Personal And Professional Development

Personal And Professional DevelopmentFor this essay I contribute audited my leadership skills using theoretical models and referred to specific situations and bonks. This encompasses individualised, academic and professional reflections and explores opportunities for my career paths and personal development with an effect Plan for the future.This has required critical evaluation of my cause development needs in light of my throw aspirations, establishing an understanding of my transferrable skills and how these can be enhanced. For this I hurl considered situations in which my leadership traits, styles and skills have been apply to help create successful outcomes.BackgroundMy career path has involved working(a)s closely with and taking an interest in mess, both clients and colleagues alike. In ontogenesis my counseling skills, I am continu any(prenominal)y pursuing further ways of improving the effectiveness of these interactions which is immensely honour for me.On l eaving school, my first fight was within the travel industry. From the outset, I sought to improve skills and enjoyed the challenge of meeting the needs of customers, budgetary targets, training of staff, problem solving, through to the opening and care of a travel agency branch several years later.Apart from the GCSE qualifications gained at school, any(prenominal) further academic or professional learning has been gained whilst in employment.The skills and achievements in my personal life are equally transferrable to my work life. For example, as Chairman of a genealogical society for several years and public talk engagements both serve as reminders that I have boldnessal, research and presentation abilities which I can and should be utilising and developing along my career path.I am a prison officer and, three years ago, I learnt that my establishment was funding a Foundation Degree in Offender Management. My initial chemical reaction was one of excitement as I had, for sev eral years, considered some form of Higher Education by way of personal and professional development, but had neer explored the options.It was a source of immense satisfaction to pass the course and achieve Distinction grade.My learning journey, experiences and personal developments, undertaken in the last three years, would take more than the word count of this essay allows, yet there are key points to reflect on in order to analyse my own leadership skills and bear upon their development.Theoretical Models and Personal Experience of Reflection in my Professional DevelopmentFrom my earliest days in retail employment, then Care Work and on to prison officer, I have been fascinated by people and behaviour. Working alongside some others, as well as empowering and training gives me great personal and professional satisfaction.Using meditative models such(prenominal) as Gibbs (1998), shown in Appendix III, I came to realise that how I furnish situations influences my interactions with others. As I get out illustrate, this relates directly to my nature style and how I manage people and situations. Linked to this is the importance I place on how I am viewed by others and naturally stress cooperative and open relationships. Many of these value are found in Carnegie (1938), listed in Appendix I.The Study Skills Self-Assessment which I completed on 23 October cc7 (Appendix II) highlighted three principal(prenominal) employability skills I need to develop asImproving own learning and performanceApplication of number (data collection and interpretation)Information and technology proficiency on base these, to develop, are my personal attributes ofSelf confidenceFlexibility and adaptabilityJudgementIn this appraisal I also reflected on my own specific weaknesses which include macrocosm too ego-critical and non praising my own achievements enough which can affect my ability to be objective rough my performance. I have a crocked underpinning need to defend others and leap to their rescue which I have come to see as a hindrance to my own development and of those I seek to help. This is a peculiar(prenominal)ly classical area for me to address as future management sections will require me to allow others to take their own personal responsibility and plainly offer guidance as appropriate. This rescuer style is system-related and I have considered schema theory and how this applies to me. Beck, (1967233), described a schema as..a cognitive structure for screening, coding, and evaluating the stimuli that impinge on the organism.In short, schemas are the filters or core beliefs we have about ourselves or the world around us which influence how we interpret different situations in our lives.The nature of the work I do in offender rehabilitation requires me to undertake regular de-briefing, supervision, yearly health reviews and bi-monthly counselling. This, together with schema theory and other therapy models I use with prisoners, wh ich I have also applied to myself, means I spend a lot of time creation introspective and sharing reflections with colleagues. This helps define practical steps for a successful future but also enables me to gain wider perspectives in understanding, leading and managing others with a blow of resources and situational analysis capabilities.Whereas, in the past and even recently, I have questioned the decision making processes of management, this has reshaped into a desire to gain a holistic overview of the work environment. ground the way we think and manage ourselves and others has been an grave facet of my learning over the last three years. Straker (2008) who expands on the work of Gardner (2006) was helpful in appreciating that how we interact with people, at all levels, and is crucial for self development. Overcoming objections to understanding others, for fear that this might disprove our own theories about ourselves and the world are key hurdles of which I must(prenomina l) continually be mindful. Negative experiences in this have resulted in an unhealthy view of the workplace but, as I said earlier, the benefits of a more pleasing view have proved beneficial in my work and personal well existence.As well as using Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1998), Kolb (1984) also helped me to evaluate experiences and test hypotheses but I did not find it took me to the point of action whereas Gibbs sets out the plan for ongoing development which is crucial for me so as not to endure procrastinating. Moon (2004) has been a useful resource on reflective practice, reminding me that reflection is not just important in itself, but must also lead to positive change,In observing what gets in the way, rather than being stuck in analysis, to move beyond and set goals for positive development has been indwelling learning for me and has been a surprising benefit which I had not expected several years ago.Leadership Employability SkillsI recently completed an Employability Sk ills self perspicacity exercise which we first undertook in the first semester of the Foundation Degree. On doing this, I compared the results from the two. It was encouraging that one of my main developments appears to have been in problem solving and I consider my Higher Education studies over the last three years as contributing to my deeper analysing abilities. In light of earlier descriptions of my learning journey and reflective logs, it is gratifying to see that I have come a long way in, not only overcoming my own obstacles to learning, but making measured and profound achievement which then enables me to guide others in their roles.Among the key learning experiences for me, alongside the above, are a recognition of the roles of others, networking and effective communication.My career path has involved working closely with and taking an interest in people, both clients and colleagues alike. This was particularly apparent when I recently updated my Curriculum Vitae (Appendi x IV), which was last compiled almost fifteen years ago. In developing my management skills throughout my degree studies, I have discovered further ways of improving the effectiveness of these interactions which is immensely rewarding for me.Through networking with management and departments for resources on researching prison policy, security and management skills, I am now feeling positive and motivated to succeed in career development. Not only is this important from a practical, self-development perspective, but also the fulfilling sense of achievement this will bring.Until recently, I was Supervisor of the Core invoke Offender Treatment Programme which was an important role in developing my leadership skills, promoting staff well-being as well as guiding staffs professional development. Another important aspect of this was to remain flexible yet consistent in balancing these needs whilst focussing on the goals of the establishment Business Plan and Key Performance Target (KPT) priorities. This mirrors clever (1987) who argues for such flexibility in his Trust Control Theory.I find myself taking the opportunity to develop the skills of others very seriously and is personally rewarding and empowering. The values I attribute to this mirror those of Kandola and Fullerton (1994) in their Mosaic Vision which I have included in Appendix V.In Transactional Analysis Theory (Bern, 1961), any individuals personality is made up of three parts Parent, Adult and Child. An estimate of my own revealed a predominantly Nurturing Parent relationship style which is immensely rewarding personally, but can prove emotionally draining and is not without its practical problems. However, developing assertiveness skills in establishing my own identity and skills base has the benefit of overcoming any negative rumination and keeps lines of communication open.An example of achieving this was in challenging my line manager over my yearly performance review where I was rated Achiev ed and not Exceeded which I felt was deserved. I could have overlooked this and ruminated unhelpfully, believing him to be responsible for not recognising my achievements, but chose instead to manage my manager and argued my case. I found the www.h2training.com website provoke which had useful strategies for reminding me how to maintain my own degree of self-determination. Quoting from this siteIts unreasonable to expect your manager to be entirely responsible for accelerating your career ultimately, its your own responsibility. Remember that an expectancy is also resentment waiting to happen, and it is very difficult to hide resentment.http//h2training.com/managing_manager_tips.html accessed November 2010Suffice to say, my performance record was amended accordingly.I recently had to step downwards from Sex Offender Treatment work which I found difficult to accept. I, therefore, reappraised my personal development and used reflective skills (Kolb, 1984 and Beck 1967) to help eval uate the experiences and to understand how I was reading them. By doing this, I was able to negotiate a role within the drugs support team after originally being offered an office based assessment position which I would have found unfulfilling. Indeed, on reflection, assertiveness and negotiation are two core management attributes which are now part of my skills set. force together the range of experience and interests I have enjoyed over successive years keeps me, first and foremost, actively engaged in working for and alongside others. My role as a drugs support worker requires the key skills I possess with the realisation and expectation that they can be further developed with a particular emphasis on evaluating the management requirements of this work. This is encouraging and, in this period of change, I have come to realise the importance of job satisfaction as a key motivator for me.An important element of my professional life is to uphold personal and corporate values of dece ncy and honest practice including cultural diversity. I was blissful to be able to highlight these values in my Diversity Foundation Degree project from January 2009 where I made recommendations for valuing the diversity of staff and prisoners and improving ethical practice in Programmes Awareness training at Full Sutton. This was well received by the treatment management team resulting in the training being strengthened in this area.On sharing the findings of my Transactional Analysis with a work colleague, my nurturing parent style was acknowledged and confirmed through my perceived empathic nature. In looking at my management style, it is important that I maintain a balance between this and being careful not to go into White cavalry schema-driven mode, where I need to defend others at all costs. Developing a style which cares for others yet enables them to function on their own merits allows me to function better as a genuinely caring person in my work and as a leader.Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory (1943), reminds me that my own needs count as well as those of other people. In other words, putting other people first all the time is detrimental to my own well-being and valuing myself is, in itself, a key assertiveness skill. I continually remind myself of the announcements on aircraft during safety briefings where, in the event of oxygen masks being deployed, you are instructed to put your own on first before aiding anyone else. If you dont, you might pass out beforehand and then no one is saved.Critically evaluating My Leadership and Management Style nigh years ago, a colleague of mine who has since retired, told me his thoughts on a particular Senior Manager. He used a phrase which, though meant in a derogatory sense, I have never forgotten. He said ..as a leader of men, I would only follow him out of curiosity.This colleague had spent umpteen distinguished years in the Armed receiptss as a Regimental Sergeant Major and had been in the Prison Servi ce for around 15 years. He had, therefore, some considerable experience of different management and leadership styles.Using established theory I continually analyse my own strengths and weaknesses in areas of leadership and management.Fayol (1916) highlighted five commons elements of management which are essential to the role. These include the ability to look to the future, to be organised and co-ordinate the organisational objectives, leading (though he specify it as commanding which is unhelpfully autocratic) and, finally, to control the above elements using all means at his or her disposal.Whilst this was written at the beginning of the last century, the elemental tenets of management Fayol lists are still valid though ones own personality also engenders an effective workforce which can achieve results. The latter is personally important as I seek to have followers rather than delegates and makes me, as a manager, more of a leader.I recently completed the Myers Briggs Personal ity fiber Questionnaire. Having done this a couple of years ago, I decided to redo this using an internet-based assessment resource (www.teamtechnology.co.uk) accessed 15 September 2010, which becomed a comprehensive 200 page report. Summary in Appendix VIThe results proved very interesting and formed a cohesive assessment which affirmed the beliefs about my personality and leadership attributes gained over the last few years. This was confirmed through the initial questionnaire together with a separate subtest which had similar outcomes and, interestingly, the results were very similar to my previous assessment two years previously.Essentially, I have a strong focus on values, feelings, compassion and important beliefs where current experiences hold great learning importance. group values are high and my role in ensuring the well-being of those with whom I work is important to me.thither are, however, elements of this personality type which I am awake can be problematic if not managed appropriately. I do have a tendency to avoid conflict yet can be resolute where my own values come into conflict with corporate ideals in which I run the risk of failing in objectivity. These are negative traits which I have been consciously working on over the last few years and serve to remind me that, whilst having a default style, this does not preclude effective working on these to the benefit of all concerned.Interestingly, the top two best matches of jobs for me based on enjoyment are actor and musician for match came out as counsellor and customer care and a combination of match and enjoyment came out as counsellor and actor. All of these I have both experience and interest in and the traits from these have indeed shaped my leadership style.The Humanist approach described by McGregor (1964) looked at how individual attitudes can affect behaviour. He purported that there are 2 types of leader (using an X and Y continuum ranging from a negative to positive view of sub ordinates mentionively). The latter, he showed, have a greater determine of effective performance from the workforce through a nurturing approach which I can identify with. A reflective log from December 2009 is included in Appendix VII. Again, as with most models, there is a typical style for each individual manager but even the most open and accessary one can revert on occasions to X-typical strategies and responses. This can be somewhat confusing and lacking in continuity for the workforce and, potentially unsettling as I will illustrate later in this essay.The model is similar to Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1958) who use the continuum from Authoritarian Task Orientation to Democratic Relationship Orientation where I operate towards the latter and Goleman (2000) on which I identify with the Affiliative (people come first) stage.Operational leaders, as covered by Maxwell (2002) have great value to an organisation in providing stability, devising systems and solving problems with po sitive engagement. However, because of their focus on detail they can overlook the bigger picture, sometimes lack motivation and are not effective in dealing with conflict. Very often, paraphrasing Maxwell here, operational leaders are not very exhaustively at getting their hands annoying but readily raise the flag at the moment of achievement. Thankfully, whilst viewing myself as an operational leader, I do like to share in tasks as well as delegate.John Adair (2002) in his range of leadership treatises, (which, incidently, build on the previous models of Maslow (1943), Herzberg (1964) and Fayol (1916) highlights three key management responsibilities under his banner of Action Centred leadership.Achieving the taskManaging the team or groupManaging individualsWhilst advocating a shared responsibility between the individual and external factors, it does not, however, take stock of the individual in the leadership role which I view as crucial.A similar but more complex model I have become interested in, is cognize as Crew Resource Management (CRM) which was originally devised by NASA to explore the human factors in civil aviation accidents in the 1970s. Several industries have select and adapted their own models accordingly and my interest will culminate in a dissertation for my Degree on the benefits of adopting a CRM approach to Prison Service critical incidents.Tasks or people? Workforce or Team ?It is clear that leadership is different to management though a good leader will have good management skills.In considering whether I impose myself as leader to focus on task or allow the team to expatiate utilising their own skills, I completed the T-P leadership questionnaire (Appendix VIII). This scored exactly midway between the two, highlighting my awareness and flexibility to respond to both important aspects.How we respond to a leader gives some indication of our own skills and that of the one in the supervisory role. As one who aims to lead by inspiratio n, I am more disposed to follow Kolbs (1984) model of learning and encourage people to adapt concrete way of doing things to update their skills base and find more effective ways of working (feeling, watching, thinking, doing). An autocratic leader would be less given to allow such flexibility and attempt to ensure compliance from those who might be more inclined to kick and scream in and against the process.An effective leader should also take individual learning styles into account as no one method fits all. erotic love and Mumfords Learning Style Inventory (1982), highlights the differences that exist, as I have found even within small teams, yet we all work together and effectively, until now that everyones experience of being under the same leadership will be different.One of the most important sources of reflection in considering my own style of leadership, positively charged a reinforcement of my own beliefs and values, is represented in the Style Theory of Leadership de veloped by Blake and Mouton (1964). This, essentially, follows on from McGregors X-Y theory and is more pertinent to those predominantly on the Y axis and where a level of blaspheme in management structure exists in the workplace. However, Blake and Mouton explored the benefits of those that put tasks before people and vice versa. Ultimately they considered whether concern for people or concern for production was more important for leaders.As with other models, the day to day style of individuals in leadership roles can vary but everyone has their own default mode. Where productivity appears more important than the maintenance and well-being of the staff, I can find myself at odds with the management and perceived ethos of the establishment at which I work.With the Blake Mouton model, I was relieved to have my default leadership style confirmed as Team Leader. This is indicative of high concern for both people and production where emphasis is placed on a spirit of teamwork and mu tual co-operation. This also engenders a safe environment in which commitment from all sides is more readily forthcoming.However, in completing a recent practical assessment for a forward motion board I failed to attain the required grade. I knew this as soon as the assessment was over, though I had to wait two months for the official result. In fact, I knew during the assessment, I was reacting totally contrary to my normal sense of priorities when faced with a constant stream of problems to solve. I found myself focussing primarily on the tasks and not enough on the personnel. For example, when faced with a member of staff who was emotionally upset at a domestic issue, I asked if he was pass to continue to get his landing unlocked and would look to help him with his problem later. Afterwards I learnt that the assessors were looking for Utopian responses in all scenarios assuming all needs could be immediately provided so I could have put staff welfare first, getting his role cov ered immediately so he could then get home to sort his issues. However, I reverted to my current work role where the pressure to meet deadlines sometimes overrides well-being. As this was completely at odds with how I believed I would normally have reacted, I was left feeling ill at ease and questioned why I persisted in this way when I am naturally Y (using McGregors model, 1960) and more team focused than task orientated (Blake Mouton, 1964).Whilst I may not fully understand why, at least(prenominal) it is a recognised trait..theory X managers (or indeed theory Y managers displaying theory X are primarily results orientedInternet source http//www.businessballs.com/mcgregor.htm October 2010On reflection, I am convinced that the culture and environment of the higher management structure (which demands and focuses on results and targets) filters down and, no matter how ofttimes one tries to disdain or even kick against it, it permeates ones own work practice after a while. The cl imate in which I work consistently places emphasis on the meeting of Key Performance Targets (KPTs) and now, the Service Level Agreement (SLA). In meeting these as well as ever increasing budgetary constraints, every facet of work culture is placed under the microscope and, wherever possible, cut, yet the targets must be met regardless.However, no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves or expectations laid at our office door, it is how we respond that is important and the acceptance of our personal responsibility to be channelled into effective working.An important element of relationships, at all levels including personal and business, is institutionalize. Where one perceives this to be whittle awayd or not present due to conflict in aims or values, it can have a destructive affect on effective co-working. As can be seen above, this is something I am struggling with in the corporate ethos where I am constantly second-guessing the motives behind management decision-ma king.However, to be an effective manager, I am mindful of maintaining a healthy approach to embracing the mission of the workplace even though I may not fully understand or have access to the full rationale behind the decision making processes from Higher Management. As a leader, I have to convey to those I wish to work effectively under me, that this mission is achievable and in the common interest despite my own such uncertainties. Maintaining personal integrity and establishing trust are essential in my personal, professional and leadership identity.Straker (2008208) talks of transaction cost and trust boundaries. Essentially he argues that trust, if allowed to erode or not fostered within an organisation can impact on delivery and there has to be a cost on both sides to re-establish this. As he says.. the overall cost can be minimised with up-front investment in, and subsequent maintenance of, trust.If one does not have that sense of belonging within the trust group then there i s something wrong with the work relationship and part of effective management and leadership performance is to be pro-active in fostering trust and encouraging people to enter the trust boundary.It begs the question, therefore, who and under what conditions will we follow? Should we be expected to lead and expect blind faith? What criteria and principles should be presented in order for others to set out on the journey with us ?Handy (1987) suggests that in order for an outcome to remain constant, the Trust-Control balance might need to slick between leader and subordinates and I can see merits in this as relationships, as well as work pressures, are fluid in nature.There are three established styles of leadership autocratic, paternalistic and democratic. History records successful leaders who have exhibited all of the above. Each style can work and produce results but demands a flexibility on the part of the workforce to fit in with the style and it is that response which can be a cknowledged and worked with or not as the case may be,As for my own style, confirmed as a nurturing parental approach, this has immense benefits for myself and for those who work under me as they feel support and, more importantly in my opinion, affirmed in their roles with their own skills base recognised and developed. As with any style there are costs and, as I am finding, where my own sense of values conflicts with the demands laid upon me, this can have a detrimental effect to my own sense of purpose within the organisation.It is important, therefore, that structures and lines of communication are open which allow for that expression of view. However, this, in itself, is not without the potential cost. As I found when raising my head above the bar on several occasions, to express concern and personal frustration with the direction expected by senior managers, it can blot ones copybook. Again, it is important for me to consider how much of this is down to my own personal percep tion and how able I am to see my subordinates perspective and, crucially, the aims and focus of the establishment delivery objectives.ConclusionIn call of future roles, I am best placed to consider managerial positions. The Foundation Degree and BA(Hons) are regarded as valuable qualifications both for their content germane(predicate) to the Criminal Justice System and Leadership and Management but also symbolising the desire and commitment I have and have shown for continued self development (Appendix IX).In the final analysis, the human dynamic is the most beneficial resource in the workplace but it is also the most fickle and, at times, fragile.To lead is a privilege and to follow is an opportunity. I can only strive to make myself worthy of the trust placed in me to, not only get the job done, but to enable others to be the very best they can be and, in the process, ensure I am followed out of respect and not coercion or, indeed, curiosity.Appendices I. Excerpt from Carnegie ( 1938)II. Study Skills Self AssessmentIII. Gibbs (1998) Reflective CycleIV. Curriculum VitaeV. Kandola and Fullerton (1994) Mosaic VisionVI. Myers Briggs Personality Type QuestionnaireVII. Reflective lumber on McGregor X,Y TheoryVIII. T-P Leadership QuestionnaireIX. Professional Development PlanAppendix IExcerpts from How To Win Friends and Influence good deal Carnegie (1938)Fundamental Techniques in Handling PeopleDont criticize, condemn, or complain. bust honest and sincere appreciation.Arouse in the other person an eager want.Six Ways to Make People Like You befit genuinely interested in other people.Smile.Remember that a mans Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.Talk in the terms of the other mans interest.Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely cardinal Ways to Win People to Your Way of ThinkingAvoid arguments.Show respect for the other persons opinions. Never tell so meone they are wrong.If youre wrong, admit it promptly and emphatically.Begin in a friendly way.Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.Let the other person do the talking.Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.Try honestly to see things from the other persons point of view.Sympathize with the other person.Appeal to noble motives.Dramatize your ideas.Throw down a challenge.Be a Leader How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing ResentmentBegin with praise and honest appreciation.Call circumspection to other peoples mistakes indirectly.Talk about your own mistakes first.Ask questions instead of directly giving orders.Let the other person save face.Praise every improvement.Give them a fine reputation to live up to.Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.Appendix II.Study Skills Self AssessmentAppendix III.Gibbs (1998) Reflective CycleAppendix IV.Curriculum VitaeAppendix V My Personal and Pr

Strategies to Develop Patient Centred Care

Strategies to Develop unhurried Centred C beSneha PraveenMIS Practicum Final ReportAnalysis of online patient reviews and its effect on health dish out providersIntroductionWith the advent of social media, online forums have become a major platform where users share their views and these platforms affect all the involved stakeholders sometimes positively and sometimes adversely. Word of mouth has become an great tool for publicity and sometimes a bad review posted without ulterior motives washbowl do much damage. Most of such reviews and posts that we read on platforms like twitter, Facebook and online forums affect our decision making as we tend to trust judgment of others.But health wield as an industry is still not very patient centric and not enough splendour is given to patients vista. This case is stock-still more valid in the context of USA as on that point is no official channel for patients to leave their reviews and experience about a health tuition provider. Thi s is very surprising as all other industries food, retail, and consumer industries revolve around what customers have to say and millions of dollars are spend on customer satisfaction, whereas, healthcare industry still relies on their processes without bothering to collect feedback from patients they serve. The main reason accredited to this could be that as payers, insurance companies and as religious service providers, physicians play the most important role. Patients in this context are mere subjects of treatment who are assumed to be not very vigilant of their own health condition. But is this slur same all around the world? And if not, then US healthcare films to adapt and learn from such countries to break its care and service forest. unmatched such online forum implemented in the United Kingdom is Patient Opinion. This forum acts as a bridge between patients and healthcare providers to servicing improve the healthcare bore provided by National Health Service (NHS) to its citizens. In this paper, I will analyze data collected from patient opinion forum and present by findings answering how USA hobo benefit from a review outlet like Patient Opinion and how this forum has helped NHS to improve their quality and service.Why Patient-Centric CareIt is well proven that any industry benefits from customer reviews and helps in reducing cost and improve service. Slowly, healthcare needs to go on towards Patient- relate care which supports active involvement of patients and care givers. It elbow room being responsive to patients preferences, needs and feedback to ensure that service quality improves and slowly there is more involvement of patient in healthcare delivery and design. 1A patient centered care has below attributes 2Whole-person care.Coordination and communicationPatient support and empowermentReady accessAutonomyA patient centered care focus on guiding patients by giving them information about options and risks. It means considering pati ents preferences and background and valuing their feedback. According to 2001 Institute of Medicine a focus on patient centered care is one of the factors constituting high quality health care.Source http//hcca-act.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.htmlThe current system is physician centered which means that effective care is defined by physicians standards and skills instead of express on patients satisfaction from the service rendered. For example- orthopedic surgeons use the Harris Hip score to judge the success of a hip replacement. This was designed but by physicians and does not include any feedback from patients to include their satisfaction from the procedure 3. Thus, it is impossible to correctly define the output of any mock up in healthcare until the patient experience has been taken into account for.What Patients WantMost tools that we use to judge patient satisfaction or outcome of a medical service cannot be accurately quantified. Also, the success metric for a medi cal care varies from physician and patients point of view. An example of such tools was administered by Steward.et al in 2000 where many physician-patient interactions were audio taped and patients rated these conversations. After synopsis, it was deduced that patients recovered faster, had better emotional health and perceived the care as satisfactory if the care was patient-centered. The assent of patients on their healthcare providers improverd when there emotional needs were taken care of by the physicians leading to less number of diagnostic tests and fewer referrals.A similar methodology can also be used to study physician empathy. Researchers at Jefferson University developed the Jefferson scale to test physicians empathy where physicians rated their own empathy but this scale could not be used to judge patient satisfaction. Thus, a new scale called Jefferson Scale of Patients perception of doctor Empathy was used which judges patients rating of physicians empathy which c orrelated to patients satisfaction. Mostly what patients regard is a relationship of empathy with physicians, who can help them communicate with the problem and develop a personal relationship with them. The perception of care is different from physicians and patients point of view and we need to move our focus from whats the matter with our patients to what matters to our patients. 1Hindrance in achieving true patient centric careOne of the most crucial factors stopping US in achieving true patient centric care is the current reimbursement system and focus on physician practice pretense. There is no measure in US to gauge the quality of care, empathy and relationship of a physician with patients. Reimbursement is not correlated to these factors, instead it is based on per patient encounter. Due to this, firsthand care physicians focus on increasing the volume of patients and reduce the time spent with each patient. Most physicians are in a hurry and under stress which leads to m isdiagnosis, useless tests and referrals, decrease in quality of care and a very formal relationship between physician and patients. 6Next important factor is that physicians active by infirmarys are incentivized or prized depending on number of patients that they bring but there is no measure to the quality of care they impart. The volume of patients precede quality because the financial benefits are huge e.g.-Each lab tests physicians order, each referrals they recognise, benefits hospitals in terms of huge monetary benefits which in turn becomes a basis of primary care physicians salaries. Thus, understandably what drives physicians is to employ methods to increase volume of patients, decrease time spent with each patient and other ways to legalize each patient-physician interaction. 3The third hindrance is hospitals hiring generalists called hospitalists to provide care to patients with the goal of reducing patient days per admission. This might lead to improve in care for a certain amount of time but the reason behind hiring such individuals is not to improve patient care but instead to benefit hospitals financially.The Patient Centric Approach modelPatient Centered aesculapian HomePatient Centric medical home helps address the patient centric coming by emphasizing on high quality patient care and lower the healthcare cost. They reorganize primary care practice by recognizing the importance of patients experience and works on system based approach to transform health services being offered. PCMH centers their service on fourth-year with acute care needs, patients with physical disabilities and with specific preferences in terms of culture and values.The care offered is comprehensive and designed to meet patients needs including physical and mental attention, degenerative care and long term assistance like help in performing daily ablutions for patients with functional limitations. 8Accountable Care OrganizationsACOs have been set up with the goal o f ensuring high quality of care is given to patients at the right time to prevent medical errors and reduce medical costs. Mostly ACOs are form by group of doctors and hospitals who voluntarily come in concert to serve Medicare patients. 9The basic promise that ACOs hold is to have patient centered care and treat patients with empathy, care and work towards avoiding unnecessary costs and develop a personal relationship with patients. Thus, government should incentivize formation of more ACOs to ensure more patient- centric approach.Strategic IT enthronizationIT is the obvious answer to increase efficiency, reduce medical errors and improve quality of care in US. Though there are many facets of IT that can be used, use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical records (EMR) are the most important tools to use.EMRs are digitized version of patient record keeping for a physicians. EMR has been subservient in reducing medical costs overtime by enabling better interactio ns between departments and monitoring patients visiting time and medical information. Patients can also log on and know about their health records and be better prepared.EHRs stores patients records so that if needed emergency departments can access it before giving them any medicines. This saves the cost of duplicate tests because all the data needed to prescribe medicines are present in EHRs.Feedback and review model Patient OpinionPatient opinion was founded in 2005 and is the leading feedback platform for healthcare in UK. They allow patients to write their reviews/ stories about their experience and tag the accompaniment provider. Other users can then favorite the post if they have experience the same thing. Patient Opinion also has an analytical engine which does sentiment analysis for each hospital and show what areas need improvement and which departments received positive reviews.The hospitals can read these reviews posted about them and respond to the complaints and prais es. This helps them to improve their quality of care and address the issues raised by patients.Patient Opinion is a social enterprise and a NGO which is independent of NHS but share the same values. It is funded through and through user subscriptions, healthcare providers and healthcare Commission. Providers subscribing to Patient Opinion get the access to all patient feeds and can respond to the reviews. Though, use of patient opinion by patients is free. Patient Opinion is available across England but not (yet) the rest of the UK. It covers all acute trusts. As of today, 600 hospitals are registered with patient opinion and working together to improve the healthcare quality in UK. 5How Patient Opinion fits the review modelIt allows patients to give feedback on their health services and to see what others are public lecture about. It also acts as a platform to hear and respond to reviews and complaints posted by patients. They can compare their ratings with other hospitals and fin d out which of their departments are doing rock-steady and bad. All the opinions are reviewed before publication and editorial policies are public. The critical reviews are marked and directed to the healthcare providers while maintaining patient identity.Below are some feedback posted by patients for Kings donkeywork Hospital over a period of 2 weeksTaking Kings Mill Hospital as our example for this study, let us look at some figures which help us better understand the Patient Opinion model*Data collected is for the month of AprilAnalysisAnalysisAs of now, for the entire Patient Opinion database, feedback opinion so far is around 50% positive, 30% mixed and around 20% critical.Below is data of number of posts till dateIn the last month, of all the posts, 53% had a response from hospital staff and 6% of responses actually lead to change. The numbers do look small but in the larger picture, it is an incremental change which slowly is ever-changing the face of UK healthcare.Conclusi onPatient centric healthcare is the answer to the problems of rising cost and low quality of healthcare in USA. A patient centered communication gives more satisfaction to patients and increase their faith on the physician and treatment. Emotional health is better when patients feel that they have a personal comparison with their physicians and their preferences, culture and values are being considered while treatment.It is very important to increase emphasis on physicians empathy towards patients and introduce feedback model to increase efficiency of hospitals. Patient Opinion is bringing change into the healthcare scenario of UK by making patient reviews an important tool of decision making. Hospitals are responding to these reviews, trying to make amends and improve the quality of care. Currently, healthcare of USA is financially driven and patients are not treated as a valued customer. In future, if we want the healthcare cost to go down and expect better service, it is very im portant to bring the focus on patients and build the system around them.References1 Jo Anne L. Earp, Elizabeth A. French, genus Melissa B. Gilkey Patient Advocacy for Health Care Quality2 Bechtel, Christine.If You Build it, Will They Come? Designing Truly Patient-Centered Health Care.Health Affairs3 http//healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/01/24/patient-centered-care-what-it-means-and-how-to-get-there/4 Moira Stewart, Judith Belle Brown, Allan Donner, Ian R. McWhinney, Julian Oates, Wayne W. Weston, John Jordan, The Impact of Patient-Centered Care on Outcomes5 https//www.patientopinion.org.uk/info/about6 Improving Patient Opinion Mining through Multi-step Classification, Lei Xia, Anna Lisa Gentile, James Munro, Jos Iria7 http//www.ncqa.org/Programs/Recognition/PatientCenteredMedicalHomePCMH.aspx8 Ensuring That Patient-Centered Medical Homes Effectively Serve Patients With Complex Health Needs, AHRQ9 http//www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/ACO/10 http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC64755/

Sexual Education for Children Essay -- Sex Ed Education Essays

Sexual Education for ChildrenSex education materials for children more than often serve to confuse than to inform. These materials generally present females as passive and males as professive. The books describe heterosexual norms while ignoring the existence of homosexuality and bisexuality. M both books describe sexual intercourse as existing for the purpose of procreation only. Pictures and descriptions of this sex act more often mystify than inform. Finally, these materials target young children and assume that these children are incapable of understanding most elements of sex. Children can often understand far more than they are given credit for. Most materials offer descriptions of sexual intercourse as an act devoid of passion involving an sprightly male partner and a passive female partner. Across publication dates, sexual education materials portray women as passive and men as active. Dr. Blocks Do-It-Yourself gay Sexuality Book portrays the girl as passive whe n she says Hell never leave me now after she and the boy have sex (18). She has no active control over her liferather, she waits to see whether or not the boy will stay or leave (Block, 18). In So Thats How I Was Born, the father explains that the daddy puts his penis inside the vagina (Brooks, 28). Thus, the man is the active partner while the woman is passive. Brooks tho emphasizes that the womans passive determination exists in all areas of life when, at the end of Brooks story, the boys mother satisfies stereotypes of docile women by speaking softly (28). Many of these authors further perpetuate stereotypical gender roles in their stories. In his book, Brooks shows the mother wearing an apron (25). In her book Mommy, Where Do Babies Come F... ..., far more conservative than those of some of the other, earlier works. The earliest works appear to be the most progressive. Is society adopting an increasingly restrictive and negative view of pre-marital sex, or is this s carce a coincidence? Aside from these observations, it is difficult to make generalizations about the works according to dates of publication because there do not seem to be any other strong chronological trends. Sex education does not appear to be growing more comprehensive with time. Sex education books continue to lack crucial information. They confuse children, (and sometimes even teens,) with cryptic descriptions and diagrams. Feminine and masculine stereotypes, while not acknowledged in any constructive way, are strongly perpetuated. Sex education materials, such as those cited above, fail to provide comprehensive sex education.

Dance Team :: Argumentative Persuasive Dance School Essays

Dance Team The Twin Cedars Community School District Board of Directors should decide in elevate of funding a school dance police squad. Twin Cedars, a sm alone country based school of approximately 500 students K-12, has never had the benefit of having a dance team. Two years ago, three Twin Cedars students got together with their dance instructor, Shannon Smith, an alumnist of Twin Cedars, and suggested that the school should wealthy person a dance team. Smith volunteered her time to direct and choreograph for a new dance team. Smith took this idea to the principal of Twin Cedars, Mike Helle. Helle agreed to eitherow Smith to start a dance team that could practice at school, but refused to fund the program as an extracurricular activity. This meant that if there was to be a dance team, all funds would have to be raised by the dance team members alone and Smith would have to volunteer all of her time and effort without being paid. Despite these ii points Smith agreed to start the dance team. Auditions were held, a team was formed, and the team members began choreography for their first routine. The new TC dance team had their own fundraisers and went inquire for donations from local businesses, to help support the new team and help pay for dance team costumes. The team managed to raise enough to buy cheap costumes for all of the members. The new dance team had practice two days a week at 700 a.m. all year. They performed at a few football and basketball games throughout the year.The next school year came around and the whole process was repeated. During this year the dance team even managed to put together a Saturday night show at the school, that included other surrounding schools drill and dance teams. In the two years of the teams existence the school administrators allowed for the use of the building for practice, they allowed the team to perform at sporting events, and they allowed the the team to have shows. On top of that, they announced the dan ce team as the Twin Cedars dance team and even added a new spot in the Twin Cedars Yearbook to allow for pictures of the dance team. The school took all the privileges of having a school dance team, yet took none of the responsibilities a school has for an extracurricular activity.

The Loss of Paradise in Enid Dames Lilith :: Enid Dame Lilith Essays

The Loss of Paradise in Enid Dames LilithThe poem Lilith, written by Enid Dame. It is a poem that gives the accounting of a womans life. It discusses her life with a man and the reason that she left him. Although one has been informed that she had left him for legitimate reasons one does non really get brainwave into who this god is until someone does research as to who Lilith was. Lilith was a demoness/goddess that was created before Eve non from Adams rib. It was believed that Eve was only created for the fact that Lilith was so rebellious and left Eden. In a way, Eve was somewhat of a contingency plan. Lilith would not submit to Adams authority and she was cast out of Eden. Knowing this allows one to have insight into this poem. The poet ofttimes writes poems about Lilth and is involved in the feminist movement. Lilith has become a spoke person for the feminist movement due to the fact that she was the first woman who did not submit to a man. This to some women also proves the fact that women are not considerd submit to men. The first women created did not so why should they? This poem is not only used to express a emotion about something but it is also used for a movement. This poem talks about more than serious a womans life, it uses metaphors and words with simple meanings to add up to something greater. One of the first words I felt this way about was the word hairy. The point I feel the poet was trying to get across was the characters masculinity. Real men are hairy one knows what that first hair on a boys chest fashion it means that they have finally reached manhood. Another thing that stands out is how she talks about safety is what all women want and what all men are suppose to provide. Their duty is to provide and take care of their wives. So it sounds to me that Adam was keeping up his end of the bargain, so what was the problem? It sounds to me that Lilith needed some adventure. Maybe she was banal of cooking and clean ing and being a good wife while Adam got to go out and work.

Franklin :: Essays Papers

FranklinThe life that Franklin depicts is more than a winner story. It is a story of nothing but success. What makes Franklins success great is that he does nothing compulsively, irrationally, or out of weakness, but appears to be governed by reason, moderation, and virtue. With his strong sense of identity he seems singularly immune to the workings of the conflict-torn inner self-importance that Yeats called the Foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart, his existence untroubled by stretches of ennui and waste. The absence of a sense of the harshness and inexplicability of life, together with his emphasis on material success is what seemed to allow Franklin to succeed. (These quotes were taken out of the introduction to Franklins autobiography).With all this in mind, I chose to read The Autobiography and Other Writings of Benjamin Franklin. This book as you could tell was written by Benjamin Franklin and its publisher is Penguin Classics. The main topic of this biography was the life of B enjamin Franklin and about all of his accomplishments and the hardships that he face growing up. This autobiography was written in the first person point of view, as a letter that Franklin wrote to his son William. Because of the fact that this book was written by Benjamin Franklin and about Benjamin Franklin, I believed everything that was said but what I disliked was how Franklin wasnt able to complete this book and how he didnt clear more time on discussing his major philosophies. The main thesis of this book was the hardship that Franklin was faced with and how he grew up to become the man that he did. I believe that the one sentence that deals with the theme of this autobiography is a quote which Franklin once said I cannot boast of much Success in acquiring the Reality of this Virtue but I had a good deal with regard to the Appearance of it. So with the belief that working hard will champion achieve goals, Franklin also states, If you work hard you will lead a fulfilling life. A third quote from Franklins autobiography that states the importance he placed on hard work to achieve success is Industry, Lose no time.-Be always employd in something useful.-Cut off all unnecessary Actions. This shows about how Franklin wasnt the type of person who waits for something to happened but works hard to achieve his goals.

Importance of Clothing in Prologue of the Canterbury Tales :: Canterbury Tales Essays

Importance of Clothing in Prologue of the Canterbury Tales           Countless people remember in the cliche do not judge a book by its cover but why not? Clothing often forms anothers outgrowth impression of one. It speaks of where a person has been and where they intend to go. Their appearance also illustrates a persons true self and aspirations. A man wearing torn jeans, dingy shirt, and aged(prenominal) shoes might be thought of as poor or coming home from a hard days labor. However, a young woman in a Gucci dress with Versace pumps could be assumed to have access to a large amount of money. In The Prologue from the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses clothing as an insight into peoples ongoing assay called life.         In the Prologue, humbled by his life experiences, the Knight dresses plainly. Garbed in a stained coarse cotton tunic, the knight sits upon his horse. Seen in a divergent setting, the Knights attire w ould say little about his life as an honorable man. By humbling oneself, a true hero lends credence to the fact that rack is not always needed. His armor left dark smudges on his tunic. Humbling experiences cause humans to step back and analyze the fortune they have they image that they do not have to wear their achievements. Sometimes people boast their success through fine clothing. Unlike the flamboyant Yeomen, the  distinguished knight wears grizzly garments.         The Yeomen succumbs to societys inclination that when he dresses the part he will become successful. He wears a coat with a green hood. From a low social standing, he believes that the better he looks the more successful he will become. Emphasis should be placed on ones achievements and inner self rather than outward appearance. A saucy brace is worn on his arm to protect it from the bow. At first glance, one would assume that he was a superior archer of high-pitched standing s rather then a lowly Yeomen. Looks can be deceiving, but the illusion fades as ones true self shines through. Extravagant best describes the Yeomens style spot plain and reserved best depicts the nun.         Chaucer illustrates how small insignificant accessories can have a deeper meaning. The Nun wore a coral trinket on her arm.