...A student in Higher Education and a Future Healthcare Practitioner. In this essay I will explore my initial reflections on my role as a student in higher education. There will a discussion on my role as a future healthcare practitioner and the efforts I need to make to achieve the professional status of a nurse. I will discuss my learning styles and identify key developmental needs to be addressed. There will be discussions on the concepts of professionalism and accountability. In the United Kingdom today all newly qualified nurses must have a nursing degree as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Council. This significant overhaul to Florence Nightingale’s eighteenth century era, apprenticeship style learning system (Bradshaw, A. 2001), has led to fundamental changes in nursing education in the twenty first century; both in theory and practice. Today nurses are challenged with up-to date demands, including innovative medical treatments, leading to an aging population, with complex health values (Cherry, B. 2005). In addition, knowledgeable patients, who are averse to being told what to do but expect greater involvement in their own care planning. The need for graduate nurses is supported by the Willis Commission Report (2012) which argues that ‘our future healthcare services will require graduate nurses nursing and leading healthcare teams in a variety of roles, providing care in many settings’. The concept of accountability and professionalism was highlighted at the...
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...may affect one’s health. Individual behaviors, economics, and social structure are some things that play a major role in one’s overall health. Today, more than ever, there is growing interest, awareness, and momentum for the promise of performance management and quality improvement. Other sectors – such as industry, healthcare organizations, and business – have successfully used these concepts and tools to improve service delivery and process performance. In public health settings, performance management and quality improvement tools are being promoted and supported as an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of public health agencies, systems, and services. This paper will analyze the key milestones made in shaping the healthcare industry, evaluate the significance of financing and technology in health care, the complexities associated with changing demographics and emergent diseases, and challenges presented to healthcare management. Twenty years ago U.S. healthcare cost $2800, on average, per person. Ten years ago, that figure had risen to $4700 per person. And four years ago, in 2008, it was $7500 per person. (Kaiser Family Foundation Report.) Over the same period, the portion of Americans without insurance has risen. In 1990, 14.1 percent of Americans were uninsured. In 2000, 13.1 percent were uninsured. Today, 16.3% of Americans are uninsured (approximately 50 million people), in part because of job losses and employers cutting back on coverage. Socioeconomic...
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...minority groups within the United States, this is not a reality. In fact, life has been altered from the moment their lives began as an individual of color. Today, many people tend to remember the victories of African Americans that include abolition of slavery, desegregation, the civil rights movement, and the right to vote before women. People tend to forget the centuries of ugly racism, oppression and violence. The times of slavery, Jim Crow laws, lynching and segregation along with the hardship of having no political voice. Many disregard that for every social policy throughout history with what appeared to be an open door, just became another obstacle for Blacks and step up for Whites. Social policies and government programs have neglected and shortchanged African Americans for decades. Today, African Americans continue to face economic, social and health disparities within society when compared to its white counterparts. African Americans are struggling with unemployment and poverty. According to Fletcher (2013) in 2012, the black unemployment rate was 14.0 percent, 2.1 times the white unemployment rate (6.6 percent). This rate is higher than the average national unemployment rate of 13.1 percent. For those African Americans who are employed, many are unable to support their families. The minimum wage today is $7.25. This is far from a living wage. In 2011, a full-time year-round worker needed to earn $11.06 an hour to keep a family of four out of poverty. But more...
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...Being health literate Health literacy is essential for successful access to care and use of services, self-care of chronic conditions, and maintenance of health and wellness. Health literacy is fundamental to healthcare that requires individuals to have a more active role in decisions and management. Problems with health literacy affect all people, but the elderly and chronically ill are most at-risk, and also have the greatest healthcare needs and expenses. Poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person's health than age, income, employment status, education level, and race. Your feelings about yourself, how well you meet the demands of daily life, and your ability to process information are all important parts of your mental/emotional...
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...the Florida Blue Foundation (NIHCM Foundation, 2013). Six organizations from the state are given resources and training so that they can provide prevention activities. NIHCM Foundation's Promising Practices in Maternal and Child Health facts sheet shows programs being started, new collaborations which are promising, and dedicated space so leaders can share their success stories. As we can see the issue in this publication is childhood obesity that is on a continues rise. This is one of the nation's top health concerns. One in three youths are obese or overweight (NIHCM Foundation, 2013). The type of healthcare organization I would like to work for in the future is a nursing home or in a hospital, particularly in the pediatrics section. I enjoy working with the elderly and children. I would explain to two stakeholders of the hospital, which are providers and patients that today, In the United States childhood obesity has become an epidemic. One out of three children is considered overweight or obese. The main enablers consist of watching TV or engaging video games while consuming fast foods instead of nutritious, home-cooked meals. On average, a child will spend four hours a day playing video games while munching on potato chips and a high calorie soda. This type of activity is directly linked to...
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...This paper addresses the population of adults with diabetes in the hospital setting and focuses on the related topics of health literacy and health education. The first section of this paper will discuss the relationship between these three topics. Next, this paper will outline goals of care, how nurses can work to ensure continuity of this care, and the transition of patients from the hospital setting to outpatient facilities. The World Health Organization defines health literacy as “the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health” (WHO, 2015), making health literacy an important factor in the manage...
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...patients were being neglected because of fear of contagion (p. 4). To address this fear and incorporate a sense of integrity in the treatment plan nurses and doctors alike begun to demonstrate more empathy and compassion towards patients. This pride and dignity centered model proved to be a success for inpatient and outpatient AIDS clinics and continues to be used today for adults and...
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...A career as an Adult Nurse is not only diverse but encompasses many fields which allows the care of a patient to be holistic. Nursing has always been an important role within a care setting but nurses have never been more crucial in supporting the NHS, than what they are today; hence the high pressure and demand placed on the service. I have always admired the profession and I wish to be able to care for vulnerable patients as I have the relevant knowledge, skills and work ethic to pursue this career. As an individual I am able to adapt to new and changing situations whilst maintaining empathy. I believe that I have great stamina, as I study full time and have a part-time job, which is an important disposition to have as continuity of patient care is vital. I have a particular interest in perioperative care and enjoy learning about procedures and their associated risks, with the aid of virtual simulators. My chosen...
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...Healthcare is changing every day with the intension to improved and enhance quality care to patient and the community. A professional nurse is require to provide care and information for patient and their families. Patient and families have the right to able to understand healthcare information which would empower them to make informed decisions about their care. Improving Health literacy in healthcare settings allow greater understanding of information and knowledge which would improve patient care. Being health literate is not only about reading and learning but is about understanding health information and using it to better one’s health. Health literacy is the ability for an individual to understand health information and services in order to make appropriate decisions regarding their health. (Sewell, 2015, p. 140). For example, retrieving medication and referrals, knowing when is time to take medication, interpreting medical terminology and comparing different insurance. Individuals who are health literate would know about their insurance coverage and can use the information to understand what services are available under that policy which would empower them to make informed decisions regarding health services, which can contribute to their overall health. Health literacy is not all about the ability of the patient to read, but...
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...servant leader is inspired and performed his/her job within the health care organization? The paper will also inform readers of how each individual can unleash the servant within described by Larry Spears in his book “Reflections on Leadership.” Everyone has a deep need for serving, sometimes adults find it very difficult to unleash this desire to serve. Having worked in a large Hospital for over five years, it is easy to see why many people get frustrated and depart the health care industry. There are many complicated situations that happen working in healthcare. Throughout the majority of these situations between registered nurses, patient care technicians, and some doctors; there are solutions for dealing with most of those problems. Compassion, empathy, trustworthiness, faithfulness, respect, honesty, integrity, and rapport are all words that will be used frequently within the body of the paper. In my personal quest to better understand how to work well with people in a highly stressful environment as in healthcare, I begin to do my own research on process improvement and better systems that works in the hospitals. I turned my mind to various leadership books on healthcare and process improvements in the hospital setting. Some of the books I read was tremendously inspiring, interesting, as well as educational. After I read approximately ten books on health care leadership, process improvement, steam structure, solving difficult issues with employees, and in...
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...Today one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese.Obesity has become an epidemic in this country over the last decade. It is especially an issue in the impoverished areas of the country. The obesity rates in many similar countries have not grown nearly as rapidly as that of the United States. The rate of obesity in impoverished American children may be rapidly increasing due to the influence of their caretakers, low income, poor access to healthcare, lack of physical activity, deprived living conditions, and a lack of access to resources due to their location. Obesity is more prevalent in minority communities, but obesity rates and race do not actually have any direct correlation. “For a long time researchers have tracked...
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...OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF-FPP, 10/22/2010, GLYPH 1 Becoming a qualified nurse Rob Burton and Graham Ormrod The aims of this chapter are: P To explore the expectations of a newly qualified nurse P To highlight the experiences of newly qualified nurses P To discuss the roles of the nurse in different fields of nursing P To provide an overview of the structure and rationale of the book Introduction: how this book can help you to become a qualified nurse Becoming a qualified nurse is quite an achievement. After three or four years of education involving academic and practice experiences, entering the nursing register of whichever field of nursing you qualify in is something to be proud of. The hard work pays off and you are able to become a professional in your own right. This does bring with it some challenges as well as rewards. You may now find that there are different expectations of you, and a set of roles and responsibilities that are different from those experienced as a student under supervision. The aim of this book is to explore and develop important aspects of the roles and responsibilities of the qualified nurse in order to develop your understanding and prepare you to successfully make the transition from student nurse to registered professional. It can also be used as a resource for those who may already be qualified and registered, but are looking for helpful advice and are wishing to continue their professional development. The roles and responsibilities...
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...Taking a comprehensive look at the quality of healthcare for our senior citizens and answering the question why the United States has a epidemic of obesity and how we can stop it. Today, the health care systems have advanced by prolonging life expectancy and quality of life. Though, providing health care is not cheap and easy to do. Cost, accessibility, and quality is a challenge that they face in order to provide the people with healthcare. Learning and being aware of disease trends can provides us with invaluable knowledge in treating our elderly and preventing obesity in today's society.. The major tend that will influence healthcare in the future of the United States is when the generation known as the"baby boomers", who are the the fastest growing age groups and adults born between (1946 and 1964) will turn 65 in 2011.(1) This group of seniors will also have chronic health conditions as they age that will be the major cause of illness, disability, and death in the United States. The nations population is estimated to increase to to increase to 392 million by 2050 because life expectancy is projected to increase from 76.0 years in 1993 to 82.6 years in 2050. In 2050, life expectancy in the low assumption would be 75.3 years and in the high assumption would be 87.5 years. “About 30 percent of the population in 1994 were born during the Baby Boom. As this population ages, the median age will rise. People born during the Baby Boom will...
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...billion corporate learning market? 1. Quality instructional content continues to play a major role in corporate training and talent management. Companies need off-the-shelf training content. Whether it be IT training, project management, supervisory skills, or industry compliance programs, organizations need to deliver these programs to employees on a regular basis. Skillsoft has staked out a claim as the “one-stop-shopping” for this stuff. The company already offers thousands of online courses and books and now adds more to this catalog. Mindleaders, a mid-sized training content company, built a robust library of content in compliance applications (food safety, adult healthcare, etc.), and also partners with branded publishers to produce titles in leadership development, talent management, and other content areas. (Mindleaders has more than 4,000 courses.) Together this makes Skillsoft an even more indispensible vendor for the corporate training department. But even as this grows Skillsoft’s offering, new content sources in the market are starting to give buyers new options. 2. New forms of online training could change the corporate e-learning market, led by MOOCs and easy-to-author tools. The catalog e-learning market is now more than 13 years old (the word “e-learning” was coined in 1998, when this market was red hot). Over this period of time technology, bandwidth, and devices have dramatically changed. Courses built ten years ago are utterly boring today. We now expect...
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...period” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, pg. 643). During later adulthood, marks a new era in living life to its fullest. Many older adults tend be happier than ever during this phase in their life. Even though later adulthood have more health issues as they age, it is a time in a person’s life to reflect upon the life they have lived because of the use of retirement, transitioning from work to retirement, and the social policies to protect them. When an individual enters later adulthood, they then begin to go through different changes in their role and their social position in our society. In many other parts of the world, transitioning into later adulthood is a sign of wisdom and a mark of status. However, later adulthood is stereotyped into being "an awful life stage that is erroneous, and sadly is a factor in older adults' being treated as "second-class citizens" by some people who are younger" (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, pg. 588). Moreover, many older adults are very healthy and remain to have an active lifestyle while many still think, feel and act as if they were still in their 50’s. Society tends to respect later adults because of the knowledge of the life they have lived but tends to be frowned upon because of their age. Their social position goes from being a majority to a minority because they have reached late adulthood. Older adults have the status as being a parent and then a grandparent, but now the children take on the role of caring and taking care of their...
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