the legal academy—the era of what we call “Large Language Scholarship” is already here. Law professors are using AI to write articles in weeks rather than months. Law reviews face an unprecedented deluge of AI-polished submissions. And the judges who increasingly lean on AI to help draft their own opinions will soon struggle to distinguish genuine insight from sophisticated imitation. Yet, existing scholarship offers only fragmented responses, trapped in misguided debates about plagiarism and disclosure while missing the full scope of the unfolding transformation.

This Article provides the first comprehensive analysis of how generative …

No Justice Without Transparency: The Case For A Broad Presumption Of Public Access To Court Documents, Taylor Quimby

FIU Law Review

This Comment argues that a broad presumption of public access to court  documents is essential to preserving the legitimacy and constitutional values  of the American legal system. Although the principle of public access is  rooted in common law and constitutional tradition, individual states differ in  how they approach transparency in the context of court documents. These  jurisdictional inconsistencies continue to gain significance, as the digital age  has completely transformed the way people consume information. The  increasing digitization of court records has heightened the need for consistent  and constitutionally grounded standards that preserve transparency while  adequately protecting legitimate privacy interests. Florida’s …

Forum Selling As A Threat To The Rule Of Law, Brian Iverson

FIU Law Review

Forum shopping has long been a feature of federal litigation, but recent years have brought a more troubling dynamic in which federal courts compete for cases by “forum selling.” Judges engage in forum selling by adopting plaintiff-friendly procedures, reliably issuing plaintiff-leaning decisions, and publicly soliciting certain types of cases. These practices transform localized procedural discretion into a structural risk for the federal judicial system.

This Article makes two novel contributions to the federal forum-selling literature. First, it expands the discussion beyond bankruptcy and patent practice to examine ideological influences. Drawing on empirical scholarship and illustrative judicial profiles, the Article identifies …

A Conceptual Framework For Cognitive Engagement And Human Agency In Ai-Mediated Learning, Sam Rhodes, Zuhal Yilmaz, Terrie Galanti, Younggon Bae, Victoria Delaney, Zareen Gul Aga, Stephen Hutt

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

The purpose of this chapter is to propose a conceptual framework that unpacks AI use in instructional practice across three interrelated dimensions: human agency, cognitive demand, and AI orchestration. We ground this work in historical perspectives on technology's mediating role in education. We then propose the conceptual framework and three characterizations of the use of AI in school instruction: cognitive load reducer, cognitive capacity builder, and cognitive companion. We then illustrate a worked example of each, including a curricular example and sample student prompts, and conclude with questions that educators might ask themselves as they consider if and how to …

Optimal Quantization On Spherical Surfaces: Continuous And Discrete Models—A Beginner-Friendly Expository Study, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This expository paper provides a unified and pedagogical introduction to optimal quantization for probability measures supported on spherical curves and discrete subsets ofthe sphere, emphasizing both continuous and discrete settings. We first present a detailedgeometric and analytical foundation for intrinsic quantization on the unit sphere, includingdefinitions of great and small circles, spherical triangles, geodesic distance, Slerp interpolation,the Fréchet mean, spherical Voronoi regions, centroid conditions, and quantizationdimensions. Building upon this framework, we develop explicit continuous and discretequantization models on spherical curves, namely great circles, small circles, and greatcircular arcs—supported by rigorous derivations and pedagogical exposition. For uniformcontinuous distributions, we compute optimal …

Motivational Interviewing Impact On Provider Burnout, Julie Cook

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The study of patient–provider communication rarely considers the impact of provider–patient dialogue on providers themselves. This dissertation explores why motivational interviewing (MI) has been shown to reduce burnout among health care providers who use it. Using the empathic communication model (ECM) as a lens, it examines possible explanations for how MI contributes to lower burnout in providers. A mixed‑methods approach was used, consisting of a survey‑based quantitative study and a qualitative study using semi‑structured interviews. The quantitative study surveyed physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Participants were asked questions assessing their knowledge of MI, the types of empathy they experience …

Development Of A Semi-Mechanistic Population Pharmacokinetic Model For Predicting Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate And Tenofovir Alafenamide Exposure In Plasma And Cellular Matrices During Pregnancy And Postpartum, Yifan Yu, Kristina M. Brooks, Gustavo F. Doncel, Brookie M. Best, Mark A. Marzinke, Mark Mirochnick, Peter Anderson, Landon Myer, Connie Celum, Renee Heffron, Jenell Coleman, Dvora Joseph Davey, Craig W. Hendrix, Jeremiah D. Momper, Robert Bies, Rachel K. Scott

CONRAD Publications

Background and Objective

Tenofovir (TFV)-based regimens are backbones of both HIV treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis during pregnancy. Multiple studies have shown up to one-third decreases in dried blood spot tenofovir-diphosphate concentrations during pregnancy among participants taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Currently, there are no mechanism-based models describing the pharmacokinetics of tenofovir diphosphate (the active anabolite) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of pregnant individuals receiving TDF or tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), and the mechanisms behind observed differences between dried blood spots and PBMCs remain unclear.

Methods

To address this gap, we developed a semi-mechanistic model to simultaneously describe the pharmacokinetics of …

A Comparison Of F/Taf And F/Tdf As Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis In A Predominantly Cisgender Women Population In East And South Africa: A Randomised, Factorial, Non-Inferiority Trial, Sheena Mccormack, David Dunn, Sylvia Kusemererwa, Patricia Munseri, Nishanta Singh, Wiston William, Gertrude Mutonyi, Henry Bern, Lauriane Goldwirt, Cherry Kingsley, Arne Kkroidl, Christian Holm Hansen, Song Ding, Rachel Kawuma, Mary Amondi, Ubaldo Bahemuka, Deus Buma, Daniel Clutterbuck, Zakir Gaffoor, Angus Jennings, Agricola Joachim, Ayoub Kakande, Berna Kalanzi, Abisai Kisinda, Mabela Matsoso, Thomas Miller, Neetha Mmedsci Morar, Jacqueline Musau, Jane Nabbuto, Ayanda Nzuza, Doreen Pamba, Simona Salomone, Thandiwe Sithole, Edith Tarimo, Kubashni Woeber, Kundai Chinyenze, Glenda Gray, Eligius Lyamuya, Muhammad Bakari, Said Aboud, Lucas Maganga, Gustavo Doncel, Janet Seeley, Jonathan Weber, Pontiano Kaleebu, Julie Fox, Eugene Ruzagira, On Behalf Of The Prepvacc Study Group

CONRAD Publications

Background:

F/TAF was shown to be non-inferior to F/TDF as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in men, but approval was not extended to cisgender women. We report the results of PrEPVacc, in which a predominantly female population was randomly allocated to receive daily oral F/TDF or F/TAF for ∼6 months within a HIV-1 prophylactic vaccine trial.

Setting:

Five study sites in three African countries (Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa).

Methods:

The two regimens were compared by the averted infections ratio (AIR) - the proportion of infections averted by F/TAF relative to F/TDF. The counterfactual HIV incidence, an essential component of this metric, was …

Longitudinal Changes In Plasma Biomarkers Of Immune Activation, Neuronal Inflammation And Injury In Persons With Hiv Initiating Art, Merle Henderson, Peter Dutey-Magni, Carolina Herrera, Wolfgang Stöhr, Alejandro Arenas-Pinto, Owen Swann, Amanda Heslegrave, Henrik Zetterberg, John Tregoning, Sarah Fidler, François Raffi, Andrea Calcagno, Ab Babiker, Alan Winston

CONRAD Publications

Background

Data on changes in biomarkers of brain health, and their associations with cognitive function in adults commencing either dual- or triple-antiretroviral therapy (ART) are sparse.

Methods

Plasma biomarkers (neurofilament light [NfL], glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], sCD14, CXCL10, neopterin and IL-6) were measured at baseline and after 96 weeks on ART in individuals randomized to darunavir/ritonavir and either tenofovir-DF/emtricitabine (triple-ART, n = 119) or raltegravir (dual-ART, n = 119) in NEAT-001/ANRS143. Regression models examined associations of baseline and week-96 biomarker concentrations with HIV clinical parameters, composite cognitive test scores (Standardized neuropsychological test [NPZ], 7-domains) and treatment arm.

Results

In …