ObjectivePrevious studies focused on the benefits of acute exercise on cognition and mood have mostly used specialized laboratory-based equipment, thus little is known about how such protocols generalize to naturalistic settings. Stair climbing is a simple and readily accessible means of exercise that can be performed in naturalistic settings (e.g., at home or at the workplace). In the present study we examined the effects of stair-climbing intervals on subsequent cognitive performance and mood in healthy young adults.MethodThirty-two undergraduate students (Mage = 19.4 years, SD = 1.3; 21 females) completed a controlled randomized crossover trial with session order counterbalanced across participants. Participants visited the lab on two occasions, one week apart, and completed one control session (no exercise) and one stair-climbing session (3 × 1 min stair-climbing intervals) with cognitive performance and mood assessed at the end of each session.ResultsRepeated measures ANCOVA revealed that males (Hedges’ gav = 0.45) showed better switching performance following the stair climbing but females (Hedges’ gav < 0.03) did not. Participants felt more energetic (Hedges’ gav = 1.05), less tense (Hedges’ gav = 0.61), and less tired (Hedges’ gav = 0.43) following the stair climbing. In addition, higher exercise intensity during the stair climbing predicted better subsequent switching performance and higher energetic ratings.ConclusionThese findings indicate that short bouts of stair climbing in a naturalistic setting can induce cognitive benefits for more challenging tasks, albeit only in males, indicating a sex-specific effect. Short bouts of stair climbing can be a practical approach to increase feelings of energy in daily life.

Biomedical research is becoming increasingly data driven. New technologies that generate large-scale, complex data are continually emerging and evolving. As a result, there is a concurrent need for training researchers to use and understand new computational tools. Here we describe an efficient and effective approach to developing curriculum materials that can be deployed in a research environment to meet this need.

BACKGROUND:Hospitalists care for an increasing number of older patients. As teachers, they are uniquely positioned to teach geriatric skills to residents. Faculty development programs focused on geriatrics teaching skills are often expensive and time‐intensive, and may not enhance trainee learning.OBJECTIVES:To evaluate a train‐the‐trainer (TTT) model designed to equip hospitalists with knowledge and skills to teach geriatric topics to residents in a time‐constrained, resource‐limited environment.DESIGN:Cross‐sectional survey.SETTING:Academic tertiary hospital.INTERVENTION:A 10‐hour geriatric curriculum, the Reynolds Program for Advancing Geriatrics Education (PAGE), cotaught by geriatricians and hospitalists at preexisting noon conferences over 1 year that consisted of exportable teaching modules.MEASUREMENTS:Session leaders' and faculty participants' satisfaction, hospitalist geriatrics teaching self‐efficacy, residents' self‐report of frequency of geriatric teaching received, and frequency of geriatric skill use.RESULTS:The curriculum was highly rated by session leaders and hospitalist faculty. Hospitalists perceived improvement in geriatric teaching skills, indicating (1: “unlikely” to 5: “highly likely”) that they are likely to use these teaching tools in the future (M = 4.61, standard deviation [SD] = 0.53). Residents reported both significantly more geriatrics teaching by hospitalists (P < 0.05) and a borderline significant increase in their practice of geriatric clinical skills (P = 0.05).CONCLUSIONS:A time‐efficient geriatric faculty development program for hospitalists suggests improvement in the amount and quality of geriatrics teaching and skill practice among faculty and residents at an academic medical center. Concise faculty development programs within preexisting faculty meetings may be a feasible, successful method to increase geriatric skill development in the hospital setting. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010; © 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Simulations provide a unique opportunity to practice newly acquired skills in a low risk environment. For this reason, simulations have historically been used in preservice teacher education programs to enable student teachers to apply generalized pedagogical practices. This pilot study examined how simulations could be integrated with inservice teachers as an assessment of content-specific instructional practices covered in a professional development program. The study utilized two nationally recognized simulation platforms and included a preliminary investigation of validity of the simulation assessments, a comparison of participant performance on the simulation assessment to the standard module assessment, and a comparison of the usability and feasibility of each platform for future assessments. While results suggest that simulation platforms are a promising means of conducting content-specific assessments, current limitations of such platforms may challenge their large-scale usage as part of a professional development program.