Saturday, January 25, 2020

Importance of Having an Inter Professional Team

Importance of Having an Inter Professional Team This essay is meant to throw light on the importance of having an inter professional team that would make the service delivery to patients easier. In this essay I will discuss the roles played by nurses and other professionals in the team. The essay will reflect the efficiency of such a team and their work distribution and involvement. I will highlight the ways in which a team of professionals will work together to take proper decisions during emergency situations and tackle them effectively. The essay will also critically evaluate the various concepts of inter professional team work. An interprofessional team is a group of people who have a certain common goals or objectives which drives them to work together by setting aside individual goals. Inter professional team can be defined as a dynamic process involving two or more health care professionals with complementary backgrounds and skills, sharing common health goals and exercising concerted physical and mental effort in assessing, planning, or evaluating patient care, accomplished through interdependent collaboration, open communication and shared decision-making, and generates value-added patient, organizational and staff outcomes (Xyrichis and Ream 2007). Freeth et al (2005) defined inter professional team work as when two or more professional learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care. The healthcare sector started showing interest in the interprofessional working during the early 1990. (Institute of Medicine, 1998;ONeil and Pew Health Professions Commission 1998;ÂÂ  Pew Health Professions Commission 1995a,ÂÂ  1995b,ÂÂ  1998). The Association of American Medical Colleges, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing suggested that the graduates must have enough knowledge in interprofessional collaboration (Varkey, Reller, Smith, Ponet, OsbornÂÂ  , 2006). Varkey et.al (2006) also pointed out that there should be enough cooperation between the various professionals in healthcare field for the success of this profession. But unfortunately this fact is not included in the curriculum of the different medical schools in USA. Inter professional teams are more effective in rehabilitating the patients than individual health care professionals. The number of patients having positive impact by the inter professional service is larger than those by individual service providers. A very strategic role played by nurses is highlighted now. The nursing tutors face the dual challenge of preparing their students enter into nursing profession as well as equip them to cooperate effectively with other health practitioners (Lattuca, 200l;ÂÂ  Newell, 1998). An interprofessional team is working to provide service in a properly planned and systematic manner. In the health care sector inter professional teams are meant to develop groups that works towards efficiently rendering care to the patients. These teams include nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals. For a team to be efficient role clarity to inevitable and this will help them define their own duties and responsibilities avoiding conflicts (West and Markiowicz, 2004). A team essentially will have a team leader who will lead the team and motivate them to render good service working together (Martin and Rogers 2004). A health care team will work effectively if there is stability in the team, this will make the team member in the group work with shared trust and understanding (West and Slater (1996); Gair and Hartery, (2001)). Interprofessional teams are of various types, they include multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary etc. In case of multidisciplinary teams the members are from various teams. These members set their own discipline specific goals and work towards achieving it. But ultimately the result is calculated as the total of all the disciplines (Dean and Geiringer 1990). The position of team members in the team hierarchy will affect the way in which the team functions and how it will render the service (Cotts, 1998). In case of a multidisciplinary team there exist subgroups of doctors, social workers, therapists and also subgroups which had nurses and other junior staff. Her study also unveiled the idea that the different subgroups had different perceptions about the inter professional teams. Inter professional team work is highly essential in operation theatres and intensive and trauma care units. Since these are the emergency units of a hospital the situation of such units cannot be predicted and thus highly challenging. The interprofessional team may have to work highly efficiently and together. There exists a high rate of tension and stress in the team members in such emergency situations. According to McWilliam et al (2003), interprofessional working is a very difficult task for health care professionals. The patients didnt get the full benefit of interprofessional working due to the misunderstanding between the health care professionals regarding the policies and procedures in it. Mistreatment of elders is a serious issue and its growing day by day. It is the responsibility of nurses to identify and prevent such occurrences (Baker Heitkemper, 2005). The nurses have a variety of roles to play in an Inter-professional elder mistreatment team. At present the roles involve screening and assessment, mandatory reporting, direct care, and complaint investigation. Elder mistreatment (EM) is a very complicated issue and can be effectively solved through inter-professional association. Critics like Bion (1961) say that the interprofessional teams fail to focus on the real task they should be doing. The primary tasks for which they have come together is forgotten most of the by the interprofessional teams. Whenever there is an issue the teams to fail to reach at a consensus and they do not take proper decisions on the issue (Strokes 1994). The meetings conducted in order to take decision on the matter are just a waste of time. These assumptions are based on the work group mentality theory. Critics of interprofessional team have questioned the values of the team. It is said that the teams are not well managed and they do not work properly and responsibily. Negotiation theory puts forward the perspective of negotiating the personal and professional goals. (Strauss, 1978) The negotiations by professionals in the health care field have played a critical role in molding the characteristics of an interprofessional team. Loss and change theory reiterates that the health care professionals like doctors and nurses lose their professional identity as they are working in a team, this will lead to developing an improper relationship and improper behavior in the team (Atkins, 1998). Thus it critically points to the inter professional teams in that it wouldnt serve the purpose of forming a team the unhappiness of the team members can lead to inefficient functioning. The increase of cost in hospitals will also result if there is lack of proper communication between the professionals like doctors, nurses and staff and also if they are not coordinated well (Gavett, Drucker, McCrum and Dickinson, 1985). The roles played by nurses in the interprofessional teams are fast evolving. The importance of specialist skills for nurses is now recognized and new role have come up. The Macmillan nurse is an example of such new roles and they possess skills in palliative care and are expected to look after patients with terminal illness. Another group called night practitioners literally run the hospitals at night. They are skilled to assist any department and are sometimes considered better than junior doctors too (Martin Rogers, 2004) While working in an interprofessional team, there is an increased chance of conflict between the team members regarding the superiority in the team. The truth is everyone is equal while working in a team and nobody should themselves subordinate to anyone. But sometimes the nurses and their opinions are ignored in an interprofessional team. Such events makes them reluctant to be a part of such teams (Martin Rogers, 2004). Task shifting is a common practice among the professionals now days (Reeves et.al, 2010). This would help the traditional professionals to relieve of their heavy workload. The nursing practitioners and physician assistants are such roles (Hooker McCaig, 2001). The multiplicative effects model of interprofessional working views it more than the sum of its parts. Here the synergy obtained from such work is described (Leathard, 1994). According to this model, interprofessional working improves the contributions of individual team members and thus will help in the overall development of team. Decision making is an essential in ingradient of all teams; it measures the efficiency of the group. Decision making in case of an interprofessional team also play key role deciding its service delivery process. The usual situation that happens in such teams is the unavailability of proper team leader and also reaching at a common consensus. The decision taken in team has the idea input all the members that needs to driven well in one direction for increasing effectiveness of the work the team does. Most of the important decisions concerning the activities of the team are taken mostly by the Doctors, or the medical staff in an inter professional team in hospitals. Solving important problems and resolving conflicts are the aims of masking decisions (Neil, 1978). There are a few hindrances for nurses to be part of interprofessional teams. The health care sector has shortages or less number of nurses, and those nurses who are available have increased amount of work. As a result of which there is a limitation in case of inter professional support and collaboration (Mckay Crippen, 2008). Another barrier that can be highlighted is the disinterest on the part of other departments to participate and actively involve in the team and work together. The culture and hierarchy of the organization also plays a role in the formation of teams in the organization. According to Henneman.et.al (1995) Collaboration involves a partnership characterized by mutual goals and commitments in which participants willingly become involved in planning and decision making. Henneman.et.al (1995) also proposed that collaboration is a process by which members of various disciplines (or agencies) share their expertise. Accomplishing this requires these individuals understand and appreciate what it is that they contribute to the whole. Many authors have suggested ways to make the intercollaboration more effective. According to Fullan (1993), effective collaborations operate in the world of ideas, examining existing practices critically, seeking better alternatives and working hard together at bringing about improvements and assessing their worth.ÂÂ   The National Network for Collaboration (NNC) put forward a frame work for effective collaboration and advocated that it should possess a common vision, problem, a desired outcome etc. NNC also pointed out that the members of the collaboration must share this vision and contribute equally. The NNC sees collaboration as an inclusionary process which should be constantly engaged and must strengthen the commitment and must identify that relationship building and maintaining is the key factor for the success of collaborations and they must try to sustain a win-win relationship. According to Garner (1995) and Hoeman (1996), it should be by means of collaborative communi cation rather than shared communication that the interprofessional team approach evolves. Efforts were made from the part of many authors for increasing the literature on interprofessional education for health professional students. But Cooper, Carlisle, Gibbs, and Watkins (2001) pointed out this literature to be diverse including a relatively small amount of research data and much larger amounts of evaluation literature. There were almost thirty works done on interprofessional education and all of them aimed to increase the level of co-operation and understanding between the members in interprofessional teams as well as to encourage a high quality care for the patients. There are a number of social science theories that explain the concept of interprofessional team work. Merton (1968) put forward theory in three modules. They are the micro, mid range and macro theories. The social sciences approaches that come under these three groups include: Micro: psychodynamic perspective by Bion, Menzies, Marris, social psychological perspective by Tejfel and Turner, Brown Interactionism by Goffman and strauss All the above approaches that come under the micro group are of the rational type that consolidates the team functions, identities and interactions. Midrange : Activity theory by Engestrom Institutional influence by DiMaggio and Powell Professionalization by Freidson These three approaches or theories are processual, organizational and contextual. Their task is to understand team activities, relation and performance, the relations between professions respectively. Macro: Discourse theory and surveillance theory by Foucault They are of the contextual type that deals with the impact of society and social interaction of with respect to the interprofessional team work. There are a set of models supporter by theories that help provide the inter professional education well in the health care sector that enables the health care professionals perform well and deliver quality service. These models are whilst behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism (Schunk D 2003). I will working for the betterment of the service provided to a patient using the things I learned. Working in an interprofessional team is has made me get involved with the Doctors and other professional in the field and has helped to build a strategy that elevates the level of service rendering process. As a nurse am able to act in the right way a right direction in case of any emergency and otherwise. From now I will be able to put into practise the concept I learned. The model that I would use is the Kolbs model of reflection. It is a process whereby, individuals, teams and organizations attend to and understanding their experiences and consequently modify their behaviour. The model mainly has 4 important aspects: Experiencing means really doing the task and experiencing the whole process. Reflecting- in this step the work is reviewed in terms of experience and the real process. Conceptualisation- here the various important occurrences and tasks are analysed and their connections among the events are noted. Planning- the events that have been understood will be analysed well in order to envisage the occurrences in future. This will help to prevent any improper events happening and build a proper strategy to do the next task. The Kolbs reflection model if one of the best models for teams. In case of a team there are aspects like: Doing- same as experience, where the team does the task or the action. Reflection- after the action, the team members openly discuss the whole process and share their views and experience. Interpretation- the members of the team now work with common identity and culture and as a team by leaning behind individual interests. Planning- in the final step team works according to the joint decisions and plan out ways to committing the action. Finally I would say that in any sector especially the health care there is an elementary requirement of having an inter professional team. The team in all ways will help in providing superior service since the decisions are taken as a team and under common grounds.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Frederick Douglass Primary Analysis Essay

Frederick Douglass represents former slaves who become abolitionists after escaping to the north. Douglass uses ethos to speak out for not only all of the slaves in the south, but also to question the irony of the basic principles of liberty and Justice as stated for everyone in the Declaration of Independence, yet not applied to slaves. The sectional crisis in the antebellum era supported Frederick Douglass in his hatred for the cruelties toward blacks, persistence in the abolitionist movement, and the unpatriotic effects slavery has rendered upon the south. As the cotton culture began o grow rapidly, the culture of the slave trade grew with it. Charles Ball shows the audience about the cruelties of the slave trade as he explains his first-hand experience on the horrible Journey after being shipped off, against his will, to South Carolina to work for the cotton fields. Ball comments on his misery during the Journey as so painful both physically and emotionally that he wished to die but, â€Å"†¦ even the wretched privilege of destroying myself was denied me, for I could not shake off my chains, nor move a yard without the consent of my master†¦ â€Å"(Ball, 233). The emotional cars of being ripped away from his family and knowing he’s never going to be able to see them again will also haunt Ball and millions of slaves Just like him going through the same experience in the horrors of the slave trade. African American Josiah Henson also shares his experience with the slave trade although unfortunately he was very young when he was put through the agony of being sold off as property at a mere age of five or six. Henson explains himself having to witness the cries of his mother as she is being separated from her children, begging to be able to be bought by the same owner. He not only ignored her cries but instead violently kicked her until she finally crawled away. This was not the first time Henson experienced something so traumatizing at such a young age; he also witnessed his father covered in blood by protecting his mother from the constant beatings of a white man. Because a black man laid his hands on a white man, no matter the reason, resulted in severe punishment in this case it was one hundred lashes on the back and the removal of the right ear. Former slave and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass speaks up for the harsh inequalities of these slaves in the south as he states to his audience hat, â€Å"There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour†(Douglass, 387). Having dealt with slavery in the antebellum South before he escaped to the North, Douglass’s views on the south continuing to use the practice of slavery is very strong as he is determined to convince all audiences that slavery is inhumane and barbaric. Another faithful abolitionist like Douglass was John Brown. Brown was caught for helping slaves escape to freedom and was executed for his loyalty. Although not as uccessful in his movements as Douglass, Brown still died with the clear conscience of knowing he fought for what he believed in. In his last statement before his execution he explained that he neither committed murder, nor treason as he simply helped save slaves from their miserable fate. Brown uses religion to evoke the emotions of his audiences in that the bible teaches him, â€Å"†¦ all things whatsoever I would that men should do to me, I should do even so to them† (Brown, 399). He states to do so. The bold persistence and sacrifices made by abolitionists like Brown and Douglass who are willing to risk their lives to go back into the slave south and help free their brethren escape to the north shows the admirable effects that resulted from the sectional crisis. Douglass’s persistence in the abolition movement grew stronger after he witnessed â€Å"productive efficiency of the North† (Levine, 411) without the use of slavery as a tool and still maintaining economic success as stated in Bruce Levine’s essay on The Economic Divisions That Contributed to Civil War. Douglass refers to the injustice and â€Å"boasted liberty’ (Douglass, 387) of the south as an â€Å"unholy icense† (Douglass, 387) as he questions what is the meaning of 4th of July to the American slave. David walker, an African American abolitionist uses religion and the declaration of independence to press a guilty conscience upon those for the slave system. By using religion, walker states that slaves should be treated with equality for Jesus Christ is both their master and blacks were made the same as whites, therefore David Walker states that, â€Å"America is as much our country as it is yours† (Walker, 299). Slavery has rendered unpatriotic effects for the Declaration of Independence clearly tates that all men are created equal, a point not only brought up by David Walker but also by Frederick Douglass as well as he explains the irony in meaning of the 4th of July. It is not only unwelcomed to slaves, but it is also, â€Å"A day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim† (Douglass, 387). The celebration of America’s independence is Just a reminder to the slave south something they long for more than anything. In Abraham Lincoln’s rebuttal speech to Stephen Douglass in their positions on slavery, Lincoln tates the moral rights citizens should have and there’s no reason as to why slaves are denied the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Although Lincoln makes sure to not offend the slaveholders in south by stating he is not prejudice against them, but he does believe emancipation should be granted because of our constitutional and moral rights as well as the, â€Å"love of liberty on the American Continent† (Lincoln, 397). Lincoln also mentions that although emancipation will be adopted sometime, freeing all slaves and making them equals ould cause serious collisions, but Douglass states in his call for abolition of slavery that the sooner slavery gets abolished the better. Douglass mentions that it is stated blacks could not take care of themselves if freed to which he responds with, â€Å"My answer to this is, let him have a fair chance to try it† (Douglass, 418). He explains how slaves take care of their masters and themselves and he doesn’t see why they won’t be able to take care of Just themselves when freed. Douglass believes slavery has, â€Å". eaten up and devoured the patriotism of the whole South† Douglass, 418). And by getting rid of slavery, the south will still be able to prosper Just as well as the free North has been. The split between the North and South caused abolitionists like Douglass to continuously fght for the freedom among their men for their goal towards a independent, free South as well as the North. All these selfless abolitionists and supporters of a country without slavery, like Frederick Douglass is what ultimately caused the civil war and emancipated the slaves in the south. Although Douglass was fortunate enough to finally escape to the free North and ecame a spokesman for abolition, many were not as lucky as he and were stuck in others who pursues to end slavery a sense of strong brotherhood as they make many sacrifices so that one day they too can celebrate 4th of July with true great patriotism on America’s free land.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Best Consulting Firms for MBAs

Consulting is a popular career path for business graduates. Many graduates love the idea of providing professional advice for a fee. They also like the salary that comes along with a job at a consulting firm. Consulting is one of the highest paying career paths that an MBA can pursue. If you are interested in a career as a consultant, there are a few consulting firms that you should explore prior to graduation. Parthenon-EY Parthenon-EY offers clients strategy consultancy. They tailor their services to the client and are always on the lookout for top talent. Parthenon-EY pays top dollar to recruit the best and brightest. New MBA graduates who are lucky enough to get a job at Parthenon-EY earn a base annual salary of $170,000. Generous signing bonuses ($35,000) and performance bonuses (up to $9,000) are also available. This makes  Parthenon-EY the highest paying consulting firm for new MBAs. McKinsey Company McKinsey Company is one of the big three consulting firms; the other two are Bain Company and Boston Consulting Group. Collectively, the three are known as MBB.  The New York Times has called McKinsey   Company  the most prestigious management consultancy in the world. So, it should come as no surprise that this management  consulting firm attracts a lot of new MBA graduates. Part of the allure of this company is the  salary offered to new employees. McKinsey Company pays a base salary of $152,500. New employees also receive a sign-on bonus of $25,000 and have a chance to earn performance bonuses up to $35,000. Strategy Strategy is also a global consulting firm with offices around the world. They have large clients in every industry. According to a recent report from Glassdoor,  Strategy is the second-highest paying employer in the United States. They recruit heavily at top business schools and offer a base annual salary of $150,000. New hires also get a $25,000 sign-on bonus and can earn almost $35,000 in performance bonuses. L.E.K. Consulting L.E.K. is a global consulting firm. They have offices in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. They are widely considered to be one of the best consulting firms for MBAs. L.E.K. is always looking for new MBA graduates who are well-versed in mergers and acquisitions, corporate  strategy and operations. MBA grads can expect a base salary of $150,000, a sign-on bonus of $25,000 and performance bonuses up to $25,000. DeloitteSO Deloitte  SO is a well-known strategy and operations consulting firm. About 10 years ago, Business Week named Deloitte  SO one of the best places to launch a career, and since then, they have been ranked as one of the most in-demand employers in the world by LinkedIn. Deloitte  SO offers a base salary of $149,000, a sign-on bonus of $25,000 and performance bonuses up to $37,250. What sets them apart from some of the other consulting firms is the fact that Deloitte  SO  likes to reward their returning interns. An intern who works at Deloitte  SO and returns after graduation gets an additional  $17,500  in their sign-on bonus as well as reimbursement for their full 2nd year of MBA tuition; thats a big deal for any MBA student with large student loans. Bain Company As mentioned earlier,  Bain Company  is one of the big three consulting firms. They are considered a very desirable employer, and they are always seeking new MBAs who have experience with  mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, finance, and operations. Knowledge of restructuring is also helpful. Like the other large consulting firms, Bain Company offers a high base salary, a sign-on bonus and performance bonuses. The base salary is $148,000. The sign-on bonus is $25,000. And the performance bonus is up to $37,000.   Boston Consulting Group No list of the best consulting firms for MBAs would be complete without Boston Consulting Group  (BCG). They have offices around the world, and their clients include more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies. Boston Consulting Group often ranks rather high on the list of  100 Best Companies to Work For put out by Fortune. BCG offers a base salary of  $147,000 a more-generous-than-normal sign-on bonus of $30,000 and performance bonuses up to $44,100.  When you combine all of these figures, Boston Consulting Group becomes one of the highest paying employers for new MBA graduates.   Salary Data The salary data in this article  was obtained from ManagementConsulted.com, a company that compiles salary data collected from their readers, industry insiders, and other sources.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Why Shellac Isnt Vegan

Shellac is made from the secretions of the lac beetle and is not vegan because it comes from this small animal. The beetles secrete the resin on tree branches in Southeast Asia as a protective shell for their larvae. The males fly away, but the females stay behind. When the flakes of resin are scraped off the branches, many of the females who remain are killed or injured. Some branches are kept intact so that enough females will live to reproduce. Shellac is used in a variety of ways, including foods, furniture finishes, nail polish and other applications. In foods, shellac is often disguised as confectioners glaze on a list of ingredients and creates a shiny, hard surface on candies. Some vegans may argue that eating and harming insects isnt necessarily non-vegan — however, most still maintain not harming any living creature  as one of their core principles. Are You Still Vegan If You Eat Bugs? For vegans, harming and especially eating any creature that can feel and experience it is considered wrong — even for insects. Thats because, despite an insects nervous system being different from a mammals, they still have a nervous system and can still feel pain. Some question whether insects are capable of suffering, but its been documented that they will avoid unpleasant stimuli. However, recent scientific data suggests that an all-vegetable diet may inherently harm more animal populations because of competition for resources as well as loss of ecosystems due to commercial farming. With this new evidence, many vegans are considering switching to the more eco-friendly diet of an insectivore. Commercial farming has also led to an increased number of sentient creatures deaths because the farmers consider small animals like squirrels, rats, moles and mice pests. The key difference is that its an indirect effect of eating vegan — an argument that vegans generally point out when making this claim. How is Shellac Not Different? The resin of the lac beetle used to make shellac is sometimes called lac resin, and is produced as part of their reproductive cycle. The issue vegans have with this product — which is largely used to coat fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh and pretty — is that harvesting the natural secretion of these insects directly harms many of them.   Vegans also dont eat or use animal by-products like cheese, honey,  silk, and carmine because of the suffering commercial farming causes the animal that produces these products. For them, its not just about if the animal dies or if youre consuming the animal itself, its about the animals rights to live a life free of torture and unjust suffering. So, if you truly wish to be a full-fledged vegan, most would argue that you should avoid purchasing products known to use shellac such as mass-produced and low-quality fruits found at chain supermarkets. For vegans, its not just that youre consuming beetle secretions, your use of shellac directly harms many of these Southeast Asian insects.