Cluj-Napoca Day 1

hmmm... it's a quarter to nine here, so it must be ... quarter to seven there (UK) - I think.

Arrived in Cluj-Napoca today and been on a brief reccy of local area.  Turns out I am staying in hotel right next door to the University's Psychology Department - home from home.

But I want a nice cup of tea!

Sunshine on a rainy day...

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Submitted our grant application today - now need to wait twelve weeks or so to hear if we get through to the next stage of the competition...

Also booked a few more dates for our motivational interviewing training.

And the sun has come out - finally.

Bit of progress

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Picked up my Romanian lei today in preparation for next week's trip to Cluj-Napoca for the
24th European Health Psychology Conference, 1-4 September. At least as important, picked up my second poster from the printers.

Hoping to meet some hospital staff in Bulgaria the following week, to talk about motivational interviewing interventions for health behaviour change - but still awaiting confirmation on that front...

Meanwhile, just had a paper accepted for a conference next spring on disaster management - good job I have a 3 month sabbatical coming up...

Lacking inspiration

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My husband said this isn't as boring as it sounds to me, so here goes:
Degree review meeting this morning to discuss the latest iteration of our BSc Hons Psychology, Psychology & Criminology and Sports Psychology Programmes.  We update these regularly (it seems to have been three or four times since I started here in 2003), but the latest effort is to fit with a new semesterised system the university is introducing from next academic year.  We are looking to further enhance our students' employability, and 'internationalise' more, so time to throw all the course elements in the air again and see where they land this time.

Also, moderation meetings to agree marks for a Graduate Diploma dissertation, and some resit social psychology exams.

Perhaps I need to eat more e-numbers to make life more stimulating...

"Moving beyond measurement"

A NUTHER day on clearing hotline - we still get candidates calling us with good A' level grades - shows how difficult it has been for all concerned this year...
As it is a *little* bit quieter today have had my laptop and been able to do one or two other things, including finding out about a very interesting initiative from Picker Institute Europe.  Health psychologists and other health professionals seem to spend more time than they used to measuring aspects of patient experience.  While this is certainly valuable work, I am especially interested in how understanding patients' experiences can be used to improve overall outcomes:

"Moving beyond Measurement
Picker Institute Europe’s new Quality Improvement programme - Moving beyond Measurement - offers dedicated and practical support in turning your patient and staff experience surveys into sustainable improvements."

Research study on the perceived risk of terrorism

Bits and bobs day, including dissertation marking for the Graduate Diploma - one very interesting study looking at personality, health behaviours and physical health status in UK firefighters. 

Have been asked to help out a student on our MSc Forensic Psychology and Crime course, who's looking for more people to take part in her research study on the perceived risk of terrorism.

If you are interested, please click on the link above for further information.

Don't usually do a blog entry at weekends, but seeing as I had to go into work for the open day...

Actually, thought I'd let myself off lightly by doing my pick of the forthoming week's telly (and radio):

Channel 4 Monday 23rd August 20.00 Dispatches: When Cousins Marry

Channel 4 Monday 23rd August 21.00 The Hospital

BBC2 Wednesday 25th August 21.00 The Wounded Platoon

CH4 Wednesday 25th August 21.00 My New Brain

BBC Radio 4 Wednesday 25th August 11.00 Case Study

BBC Radio 4 Wednesday 25th August 20.00 Iconoclasts

Back to the grindstone

Back to sort of normal today following first day of clearing, although I will be back to the grindstone tomorrow with an open day on campus and possibly on the hotline too depending on how offers are being taken up by candidates.

Received notification about another conference I would like to submit to - to present work on aspects of healthcare that help or hinder women to manage their PCOS:
Women's Health 2011: The 19th Annual Congress & the Annual Meeting of AMWA, April 1-3, Washington, DC.

I am pleased to say we can make you an offer...

Not much normal academic work done today - well none actually - as along with colleagues I was working on the clearing hotline for students whose A' level results didn't match their UCAS offers.

There's a well publicised big scramble for places nationally, and we have been gradually increasing the A' level points we ask for annually, but we were able to offer some people a chance through clearing. 

It's nice to be able to give people GOOD news sometimes.

Tepid desking

Been hot-desking today on campus.  Two supervisory meetings with MSc Health Psych dissertation students, one meeting with a colleague about a research funding application, and briefly sitting in as academic tutor on a student doing a resit exam under sheltered conditions.

Also managed to get into my old office to choose some books to leave for collection by Book Harvest.  It was spooky being back in there after being LIW for weeks.  Everything was untouched - part from my illicit fan/heater - but that's another story.

Have submitted an abstract for a conference. 
2nd International Conference on Disaster Management and Human Health: Reducing Risk, Improving Outcomes, 11 - 13 May 2011, Orlando, USA

As usual fingers crossed that it gets accepted - then I can start worrying about how to get to Florida...

Joys of wireless

Okay - bit late with today's post. Have spent most of today wrestling with my laptop.  Have been using a snazzy new wireless keyboard and mouse set (as advised by health & safety now the laptop is my main PC), and today the keyboard decided to go phut...

Trip to shops for new batteries, much swapping around, reinstalling drivers, reinstalling, rebooting... ho hum.

In case you'd like not to get one for yourself it's one of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rainbow-R8980C-Carbono-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B0029U2IX6

The patient will see you now

Having a bit of a break after finishing a tough piece of writing.  Have enjoyed reading a short document published by The Health Foundation (who have funded my work on PCOS), entitled "The patient will see you now: rebalancing relationships between people who use services and those who provide them".

This really reflects the inspiration for most of my work - that while individuals may be significantly distressed by illness, violence, trauma and disruption, they are often able to respond resiliently, using their own personal resources, and support provided by social networks and other organisations.

In the field of healthcare, this means "Transforming relationships and sharing power between patients, staff and communities will promote stronger partnerships in healthcare". In a wider context, I am  interested in how services can support people to respond with resilience, for example, residents who have experienced flash flooding, mental health service users in rehabilitation, or patients managing chronic illness.

Am hoping to get some research funding to take this further...

Like swimming through treacle

Gosh it's taking me FOREVER to write this flipping research grant application.  I want it to be good but I think I'm in danger of starting the project itself without having secured the funding.

Must let it go soon!

Snail's pace

Work on research grant application proceeding at snail's pace.  These things are SOOOO time consuming, with no idea whether it will be successful.

Fingers and everything else crossed...

The Jobbing Doctor: Disgrace

The Jobbing Doctor: Disgrace: "http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100525/debtext/100525-0012.htm"

Perceived support from healthcare practitioners...

Urgh... cream crackered after a day working on a research grant application - and it's still not finished. Obviously confidential until it's been reviewed, so now for something completely different...

Was looking for newly published papers today and noticed that one of mine has been cited for the first time:

Percy, C. A., Gibbs, T., Potter, L. and Boardman, S. (2009), Nurse-led peer support group: experiences of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65: 2046–2055. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05061.x

cited by

Oftedal, B., Karlsen, B. and Bru, E. (2010), Perceived support from healthcare practitioners among adults with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66: 1500–1509. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05329.x

That's a quick turnaround - I'm glad it is being used.

"It would be trim to cut your weekly drinking frolic"???

I have a professional interest in how people use the internet for health information and social support. This often entails analysing the advice people seek and give online.

This has got to be the most idiosyncratic advice I've come across, on a page advertising "Quality free articles to use on your website!"

Worth reading in full I think if you are a fan of the late great Edward Lear...

Research for Patient Benefit

Agreed today to provide another peer review on an application to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme.

The Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme funds regionally derived applied research projects in health services and social care. Its main purpose is to realise, through evidence, the huge potential for improving, expanding and strengthening the way that health care is delivered for patients, the public and the NHS.

Looking forward to receiving the application. There's quite a bit of work involved in reviewing these, but I always learn something new and useful from them.

Sit back in your newly streamlined office and enjoy the extra space you have created!

Had an email today that's come a little late for me, as I started location independent working several weeks ago.

It was from an organisation called Book Harvest, offering to take away unwanted textbooks from academics' offices. This would have been great for me, except that I no longer have access to my old room, which is full of unwanted inspection copies of basic texts that publishers send on spec. Maybe I'll see if I can spring my way in somehow...

If you'd like to avail of their services, which include reselling the books cheap to needy students and making a charity donation to boot, see their website http://www.bookharvest.co.uk/

Pre-order now to avoid disappointment...

Working on a grant application today, which colleagues and I plan to submit to the Leverhulme Trust. As it's very much a work in progress I don't want to say much more (jinxes and all that), so here's some nice news about my mate Clare. Her co-authored book is out now. Highly recommended.

"Ask to pet me, I'm friendly"

Not much writing done today (well none actually), but three very valuable meetings:

1. Met with a student on the health psych masters to discuss progress on his dissertation study. He’s looking at the lived experience of recovering alcoholics, with an original slant (as usual can’t say quite what it is as he hopes to submit it for publication later).


2. Met with two co-researchers to talk about our plans in relation to disaster management.


3. Talked to a research student for whom I’m director of studies. She’s doing work on the impact of assistance dogs. Tried to persuade her that it might be worth setting up a blog about her study.

Not directly related, but just in case it’s of interest to anyone who reads this, the Disasters Emergency Committee has launched its Pakistan Floods Appeal.

Why does going on holiday make me forget how to do stuff when I come back?

Spent a large part of today reading and commenting on a draft PhD chapter.

As a supervisory team we agreed to keep drafts and comments in one safe place: at Adobe Buzzword.

This is a free site that allows authors to share/co-author and make comments online. It is pretty easy to use, but having been on 3 weeks leave, I couldn't for the live of me work out how I'd put things on there last time. It took a cup of tea and half an episode of Murder She Wrote (I'm on location independent working!) to jog my memory. Now fully conversant with the site - until next time I go on some leave...

Also while having this morning's tea break (I am working honestly!) listened to the BBC radio 4 programme The Graduate

Sarfraz Manzoor follows a year in the life of six graduates from Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University as they try to secure their first job.

I would recommend this for anyone wanting to know what it's really like looking for a graduate job.