Nursing Report according to the Australian Health System Essay

Nursing Report according to the Australian Health System - Essay Example Due to the enormity of the issue of chronic illness, this report will focus on children between the ages of 5 and 19 years of age. This report will conclude by identifying recommendations that nurses can implement in their role as primary health practitioners. Definitions Chronic Disease: A chronic disease is characterized by having a duration â€Å"that has lasted or is expected to last at least six months. Has a pattern for recurrence, or deterioration. Has a poor prognosis and produce consequences, or sequaelae that impact the individual’s quality of life.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Diabetes (diabetes mellitus): This is a chronic condition in which â€Å"the body makes too little of the hormone insulin or cannot use it properly. This raises the blood level of the body’s major energy source, the sugar glucose, and causes other widespread disturbance of the body’s energy processes.† (Child and Youth Health Intergo vernmental Partnership, 2004) Type 1 diabetes: This is a chronic condition, which generally arises in childhood or youth and is known as ‘juvenile onset’ diabetes â€Å"marked by a complete lack of insulin and needing insulin replacement for survival.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Type 2 diabetes: The most common form of diabetes, â€Å"occurring mostly in people aged 40 years and over and marked by reduced or less effective insulin.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Cancer: This includes a â€Å"range of diseases where some of the body’s cells begin to multiply out of control, can invade, and damage the area around them, and can also spread to other parts of the body to cause further damage.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Cystic fibrosis – This is a â€Å"life threatening genetic disorder that primarily affects the respiratory system (lungs), t he digestive system (pancreas and sometimes liver) and the reproductive system. The mucus glands of people with cystic fibrosis secrete very thick sticky mucus.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Cerebral palsy: This includes a â€Å"range of disabilities associated with movement and posture. ‘ Cerebral’ refers to the brain and ‘palsy’ means weakness or lack of muscle control. The disorder is caused by a permanent, nonprogressive brain defect or lesion present at birth.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Epilepsy: This disease involves a â€Å"disturbance of brain function marked by recurrent fits and loss of consciousness.† (Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership, 2004) Background Asthma is reported to be the most common of all chronic diseases among children in Australia and is cited as well as being the most common of all reasons that children in Australia are hospita lized. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is reported to be on the rise among children in Australia. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2005, p.2) Other chronic diseases affecting children in Australia include those of Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Discussion There have been a great many possible risk factors linked to the development of chronic disease in childhood however, it is reported that of these risk factors that only a

The Effectiveness Of Hay Groups Reward System Business Essay

The Effectiveness Of Hay Groups Reward System Business Essay This paper aims to examine and evaluate the reward system that Hay Group, a global management consulting company, develops to meet its clients needs. Specifically, the compensation and benefits system of the organization is analyzed and discussed in depth, by investigating the internal processes toward this function and by assessing how the reward system affects the overall performance of Hay Group. The performance of the reward system Hay Group has developed for its clients is evaluated by examining the results that clients experience (i.e. size, profitability, reputation, market share, competitiveness, equity value, and leadership position) Company Description Company Information Hay Group is a human resources consulting firm operating globally, which aims at dealing with people-related business issues, while transforming the clients strategy into reality. Specifically, it is a global company operating since 1943, composed of over 2600 specialists working in 85 offices in 47 countries, focusing on helping private, public or non-profit organizations realize and understand their potential. Areas of Expertise The Company helps its clients by designing and analyzing jobs, dealing with their reward system (i.e. compensation and benefits) as well as developing performance and talent management systems. Achievements Hay Group has managed to become the leading company in the industry it is operating. The depth and breadth of knowhow not only has made customers trust the recommendations it provides, but also has become the reason for further achievements. Hay Group gains ground thanks to the database of organizational management information it has built, which has been awarded as the worlds most comprehensive and rich database in the related field. The creation of Hay Job Evaluation methodology, which is used worldwide by over 8000 companies, is one of Hay Groups most significant accomplishments, which offers international recognition. Hay Group, through this method, stresses the link between business success, employee motivation, reward, and employee contribution in the business strategy of the company. Specifically, it wants that firms reestablish discipline within compensation programs and better align pay with value creation; to ensure that Hay Group tries to develop reward programs that reflect each organizations business strategy and serve the needs of both firms and employees (HayGroup, 2001). Hay Group Compensation and Benefit Function Hay Group has employs a range of methods to develop its reward system, on which the clients compensation system is also based on. The various components that Hay Group uses in developing compensation and benefit systems are divided into five groups: Reward Strategies Job Evaluation Total Reward Framework Reward Information Services Benefits Reward Strategies Each company needs a reward program that should be in alignment with the overall business strategy and organizational culture. Only through this alignment a firm can ensure that both employees and the organization itself each fulfill their needs. Hay Group when dealing with its clients, it tries to provide a reward strategy that creates real business value. One of the first steps is to set up a salary system, which is an essential tool that companies must consider if they want to retain their employees. What actually Hay Group does, is to balance the technical, business and behavioral factors involved in remuneration. It does that by working closely in an ongoing basis with employees of the client company, something that helps Hay Group understand the firms business strategy, model, overall culture, resource capabilities, and current reward system. The demographics of employees are then investigated and according to these, priorities for salary management programs are set. After doing so, potential base salary equity issues are analyzed, the competitiveness of the firms salary program is measured and finally, Hay Group the salary program is communicated to the firms members to guarantee the programs clear understanding. Hay Group is promoting the idea of the developing a reward architecture, which is a method to define why people are paid. By answering the question what you reward your people for, the company focuses on employees (i.e. demographics and needs of different groups), controls costs and ensures that the right message is delivered to employees. By conducting employee surveys aimed at the determination of what is valued most and by looking at results, Hay Group helps in determining whether reward system outcomes are aligned with the firms reward strategy. Investigating whether the compensation system stands in a satisfactory level in respect to competitors is also part of Hay Groups tactics. Benchmarking its clients as well as it selfs reward system is an effective technique to identify if remuneration is competitive enough to recruit and retain personnel. To achieve that Hay Group provides access to PayNet, a database that enables companies to benchmark pay and benefits, interpret data, make comparisons, identify implications and uncover potential issues in respect to their reward system. It is significant to mention that Hay Group when developing reward systems, it distinguishes reward objectives in respect to short-term or long-term incentives. Short-term incentives usually include efforts toward culture cohesion, commitment, engagement and specific team targets, while long-term incentives involve the alignment of rewards with shareholder interests, retain of people and competitiveness of the compensation system. Total Review Framework Compensation systems must be aligned with the overall strategy of the company and represent the business reality in order to be effective. Hay Group, to have a clearer understanding of its clients reward systems, engages in a holistic model, presented above, which has as a starting point the strategy of the firm. untitled.bmp Through this model Hay Group can better understand the current remuneration program of its clients, and then develop the appropriate base salary that represents the firms requirements and reward strategy. Job Evaluation Job evaluation is a significant component in measuring and determining the value of jobs within an organization, a technique that helps in the establishment of the pay structure. Hay Group has developed a number of job evaluation methodologies; to enhance its efforts it created Hay Group Spectrum, a practice considered to be the next generation HR solution. As mentioned by Aspasia Voulgari, one of the Managing Consultants of Hay Group based in Athens (Greece), Hay Group realized that companies started losing the real value of understanding their work with the application of job evaluation by following a fragmented approach; this, emphasized the necessity for creating a more holistic approach that combines reward decisions, talent management and structuring work. Jobs, employees, performance, structure and pay can be connected, and, in that way, work measurement, work alignment, work fit, and work value are united. st.bmp

The Purpose of Education :: Educational Teaching Teachers Essays

The Purpose of Education The Encyclopedia Britannica states that the purpose of education is to â€Å"serve the needs of the individual and †¦. [to] serve the needs of society.† Although this view of education is obviously addressing education in a more general sense, my view of the purpose of K-12 education is the same. The purpose of K-12 education is namely, to develop the individual, making him somebody of whom he can be proud, and then secondly, to create somebody who is a benefit to society. Most importantly, K-12 education is a way of taking a young, ignorant child and changing him into an educated, knowledgeable individual of whom he, himself, can be proud. In kindergarten, many children are unable to read. Some, in fact, are not even able to count higher than to ten. However, by the time those same persons reach 12th grade, the large majority of them have become well-developed, educated people, knowledgeable in most necessary areas, and ready to succeed as individuals. Producing a well-developed person who can feel good about what s/he knows and what s/he can do is probably the most important purpose of K-12 education. This is so, even if it only has to do with making sure that the individual can read a safety sign or that the person understands why freedom is so important to our nation. Some of the simplest things, such as knowing what H20 means, or that Luxemburg, although small, really is a country, are important pieces of information. Although a t some level these may seem insignificant, they are all part of creating a well-developed, confident person. It is simply not enough to teach a person to read and how to do basic arithmetic. In order to create a well-rounded, well-developed, educated individual, K-12 education is absolutely necessary. Secondly, the purpose of K-12 education is to produce an individual who is not only developed as a person, but also somebody who can be of benefit to society. Our society works off the premise that everybody does his/her respected job and actually does it successfully. In order to be able to do that, the individual has to already have a level of education that will provide the necessary background education to succeed in that job. The Purpose of Education :: Educational Teaching Teachers Essays The Purpose of Education The Encyclopedia Britannica states that the purpose of education is to â€Å"serve the needs of the individual and †¦. [to] serve the needs of society.† Although this view of education is obviously addressing education in a more general sense, my view of the purpose of K-12 education is the same. The purpose of K-12 education is namely, to develop the individual, making him somebody of whom he can be proud, and then secondly, to create somebody who is a benefit to society. Most importantly, K-12 education is a way of taking a young, ignorant child and changing him into an educated, knowledgeable individual of whom he, himself, can be proud. In kindergarten, many children are unable to read. Some, in fact, are not even able to count higher than to ten. However, by the time those same persons reach 12th grade, the large majority of them have become well-developed, educated people, knowledgeable in most necessary areas, and ready to succeed as individuals. Producing a well-developed person who can feel good about what s/he knows and what s/he can do is probably the most important purpose of K-12 education. This is so, even if it only has to do with making sure that the individual can read a safety sign or that the person understands why freedom is so important to our nation. Some of the simplest things, such as knowing what H20 means, or that Luxemburg, although small, really is a country, are important pieces of information. Although a t some level these may seem insignificant, they are all part of creating a well-developed, confident person. It is simply not enough to teach a person to read and how to do basic arithmetic. In order to create a well-rounded, well-developed, educated individual, K-12 education is absolutely necessary. Secondly, the purpose of K-12 education is to produce an individual who is not only developed as a person, but also somebody who can be of benefit to society. Our society works off the premise that everybody does his/her respected job and actually does it successfully. In order to be able to do that, the individual has to already have a level of education that will provide the necessary background education to succeed in that job.

Reading as a Psycho-Social Process.

Reading as a Psycho-social process. Every second of the day, people read messages from official communication, mass media and the Internet. Through the internet alone which is today’s most popular form of communication, people can read and interact immediately to e-mails, news and information web-sites, other forms of informational, commercial, political, development websites, as well as blog-sites which are interactive journals on all facets of modern living. Needless say, reading is a social activity that engages humans in the world.It is also purposeful social communication, as it involves all facets of life from what is private to what is official, from what is personal to once that is public. The workings of businesses, industries, schools, governments, foundations and international agencies like the United nations would be stalled without reading as a human activity. Imagine the load of messages that we would miss without reading personal e-mails and letters, newspaper n ews and commentaries, government documents, agency plans, international agency policies, etc.Reading is also professioncal as it is a form of communication done in all the professions and human pursuits including scientific and technological research and studies. A you graduate, you would want your prospective employers to read your job application paper, resume and samples of your written work. Read more in Education  « All About Glee 6th Grade Parenting Guide  » Also, reading is a unique activity which you can adopt every day.Speaking of reading as a skill like other skills such as dancing, writing, acting, sports is something you can continually improve upon. Countless hours have been spent in these other skills and so we should not be reluctant to accept the suggestion that our reading ability,too, needs constructive development. In sum, reading can mean the difference between the amateur and professional, as well as successful career person you wish to become.

Gangs and Gang Culture Essay

Casper Walsh is a journalist and author including the sixties Gangster story. His childhood was surrounded by crime and violence. He has been involved with the British prison system since he was 12 years old, as a visitor when his father was in prison, an inmate and now a rehabilitated drug user and creative writing workshop facilitator. The Guardian is a British national daily Newspaper that identifies with centre liberal nationalism and its readership is generally on the mainstream left of British political opinion. It is and readership is mainly white middle class people and its headquarters are in Manchester. This text portrays the picture about the media perception of gangs in our society. According to the author the term gang is usually associated with crime and violence by the media which has made not only youth male, but also working class individuals victims of media stereotyping. He is trying to point out the fact that the media is actually painting a bad picture and only covers the bad side of the gangs. He is also trying to attack the press and convince the reader that gangs are not all that bad and they are necessary in the process of growing up. The text is meant to show that there is nothing new or that scary about gangs, and that youths in every generation will always risk being bad. As a reader of this text I think that the media likes the idea of talking or writing about things that attract the attention of news readers. This makes it difficult sometimes to have a balanced opinion on this particular issue. Stories of this nature such as the negative side of gangsters attract a lot of attention from the readers so media tend to exaggerate when reporting and in this present day people respond to the media views. In this text the writer makes use of stylistic features such as â€Å"irony and paradox. In paragraph 1 there is of an ironical statement when he refers to â€Å"the non-existent good old days† by this he means that every generation has always had some youth behaving differently. In other words society seems to think that youth behaviour in the present time is worse than the one from the past which is not always the case. The fact of the matter is that every generation has always had its fair share of youth trouble. There is also an example of a paradox as stylistic feature in paragraph 1 where the writer talks about â€Å" rooftop shouting and table banging about the breakdown of teenage society†. He thinks that the media is creating a moral panic by portraying youth behaviour as big crisis out of control. For example the media will talk about dysfunctional families, as the cause of crime and violence in our society. But it is true that not every criminal comes from a dysfunctional family although some do. In my opinion I think the use of figures of speech is necessary for the writer to be able to deliver his message in a way that is not offensive to the reader. The fact that he is writing to particular class of people, it is important that the author communicates to them in a language they will understand. I find the word â€Å"Dim view† used by the writer in paragraph 1 inappropriate since what is dim to one person will not necessarily be dim to another. This text portrays the writer`s personal opinion of the media when covering gang related issues in our society. The writer puts all the blame on the press and doesn’t at any one time show that there are bad gangs who do horrible things. The sense of passage would change if the point of view was varied. I find the writer`s opinion not balanced because it only talks about his side of the story. There is some truth in what the media covers on gang related issues. We live in a free and fair society where most people have a choice about decisions that affect their lives. This applies to youth in our society having a choice of whether to join a gang or not without affecting their livelihood. It is not infact a necessity to join a gang in order for you find your identity as a person. People can choose alternative routes to gangs by joining activities such a social sports club, a church and still find themselves. The author only talks about male and youth yet at present we have female gangs and not everybody in gangs is necessary youth. Gangs have lords who are old mature people who actually run and use the youth to do the dirty work for them. The author is writing based on his own experiences and encounters and another person who had a normal life cannot look at gangs the same way. Looking at the facts of this text it is clearly stated that the writer comes from a gang and criminal back ground. My research about the writer found that not only himself but also his father was in jail for sometimes and as a result of this the author was influenced to work with offenders in and out of prison. In the light of this the author will have biased views on this matter to support his background and the people he stands for. The fact that the author is addressing the media which is made mainly with middle class people such as journalists , he makes use of the Guardian newspaper to conveys his message accordingly. Perhaps the author`s text would have changed in terms of tone and balanced view if he had used a different category of paper. I think he would have done some research and would have been able to find evidence to support his arguments. In addition to this he might have used a simple way of writing his text to put his message across.

The Technique Behind Mona Lisa Essays

The Technique Behind Mona Lisa Essays The Technique Behind Mona Lisa Essay The Technique Behind Mona Lisa Essay The art of the Renaissance was influenced by both ancient Greek and Roman culture as well as the humanism movement. The subjects of works of art were no longer limited to royal and religious figures, nor were they over idealized portrayals. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa exemplifies this trend. Working with the new medium of oil and his mastery of light, contrast, and sfumato, da Vinci created the most famous painting in the world; a work where subject and background compliment each other to form a perfect union. One of the aspects that make the Mona Lisa such a masterpiece is da Vinci’s use of oil as a medium. As the movie The Mystery of Jon van Eyck explains, the use of oil as a medium was not widely used for painting until van Eyck refined it â€Å"by adding transparent colors in several thin glazes upon a white ground, creating a wholly new translucence as if lit from within. † Da Vinci, like other painters of the Renaissance, used van Eyck’s oil painting technique to bring lifelike qualities to their works. According to Time-Life writer Robert Wallace, using oil opened up a new world of creative possibility for da Vanci. Oil could create nuances of effect that the widely used egg tempera could not. Additionally, the sharp and obvious transitions between colors in tempera could be rendered obsolete using oil(29). Da Vincis mastery of the new oil medium is apparent in Mona Lisa. Evidence of this lies in the claim by Leonardo da Vinci scholar Marani Pietro that Mona Lisa is â€Å"the sum of Leonardos extraordinary abilities†(183). Da Vinci created Mona Lisa on poplar wood using a series of thin, semi-transparent, overlapping glazes. The thin glazes allow the underlying base of dark gesso to show through. Da Vinci blends the light and dark shades of his painting seamlessly; there are no harsh lines or edges and each feature melts into the next. This technique, sfumato, perfected by da Vinci, coupled with the dark undertones of the base and the multiple layers of glazes, creates the illusion of three-dimensional features and â€Å"makes us see blood flowing beneath the subjects painted skin and lips†(198). Another factor that that distinguishes Mona Lisa is its composition. Da Vinci strikes a delicate balance between his subject and the background surrounding her. As Loren Partridge, a Professor of Art History at University of California, explains, da Vincis positioning of his subject broke away from long established norms regarding portraiture. Unlike the rigid portrait subjects of the past, da Vincis subject is relaxed and at ease. Sitting in a chair, she is in a natural pose, her hands crossed at her waist. Instead of the traditional side profile portrait, da Vinci positions his subject slightly turned away from the picture plane. She looks beyond the confines of the painting, her eyes locked with those of the viewer. Da Vinci again deviates from conventional full length portraiture and opts instead for three-quarters length, bringing her closer the the edges of painting (121). This closeness creates a sense of intimacy, as if the subject is whispering secrets to the viewer. Adding to the secretive nature is the subjects expression. From her eyes to her widely debated smile, there is a wholly ambiguous aura to her face. By using his knowledge of natural light and contrasting dark and light shades, da Vinci draws the viewers attention to that cryptic face. In doing so, da Vinci managed to turn simple human expression into a mystery. While she radiates an overall ethereal quality, it seems that da Vinci did not over idealize his subject. However, she appears to inhabit a realm somewhere between reality and perfection where, as Partridge observes, she is â€Å"a transcendent supernatural woman. † The role of the landscape da Vinci created is more than simple backdrop. Partridge explains the importance of the relationship between the background and his subject. Each feature has a role in drawing subtle attention to the smiling Mona Lisa. Mountain tops summit at her forehead, a winding road on the viewers left draws attention to the turn of the subjects right shoulder away from the viewer. The meandering river on the viewers right highlights the turn of the left shoulder towards the viewer. Furthermore, the artist â€Å"heightened Mona Lisas physical presence by placing her in a realistic environment† Here again, da Vincis sfumato technique comes into play. No harsh lines separate the subject from her background; they blend into each other as if one (121). The oneness of Mona Lisa and her background can be attributed to da Vincis own views regarding man and nature. Wallace states that da Vinci thought of man and nature as a whole. He believed that one could not be separated from the other. In an article in The Art Bulletin, Webster Smith points out the connections da Vinci drew between man and nature. Da Vinci believed that as a man has a circulatory system that delivers blood throughout the body, the earth delivers water across its body in the same way. He would later state that: â€Å"we can say that the earth has a spirit of growth and that its flesh be the soil, its bones be the arrangements and connection of the rocks of which the mountains are composed; its cartilages are the tufa, its blood the veins of water, the lake of blood that lies around the heart is the ocean sea, and the increase and decrease of blood in the pulses, is represented in the earth by the flow and ebb of the ocean sea â€Å"(qtd. by Webster 187). Partridge believes that da Vincis belief in the direct connection of the human body to nature is apparent in Mona Lisa. He states that she â€Å"personifies, in short, the endless cyclical changes of nature, ranging from generation to decay, from decay to regeneration†(122). Leonardo da Vincis keen observations and understanding of the natural world and many talents combined to create the worlds most famous painting. By taking oil paint and laying it in skillfully connected and interwoven layers of contrasting shades of light and dark, he created a subject who seems to breath with the life he gave her. In a famous essay regarding Mona Lisa Walter Pater said: â€Å"Like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her, and traffiked for strange webs with Eastern merchants; and as Leda, was the mother of Helen of Troy, and as St. Anne, the mother of Mary† These lines, written in 1869, are as true today as they were then and perfectly convey the power and timelessness of Mona Lisa. Marani, Pietro C. Leonardo da Vinci The Complete Paintings. New York: Henry N. Abrams. 2000. Print. Mystery of Jan van Eyck, The. Prod. Films for the Humanities Sciences. 2009. DVD. Partridge, Loren. Art of Renaissance Florence 1400-1600. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2009. Print. Smith, Webster. â€Å"Observations on the Mona Lisa Landscape. † The Art Bulletin 67. 2 (June 1985): 183-199. JSTOR. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. Wallace, Robert. The World of Leonardo, 1452-1519. New York: Time Incorporated, 1966. Print.

The Problem with Taking Too Many Vitamins essays

The Problem with Taking Too Many Vitamins essays One of my friends is taking mega-doses of vitamin A, C, B-6, and E because she thinks they help her stay healthy. I had her sit down with me, so that I could explain to her more about the vitamins she is taking. I told her about the good things each vitamin does how she can get these vitamins other ways and what happens when taking mega doses. I started with vitamin A and told her that the dosage requirement each day is 700 mcg. Vitamin A can multitask; it has numerous functions in the body. All the cells in the body need vitamin A to develop and function properly. Normal bone growth and development, and even the eyes use this vitamin. It is very important to have this in her body, but she needs to be careful how much she puts in. There are easy ways of getting vitamin A in her body without having to take a supplement. I mentioned that animal foods such as liver, butter, fish, fish oils and eggs are good sources. There are even the foods that are fortified with the vitamin during processing. And for the rich sources of beta-carotene she could eat carrots, spinach, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and other varietys that are dark in color. Finally, I told her how I was concerned that she could be taking too much. If taking more than 3000 mcg a day, then her liver could be damaged because this is the main site for the vitamin storage. I told her to watch for any signs if she continues to keep taking large amounts. Those signs would be; headache, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, hair loss, bone pain, and bone fractures. Vitamin C is only needed in small amounts. The RDA is at 75 mg a day for us women. Vitamin C performs a variety of important cellular functions, primarily by donating electrons to other compounds. It also participates in reactions that form and maintain collagen, plays a role in the bodys immune function, and the vitamin is necessary for the synthesis of bile and certain neurotransmitters. Also it is invol...