The Differences Between an Associate Degree Nurse and Bachelor Degree Nurse Essay Example for Free

The Differences Between an Associate Degree Nurse and Bachelor Degree Nurse Essay Throughout history, a nurse has been defined as a person caring for the sick(Merriam-Webster, Inc. , 2004, p. 853). At the completion of school, whether from an Associate Degree in Applied Science or a Bachelor of Science Degree, all candidates must pass the national licensure exam. This enables the new graduate nurse to practice as a registered nurse. This new R. N. graduate is permitted to work in health care facilities in entry level positions. Both begin their career similarly with an extended orientation period being mentored by a seasoned colleague. Orientation is a probation period which grants the new employee time to become acclimated to the new facilities policies and procedures, as well as time for the facility to evaluate the new employees progress. Close supervision is required, as well as hands-on-hours, to order for the graduate nurse to gain confidence in the new work environment. (Goulette, 2010, p. 2) Is there a difference between the nurse with an associates degree and the nurse with a bachelor degree since the RN licensure test is the identical and both begin their employment with an extended orientation, as well as tight supervision? One difference is the amount of education. ADN programs, offered by junior or community colleges, can be completed in two to three years. BSN programs, college or university offered, take four years to complete. Time is not the only difference in their schooling. The BSN program places emphasis on general education requirements in the first two years. It is the latter two years where nursing is the center of attention. The criteria needed for the baccalaureate program includes liberal arts education, patient safety, quality of care, research based practice, health care funding, collaborative care, and preventive medicine in communities. (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008, p. 3) The ADN or technical programs essentially delete some of the generalized educational courses and devote the attention exclusively on nursing which correlates to more hands on experience. This focus is adapted to primarily prepare the ADN student for more day to day nursing activities. In 1952, Mildred Montag, in response to the nursing shortage, designed a program to counter the college level nursing programs. An associate degree was the end result. (Haase, 2006, p.1) To answer the question posed: Is the nursing education level a contributing issue in the deliverance of quality care and patient safety? The American Association of Colleges of Nursing believes that baccalaureate prepared nurses like other health care providers, practice at a higher level. Nurses processing a Bachelors Degree are molded to adapt to the changing health care environment and its demands. This can be accomplished by leadership development, as well as critical thinking emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention across all environments of care. (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2012, p. 1) With the health care system changing so rapidly, it is important that nurses are autonomous. It is necessary, as patient advocates, that we understand the cause and effect of all entities involving our patients. Critical thinking and making the correct judgment call clinically is vital. A patient situation which comes to mind is an 86 year old female, weighing 50kg, Vital Signs: Blood Pressure: 80/50, Heart Rate: 102 (Sinus Tachycardia), Respirations: 20, Saturation: 94% on room air, Hemoglobin: 7. 0 and trending downward over the last three days. The patient complained of chest pain, mid-sternum radiating to jaw, and shortness of breath. This assessment differs from the initial assessment at the beginning of the shift. The nurse informed the physician, placed the patient on oxygen, administered intravenous fluids, removed any nitrate patches, performed an electrocardiogram, suggested that blood be obtained for type and cross to be sent to the lab. The RN remained at the patients bedside, continually monitoring the vital signs and assessing the patients condition. The bedside nurse is exhibiting proficiency in the ability to think critically by making a nursing diagnosis, initiating nursing interventions, and evaluating the results. In the above example of critical thinking, it remains difficult to conclude whether level of education or years of experience are the determining factor in the delivery of patient care. For many years there has been an ongoing debate throughout the nursing community on the importance of knowing that versus knowing how. What seems clear is that vast general, as well as nursing knowledge can only benefit the profession and the patients we serve. ? References American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). Essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from www. aacn. nche. edu American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2012). The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice. Retrieved from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-edcation Creasia, J. L. , Friberg, E. E. (2011). CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice (5th ed. ). St Louis, MO: Mosby Inc. , an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Goulette, C. (2010). Nursing (Job) Shortage. New Grads are Finding the Job Hunt Tough. â€Å". Retrieved from nursing. advanceweb. com/ Haase, P. (2006). The origins and rise of associate degree nursing education. Retrieved from www. noadn. org Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2004). Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. In F. C. Mish (Ed. ), Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition, p. 853). Springfield, Massachusettes, USA: John M Morse.

The Day I Found Joy Essay -- Personal Narrative, essay about myself

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -- Oscar Wilde One of the things that has always puzzled me is human nature, our joys, fears and madness. The very source of the painful cramps of the soul that we call sadness, and the source of the multicolor soft parade that we call happiness. Those feelings have been with us since we saw the light, and are going to be there until the dark and graceful death decides to cover the light of life with her soft wings. They shape everything that makes us, our face, our expression, our spirit, our minds, our future and our past. Those feelings are what drive us to construct and to destroy, make us love something deeply, or with a little bit of poison (like one of the Borgias), make us hate something with passion. The source of happiness and sadness is the missing link that I've always looked for, something so strong that will wake up my senses and show me the mystery that surrounds life. And one day, I found IT. It happened almost a year ago, on a bright spring day. The name of the day was Saturday and the place was Smallville, the city where I was born and raised. I woke up early for a Saturday, around nine a.m. I had breakfast and decided to go downtown for a walk. It was a very beautiful morning, a very beautiful sky, birds singing over the trees, falling in love because of the spring. It was as good as it was going to get in a big town. Of course I wasn't alone; there were hundreds of people walking in those same streets. There were young people, businessmen, many different people, and they were all in a hurry, probably to go to work. I could hear short steps, TAP-TAP-TAP, and I could see many feet walking fast, very fast. Wh... ...all of that but the only thing I could say was, "Yes, brother, do it, dance, dance!!" We smiled together; the people around did too. It was glorious! I don't know if he was an angel, a dream, or a real person, I never will, but that Saturday morning he taught us all a lesson of life, of love, of all the beautiful things that exist in the world. He reminded me of the words of Jesus Christ: "Heaven is not here or there, it's inside of you." It's a state of mind, it's the ecstacy of breathing, is inner peace, is happiness. So you, whoever reads this, smile, hug a friend, go home and kiss your parents, the ones that gave you the great gift of life. Shake hands for no reason--maybe he needs it. Be thankful for everything that you have, for your eyes, for your legs, for your existence. Be joyful and be in peace. And have lots of faith, please.

The Concept of Globalisation

There are a plethora of factors that have played a role in influencing world politics in the 20th century. There are the political ideologies, each with their own agenda, conflicting or similar, such as Communism, Fascism, Nationalism, Capitalism and Socialism. There are the various worldwide treaties and agreements, such as the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations and the United Nations. Accompanying these are economic agreements, which have an ever-increasing role in world politics, like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), plus regional trade agreements and customs unions such as the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), the European Union (EU) and the Asia Pacific Economic Community (APEC). Even the two World Wars have had an influence. However, the single force that has had the greatest impact on world politics in the 20th century is Globalisation. Globalisation is a concept with many differing definitions. Bayliss & Smith (1998, p. 15) define globalisation as the ‘intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. † Globalisation is a process that entails the movement of capital, goods, services and labour around the world. Globalisation is the massive control of the world†s economy by big business, transcending national boundaries. The underlying factors in all of these definitions are that globalisation involves worldwide integration of both political and economic ideals. Furthermore, Strachan (1998, p. 159) argues that it involves legal and cultural integration also. But does such integration undermine a country†s sovereignty? Can such integration be achieved without violence and conflict? In order to answer these questions, this essay will examine the driving forces behind globalisation, its downfalls and cultural adaptability. Globalisation is an ever-increasing force, even today, as technological advances literally make the world smaller by increasing communication and decreasing travel times, or what can be referred to as the ‘Communication Revolution† (Durst, 2000, p. 5). Through massive and rapid improvements in the Information Technology industry; telecommunications, exponential increases in computing power coupled with lower costs and the development of electronic communications and information networks such as the Internet, communications are now possible almost instantaneously between any two points on the globe. The threads of global web are computers, facsimile machines, satellites, monitors and modems-all of them linking designers, engineers, contractors, licensees and dealers worldwide (Sims, 1989, p. 21). Physical distance is now irrelevant. This improvement of communications this century from sailing ship to satellite has contributed directly to the globalisation of the world†s economies and political systems (Rimmer, 2000, p. 3). This has taken place across cultural and physical boundaries, effectively eliminating the capacity of countries to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. A prime example of this is China. For most of its existence, China has kept its doors closed to the rest of the world. No outside influences reached China and it remained unchanged and untouched. In recent times however, China has relaxed its legislation to accommodate foreign investment and trade. Its economy has improved and new information on how to do things more efficiently has been introduced. Borders no longer act as boundaries, especially with respect to the movement of information and finance. Furthermore, borders are becoming increasingly difficult for governments to define and maintain. Regional conflicts are arising everywhere; Sierra Leone, the coup in Fiji, Chechnya, Southern Lebanon and Kosovo. As a result, national governments are being forced to redefine their roles, responsibilities and policy relationships. Thus, globalisation has raised fears that the sovereignty of nation states is being undermined. If sovereignty can be defined as the ability to exercise control without outside interference, then nation states are clearly experiencing diminished sovereignty. Governments have no choice but to recognise and work on the assumption that most issues they are required to deal with are affected by or will affect the international competitiveness of the country. Government†s own responses to globalisation or the search for joint solutions to global problems have further effects on sovereignty. Participation in international organisations or the adoption of international agreements puts limits on policy options available to governments (Rimmer, 2000, p. 5). Instead of independence, the world is now pursuing interdependence. Proponents of globalisation argue that unilateral action is not the most effective way to achieve policy goals. In combating environmental problems and international crime, the interests of individual nations can only be protected by collective action. This belief has led to competition between countries on almost all fronts. International investment is encouraged by the activities and mobility of multinational corporations, meaning that most domestic policies such as education and training, taxation, social protection, economic regulation and labour legislation have become international. Even a country†s domestic management policy is a matter of great concern to its trading rivals, because this will ultimately affect a country†s efficiency and competitiveness. Therefore, government policies must increasingly be made more consistent with, or competitive to, those of their trading rivals. Robert Reich is a strong supporter of globalisation, publishing the book entitled ‘The Work of Nations†. In his book, Reich argues that it is already too late to stop globalisation. His view is supported by Joan Spero, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, who states that capital now moves around the world with startling speed. Each day over US $1 trillion is traded in a global foreign exchange market that never closes. (Spero in Strachan, 1998, p. 156). Reich (1991, p. 112) argues that there is no such thing as an American product anymore, giving the example of an ice hockey stick. It is designed in Sweden, financed in Canada, assembled in Cleveland and Denmark out of alloys patented in Delaware and fabricated in Japan and finally distributed in North America and Europe. There are many criticisms of globalisation and Edward Herman (1999, pp. 3-5) classifies his criticisms into a number of categories. Two of those are that, firstly, globalisation is undemocratic and secondly, that it is an assault on labour. In the United States, public opinion polls showed the general public was against NAFTA, even after incessant propaganda, but the mass media supported it and it was passed. In Europe as well, polls have shown persistent majorities opposed to the introduction of the Euro, but a powerful elite supports it, so it moves forward. Globalisation has been a tool serving elite interests. This contradicts the democratic and egalitarian utopia that these regions have been relentlessly encouraging during the 20th century. Globalisation has also steadily weakened democracy because the containment of labour costs and scaling down of the welfare state has required the business minority to establish firm control of the state and remove its capacity to respond to the demands of the majority (Herman, 1999, p. ). One of the main objectives of Transnational Corporations (TNC†s) movement abroad, for example Nike manufacturing shoes in Korea, has been to tap cheaper labour sources. Labour is often cheapest, and least prone to cause employer problems, in authoritarian states that curb unions and enter into virtual joint venture arrangements with foreign capital, as in Suharto's Indonesia and PRI's Mexico. Once again, this directly contradicts government†s agendas. Publicly, politicians speak out in support of foreign aid, human rights and equality, while behind closed doors they are endorsing and funding TNC†s operations that exploit cheap labour in third world countries. Another criticism of globalisation is that it is against the very nature of culture. Culture derives its diversity from the differences between different human communities and the distinctions between their respective geographical roots and historical experiences. Globalisation disregards these factors and ultimately aims to treat the entire world population as if they have the same tastes, personalities, customs, traditions and language, through a universal government system. If this were to be so, the world would be a very boring, robotic, monotonous place, devoid of any form of culture. The ramifications of this are wide-ranging. Diversity, variety and room for change are lost and forgotten. Identities of oneself are lost; ‘I† is replaced with ‘we†. Power is placed into the hands of a select elite few, very oligarchic and undemocratic. If a group of countries were to unite under a common government, equality would not be established. Such a grouping would encompass a wide spectrum of political views, ideologies, religions, races and colours. Instead of one whole body, there would be many minority groups. This transfers an unequal balance of power throughout the states. As the regional conflicts in East Timor, Yugoslavia and Chechnya have shown, conflict shall arise. There are too many barriers to overcome which only leads to frustration and violence. A Commission on Global Governance (COGG) has been established since 1992. In a report published in 1995 entitled ‘Our Global Neighbourhood†, the commission argued that countries have to accept that in certain fields, sovereignty has to be exercised collectively (Strachan, 1998, p. 155). Once again we have a contradiction in terms; by definition, collective and sovereign are exact opposites that are mutually exclusive. Having stated all the above criticisms, it is important to mention that there is no perfect system in society today that is capable of running a country absolutely efficiently. In fact, conflicting ideologies often correct each other. Communism corrects the equality problem of democracy and democracy corrects the problem of efficiency of communism. By choosing one system or the other, up risal and discontent from the people is inevitable. But is it possible to combine the two? Hitler and Mussolini argued that fascism was the ‘third way†; an alternative to capitalism and socialism. However, fascism led to the death of more than six million Jewish people, so it justifiable to be wary of anyone offering a third alternative. So globalisation has had the greatest impact on world politics in the 20th century, mainly because of the technological advances in telecommunications and information technology. This is most likely to continue through this the 21st century. The criticisms of globalisation are that it undermines sovereignty, exploits third word countries and is undemocratic. However, there is no feasible alternative at this time and globalisation is already well-spread and embedded in economics and politics. For now, the world will just have to go with it.

My Future Career As A Mental Health Counselor - 2126 Words

It is my belief that in order to be a successful counselor, you must have the skills and ability to listen; especially without judgement. My desire is to work mainly with adolescents and their families inside and outside of schools; I will focus on resolving the identity versus role confusion conflict. I have enjoyed learning about the different techniques and theories of counseling; I am sure each theory is very useful in many ways. I can see myself using different parts of each in my future career as a Mental Health Counselor. However, there are particular theories and techniques that seem to fit into the practice of counseling in the schools more than others. I am particularly drawn to the practicality of Cognitive Behavior Therapy,†¦show more content†¦60). He also acknowledges the power of the past and early traumatic childhood experiences in preventing people from living happy, healthy, well-adjusted lives. (Corey, 2013, p. 63) I agree more with Erikson’s psych osocial perspective than Freud’s psychosexual stages in that people continue to develop socially throughout their lives and that there are specific events to be resolved in each stage of life (Corey, 2013, p. 63). As each client is different, I will apply the concepts accordingly to each individual. I believe Adolescents are in their genital stage and they at this point in their lives are going through a lot of changes, not only within their social circle, but in their family circle as well. During this stage, they are testing limits, breaking dependent ties and trying to establish an identity. My clients are focused on finding their identity, figuring out their life goals, and life’s meanings. But instead of having my clients lie on a couch and tell me all about their dreams, goals, and life experiences, I would use Adler’s life style assessment to learn about their family background and early childhood experiences which may have played an important role in their lives. Adlerian Therapy I would incorporate Adlerian Therapy into my practice to guide how I counsel my clients. Unlike Freud, Adler stresses choice and responsibility, meaning in life and the striving for success, completion and perfection (Corey, 2013,