Personal Nursing Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Personal Nursing Philosophy Essay We often hear that nursing is an art and a science, and I firmly believe that. The way a nurse blends those aspects of care defines the nurse. As nurses, our roles in our patients’ lives vary depending on their needs. We are teachers as well as technical experts, and our ultimate goal is to ensure our patients and families are ready to take over when the patient no longer requires our care. Why I Chose Nursing I have known that I wanted to work with children since I was a young child myself. Before the age of ten, I thought I might be a teacher. As I enjoyed math and science, several of my aunts, nurses themselves, encouraged me to consider nursing. As a sibling of a disabled child, I was probably exposed to more medical knowledge than average, and I took my first CPR class when I was eight years old. I liked the nurses and therapists that worked with my sister, but I also had respect for the teachers that worked so tirelessly with her. I can pinpoint the moment I decided that nursing was for me, though it was a long time before I could act on that decision. My sister had contracted hepatitis A at school. That lowered her seizure threshold enough that she ended up in the intensive care unit. As it was winter, I was not allowed to visit her. At ten, I didn’t understand the concept of RSV restrictions. I only knew that she’d been hospitalized many times and I’d always been allowed at her bedside. Somehow I interpreted that to mean she must be dying, and no one wanted to tell me. I was in the waiting room outside the ICU while my mother was in with my sister, crying my heart out. A nurse walking by stopped to ask me what was wrong, and I spilled out my fears to her. She escorted my into the unit, telling me that she was going to find a supervisor to see if she could get permission for me to visit my sister. In the meantime, there was a room where I could wait for her†¦. which turned out to be my sister’s room. After failing to get permission for me to visit, the nurse returned to escort me back to the waiting room. Before we left, she took the time to explain the monitors and what they meant, and went over my sister’s plan of care and discharge criteria with me. Hugely reassured, I was content to wait in the waiting room. More than thirty years later, that nurse’s compassion still sticks with me. The Core of Nursing If compassion is at the heart of nursing, knowledge and skill must be its head and hands. Since the earliest days of nursing, the patient’s environment has been a consideration in their care. Florence Nightingale’s theory that hydration, nutrition, rest, and a clean environment were necessary to healing (Black, 2007) is a basic principle of nursing today. The world has changed since then, and nursing has changed with it. With every technological advance or new treatment modality, nurses have been called upon to be more than caretakers. It requires skilled hands to provide the treatments our patients need. Throughout a patient’s stay, teaching is a primary responsibility of the nurse. Patients cannot make informed decisions on their care without adequate information. Whether teaching the relatively simple task of taking medications, or the more complex management of a chronic condition, it is a nurse’s duty to make sure the patient and family are trained and prepared to assume care once the patient goes home. The teaching required necessarily varies from patient to patient, and often from day to day in the same patient as he or she moves on the continuum between health and illness. Finally, patients need to be able to count on nurses to be authorities in their field. Nurses must be accountable for remaining competent in their practice, and for continuing their education throughout their career (Killeen Saewert, 2007). Beliefs and Values Patients have needs unrelated to their illness or injury. Having spent my entire career in pediatrics, often my focus is on developmental needs and what activities can be provided that support normal development. Some needs, however, seem to be universal. The need for play, learning, and social contact are not restricted to children. Meeting the emotional and psychosocial needs of the patient without compromising the physical needs demanded by the illness or injury is occasionally a delicate balancing act, and is where the art of nursing meets the science of nursing. By collaborating with our patients and families and respecting their values, a plan can be reached that both supports their needs and involves them in their own care. From a pediatric perspective, the family is an integral part of the healthcare team. Parents are the primary ally and resource in providing individualized care for their child. Even in adult patients, who they are is impacted by the relationships that they have. Serious or chronic illnesses and injuries affect the entire family. The family, then, becomes the patient, particularly when it is necessary to make lifestyle changes. I have been fortunate enough to work in a teaching hospital for over a decade, on a unit that has a strong sense of teamwork. I have watched residents grow from unsure medical students to capable attending physicians, and have been gratified to precept and mentor new nurses into colleagues that can be relied on. Through we have a varied mix of skill levels, values, and talents, as a team we manage to form a cohesive whole. I count on my nurses to provide outstanding care to their patients, to hold themselves and each other accountable for maintaining high standards, and to support each other as needed. I also count on them for holding me accountable when the minutia of providing care for patients or my nurses gets in the way of my seeing the big picture. In my own life, it has taken me a long while to take charge of my health. I am currently working hard to quit smoking, and have recently lost fifty of the extra sixty or so pounds I’ve been carrying. Like a lot of nurses, I put off preventative care, and wait too long before seeing a physician when I need to. This disconnect between my professional values and my personal behavior baffles me. I cannot expect my patients and families to view me as an authority on health if I am unhealthy. This year has been one of trying to bring my own lifestyle into line with my beliefs. Vision for the Future In two years, I will have completed my BSN. At that point, I want to take a clinical instructor position while I pursue my MSN. I seem to have come full circle in what I want to be when I grow up, and combining my love of nursing with my love of teaching seems to be the best of both worlds. In five years, I hope to have completed my MSN. By that time I will have been a clinical instructor for long enough to know if I want to translate that to the classroom or perhaps become a nurse educator in an acute setting. I know I love teaching new nurses in my current setting, however I’m unsure of whether I would enjoy teaching in an academic setting. In ten years, my goals are much more nebulous and largely depend on whether I have chosen to move to an academic setting or remain in acute care. In either setting, there are always things to learn and opportunities to explore. Someday, I would like to open a medical foster care facility, though I have doubts about that happening in that time frame. Summary The pursuit of my professional goals is a long-term plan. I enjoy learning, have the support of my family, and the path to my goals are clearly defined. I am detail oriented, and hope that will help me to reach my goals. As I continue on this path, each success will pave the way to the next. Time management is an obstacle in my path, as I am currently working two jobs and trying to take care of my family while pursuing my degree. I am still learning how to manage all the demands on my time without stretching myself too thin. In addition, I sometimes get bogged down in the details and lose sight of the big picture, and then tend to procrastinate until I find my way again. Fortunately deadlines are effective in making me take a step back and rethink my approach.

Socrates Nobody Desires Evil Philosophy Essay

Socrates Nobody Desires Evil Philosophy Essay The beliefs of Socrates includes: a) Nobody desires evil, b) Nobody makes a mistake or does wrong willingly or knowingly, c) Virtue all virtue is knowledge, d) Virtue is sufficient for happiness. Of the four beliefs, the most implausible that Socrates established is the point that happiness and excellence is the most important goals in life, made these depend upon the virtues, then made the acquisition of the virtues the unique prerogative of the intellect, of cognition, reason, and argument. The minor Socratics began with a similar evaluation of the importance of happiness and excellence; however, their critical appraisal of the possibility of ones gaining knowledge with the power to deliver these goods led them to form alternative approaches to practical ethics. This shows Socrates commitment to the belief that reason should serve as the ultimate arbitrator of will and goodness. 2. Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the nature of holiness. To understand the significance of their discussion it is fruitful to examine the nature of their discussion and the process by which they manage the terrain of their issue as having an importance greater than the subject itself has. The subject of holiness is interesting and arguably important, but it is a means of arriving at a still greater end. Socrates and Euthyphro approach their conversation with distinct attitudes regarding the health of their epistemic states. Euthyphro feels confident and sure of his mastery of the topic of holiness. In contrast, Socrates professes his ignorance. But his ignorance is not the easy ignorance of a lazy unimaginative man. Rather, his claim of ignorance is the result of careful reflection about the status of his own virtue. His character is one of ceaseless rational inquiry. Socrates worked to use reason to judge truth and bring order to his soul. Second, Socrates demands that any idea worth keeping must withstand careful scrutiny. In contrast, Euthyphro demonstrates the mental habits of a person lacking the persistence to penetrate an idea beyond initial impressions. Socrates is determined to help Euthyphro acknowledge this habit of his character and revise it in favor of the habit of aggressive reasoning. Such a habit, Socrates demonstrates, is crucial for eudaimonia. 3. Socrates explains that he has been pursuing his religious duty to decipher the riddle presented by the oracle at Delphi. Socrates devotes a fair amount of time to this particular matter of his reputation. In his defense, Socrates explains that his friend Chaerephon paid a visit to the oracle at Delphi and asked whether there was anyone wiser than Socrates. In answer to this question, the oracle answered that no one was wiser. Socrates is often portrayed announcing his ignorance on many matters of apparent importance. If there is a link between knowledge and wisdom it seems that Socrates, apparently impoverished in the first virtue, would likely be impoverished in the latter virtue. Socrates understood the attainment of knowledge to involve a sort of personal transformation. For example, insofar as one gains knowledge of goodness then one becomes good and acts in ways that are good. Thus, Socrates had a special conception of knowledge. With regard to the virtues, Socrates did not draw a distinction between knowing-that and knowing-how. The former type of knowledge denotes an understanding of facts while the latter denotes an ability to perform an action. For Socrates, if someone had knowledge of a virtue it meant that she could both define it and consistently acted in harmony with it. 4. The charge of corrupting the youth is ambiguous and vague. Such activity might be perceived to be counter to the proper upbringing of the youth who may be expected to accept and practice the traditions of their culture without scrutiny. Socrates has already revealed that even religious messages from the oracle must be subjected to rational inquiry to be properly understood. To make this point clear he identifies the example of horse training. It seems that if someone became the owner of a horse that she wanted properly trained she would take it to one of the few experts rather than hitch it in the town center where it would enjoy maximum exposure to the greatest amount of people. Yet if most people are benefactors rather than corrupters then one should indeed hitch her new horse in the town square. Yet the foolishness of this conclusion is clear. There is no reason to suspect that most people, even if they are not detrimental to the youth, are beneficial to the youth. It stems likely that genuine benefactors will be in the minority. From these premises Socrates concludes that either be does not corrupt the youth or if he does corrupt the youth it is unintentional. Socrates cannot corrupt the youth intentionally for by doing so he would hurt those with whom he associates and thus ultimately hurt himself. Assuming that Socrates possesses self-mastery, thi s is counter to premise two. This is logically impossible. 5. Socrates was the philosopher who tried to equate goodness, knowledge, and happiness, it is most likely that that was how many others regarded him, and responding to that project was philosophically more important than responding to Socrates the man. Socrates was the philosopher who claimed no certain knowledge, but who nonetheless could live a successful life, then that combination of qualities poses more interesting problems for Hellenistic philosophy than does the issue of whether Socrates really made such a claim. With this, it is unlikely that a democracy will produce qualified and effective leaders because it is difficult, some might say impossible, to know for certain exactly what he thought or said about knowledge, moral values, or happiness. 6. Socrates did not rely exclusively on analogy in his attempts to infer the nature of the virtues, it did constitute a prominent place in his eclectic arsenal and seems undoubtedly to have informed his conclusion that the virtues were technal. It is difficult to assess the implications but if I were in Socrates position, I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t try to escape from prison. One practical result would be a reluctance to accept the conclusion that a virtue is in fact a techne, since such a characterization relies on a familiarity with types of knowledge and activity whose semblances to justice, bravery, and so on are most readily understood by comparison. As Socrates had pointed out, it is frequently more difficult to escape doing wrong than it is to escape death. A worthy life must include philosophy for it is the appropriate means to conduct the examination of ones life and pursue self-mastery.

The Necessity Of Computer Security :: essays research papers

The Necessity Of Computer Security When the first electronic computers emerged from university and military laboratories in the late 1940s and early 1950s, visionaries proclaimed them the harbingers of a second industrial revolution that would transform business, government and industry. But few laymen, even if they were aware of the machines, could see the connection. Experts too, were sceptical. Not only were computers huge, expensive, one-of-a-kind devices designed for performing abstruse scientific and military calculations, such as cracking codes and calculations missile trajectories, they were also extremely difficult to handle. Now, it is clear that computers are not only here to stay, but they have a profound effect on society as well. As John McCarthy, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, speculated in 1966: "The computer gives signs of becoming the contemporary counterpart of the steam engine that brought on the industrial revolution - one that is still gathering momentum and whose true nature had yet to be seen." Today's applications of computers are vast. They are used to run ordinary household appliances such as televisions and microwaves, to being tools in the workplaces through word processing, spreadsheets, and graphics software, to running monumental tasks such as being the heart and soul of the nations tax processing department, and managing the project timetables of the Space Shuttle. It is obvious that the computer is now and always will be inexorably linked to our lives, and we have no choice but to accept this technology and learn how to harness its total potential. With any progressing technology, an unauthorized application can almost be found for it. A computer could and has been used for theft and fraud - for example, as a database and manager of illegal activities such as drug trafficking and pornography. However, we must not just consider the harmful applications of the computer, but also take into account the good that they have caused. When society embraced the computer technology, we have to treat this as an extension of what we already have at hand. This means that some problems that we had before the computer era may also arise now, in the form where computers are an accessory to a crime. One of the problems that society has faced ever since the dawn of civilization is privacy. The issue of privacy on the Internet has risen many arguments for and against having it. The issue of privacy has gotten to the point where the government of the United States has placed a bill promoting a single chip to encrypt all private material on the Internet. Why is privacy so important? Hiding confidential material from intruders

Othello :: essays research papers

After reading Othello by Shakespeare over about 3 times, I came to feel sorry for a man that I can easily say was gulled into tragedy by his own purity. I can see Othello as a man that could sit at the ‘Round Table† with King Arthur and rank among those wonderous knights of chivalry. At his end, he had nothing. The Duke calls Othello ‘Valiant Othello’ (1057) Othello also stands ready to face Brabantio, Iago tells him to run. Othello - ‘Not I; I must be found. My parts, my title and my perfect soul Shall manifest me rightly. (1054) As grand as his internal characteristics are, he also stumbles with his own susceptibility to become betrayed. Othello also has no sense of grey. He sees things are either good or evil. To Cassio, Othello – ‘Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, making it light to Cassio. Cassio, I love thee, But never more be officer of mine’ (1078) For his one transgression, Cassio is stripped of his rank and cast aside. Othello seems to place his trust in people that have not demonstrated a reason to be mistrusted. Iago at no time gives cause to be mistrusted. Othello had to see the reason, something tangible. The external pressures on Othello are partially due to his being black. Iago starts his scheming of destruction using Othellos color against him, when he beckons Barbanito to action. Iago – Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise! Arise! (1051) This prejudice may have damaged his self-esteem, where he believed he was unworthy of Desdemona. Iago drops doubt in his mind, Othello begs for the suspicious thoughts. Othello – â€Å"By heaven, I’ll know thy thoughts.’ (1087) This opens the door to Iago’s deceit. Iago – ‘O, beware my lord of jealousy!†¦ which doth mock.’ (1087) Othello – ‘Farewell, Farewell,†¦.. Set on thy wife to observe. Leave me, Iago.’ (1089) Here is where the splinter drives deeper. From this point, there is more falls of the seal the fate of poor Othello. The mind bending Iago plants deep the seeds of wicked thoughts.

Character of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarle

The Character of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚   In Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter, the pathetic, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is fully aware of the means by which he must liberate his soul from his grave sin. Yet, throughout the story his confession remains an impediment, constraining him, from then onwards, to a life of atonement. Reverend Dimmesdale attempts to divest himself of his guilt by revealing it to his parishioners during services, but somehow never manages to accomplish the task. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is clearly both a coward and a hypocrite    For the most part, Dimmesdale's story is one of a lonely man who has given into temptation and desire. His carnal craving is looked upon with ignominy. The matter is further convoluted by Hester's marriage, and his unwillingness to mar his reputation among the villagers as the faithful and innocent priest. He is now stranded at a crossroad, not knowing whether to confess or carry on a life of self-punishment. The sin begins to gnaw away at his sanity. As a form of penance he partakes in late night vigils, starvation, and self-mutilation. His acts of penance were severe and drained him of much of his life force. Finally becoming fed up with his prolonged misery, he walked unsteadily to the podium to expose his secret, but his confession was ambiguous and inconclusive, and people thought he was speaking about the sins of humanity.    Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale has many opportunities to confess.    One of the very first moments available to Dimmesdale to confess was on the scaffolding in the beginning when Hester was publicly humiliated in front of the townspeople. Dimmesdale was preaching to her for hou... ...can be rectified. Some sins are everlasting, and there are no shortcuts to salvation. Sometimes the weight of the sins must penetrate one's soul for eternity.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Baym, Nina. Introduction. The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. 1986.    Clendenning, John. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.    Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. "The Scarlet Letter." The Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. Ed. Charles Wells Moulton. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Peter Smith Publishing, 1959. 341-371.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1986.    Smiles, Samuel. "The Scarlet Letter." The Critical Temper. Ed. Martin Tucker. New York City: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1962. 266.    Character of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarle The Character of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚   In Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter, the pathetic, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is fully aware of the means by which he must liberate his soul from his grave sin. Yet, throughout the story his confession remains an impediment, constraining him, from then onwards, to a life of atonement. Reverend Dimmesdale attempts to divest himself of his guilt by revealing it to his parishioners during services, but somehow never manages to accomplish the task. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is clearly both a coward and a hypocrite    For the most part, Dimmesdale's story is one of a lonely man who has given into temptation and desire. His carnal craving is looked upon with ignominy. The matter is further convoluted by Hester's marriage, and his unwillingness to mar his reputation among the villagers as the faithful and innocent priest. He is now stranded at a crossroad, not knowing whether to confess or carry on a life of self-punishment. The sin begins to gnaw away at his sanity. As a form of penance he partakes in late night vigils, starvation, and self-mutilation. His acts of penance were severe and drained him of much of his life force. Finally becoming fed up with his prolonged misery, he walked unsteadily to the podium to expose his secret, but his confession was ambiguous and inconclusive, and people thought he was speaking about the sins of humanity.    Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale has many opportunities to confess.    One of the very first moments available to Dimmesdale to confess was on the scaffolding in the beginning when Hester was publicly humiliated in front of the townspeople. Dimmesdale was preaching to her for hou... ...can be rectified. Some sins are everlasting, and there are no shortcuts to salvation. Sometimes the weight of the sins must penetrate one's soul for eternity.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Baym, Nina. Introduction. The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. 1986.    Clendenning, John. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.    Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. "The Scarlet Letter." The Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. Ed. Charles Wells Moulton. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Peter Smith Publishing, 1959. 341-371.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1986.    Smiles, Samuel. "The Scarlet Letter." The Critical Temper. Ed. Martin Tucker. New York City: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1962. 266.   

A Woman’s Place Is In the Home Essay

The saying â€Å"A Woman’s Place Is In the Home† seems extremely provokative to me. I refuse to accept this idea. I strongly believe that a woman should develop some professional skills and have a job. Anyway, the question ‘to work or not to work’ is quite often raised in many families because the issue is not so clear. In my presentation I’d like to dwell on the advantages and disadvantages of the situation in which a woman has to combine family and career. I will start with the drawbacks the family may suffer from. I’ve singled out 5 of them. 1. It’s very hard sometimes to juggle family and career. A woman experiences lack of free time, lack of sleep which may lead to stress and problems with health. 2. A woman may start paying less attention to her husband and her children. As a consequence, they may get dissapointed, they may even feel that their wife and mother doesn’t love them any more. 3. Because of stress a woman may start pouring all her worries to her spouse thus irritating him. It may result in divorse. 4. A woman may retire into herself and her career thus provoking the possibility of adultery on her husband’s part who may seek endearment elsewhere. 5. In case a woman’s career is more successful than that of her spouse it may put a strain on the marriage. Some men just can’t put up with the fact that their wife earns more than they do. Now I will pass to the benefits which the family may have if a woman works. I’ll mebtion 10 of them. 1. Financial aspect – more income. 2. A woman’s self-esteem and fulfillment are developed.   3. Communication with other people beyond the family circle meets social needs of a human being. 4. Family relationships become more balanced, a husband respects his wife, doesn’t reproach her. Equality. 5. A woman feels more affection and love for her family because she misses them. 6. Children become more independent with an internalized sense of responsibility. 7. A woman becomes better groomed and better dressed thus feels happier. 8. Social benefits (insurance policy, social security). 9. Financial independence. A woman becomes a productive and contributing member of the family. 10. A job generates self-discilpline, sets order in life and makes a woman a perfect time-manager. Summing it all up I’d like to  say that I’m absolutely convinced that the benefits mentioned above prevail all the disadvantages. It worths taking risks and truing at least. In my opinion a woman’s place is not only in the home because a woman is a much more talanted and gifted creature than many men believe.

Communication Modes

Communication There are other types of communication that are beyond the four basic types: face-to-face communication, spoken communications that is transmitted electronically, personally addressed written communication, and impersonal written communication. There is also visual communication. Visual communication is visual display of information, like maps, photos, signs, symbols and designs. Television and video clips are the electronic form of visual communication.An employee that has performed in an outstanding, above-the-call manner would be given a face to face meeting, which may include a company-wide email or a public presentation to show appreciation. Face to face communication will project the sincerity and honesty of the employee’s hard work. They will be able to visualize the verbal and non-verbal cues of the manager. The public presentation of appreciation would also show other employees how hard work is rewarded in the workplace, and be a motivator for high produ ction; including a more cohesive feeling of teamwork throughout the company.The use of a company-wide email would allow other employees to see that hard work can be rewarded by public recognition. In order to capture the attention of the employees receiving the email the salutation of â€Å"Dear Company XYZ Team Member,† to give it a more personal and endearing feel. The most effective method to communicate a new policy on the use of cell phones would be impersonal written communication. The down-side of using this type of communication is that since it is not personally addressed to the receiver they may not read the email.If the employee does not read the email and is in violation of the new cell phone policy; it is ultimately the employees’ responsibility to stay current on new policies and procedures instituted within the company. In the event that an employee is found violating the new policy a face-to-face meeting would occur. This would include at the least a ve rbal reprimand or according to company policies the level of reprimand that is required. An employee that is repeatedly late for work always requires a face-to-face eeting. There is no other form of communication that is effective in this situation. The employee must be able to see the verbal and non-verbal cues of the manager conveying the seriousness of the employee’s employment. The manager should find out what is the root cause of the employee’s non-compliance with the attendance policy. The employee could be having timing issues with a babysitter; the employee could be oversleeping due to a second job, or not leaving home in time to allow for potential traffic issues.The manager would be required to reprimand the employee according to company policy, which could be an oral warning up to and including termination, depending on the magnitude of the attendance policy violation. An employee that has a child that has been injured should always communicate face-to-face. The manager should go to the employee’s workspace and ask him/her to come with them to their office or other private space.This cannot be communicated over the phone; even if the manager is off-site they should call and appoint another member of the management team to convey the message to this employee. References Batson, T. R. , & Neff, B. J. (2007). Business ethics: Sunday ethics — Monday world. Marion, Ind. : Triangle Publishing. R, A. (n. d. ). Four Types of Communication. Buzzle. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/four-types-of-communication. html