JCU Careers Fair 2017 – Townsville and Cairns

The JCU Careers Fair provides a great opportunity for students to speak with industry experts, learn about career pathways and employment opportunities. Students from all disciplines and all year levels are encouraged to attend.

CAIRNS: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Time: 9.30am – 1.30pm
Venue: JCU Library

TOWNSVILLE: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Time: 9.30am – 1.30pm
Venue: The Market, Aromas (B.12 – Previously the Refectory)

Download the FREE App! – JCU CAREERS FAIR PLUS – to find out who is attending and what job opportunities they have, or go to our website.

Resume/Cover Letter help – Students can also get their resume or cover letter reviewed at the Fair by our Career Peer Leaders. No appointment necessary.

https://www.jcu.edu.au/careers-and-employment/careers-fair

Older refugees doing it tough

Dr Wendy Li

A James Cook University researcher says older refugees are more traumatised, depressed and poorer than younger refugees – but most believe they have received adequate support in Australia.

JCU’s Dr Wendy Li surveyed more than 100 refugees. Using standardised research questions, she found the 50-70-year-old group had suffered much more trauma than younger groups.

“Their scores on loss distress, interpersonal loss and loss of intrapersonal integrity were significantly higher than both the 18–34 and 35–49 groups,” said Dr Li.

“Although all participants had experienced traumas, older refugees appeared to have experienced more severe human rights abuses compared to younger participants,” she said.

Dr Li said they were not doing so well in other ways too.

“Anxiety and depression of participants aged between 50 and 70 was much higher than in younger age groups, nearly half are unemployed and nearly 87 per cent of older refugees earned below the AU$18,200 tax-free threshold.”

She said it was well established that refugees had a poorer socioeconomic status than non-refugee immigrants and the general population, but this was the first study in Australia to look at the status of the refugee population based on age.

Despite the poorer outcomes, Dr Li said older refugees tended to think they had received at least adequate community support in Australia.

60 per cent thought they had received sufficient support when compared to younger refugees: 29.7 per cent and 54.2 per cent for the 18–34 and 35–49 groups respectively.

She said the older group was a mixture of refugees, with some having come to Australia as youngsters and grown old here, and some having arrived later in life.

“It may suggest that older refugees had longer periods to establish support systems and social networks, and were more likely to seek help than their younger counterparts,” said Dr Li.

She said older refugees had a particularly high prevalence of anxiety, depression and PTSD over Australia’s national average, and should be recognised as a group with special needs in the categories of both refugees and older adults.

Reproduced from https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2017/february/older-refugees-doing-it-tough

Publication: Isokinetic clinical assessment of rotator cuff strength in subacromial shoulder impingement

Land, Helen, Gordon, Susan, and Watt, Kerrianne (2017) Isokinetic clinical assessment of rotator cuff strength in subacromial shoulder impingement. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice , 27. pp. 32-39.

http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/47432/

Abstract

Background: Current conservative management of subacromial shoulder impingement (SSI) includes generic strengthening exercises, especially for internal (IR) and external (ER) shoulder rotators. However, there is no evidence that the strength or the ratio of strength between these muscle groups is different between those with SSI (cases) and an asymptomatic population (controls).

Objective: To identify if isokinetic rotator cuff strength or the ratio of strength is significantly different between cases and controls.

Study Design: Case Control Study.

Method: Fifty one cases with SSI and 51 asymptomatic controls matched for age, gender, hand dominance and physical activity level completed isokinetic peak torque glenohumeral IR and ER testing. Within the SSI group, 31 dominant limbs were symptomatic and 20 non-dominant limbs were symptomatic. IR and ER were measured separately using continuous reciprocal concentric (con) and eccentric (ecc) contraction cycles at a speed of 600 degrees per second and again at 1200 degrees per second. Values of peak torque (PT), relative peak torque (RPT) and ratios were compared using independent t-tests between the SSI and asymptomatic groups.

Results: Significant strength differences between the two groups were present only when the symptomatic SSI shoulder was the dominant shoulder (con ER PT at 600 /second, ecc ER PT at 1200 /second, ecc ER RPT at 1200 /second and ecc IR PT at 600 /second and 1200 /second).

Conclusions: Changes in rotator cuff strength in SSI may be related to limb dominance, which may have implications for strengthening regimes.

Cloncurry Nurses a Secret

Did you know James Cook University had a campus in Cloncurry?

JCU’s Judith March said she was one of three lecturers teaching nursing students based in the ‘Curry at the university campus in the health precinct on King Street, which was the old Cloncurry Shire Council building.

...Read more...

New library subscription - Oxford Scholarship Online

JCU has recently subscribed to Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO).

Updated monthly, OSO offers access to thousands of scholarly eBooks on a range of topics. JCU has subscribed to the following collections: Biology, Linguistics, Palliative Care, Psychology, Public Health and Epidemiology, Social Work, and Sociology.

Find OSO on the Library Databases A-Z under O for Oxford or continue reading at the link below for more information about each of the collections we subscribe to!

http://jculibrarynews.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/new-subscription-oxford-scholarship.html

Publication: Comparative study on social-economic status, trauma and mental health disorders among older and younger refugees in Australia

Li, Wendy (2016) Comparative study on social-economic status, trauma and mental health disorders among older and younger refugees in Australia. Journal of Tropical Psychology, 6 (e3). pp. 1-9.

http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/47000/

Abstract
This paper investigated socio-economic status (SES), traumatic experience and mental health disorders among 103 refugees (52 males and 51 females) living in tropical and subtropical Australia. Specific focus was placed on comparing older refugees’ socio-economic status, traumatic experience and mental health disorders to younger refugees. The results showed that older refugees had lower levels of education, higher unemployment rates and poorer English skills and abilities compared to younger refugees. A greater percentage of older refugees perceived that they had received sufficient support from the broader community over younger refugees. Results also revealed that compared to younger participants, older participants aged over 50 years had significantly higher mean scores in trauma events (trauma exposure, loss event, loss of intrapersonal integrity, loss distress, loss of symbolic self, loss of home and interpersonal loss) and anxiety.

JCU Physio Clinic (Townsville) open - appointments Monday to Friday for only $10

If you suffer from low back or neck pain, or sustained an injury over the Christmas/New Year break, come see the team at the JCU Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Clinic in the JCU Clinical Practice Building. We are open for business and offer appointments Monday to Friday at a cost of only $10.

Please call reception on 4781 4495 to book your appointment today!

http://www.jcuhealth.com.au/our-clinics/physiotherapy

New Medical Database - DynaMed Plus

JCU has recently subscribed to DynaMed Plus, a great resource for students!

DynaMed Plus is a clinical reference tool providing fast, easy access to the latest evidence-based information in medicine. Updated several times a day as new evidence becomes available, DynaMed was developed by a community of clinicians to supply healthcare professionals and students with the information they need to make the best-informed decisions at the point of care.

Topics covered within DynaMed Plus include specialty content in allergy; cardiology; critical care; dermatology; ear, nose and throat (ENT); emergency medicine; endocrinology; gastroenterology; gynaecology; hematology; infectious diseases; nephrology; neurology; obstetrics; oncology; orthopedics and sports medicine; paediatrics; primary care; psychiatry; pulmonary medicine; rheumatology; surgery; and vascular medicine.

Users can also access concise drug reference information including dosages, therapeutic use, cautions, comparative efficacy, approved and off-label indications, pharmacokinetics, clinical applications, and interactions of medications (including drug-drug, drug-food, drug-ethanol, drug-tobacco, and drug-laboratory).

http://jculibrarynews.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/new-medical-database-dynamed-plus.html

21st Century Study Tools: Mobile Apps for Study and Research LibGuide

Getting ready for University and have a brand new smartphone or tablet, but don't know what apps to install?

Check out the Library's Mobile Apps for Study and Research LibGuide. We have curated lists of apps for all sorts of study situations including note taking, accessing LearnJCU and even ones to listen to study music.

http://jculibrarynews.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/21st-century-study-tools-mobile-apps.html

Publication: Brain and cardiorespiratory responses to exercise in hot and thermoneutral conditions

Edwards, A.M., Deakin, G.B., and Guy, J.H. (2016) Brain and cardiorespiratory responses to exercise in hot and thermoneutral conditions. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 37 (10). pp. 779-784.

http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/45850/

Abstract
The aim of this study was to test whether or not concurrent evaluations of brain (electroencephalography [EEG]) and cardiorespiratory responses to exercise are influenced by environmental conditions. 10 adult male participants performed a standardized incremental exercise test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer in an environment controlled laboratory on 2 separate occasions, in a randomized order; one in a hot condition (34.5°C) and one in a thermoneutral condition (20°C). EEG, heart rate and expired air were collected throughout. EEG data were decontaminated for artefacts, log-transformed and expressed as aggregated alpha and beta power responses across electrodes reflecting the frontal cortex of the brain. Performance outcomes showed there was no difference in  V˙O₂ peak across hot (42.5 ml/kg/min) and neutral (42.8 ml/kg/min) conditions, although ventilatory threshold (V(T)) occurred at a lower threshold (68%) in hot compared to neutral condition (74%) (p<0.05). EEG alpha and beta wave responses both demonstrated significant increases from baseline to V(T) (p<0.01). EEG beta-band activity was significantly elevated in the heat compared to the neutral condition. In conclusion, elevated EEG beta-band activity in response to incremental exercise in the heat suggests that beta-band activation and cortical awareness increases as exercise becomes increasingly intense.

GROW Rural - Get a taste of life as a health professional in rural Queensland!

GROW Rural is a three year program, which provides medical, nursing and allied health students the annual opportunity to experience comprehensive clinical practice and the unique lifestyle of remote and rural Queensland communities.

Thirty-five undergraduate health students will visit remote and rural Queensland communities each year for three consecutive years - forming personal and professional relationships, connecting with communities and residents and expanding their clinical knowledge and practice.

The 2017 cohort will visit Central Queensland, experience a farm stay, see a cattle property, attend a community trivia night, as well as undertake clinical skill sessions.

GROW Rural is a one of a kind rural immersion experience aimed at attracting the future workforce to a remote and rural career. If you're interested, apply today!

Who: Medical, nursing and allied health students from any Queensland university
When: Friday 28 to Sunday 30 July, 2017
Where: Central Queensland (Woorabinda, Baralaba, Moura, Theodore and Biloela)

Applications Open: Wednesday 1 February, 2017
Applications Close: Wednesday 8 March, 2017

https://www.healthworkforce.com.au/grow-rural

JCU Sport and Exercise Science staff and students visit the Solomon Islands

In early December 2016, staff and students from JCU’s Sport and Exercise Science discipline visited the remote island of Malaita in the Solomon Islands.

As a key initiative to enhance practicum opportunities of future graduates, 11 students (2nd to 4th years from Townsville and Cairns campuses) and three staff undertook a two-week visit to the remote villages of Canaan and Ambitona.

Students conducted physical, exercise and sporting activities and engaged in language lessons with the local people.

Through day-to-day engagement, students were able to develop further their sport and exercise science knowledge and skills.

The trip was funded by the Federal Government’s New Colombo Plan, who have pledged to continue to support this initiative in 2017 and 2018.

Greater numbers of students will be able to undertake the unique experience and contribute to their professional and cultural development at JCU.

Associate Professor Leicht said that “this opportunity has and will continue to provide JCU students with a novel learning opportunity that is rare amongst sport and exercise science professionals in Australia".

For more photos see https://www.jcu.edu.au/@jcu/jcu-sport-and-exercise-science-staff-and-students-visit-the-solomon-islands

Publication: An exploration of the relationships between adults' childhood and current nature exposure and their mental well-being

Pensini, Pamela, Horn, Eva, and Caltabiano, Nerina (2016) An exploration of the relationships between adults' childhood and current nature exposure and their mental well-being. Children, Youth and Environments, 26 (1). pp. 125-147.

http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/47270/

Abstract
This study explores the relationships between adults’ childhood nature exposure (NE), current NE, and mental well-being. Correlational data from two countries (Australia and Germany) found positive relationships between both childhood and current NE and numerous mental well-being indicators. However, the contribution of childhood NE was indirect, through its relationship to current NE. The German study also assessed ecological behavior and connectedness to nature, and although childhood NE maintained a marginal relation to both these variables, current NE was also precedent in these domains. The relationships between NE and mental well-being and ecological behavior were both mediated by connectedness to nature. Thus, for the mental well-being of humans and protection of the earth, nature exposure should be encouraged and maintained later in life

JCU's College of Healthcare Sciences and Red Cross team up to deliver disaster training

What do the James Cook University Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition and Red Cross Emergency Services in Queensland have in common?  Quite a lot it turns out, when it comes to building disaster-resilient communities.

On December 5-7 2016, in partnership with Red Cross, JCU piloted a “Resilient Communities in Disaster (RCD) course with 15 Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition students, who attended the three-day training at the Cairns campus.   The pre-registration nursing students undertook training in Resilient Communities and disaster, Psychological First Aid (Red Cross), and Disaster First Aid.

Research Officer Andrea Grimes, said “the purpose of the course is to increase community resilience to disaster situations by capacity building student and registered healthcare workers to provide support in preparedness, response and recovery”.

Project lead and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing & Midwifery Education & Research Capacity Building, Associate Professor Caryn West, was very impressed with how the pilot ran and together with Red Cross Emergency Services in Queensland would be working on rolling out the workshop on a larger scale. Associate Professor West said “there has been growing interest in the RCD 3 day workshop both nationally and internationally. Currently there is nothing quite like this course and the enthusiasm has been truly wonderful. By being resilient communities can prevent loss of life, reduce property damage, reduce business interruption and lower emergency response and disaster recovery costs. Resilient communities are also able to recover from disaster situations quickly as they can function well under stress, proactively protect themselves and successfully adapt under changing conditions”.

The RCD course aims to value add to the current local community resilient plan ensuring participants are knowledgeable, safe and connected within their communities prior, during and post a disaster situation. It is hoped that in the near future this workshop will be available to all health students.

Pictured from L-R: JCU’s Associate Professor Caryn West and Research Officer Andrea Grimes with Red Cross Capacity Development Coordinator Beth Stapleton, QLD Director Leisa Bourne, and FNQ/Nth QLD Regional Coordinator Daryl Hanger. Absent is JCU academic and Red Cross volunteer Sandra Downing

Reproduced from https://www.jcu.edu.au/@jcu/jcu-and-red-cross-team-up-to-deliver-disaster-training

Publication: The impact of coping and resilience on anxiety among older Australians

Li, Wendy Wen, and Miller, Daniel J. (2017) The impact of coping and resilience on anxiety among older Australians. Australian Journal of Psychology. pp. 1-10. (In Press)

http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/47003/

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explore the relationships between various coping types, resilience, and anxiety among older Australians. Particular attention is paid to whether resilience moderates coping’s effect on anxiety. Method: A total of 324 Australians aged between 55 and 90 (M = 66.7, SD = 8.6) were surveyed as part of the study. Moderation was assessed using structural equation modelling and plots of simple slopes. Results: Significant negative correlations were detected between anxiety and both proactive coping and preventive coping. Higher levels of resilience were associated with lower levels of anxiety. Age moderated both proactive coping and reflective coping's effects on anxiety and gender moderated avoidance coping’s effect on anxiety. Resilience was found to moderate the relationships between proactive coping and anxiety, and instrumental support seeking and anxiety. For those high in resilience, there was little association between anxiety and proactive coping or anxiety and instrumental support seeking. Among low resilience individuals, there was a negative association between proactive coping and anxiety, but a positive association between instrumental support seeking and anxiety. Conclusion: Resilience, proactive coping, and preventive coping are all important predictors of anxiety among older people. Among those who are low in resilience, proactively coping with stress may be particularly important for good mental health. The results of the study highlight the complexity of the relationship between resilience, coping, and anxiety among older people.

10 apps every student needs in their life

A collection of useful apps for all students, courtesy of JCU Life on Tumblr.

http://jculife.tumblr.com/post/149495336558/10-apps-every-student-needs-in-their-life

Publication: Cortisol awakening response and acute stress reactivity in First Nations people

Berger, Maximus, Leicht, Anthony, Slatcher, Angela, Kraeuter, Ann Katrin, Ketheesan, Sarangan, Larkins, Sarah, and Sarnyai, Zoltàn (2017) Cortisol awakening response and acute stress reactivity in First Nations people. Scientific Reports, 7. pp. 1-10.

http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/46987/

Abstract
First Nations people globally have a higher incidence of mental disorders and non-communicable diseases. These health inequalities are partially attributed to a complex network of social and environmental factors which likely converge on chronic psychosocial stress. We hypothesized that alterations in stress processing and the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis might underlie health disparities in First Nations people. We assessed the cortisol awakening response and the dynamic response to a laboratory induced psychosocial stress of young Indigenous tertiary students (n = 11, mean age 23.82 years) and non-Indigenous students (n = 11) matched for age and gender. Indigenous participants had a blunted cortisol awakening response (27.40 (SD 35.00) vs. 95.24 (SD 55.23), p = 0.002), which was differentially associated with chronic experience of stress in Indigenous (r = −0.641, p = 0.046) and non-Indigenous (r = 0.652, p = 0.03) participants. The cortisol response to the laboratory induced psychosocial stress did not differ between groups. Self-reported racial discrimination was strongly associated with flattened cortisol response to stress (r = −0676, p = 0.022) and with heart rate variability (r = 0.654, p = 0.040). Our findings provide insight into potential biological factors underlying health discrepancies in ethnic minority groups.