A Balance of Power :: Career Employment Businesses Essays

A Balance of Power Eliminating "co-dependent" behavior has become as important for employment health as it is for psychological well-being. Today’s workers are realizing that the only source of employment security is the security they create for themselves, by becoming self-reliant and career resilient (Brown 1996). Continued employment is tied to lifelong learning and ongoing skill development, practices that enhance career growth and the potential for career advancement and mobility. This trend toward career independence is reflected in the new breed of independent contractors and temporary workers who move from job to job and project to project, marketing themselves for temporary assignments in a variety of organizations rather than seeking permanent jobs. When the self-employed are counted, these "free agents" comprise more than 16% of the U.S. population, roughly 25 million people who are continually marketing their skills, abilities, and achievements to realize their employment goals (Pink 1997). Workers are recognizing the need to ensure their marketability to employers, and employers are facing increased pressure to make their organizations attractive to workers. In the current tight labor market, where workers remember job loss as an outcome of corporate restructuring and downsizing, company loyalty has gone by the wayside. Brown (1998a) reports that even newly hired workers are on the lookout for a "better" opportunity, with 50-60% of them changing jobs within the first 7 months of employment. To offset excessive turnover, many companies are offering advantages associated with free agency (Reich 1998): "flexibility in how, when, and where you work; compensation linked to what you contribute; freedom to move from project to project." This shared responsibility for employment has resulted in the evolution of various partnership arrangements. Formal employment contracts, which are designed to satisfy the needs of both employers and employees, are being developed through collective bargaining and contain employment stipulations that are agreeable to both parties (Brown 1997). Through such contracts, "employers provide the opportunities, tools, and support to help employees develop their skills and maintain their employability; the employees have the responsibility of managing their careers by taking advantage of the opportunities they are given" (ibid., p. 1). What are the implications of this shared responsibility? Today’s workers must be entrepreneurial. They must function as free agents, marketing themselves and the skills they can offer to employers who serve as "customers." How Can Career Development Programs Be Updated? Career development programs, although continuing to focus on career awareness, exploration, and development, must be updated to contain strategies for employment in the 21st century.

Elemica Case Study

1. Why is Elemica described as an example of an industry consortia net marketplace? How does it differ from other types of net marketplaces like ChemConnect? Elemica is described as a consortia net marketplace because Elemica is owned by particular members of the industry and not third parties. Their goal is intended to provide long-term market place relationships to supply direct inputs to the manufacturing process. ChemConnect on the other hand is privately owned by a person. They have a third-party firm which offers a bidding platform for chemical firms, and provides software to coordinate communications among participants in the platform. . If you were the owner of a small chemical company, what concerns would you have about joining Elemica? Some of the concerns about joining Elemica if I were a small business owner would be being concerned that their ability to be able to respond to requests for large quantities of commodities that might be requested by partners. Being with Elem ica do require some level of knowledge to use their system. However, Elemica offers a Web portal for companies that haven’t fully transitioned as like the larger global chemical companies. Overall, Elemica reduces the burden of having IT employees on hand. 3.Elemica claims to provide a community for participants in which they can transact, coordinate, and cooperate to produce products for less. Yet these firms also compete with one another when they sell chemicals to end-user firms in the automobile, airline, and manufacturing industries. How is this possible? The chemical industry has a history of working with companies both buying and selling items. The Elemica hub is perceived as a neutral trading platform where all can benefit from lower cost to serve, greater efficiencies, and overall more efficient operations that can serve customers better.By keeping bids and quotations unknown to potential buyers, and the community pool large, members can get a sense of market price a nd available quantities quite easily without revealing their names. 4. Review the concept of an industry wide private industrial network and describe how Elemica illustrates many of the features of such a network. Elemica as a whole is focused on building long term relationships with partners in order to reduce costs for the firm overall. While with a private industrial network, they have just a single firm that usually controls their network, although it may be owned by some members.

Pediatric Healthcare Disparities Essay

Disparities in healthcare of children are complex problem that is associated with the disparities that exist in healthcare systems. These inequalities in the access to health care include the following factors: race and ethnicity, insurance status, education, English language proficiency, and poverty(Sobo, 2006). The aforementioned factors affect access to healthcare and the quality of service received. The racial disparities in pediatric healthcare are a tremendously pervasive depressing problem. Instead of those who most need the healthcare receiving it, they are given less priority hence these services did not reach them(Lieu, 2003). Among the most important gauges of soundness of health in children is being able to acquire healthcare services that are of high quality. Children’s health needs appropriate and apt use of medical services like physical examinations, laboratory test for diseases, and immunizations. These services are deprived to the children of the socioeconomic minority. Healthcare disparities observed pertains to less access to healthcare services and acquisition of low quality health care services by people whom are poor, of racial and ethnic minority, limited English proficiency, and low educational attainment. Children that belong to the racial and ethnic minorities receive an inferior quality of healthcare. Not only are there a small number of children in the minority class suffering from this type of problem but millions of them(Beal, 2004). Mortality in infants in Black communities is doubled when compared to the mortalities of infants of the White communities. Even this maternal and societal health’s most significant gauge confirms that the existence of racial and ethnic disparities is true. In United States, the people of color at present have a bleak healthcare condition. Approximately 20 percent Black and 30 percent Hispanic Americans do not have consistent source of medical care compared to less than 16 percent of the White Americans. There is a three-fold increase to the numbers of Hispanic children that do not have access to healthcare when compared to children that are not Hispanic Americans(AHRQ 2000). These alarming data poses a threat to the state of health especially of children that belongs to this people that belongs to the racial and ethnic minorities. Studies which were done for the determination of the factors involved in the disparities of pediatric healthcare are of significance in identification of populations involved in these dilemma. In a study done by Hambinge et al, it was found that in well-child visits (WCVs) the black and Latino children were given less counseling(Hambidge, 2007). Racial minorities in United States such as the Latino and Black children are the main population that suffers from these inconsistencies in the provision of healthcare. Scott (2004) indicated in the conclusion of their study that Hispanic or Latino children has increased risk of having no access to healthcare services in the last 15 years. Hispanic or Latino is defined in the study as individuals that came from countries in Central America, North America, Caribbean, and Europe. The absence of access to healthcare services was found to be greater in Hispanic/ Latino children with low economic status, whose parents have no college degree, and born in other countries or not born in United States. The race which is most predispose to lack of access healthcare are children of Mexicans due to their poverty status or low educational achievements(Scott 2004). The study of Flores (2005) found an association in children’s health and healthcare to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) of their parents. This factor has a significant impact as a barrier for the acquisition of healthcare in children. The research also indicated that parental LEP has a direct association to the possibility that children in need of medical care can not be brought to healthcare providers. Racial and ethnic healthcare disparity is proven through this study because the bulk of the children that participated in the study were of racial and ethnic minority groups, 82 percent Latino, 2 percent Caribbean black, 10 percent African American, 2 percent non-Latino white, 1 percent African, 0. 3 percent Asian, and 1 percent combination of other races. Large portion of this participating population can not speak English very well. Thus, the ability to speak English fluently of children and their parents will determine their chance of receiving appropriate healthcare services(Flores, 2005). The continuing presence of racism in the healthcare sector of the society is found to be related to the underrepresentation of minority racial and ethnic groups in professions of the medical industry. Generally speaking people that are poor are predominantly people of color such as the Blacks and Hispanics. Poverty does not allow them to be with the education needed to work in healthcare industry so they are underrepresented in this profession. Study results prove that people of color in the medical profession tend to provide more healthcare services to those people which are also of color. The possibility of providing healthcare services to the poor portion of the population is also proven to be attributed to those medical professionals that are people of color. This underrepresentation explains why the racial and ethnic minority receive less healthcare services(ERASE ). Even though it is said that in professional fields the race of an individual hardly matters it is rarely true. The complexity of the factors that are involve in the disparities of healthcare in general should not hinder in the search and implementation of solutions that will alleviate the disparities suffered by the people of racial and ethnic minority, low educational attainment, limited English proficiency, and economically challenged. It is the responsibility of healthcare providers to serve the public with equality to promote the health status of the whole population instead of only those that belong to the elite portion of the population. The present ways of addressing the disparities in healthcare is focused not only on the professionals that will provide the services but also to the public consumers of these services. The goal is centered towards providing equal chance of receiving quality healthcare services. One of these strategies is the establishment of guidelines that will help medical practitioners handle, diagnose, and treat with professional competence the health cases of the people that belong to socioeconomic minority. Another strategy is helping the patients and their families pursue healthcare of high quality thru assessment of healthcare services provided by the healthcare recipient or client. Publications are written in various languages to facilitate understanding of the contents by those people that are with Limited English Proficiency. Booklets or pamphlets are also produces to help parents assess if their children were provided with health services of high quality. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is also finding ways to develop enhanced strategies for quality improvement of healthcare services. Their initiative is focused on eliminating healthcare racial and ethnic disparities, supporting of the healthcare providers that supply services to communities of the minority people, and conducting seminars or trainings on how to address healthcare disparities(AHRQ 2000). The existence of racism can not be denied even though the society has already learned to accept that people are of diverse cultures and beliefs. Various organizations have been established to stop the disparities in healthcare of children and promote equality in the acquisition of these services. Despite the research and strategies that are implemented to counteract the increasing numbers of children having no access to good quality healthcare especially those of the minority racial and ethnic origin, the problem is still present along its complexities. Though it’s a cliche â€Å"children are the future of every nation† thus it is only prompt that actions should be undertaken to promote holistic growth of their well being. Eradication of these disparities in pediatric healthcare will ensure that tomorrow’s generation will have a better health.

Reflecting on Wisdom

Reflecting On Wisdom PSY 220 March 9, 2013 Colleen Moore Reflecting On Wisdom The attributes that are commonly associated with wise people are: Reasoning Ability, Sagacity, Learning from Ideas and the Environment, Judgment, Expeditious use of Information and Perspicacity. Reasoning Ability is the uncommon ability to look at a problem and solve it through good logical reasoning ability, by applying knowledge to particular problems, by integrating information and theories in new ways, and by possessing a huge store of knowledge.Sagacity is the keen understanding of human nature, thoughtfulness, fairness, good listening abilities, knowledge of self and placing value on the advice and knowledge of others. Learning from Ideas and the Environment places value on ideas, is perceptive, and learns from others’ mistakes. Judgment has good sensible judgment at all times, takes a long-term rather than a short-term view, and thinks before acting and speaking. Expeditious use of Information learns and retains information from experience (both mistakes and successes), willingness to change one’s mind based on new experience.Perspicacity Demonstrates perceptiveness, intuition, ability to see through things, read between the lines; and discern the truth and the right thing to do. (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) A person I believe would be wise would be Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who is known from the Bible as the son of God. (II Samuel 7:12-14 King James Bible) Jesus had all six of the characteristics named in the above paragraph. Jesus who was the son of God was sent to the world to save the world to teach the gospels and to help save the world from sin. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life† (John 3:16 King James Bible). Jesus went to many cities throughout his life preaching the gospels and healing the six, casting our demons and raising the dead. Any per son who believed that Jesus was the son of God and had enough faith would be healed. (John 4:43-54 King James Bible) Jesus was a very wise man because he studied the gospels, he spent many hours in prayer, and he also went to the tabernacles to learn and to preach and to heal those in need of healing. Mark 1:21-28, Luke 4:31-37) Jesus was a very compassionate man and when people who had the faith would cry out to him for healing he would heal them because their faith was very strong. An example of this would be when Jesus had left the city of Jericho he had a mass following of people traveling with him when they had come upon two blind men. The blind men heard the crowd and asked what was going on and once they were told they had cried out to Jesus to not pass them by and to please heal them of their blindness.The crowd that was following Jesus tried to rebuke them because they figured the blind men weren’t worthy enough for a healing or they just did not want the blind men t o bother Jesus, but the blind men cried out to Jesus in persistence because they believed and had the faith to know that Jesus could heal them, Jesus then called out to the blind men and asked what they wanted and they had said they wanted their eye sight back, so Jesus seeing that they had the faith told them to arise and that because of their faith they were healed and could see again. Once the Blind men were healed they followed Jesus and were glorifying God. Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43 King James Bible) Jesus was wise in the ways that he taught his parables. For example in (Luke 10:25-42 King James Bible), a man who was an expert in the law decided to test Jesus by asking him â€Å"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? † Jesus then said to the man, â€Å"What is written in the law? How do you read it? The man answered â€Å"Though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind; and they neighbors as thyself. Jes us then said to the man â€Å"Thou has answered right: this do and thou shalt live.Again the man wanted to justify himself so he asked Jesus â€Å"Who is my neighbor? † Jesus then replied to him with a story about a man who had come from Jerusalem to Jericho and ran into some thieves who stripped the man of his clothes and beat him half to death and then left. The man who had been beaten lay on the ground and had been passed by two people who looked at him and left without helping the man. A third man â€Å"The Good Samaritan† came by and saw the wounded man on the ground and had left but came back with supplies to clean the wounded man and bandage him up. Then the Good Samaritan took him to an inn to take care of him.The next day the good Samaritan man got up and before he left, he gave the inn keeper money and told the inn keeper and told him to take care of the wounded man and that any extra money that the inn keeper has to use he will repay him once he returns. Th en once Jesus was finished with the story he said to the man who was and expert in the law â€Å"Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? â€Å" The man then said â€Å"He that shewed mercy on him. † Then Jesus said â€Å"Go and do thou Likewise. † One of the attributes I believe I have fully developed would be Judgment.I may not always use the best judgment at all times, but I feel that my judgment is usually sensible and thought out as sensible as I can make it. When something comes up that I have to use my judgment for, I try to sit and think it through as much as possible to find the best possible outcome for the solution. I feel that I would need to fully develop all of the attributes discussed in chapter 10 of the reading. These are things that every person has to learn throughout their lives and will continue to develop through the years. Reference (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) (King James Bible) Reflecting on Wisdom Reflecting on Wisdom Student Name PSY 220 Due Date Teacher Reflecting on Wisdom In life it seems that we always told to take advice from grandpa because he has lived a long time and is wise. Grandpa is the go to person for when we have a life issue. My grandfather is a very wise man. He has learned lessons from life instead of just thinking he was getting punished. He always tells us grandkids and great grandkids that everything happens for a reason; a reason to learn from. My grandfather’s name is Vernon and he is in his late 80’s. Grandpa always has a reason behind everything he does.He always helps us by talking through our problems with a logical and reasoning view. Grandpa has always helped me to look at both sides of possibilities and apply things that I already know to the situation before making a decision. Grandpa always has listened to what we have to say and he isn’t against taking advice from the younger generation. He always says that he values our i nput and he will store it in his knowledge bank for future reference. Grandpa is very humorous along with being logical, he always seems to be able to make light of most situations and can help us look at it from a humorous side of we end up making a bad decision. Normally, because we didn’t go to grandpa about it before hand. ) The best advice I have ever gotten from my grandfather is, when you are making a decision think about 6 months from now, or even 6 years, what is the outcome from both sides; and can you learn from your choice either way? Throughout his years grandpa has always held a positive mind frame and laced life with humor, he always asks what we learned even if we faced a consequence. I believe that my grandfather is one of the wisest men in the universe.Grandpa always learns and uses past knowledge before making a decision. Grandpa always had been there it help us with his wisdom and knowledge of life’s great lessons, he has also helped us to install s ome of the characteristics that will make us wise one day (Baumgardner and Crothers, 2009). Grandpa has installed in us the ability to use our knowledge and our past mistakes to make our decisions. I think that I have encompassed a lot of this from my grandfather. I have learned to look at the mistakes of my sisters and adjust my choices to not make the same mistakes.For example all 3 f my older sisters were teen moms. They all are in their late 20’s, early 30’s and have 4 kids each. They all struggle care for their families, they all are divorced at least twice. I have learned from their mistakes and I am the first in my family to finish high school and not have a child to take care of. I love my daughter and I am thankful that I got my career started before having her, now I know that I can give her the life she deserves without depending on government assistance for simple things such as housing and food, like my sisters.I see their struggles every day and I know th at it is hard on them to only be allowed to spend so much a month on food, or to only be able to live in a home approved by the government. I think that I still have a long way to go before I become a wise person, but I do think I am on my way. In the six attributes of a wise person; I have the ability to reason. I look at a problem and think about what the things I have learned from other problems and knowledge I have. I have an understanding of human nature, but I am still learning a lot about myself.I have learned through grandpa that no advice is bad advice, because someday you just might need it. There is always a chance to learn about various things in the environment and from people around you. Always keeping an open mind and opened ears helps with picking up knowledge that we would not get otherwise. I also believe that I have very sensible judgment and I always think about things before I make a decision. I always know the positive and negative outcome and if I can learn so mething valuable either way. I have the ability to learn from others experiences and from my past experiences.I also am never set in my decision; I am open to reconsidering my choices. The one thing I am working on is being able to read between the lines. My grandpa says you can tell a lot about how a person feels or the situation they are in if you can see through what they are saying and what they really mean. This is something that I am not quite great at yet. Maybe I never will be, but it is always worth a try (Baumgardner and Crothers, 2009). . References Baumgardner, S. R. and Crothers, M. .K. (2009). Positive psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Reflecting on Wisdom Reflecting On Wisdom PSY 220 March 9, 2013 Colleen Moore Reflecting On Wisdom The attributes that are commonly associated with wise people are: Reasoning Ability, Sagacity, Learning from Ideas and the Environment, Judgment, Expeditious use of Information and Perspicacity. Reasoning Ability is the uncommon ability to look at a problem and solve it through good logical reasoning ability, by applying knowledge to particular problems, by integrating information and theories in new ways, and by possessing a huge store of knowledge.Sagacity is the keen understanding of human nature, thoughtfulness, fairness, good listening abilities, knowledge of self and placing value on the advice and knowledge of others. Learning from Ideas and the Environment places value on ideas, is perceptive, and learns from others’ mistakes. Judgment has good sensible judgment at all times, takes a long-term rather than a short-term view, and thinks before acting and speaking. Expeditious use of Information learns and retains information from experience (both mistakes and successes), willingness to change one’s mind based on new experience.Perspicacity Demonstrates perceptiveness, intuition, ability to see through things, read between the lines; and discern the truth and the right thing to do. (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) A person I believe would be wise would be Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who is known from the Bible as the son of God. (II Samuel 7:12-14 King James Bible) Jesus had all six of the characteristics named in the above paragraph. Jesus who was the son of God was sent to the world to save the world to teach the gospels and to help save the world from sin. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life† (John 3:16 King James Bible). Jesus went to many cities throughout his life preaching the gospels and healing the six, casting our demons and raising the dead. Any per son who believed that Jesus was the son of God and had enough faith would be healed. (John 4:43-54 King James Bible) Jesus was a very wise man because he studied the gospels, he spent many hours in prayer, and he also went to the tabernacles to learn and to preach and to heal those in need of healing. Mark 1:21-28, Luke 4:31-37) Jesus was a very compassionate man and when people who had the faith would cry out to him for healing he would heal them because their faith was very strong. An example of this would be when Jesus had left the city of Jericho he had a mass following of people traveling with him when they had come upon two blind men. The blind men heard the crowd and asked what was going on and once they were told they had cried out to Jesus to not pass them by and to please heal them of their blindness.The crowd that was following Jesus tried to rebuke them because they figured the blind men weren’t worthy enough for a healing or they just did not want the blind men t o bother Jesus, but the blind men cried out to Jesus in persistence because they believed and had the faith to know that Jesus could heal them, Jesus then called out to the blind men and asked what they wanted and they had said they wanted their eye sight back, so Jesus seeing that they had the faith told them to arise and that because of their faith they were healed and could see again. Once the Blind men were healed they followed Jesus and were glorifying God. Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43 King James Bible) Jesus was wise in the ways that he taught his parables. For example in (Luke 10:25-42 King James Bible), a man who was an expert in the law decided to test Jesus by asking him â€Å"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? † Jesus then said to the man, â€Å"What is written in the law? How do you read it? The man answered â€Å"Though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind; and they neighbors as thyself. Jes us then said to the man â€Å"Thou has answered right: this do and thou shalt live.Again the man wanted to justify himself so he asked Jesus â€Å"Who is my neighbor? † Jesus then replied to him with a story about a man who had come from Jerusalem to Jericho and ran into some thieves who stripped the man of his clothes and beat him half to death and then left. The man who had been beaten lay on the ground and had been passed by two people who looked at him and left without helping the man. A third man â€Å"The Good Samaritan† came by and saw the wounded man on the ground and had left but came back with supplies to clean the wounded man and bandage him up. Then the Good Samaritan took him to an inn to take care of him.The next day the good Samaritan man got up and before he left, he gave the inn keeper money and told the inn keeper and told him to take care of the wounded man and that any extra money that the inn keeper has to use he will repay him once he returns. Th en once Jesus was finished with the story he said to the man who was and expert in the law â€Å"Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? â€Å" The man then said â€Å"He that shewed mercy on him. † Then Jesus said â€Å"Go and do thou Likewise. † One of the attributes I believe I have fully developed would be Judgment.I may not always use the best judgment at all times, but I feel that my judgment is usually sensible and thought out as sensible as I can make it. When something comes up that I have to use my judgment for, I try to sit and think it through as much as possible to find the best possible outcome for the solution. I feel that I would need to fully develop all of the attributes discussed in chapter 10 of the reading. These are things that every person has to learn throughout their lives and will continue to develop through the years. Reference (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) (King James Bible)

Emerging Standards of Care: Cultural Competence Essay

The United States is often referred to as a melting pot. Cultural diversity is an inevitable reality in today’s society. We are faced with an increasingly diverse patient population and a diverse group of health care providers. Culture is a dynamic and complex phenomena that most understand as something that describes a particular ethnic group (Mitchell, Fioravanti, Founds, Hoffmann, & Liebman, 2010). Culture influences a person’s behaviors, practices, norms, customs, and beliefs on health, illness, and health care. According to Freidman, Bowden, and Jones (2003), people view culture as a model for our way of behaving, living, and feeling. There is an existence associated between culture and health practices. As the world becomes more diverse with migration, it is important that nurses and other health care workers understand and recognize the various cultures they encounter. The current U.S. population exhibits unparalleled ethnic and sociocultural diversity, yet the nursing workforce fails to reflect the current state of the nation’s diversity. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. nursing workforce is predominantly White/Non-Hispanic and female (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, 2010). Nurses face the challenge to meet the health care needs of a culturally diverse population while promoting diversity in the workforce. Nurses promote diversity in the workforce through educating nurses on cultural sensitivity and competence. Cultural competence in nursing is evolving as a standard of care. It is essential that nurses and other health care providers employ knowledge of various social and cultural influences in the care setting to promote  patient-centered care (Mitchell, Fioravanti, Founds, Hoffmann, & Libman, 2010). It is necessary to appreciate and recognize the relevance of diversity in the acute care setting to set standards of culturally competent nursing care, and to improve delivery of care through improving and meeting these standards. It is important that health care providers not only embrace cultural diversity, but also strive for cultural competence in order to ensure that all patients receive the best possible care. It is imperative that health care professionals integrate a patient’s cultural beliefs and practices into his or her treatment and recovery plan. Health care is rapidly changing. Patients and families are more receptive to these changes in modern medicine if their traditions and practices are integrated (Chater, 2008). Cultural competence not only pertains to race, sex, age, and ethnicity, but also encompasses â€Å"other inseparable factors of culture such as economic, political, religious, psychosocial, and biological conditions† (Stein, 2010). Delivery of culturally competent care entails promotion of the principles of social justice. According to the American Nurses Association (2001), â€Å"respect for the inherent worth, dignity, and human rights of every individual is a fundamental principle that underlies all nursing practice† (American Nurses Association, 2001). These principles model the standards in providing culturally competent care. They also guide nurses’ decisions pertaining to patient care. It is crucial that nurses and other health care providers examine their own beliefs and values. They must determine how their beliefs and values influence their interactions with patients, families, and colleagues. The concepts of cultural aspiration, cultural skill, cultural appreciation, cultural knowledge, and cultural acquaintances all produce cultural competency. Motivation of the nurse to become culturally proficient leads to acceptance of cultural diversity. Cultural awareness is the profound self-exploration of an individual’s personal cultural background. This includes identifying one’s cultural assumptions, biases, and prejudices of different cultures. The capability of assessing and assembling relevantly cultural facts that are significant to the patient’s presenting problem  refers to cultural skill. Cultural knowledge includes both seeking for and acquiring a strong educational foundation of the existing multicultural population that includes health beliefs and practices. And, lastly, the process that encourages nurses to interact face-to-face with diverse cultures is cultural encounter. Culturally competent care is reached by incorporating these concepts. By doing so, there is a decrease in health disparities and an increase in the potential for better outcomes and relevant care (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). The HHS Disparities Action Plan was initiated by the Department of Health and Human Services. This plan coordinates with other agencies to reach its goal of promoting health equality by using provisions set forth from Healthy People 2020 and the Affordable Care Act (HHS, 2011). According to HHS (2011), ethnic groups such as Hispanics, Asian Americans, American Indians, and African Americans experience higher mortality rates than other ethnic groups. The HHS Disparities Action Plan identifies factors such as poverty, socioeconomic status, lack of access to health care and racially driven disparities to promote safe patient outcomes and health equality. Several critical components establish standards of practice contribute to an organization’s capacity to provide culturally competent care. These components include: critical reflection, transcultural nursing knowledge, social justice, cross-cultural practice and communication, patient advocacy, health care systems, multicultural workforce education, policy development, training, and evidenced-based practice and research (Brady, 2010). Health care facilities need to ensure that tools such as multilingual teaching materials and interpreters are in place to effectively provide care. The use of cultural knowledge in composing a patient’s plan of care is a way to value diversity. Cultural competency is a continuous learning experience. Health care facilities may collaborate with professional organizations to establish best evidence-based practice in order to develop policies and standardized culturally competent care and reduce disparities (Brady, 2010). So, how does one become culturally competent? The initial step to becoming culturally competent is self-awareness. We must be aware of and value our own culture in order to identify with and recognize the value of the culture of others. We do this by critically reflecting on ourselves. â€Å"Examining and reflecting on one’s own ethnicity, belief structure, and values† determine the impact on our ability to â€Å"deliver culturally competent care† (Brady, 2010). A Nurses who understand themselves are able to understand and appreciate cultural differences. By doing so, the nurse can establish ideal ways to render effective health care services. An example would be that of a patient from the Far East. A nurse caring for a Chinese patient must appreciate that the Chinese adhere to traditional healing practices such as acupuncture, meditation, and homeopathy. Knowing this, the nurse will attempt to integrate these traditional practices into the patient’s treatment plan. The nurse can integrate acupuncture as an alternative treatment for pain management. A nurse who appreciates cultural diversity will strive to understand the cultural practices and beliefs of that patient and integrate applicable elements of the patient’s culture in the plan of care. Explanation of the plan of care and identifying the needs and expectations of the patient and family will aide in reducing tension, hence, develop a trust between the nurse, patient, and family. Nursing is making advances in promoting and implementing culturally competent care. Transcultural Nursing Society is a professional nursing organization involved in ensuring cultural competence is being included in the curriculum of nursing schools throughout the nation. The Transcultural Nursing Society is also involved in ensuring that curriculums are providing nurses with the necessary knowledge base to ensure cultural competence in their practice (Transcultural Nursing Society, 2013). Another organization, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), provides guidelines to enhance culturally competent care in health care facilities. This organization recognizes the disparities in health care delivery due to linguistic differences. They also recognize that there is prevalence in racial and ethnic disparities in health care delivery in the United States. The AHRQ points out that culturally and linguistically  diverse groups, as well as individuals with limited proficiency in English are disadvantaged in the health care system. These groups often experience poor health status and outcomes by accessing inadequate medical care in regards to quality despite consistent insurance status and income. Policy makers, civil rights groups, and health care facilities are responsible to understand the reasons behind persistent disparities and implement effective strategies to eliminate them. One way to do this is to improve cultural and linguistic competence of health care providers (Wilby, 2009). Linguistic competence is the ability of health care facilities to provide individuals with limited English proficiency appropriate oral and written language services. Health care facilities can hire bilingual/bicultural staff, train health care providers, or hire translators to assist during communication. The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services, (CLAS), standards are â€Å"intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by establishing a blueprint for health and health care organizations† (OMH, 2013). There are four categories under which these standards fall: principle standard; governance, leadership, and workforce; communication and language assistance; and engagement, continuous improvement, and accountability. Health care professionals can make the production of positive health outcomes for distinct populations possible by customizing services to a person’s verbal communication preference and way of life. Pursuing health integrity must remain at the forefront of healthcare’s efforts, with continuous identification of dignity, respect, and quality of care as rights of all, and not the civil liberties of some. According to OHM (2013), culture defines how individuals receive health care information, and how individuals exercise their rights and protections. It is what individuals consider a health dilemma, and how individuals express their indications and anxieties regarding the crisis. Holistic care involves designing care to meet the individual needs of the patients, to care for the whole. This includes considering cultural differences when planning care. Barriers to culturally competent interactions entail verbal communication, communication approach,  individuality, and sometimes a lack of respect for the patient’s preferences and needs. Language is a method by which a patient approaches the health care system, becomes aware of services, and formulates determination in relation to his or her health performance (Woloshin, Schwartz, Katz, & Welch, 1997). Communication endorses the opportunity for people of various backgrounds to learn from each other. Put the patients’ desire to understand first and make certain that they receive a chance to describe, in their own words, the information regarding their health care concerns and plans are fundamental initial measures in eliminating descrepancies and enhancing quality of care. Cultural competence requires people to develop an awareness of the differences of other people and their cultural personality groups. One is not capable of being culturally competent without considering the differences. Cultural competence does not involve giving up one’s own beliefs, values, or practices (Elliott, 2011). According to Elliott (2011), we can crack the cultural competency code by asking questions, listening, and aligning our attitude. The late Madeleine Leininger was a pioneer in the influence of culture on health care. Leininger was a Transcultural Nurse. She advocated two leading standards that nurses can employ in caring for patients from various diverse cultures. First, preserve an extensive, independent, and open attitude in regards to each patient. Secondly, evade the perception that all patients are alike. Leininger believed that by pursuing these principles, we can free ourselves to discovering the way others envision health and illness, and develop relationships that are therapeutic. She viewed every clinical experience as cross-cultural (Leininger, 2002). Diversity at the Workplace I work in a hospital in the small city of Tarpon Springs, FL. Tarpon Springs is located in Pinellas County. According to the 2010 census, the population was 23,484. Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans than any other U.S. city. The city of Tarpon Springs has a total area of 16.9 square mile. 9.1 square miles being land, and 7.7 square miles  being water. Tarpon Springs has a series of bayous which feed into the Gulf of Mexico, and was first settled around 1876 by white and black fishermen and farmers. It got its name because some visitors spotted tarpon jumping out of the waters. The first local sponge business was founded by John Cheyney. In the 1890s, a few Greek immigrants arrived to work in the sponge industry. It was in 1905 that John Cocoris introduced sponge diving to Tarpon Springs and recruited divers and crew members from Greece. Tarpon Springs became the largest sponge dock industry in the world. Many restaurants serving traditional Greek cuisine line the streets of Tarpon Springs, as well as quaint boutiques. Nearby beaches are popular for swimming, picnics, boating and windsurfing. Viewing bottlenose dolphin are a favorite past-time of many. Tarpon Springs is also known for its Greek Orthodox festivities, including the January 6 Epiphany celebration that includes youths diving for a cross and the blessing of the boats and waters. This celebration attracts Greek Americans from across the country. The racial makeup of the city is 90.07% white, 6.15% African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races. Hispanic or Latino is 4.33% of the population. 11.8% of the total population report their ancestry as Greek, which is included in the white statistic of 90.07%. 8.87% report speaking Greek at home, while 3.46% admit to speaking Spanish, and another 1.09% French. There are 91.8 males for every 100 females. The median income for a household is $38,251. About 7.7% of families and 9.8% of the population are below the poverty level. The hospital which I work is the only hospital in Tarpon Springs. The hospital has 168 beds which comprise 150 acute care beds, 18 transitional care beds, 14 ER beds, 9 ORs, 2 C-Section rooms, and 2 cathlabs. Adventist Health Systems acquired the hospital from University Health approximately 4 years ago. As you can see from the above demographics, this hospital serves a diverse population and community. From a religious perspective AHS is of the Adventist religion, however, welcomes, serves, and does not discriminate against any religion. The primary language is English, however, various  languages such as Greek, Spanish, French and Italian are spoken as well. Unfortunately, there are some patients who only speak their native language, and do not speak, nor understand English. For the most part, the hospital experiences minimal difficulty in assisting the patients and families in translation. Recently, the hospital contracted with a translation service using the internet. The hospital does provide admission and treatment information sheets and consents in other languages, as well. Our hospital is dedicated to serve the multicultural community of Tarpon Springs. Our food service caters to different cultures on a daily basis. Of course, Tuesday is Taco Tuesday. However, other ethnic foods are offered daily such as Greek, Italian, and Chinese cuisine as well as Soul Food and food that is in accordance with the beliefs of the Seventh Day Adventist religion, which excludes pork and shellfish from their diet. Chaplains and different religious figures are available to visit and pray with patients and families. Every Friday at sunset, a prayer recognizing the beginning of the Sabbath is heard over the intercom. Every Saturday evening at sunset, another prayer is heard over the intercom to recognize the end of the Sabbath. All committees, meetings and gatherings are started with prayer. There is signage throughout the hospital to portray our mission: Extending the healing ministry of Christ. I feel confident in saying that this hospital does follow Culture Care Standards. Signage is posted in all patient care areas and public areas regarding the hospitals standards. Signage includes anything from Equal Opportunity Employer to EMTALA. Because the workforce is very multicultural, the hospital is at an advantage at meeting these standards. There is one thing that all employees know; we are family despite our cultural differences. I am very proud to say that I work for this hospital. Conclusion The United States is a melting pot, and is becoming more and more diverse every day. Recognizing that diverse cultures exist is the first step in decreasing health disparities, and providing the best possible care to  individuals. Health care workers, including nurses, need to practice self-awareness. By becoming aware of self, they can then embrace other cultures and the needs of their patients. It is important for all health care professionals to understand the culture and beliefs of the patient population which they serve, in order to integrate these beliefs in his or her practice, whereby enhancing the quality of care provided to all patients. Education and training is vital in ensuring that health care professionals attain clinical excellence and strong therapeutic relations with the patients they serve. We cannot dictate the communities that we serve. Cultural competence does not mean giving up one’s own beliefs or values. It means opening eyes to the beliefs and values of others. The need for health care professionals to integrate cultural competence will allow delivery of optimal care, treatment, satisfaction, and better patient outcomes. References American Nurses Association. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Retrieved from http://nursebooks.org Brady, J.M. (2010). Cultural nursing implications in an integrated world. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 25(6), 409-412. doi: 10.1016/j.jopan.2010.10.005 Campinha-Bacote, J. (2003, January). Many faces: Addressing diversity in health care. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 8(1), Manuscript 2. Retrieved from www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAperiodicals/O JIN/TableofContents/Volume82003/No1Jan2003/AddressingDiversityinHealthCare.aspx Chater, K. (2008). Palliative care in a multicultural society: A challenge for western ethics. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26(2), 95. Department of Health and Human Services. (2011). HHS action plan to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. Retrieved from http://minorityhelath.hhs.gov/npa/templates/ content.aspx?lvl-1&lvlid=33&ID=285 Elliot, G. (2011). Cracking the cultural competency code. Canadian Nursing Home, 22(1), 27-30. Friedman, M.M., Bowden, V.R., & Jones, E.G. (2003). Family nursing: Research, theory, & Practice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Leininger, M. (2011). Culture care theory: A major contribution to advance transcultural nursing knowledge and practices. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 13(3). 189-192. Mitchell, A., Fioravanti, M., Founds, S., Hoffmann, R., & Libman, R. (2010). Using simulation To bridge communication and cultural barriers in health care encounters: Report of an international workshop. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 6, 193-198. doi: 10.1016/j.ecsn. 2009.10.001 Stein, K. (2010). Moving cultural competency from abstract to act. Supplement to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(5), 21-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.03.010 Transcultural Nursing Society. (2013). Transcultural Nursing Society mission and vision. Retrieved from http://www.tcns.org U.S. Department of Commerce. (2010). United States Census Bureau Tarpon Spring, Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH). (2013). The National CLAS Standards. Retrieved from http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlID=15

Baby-Boomer Retirement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Baby-Boomer Retirement - Essay Example Therefore the longer the working duration and the larger the number of earnings made, the higher the benefits received. Social security is, therefore, a vital part of a workers retirement plan. Â  After World War II, birth rates in the world tremendously increased. Statistics show that about 64million American children were born in the US during this period. The kids that were born between the years 1946 and 1964 were referred to as baby boomers. The large economic growth in the 90s is attributed to the boomers. In 2004, U.K boomers controlled 80% of U.K’s wealth. The majority of the workforce today is represented by this group (Walker, 2004). Â  Social security fund is designed in such a way that the benefits retirees of today get are paid from the contributions received from today’s working population. Over the years, the beneficiary to working population has been sustained because fewer people were retiring as compared to the number of people entering the workforce; thus the system was able to accumulate more revenues. Increase in life expectancy and the decrease in birth rates has posed a threat to the beneficiary-worker ratio; few people are now joining the workforce as compared to the many who are almost retiring. Â  In 1935, the year when social security funding was formulated, the life expectancy of a 65-year-old was 12.5years; in 2012 it had risen to 17.9 years and is projected to rise to 19.5 by the year 2030.The National Academy for Social Insurance projects that the beneficiary to worker ratio will rise to 46 percent by 2030. Â  There are fears that the massive onset of the boomer's retirement may bankrupt the system. This is because the surplus contributions made over the years will be used in paying out their benefits.

Land law assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Land law assignment - Essay Example Restrictive covenants only exist where there is a negative duty on the owner of the covenanted land5. In this instance the duty is a negative duty6 as the restrictions applied by the covenant state that no work can be carried out on the pigs cannot be kept on the land and not to use the land for any form of business In order for a restrictive covenant to be binding on successive owners of the land the covenant must be recorded on the register as a minor interest. If the covenant is not recorded in this way then the new purchasers take the property free of all the agreed covenants7. Baroness Whinge could assert that the benefit of the restrictive covenant has passed to her land and that she intends to enforce this covenant. It is important to note that covenants are only binding between the parties to the contract and cannot bind third parties8. This would mean that the covenant between Baroness Whinge and Lord Stubborn. If the wording of the covenant includes their successors-in-title9 the implication of this is that the original parties have promised that all future owners will observe the covenants. When Lord Stubborn started using the land in this way Michael would effectively be held to be in breach of the covenant10. Michael could ensure that the covenants are kept by successive owners by getting a covenant from them to indemnify him against any liability he might incur if the covenants are breached. Section 78 of the Law of Property Act 1925 entitles the new owners to claim for breaches against any successors-in-title if it can be established that the benefit of the covenant has become part of the land. The claims would not be against the new owners but the original parties to the covenant unless a covenant had been made between the original parties and the new owners11. As Lord Stubborn was not made aware of the covenants it