Research for research sake is no longer tenable or affordable; to be valuable to society, research must have impact! This textbook takes the reader on a journey from how the UK Research Excellence Framework assesses impact to real examples of outstanding research impact case studies. Along the way, Prof. Hugh McKenna describes and explains the case for research impact, the challenges, the link between research impact and evidence informed practice, achieving impact through changing policy and engaging with the public, how researchers can make their research findings more impactful and how research impact is assessment nationally and internationally It is written in an easily accessible and understandable style, with reflective exercises amply distributed throughout its pages and helpful guides helping to engage readers and notably health professionals who are often turned off by the normal heavy research tomes. This book makes the complex simple and the wearisome fascinating. The short chapters are interesting and authoritative and can be read on a ‘standalone’ basis, allowing readers to ‘dip in and out’. From his experience in various countries, the author has a unique insight into what research impact is, how it is assessed and how and where research findings can have the most benefit. The stimulus for this book has been the excellent feedback that the author has received from health professionals, students and fellow researchers. There is always a risk that good knowledge and experience do not transfer well into a good textbook. In Research Impact: Guidance on Advancement, Achievement and Assessment, nothing has been lost in the transition. The book will be of great interest to many health researchers from nursing to midwifery, pharmacy, medicine or any allied health professional, but also to any research manager in all professions who want their research to bring positive change to society, culture, the economy, health and quality of life. It will be of particular interest to those who want to understand the difference between research impacts that are weak and those that are outstanding and how such assessments are made.

Bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Do you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to evaluate behavior, performance, and readiness? Read Mastering the Fire Service Assessment Center to identify what you need to learn and understand how to learn it. There is no way you can read and reflect on the wisdom in these pages and not become a better person and a better firefighter. Why Read This Book? The American fire service is facing a new normal fueled by mass exodus, influx of new generations of firefighters, a lack of hands-on leadership training, sweeping changes in mission, decimated budgets, and the genetics of task-oriented, reactive forefathers. The greatest and perhaps only area that we can affect directly is hands-on, inspiring, realistic, and useful training for our aspiring and incumbent leaders. This book will help you regardless of the fire officer rank you seek. It will help you know where you need to improve, how to develop a specific personal plan to become an excellent officer, and how to do well with whatever assessment center exercises throw at you. NEW MATERIAL in this second edition: --Enjoy reading “Wisdom from the Masters” from 18 fire service luminaries. They provide invaluable insights and challenges you will face as you prepare to promote, whether for the first time as a company officer or up the chain as a chief officer. --Learn lessons from thousands of students from the past 12 years whose feedback will benefit you in this second edition. --Benefit from the many new elements in this book, including relevant articles, additional exercises, and content regarding the dimensions of leadership, management, and emergency operations. The complexities of being a fire officer in the 21st century require an undercurrent of humility while continually pursuing mastery of leading in the modern fire service. Learn how to lead the modern-day firefighter in a modern world, with modern technology, modern fire behavior, and modern sociopolitical and economic challenges. Many firefighters ask themselves if they really want to do this job, but nothing is as professionally rewarding and challenging as leading others in battle to save lives! “This book will give you the greatest probability of success in your assessment center process.” —Bobby Halton, editor-in-chief, Fire Engineering magazine

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. To receive SSDI or SSI disability benefits, an individual must meet the statutory definition of disability, which is "the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity [SGA] by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months." SSA uses a five-step sequential process to determine whether an adult applicant meets this definition. Functional Assessment for Adults with Disabilities examines ways to collect information about an individual's physical and mental (cognitive and noncognitive) functional abilities relevant to work requirements. This report discusses the types of information that support findings of limitations in functional abilities relevant to work requirements, and provides findings and conclusions regarding the collection of information and assessment of functional abilities relevant to work requirements.