Economic Crisis Unleashes Deep Recession in Austria – Stabilization Expected at Year-End
According to the June 2009 economic outlook of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB), the Austrian economy is projected to enter a deep recession in 2009 owing to the global slump in growth, with real GDP set to shrink by 4.2%. After further declining by a modest 0.4% in 2010, positive real annual GDP growth of 1.2% will reemerge only in 2011. Compared with the OeNB December 2008 economic outlook, growth expectations for 2009 and 2010 were downgraded by 3.9 and 1.2 percentage points respectively. This major revision reflects the steep slump in the demand for exports and investment – unparalleled in the post-war period. The current downturn is so pronounced that GDP levels seen in 2007 will not return until 2011. HICP inflation will ease from 3.2% in 2008 to a mere 0.4% in 2009 and rise modestly to 1.1% and 1.2% in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
A Leading Indicator of Austrian Exports Based on Truck Mileage
The close correlation between economic activity and freight performance is emphasized in numerous international studies. With regard to Austria, timely information on truck mileage has been available since 2004 when Austria introduced road pricing. In this study, truck road pricing data compiled by the Austrian highway authority (ASFINAG) are analyzed for the first time with respect to their adequacy as a leading indicator for various macroeconomic indicators. The results show that truck mileage is a good leading indicator above all for goods exports. The timely availability provides an information advantage in analyzing economic developments of two to three months relative to the first release of export data by Statistics Austria.
From student to therapist: exploring the first year of practice.
OBJECTIVES
The transition from classroom to clinical practice challenges many health professional students. This study used a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experience of rehabilitation students during their final placement and first year of practice.


METHOD
Students (n = 6) in occupational therapy and physical therapy wrote reflective journals every 2 weeks during their final fieldwork placement and first year of practice. The researchers independently analyzed the journals for common themes. An independent peer completed a blind analysis of two journals. Data were also compared with published first-person accounts of novice practitioners.


RESULTS
The lived experience of the first year of practice included four consecutive stages: Transition, Euphoria and Angst, Reality of Practice, and Adaptation. Themes from the journals included great expectations, competence, politics, shock, education, and strategies.


CONCLUSION
Recognizing the stages in the process of transition from student to therapist may assist in educational curriculum development and clinical support and supervision for new graduates. Educators need to continue to make education practice relevant while maintaining a theoretical perspective.