The course of one’s life: The curriculum vitae

I’ve held an academic title at Boston University since 1983. During these 41 years, I have recorded my professional history, that is qualifications, education, publications, presentations, grants, awards, leadership roles, and other activities on my curriculum vitae (CV). As I recently updated my CV, I wondered about the term. I found that it’s Latin meaning the “course of one’s life” [1]. Interestingly, its origin is attributed to Leonardo Da Vinici who in 1482 “ ...  wrote a list of his skills and experiences and sent them to the Duke of Milan” [1].

Most formats for CVs are guided by their academic institutions or depending on the specific purpose such as a grant proposal and may vary greatly. One common element is that there is no length limitation which in my case is appreciated since my CV totals 98 pages! In addition, typically there should be a reverse chronological order of achievements with the most recent listed first in each section, e.g., presentations, publications, awards, etc. Finally, whatever format is used, it’s important that the CV include categories so it’s user friendly to navigate.

Adding to each of the authors’ CV are publications in this issue of WORK on linkages between educational level and occupational choices of women, facilitators and barriers to employment for people with physical disabilities, burnout in health employees, work readiness, musculoskeletal disorders, predicting injury rates among many other interesting subjects.

The Editor’s Choice paper is Technological interventions in Functional Capacity Evaluations: An insight into current applications authored by Bhupal, Bures, Peterson, Nicol, Figeys and Cruz. As these authors shared, “Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a crucial component within return-to-work decision making. However, clinician-based physical FCE interpretation may introduce variability and biases”. Using the PRISMA guidelines in a review of the literature, they concluded, “The current landscape of FCEs, marked by a high dependence on clinician observations, presents challenges regarding consistency and cost-effectiveness. There is an evident need for a standardized technological approach that introduces objective metrics to streamline the FCE process and potentially enhance its outcomes”.

I hope you are continuing to enjoy the episodes in our Learn at WORK podcast. I welcome your suggestions of authors on an episode. Learn more about WORK on our website at workjournal.org.

All my best,

Founding Editor, WORK

Occupational therapist & ergonomist

blogs.bu.edu/kjacobs/