Recent Articles
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Trauma training is imperative for K-12 students, employees
Bambi Majumdar EducationA report released by the Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of Florida shows glaring disparities in trauma training for K-12 students and school employees across various districts in Florida. In-depth analysis and mapping patterns of adolescent trauma show how the lack of trauma support can be detrimental for students, families, and districts as a whole. In the 29 districts surveyed, the researchers found that there was no uniform curriculum or training method for district personnel to help children who have experienced trauma.
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Healthcare groups: Payers are lagging with prior authorization reform
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationPrior authorization requirements over the past half-decade have increased and an overwhelming number of physicians say that the practice of seeking them interferes with continuity of care. In fact, more than 85 percent of the physicians asked said the practice impacts them, according to a new survey from the American Medical Association. The survey connected with 1,000 physicians, which found that more than "two-thirds said it's difficult for them to determine whether a prescription or service needs prior authorization."
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How cutting-edge robotics bring manufacturing into a new age
Joseph Zulick ManufacturingThe age of new tech is here for manufacturing thanks to increased value and efficiency provided by robotics, drones and automation. In the case of Attl A Spol, a company producing stainless steel tubes for a Volkswagen supplier, automated robots allowed the firm to perform monotonous manual labor with heightened precision for 20 hours a day and six days a week without any required downtime or service outages. By improving the efficiency of its manufacturing line and supply chain, the addition of robotic arms freed up time for three workers to be assigned to other areas and retrained.
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America may need to rethink how it handles recycling
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalYears of educational programs and campaigns to drive awareness about recycling in the U.S. may be headed for the trash. As it turns out, the waste produced by consumption is overwhelming to the point that recycled materials no longer have a marketplace. According to The Atlantic, much of the recycled material is ending up in the trash. Where was the recycled trash going? China. Tons and tons of it were sent over on ships, with the materials remade into shoes and bags and new plastic products. But that’s changed.
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Top US manufacturing cities in surprising locales but still vulnerable
Michelle R. Matisons ManufacturingWhat do Wichita, Kansas; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Battle Creek, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; and even Portland, Oregon, all have in common? A new report on U.S. manufacturing jobs by Chicago's Digital Third Coast can answer that. They are all part of a manufacturing shift towards smaller U.S. cities. The report, culled from Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, analyzes 236 cities in four general categories: total manufacturing jobs per 100,000 people; year-over-year growth; median income for the manufacturing industry; and median housing cost. Wichita, Kansas, tops this list.
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Has the Department of Education given up on poor kids?
Patrick Gleeson EducationIt's no secret that the current administration's highest funding priorities don't include the Department of Education. President Trump signaled as much in choosing Betsy DeVos to head the department. Her views on public schools were well-known long before her appointment and are summarized in her 2015 comment that public schools are "a dead end." For those who feel public schools are worth saving, the department's announcement earlier in March that it was further slashing the education budget after two years of earlier cuts was troubling. The department proposed eliminating 29 programs, by far the largest being the 21st Century Learning Centers that operate in high-poverty areas.
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Saying no when you think you should say yes
Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementI was on vacation last week and reluctantly dragged myself through a museum because others told me that this was something I couldn't miss. If you've ever attended an event because you were told you must go to or ate at a particular restaurant because everyone else was going, then you know exactly how it feels to do something out of obligation. Of course, no one was holding a gun to my head. I could have chosen to spend my time elsewhere. I see the same type of behavior with clients that I work with.
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Anesthesiology recognized as 10th dental specialty
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareAbout 175 years ago, a dentist in Hartford, Connecticut, extracted one of his own third molars to test the analgesic properties of nitrous oxide. It was risky. But it paid off. That's a commitment to science right there. It was Dr. Horace Wells' introduction of nitrous oxide, and the demonstration of anesthetic properties of ether by Dr. William Morton, a student of Dr. Wells, that gave the gift of anesthesia to medicine and dentistry. And now, in 2019, dental anesthesiology has become the 10th dental specialty as recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards.
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Why it might not pay to be a night owl
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareLove staying up late to catch up on extra work? You may think you're a natural night owl — but you could be hurting your overall physical and emotional health. Intriguing research suggests you might want to flip the switch on your schedule to improve both your work and personal lives. For example, a study by the University of Surrey in the U.K. found that night owls have a 10 percent higher risk of dying sooner than people who go to bed early in the evening. How come?
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How to use the Seesaw app in your music room
Aileen Miracle EducationAre you looking for an app to both assess students and communicate with parents? Seesaw is one of my favorite apps. I heard about Seesaw a couple years ago and had it installed on my iPads, but it wasn't until this past spring that I was finally able to check it out. Seesaw is known for being a great advocacy tool because parents can see what's going on in the music room. Whether you post a snapshot of a student's completed worksheet, a video of him/her singing, or a video of the entire class performing, it can be a fabulous way to communicate with parents.