Structural and Developmental Assessment of the G Family Essay Example for Free

Structural and Developmental Assessment of the G Family Essay Caring for the family from a holistic point of view is at the very heart of nursing. The family unit is one of the most important foundational institutions in society. While it may seem inconsequential to some, the family unit provides identity, stability, and support. Family dynamics and crises can affect an individual greatly, both physically and emotionally. Thus, it is important for nurses to always include the family when assessing the individual patient. The Calgary Model provides a framework to accurately and comprehensively assess a family. It comprises of three main categories: structural, developmental, and functional. Using the Calgary Model, I plan to analyze the G family from the structural and developmental point of view. Internal Structure A family is composed of â€Å"two or more persons who are linked together by intimate association, resources, and values† (Bomar, 2004). It is whomever the individual decides provides for their physical and emotional needs and considers to be in their family. As for the G family, they would be considered a nuclear family. Mr. and Mrs. G are a married couple with four young children, E, age ten, J, age eight, B, age six, and A, age four. They live in the suburbs of Charlotte, N.C., describe their economic standing as upper middle class, and consider their race and ethnicity as Indian (Asian). When I posed the question to Mr. and Mrs. G of whom do you consider as your family, they both replied each other and their children. Each individual child also replied that their parents and siblings are considered their family. An assessment of gender roles helps the nurse to see how each individual perceives their role within the family (Wright Leahy, 2009). For the G family, gender roles are primarily determined based on culture. In the Indian culture, the husband is considered the head of the family and assumes the role of the primary monetary provider while the wife assumes care of the children and the household. In the G family, Mr. G is the primary provider for the family. He is the Chief Financial Consultant at a Fortune 500 company. Even though Mrs. G has a master’s degree in engineering, Mr. G. feels that a mother’s place is with the children and her role should to be rear them. While Mrs. G admits that she enjoys being a stay-at-home mom, she feels that all the energy and effort spent at getting a master’s degree was for nothing. Many times she feels that since she is able to work, she should work, but she respects her husband decision. This is where culture plays a major rol e, because in the Indian culture, the wife generally has to respect the husband’s wishes. While discussing gender roles, I also questioned them about their sexual orientation. Mr. and Mrs. G both say they are heterosexual and have always been heterosexual. They both admit to never being sexually active prior to getting married when they were both 23 years old. Mr. G says that the reason he waited till marriage to have sex was primarily due to religious convictions. Mrs. G also admits to being religiously convicted to wait till marriage to have sex, but also admits it was also out of fear of what her parents might do if she ever became pregnant before marriage. She went on to describe how in the Indian culture, having a child out of wedlock has grave repercussions for both the person involved and the family. It would cause the involved person to be cast out of the family, and place a bad stigma on the rest of the family members. Rank order is used to identify the positions of each child within the family in terms of age and gender (Wright Leahy, 2009). The children of the G family include the two older boys: E, age ten and J, age eight, and also the two younger girls, B, age six and A, age four. Mrs. G is the middle child, with an older brother and a younger sister, and Mr. G is the oldest of three children, with a younger brother and sister. At the present moment they are unsure if they would like to have more children. A subsystem is a group of members comprised of individuals linked together through a common association, such as gender, interest, or function (Wright Leahy, 2009). Mrs. G’s subsystem includes mother, wife, daughter, and sister. Mr. G’s subsystem includes father, husband, son, and brother. For the two boys, E and J, their subsystems include son, brother, and grandson. For the two girls, B and A, their subsystems include daughter, sister, and granddaughter. Mr. G admits that due to his work he has trouble balancing his many subsystems. His work requires him to travel across the country almost every week; thus, he does not have adequate time to spend being both a father and a husband. He feels as though he is always compromising time with someone, and he regrets this greatly because he is missing important milestones with his children and not spending enough time with his wife; however, because he is the sole provider he has to make this sacrifice in order to provide for his family. Boundaries serve to define and protect the family structure and system (Wright Leahy, 2009). From the information I gathered from the G family, I would describe their family boundaries as clear and permeable. Between husband and wife they mutually agree that they are not to have relationships with anybody else, and that conflicts must first try to be resolved by themselves. If conflicts arise among the children, the parents have the final say. The G family is Christian, and are careful of whom they allow into their family circle, making sure that they have the same Christian values. This is not to say that they isolate themselves from anyone who is of a different religious background; on the contrary, they say that they befriend all who they meet to try to bring them to know God. External Structure Extended family is very important to the G family. For Mrs. G, she is very open with her mother, and describes her as her best friend. Even though her mother is in India, they talk to each other on the phone every day. On the other hand, Mrs. G is not particularly close to her father. Although she loves her father deeply, she describes him as being overly religious. She says that it is very difficult to talk to him because he looks at everything through the prism of religion and will often condemn her, even if she is just asking for a piece of advice. Mr. G’s family is much more laid back. He has an open relationship with both his parents and siblings, and is able to talk to them freely. Mr. G’s extended family of his parents and brother are going to be playing a more important role in their lives because the G family is planning to move to Houston, Texas in relation to Mr. G’s job, and both his parents and his brother already live there. While Mrs. G is happy that they are going to have close family nearby, she does not want to live too close to her in-laws because she says that they will tell her how to raise her children and she does not like that. Larger systems refer to social agencies within the community that the family is in frequent contact with (Wright Leahy, 2009). Mr. and Mrs. G say that the biggest and most important system in their family is their church. They are very active in the church by always planning and organizing activities. Furthermore, people in the church really look up to them as being a great example of a loving family. For the children, school is important and they are part of many extracurricular activities, such as piano lessons, swimming, and basketball. Furthermore, Mrs. G attends a Zumba class everyday with some of her friends from the church. The next category in the Calgary Model is the developmental assessment. The G family is considered to be in stage three of the family life cycle, â€Å"Families with young children†. In this stage, some changes that are required for the family to proceed developmentally include: adjusting the marital system to make space for the children, joining in childrearing, financial, and household tasks, and realignment of relationships to include parenting and grandparenting roles (Wright Leahy, 2009). The G family admits that they still struggle at times to meet each other’s personal and emotional needs because the needs of the children are now their main priority. However, since the children are now getting older and are at an age where they are able to keep themselves preoccupied, Mr. and Mrs. G feel that they are able to spend more quality time with each other. According to the Framework of Systemic Organization by Marie-Louise Friedmann the family is social system with the purpose of relating culture to its members (Bomar, 2009). Its elements include family stability, growth, control, and spirituality (Bomar, 2009). The G family provides for each of these elements within their family by enabling opportunities to learn about societal norms and behaviors, interacting with community resources, setting boundaries, and encouraging the self growth of each member. After assessing the G family from a structural and developmental point of view, I can see that they are family that deeply care for and love each other unconditionally. They provide for each other’s physical and emotional needs, and make sacrifices when necessary for the betterment of the family. They acknowledge that they are not a perfect family and have many flaws, but they try to continuously learn from their experiences and seek ways to improve their family life.

Stephen Cranes The Open Boat Essay -- Stephen Crane Open Boat Essays

Stephen Crane's The Open Boat Humanity often tends to see itself as being somehow important in the grand scheme of the Universe. We speak of 'fate' as if we were put here for some reason, or purpose. We have our religions, which often serve as an engine to drive our lives and as a means to give meaning to them. But why do we think of ourselves in such a superior fashion? Do we really matter at all? Would the Universe stop if we were suddenly taken away? In his short story, 'The Open Boat,' Stephen Crane shows us a Universe totally unconcerned with the affairs of humankind; it is an indifferent Universe in which Man has to struggle to survive. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome by Nature's lack of concern. They survive only through persistence and cooperation. All we have, Crane asserts, in our constant struggle for survival, is 'stubborn pride--and each other.' The story opens with four men, known simply as the captain, the oiler, the correspondent, and the cook, stranded in the ocean in a small boat. Crane's descriptions in these opening scenes show right away the antagonism of the men and the sea and nature's lack of concern for their tragedy: 'The birds sat comfortably in groups, and they were envied by some in the dingey, for the wrath of the sea was no more to them than it was to a covey of prairie chickens a thousand miles inland.'(2) The men are in a desperate situation, but nature continues in its way...

Internship Experience

Health Care Management Internship Experience Labovitz School of Business and Economics University of Minnesota Duluth Description of the Program The purpose of the internship program is to provide juniors and seniors with an opportunity to enhance and apply what they learn in their academic program while working in a health service organization. Students are pursuing a degree in business administration and are majoring in health care management.Those that enroll in the Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) Health Care Management Internship Program will need to accumulate a minimum of 200 hours of work experience over the course of an academic semester or during the summer. The intent of the program is to provide relevant organizational experience to students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to work before completing a degree. Employers are encouraged to participate in the cooperative education internship program.The basic requirements include a clear agreement regarding program requirements, the type of experience being provided, and a line of communication between the student’s mentor/supervisor and the faculty advisor. Internship Objectives The Health Care Management Internship Program enables students to gain added knowledge and skills through structured work experience. Opportunities are available to the student through an internship that cannot be achieved in the classroom. The primary goal of this endeavor is student learning.The specific objectives are to enable students to learn more about health care management; inform the health care community of student abilities and career preparation; give students the opportunity to develop a sense of responsibility for their continued learning by working independently and collaboratively within the parameters of an internship experience; familiarize students with the experiences related to the process of seeking employment; and strengthen ties between LSBE and the health care communi ty by seeking advice from health care leaders concerning curriculum planning, tudent recruitment, and graduate placement. The internship should be designed to provide the student a hands-on experience in a health service organization. It should provide a first hand look at day-to-day operations of a facility and provide the student an opportunity to observe and assist employees in various departments, if possible. It should provide the student an opportunity to observe and be actively involved in management activities using basic management skills of communication, problem solving, management of relationships, and analysis of information. Roles and Responsibilities of the PartiesEmployers of student interns are an integral part of the work experience program. It is important that employers understand that the internship is an educational program integrated with practical work experience. This requires the employer to give careful thought to the utilization of students who will be em ployed. During the internship the student is not a volunteer or an additional staff member but a trainee working to fulfill his/her learning needs in as active a manner as possible with the capability to make positive contributions to the achievement of organizational goals.The following items are basic responsibilities of the employer, mentor, faculty advisor, and student. Employer: 1. Interview students who apply for an internship with your organization to provide them with the added benefit of going through an interview and to help you decide which student best meets your employment needs. 2. Review and discuss student learning objectives during the interview or at the start of the internship, in order to identify means by which they will be accomplished during the employment period. 3.Plan work assignments progressively so that the student will advance from routine activities at the beginning of the internship to more job variety and complexity as needed knowledge and skills are gained. 4. Evaluate student work performance. As a role model and supervisor of students, employers are in a position to provide interns a thorough performance evaluation. The LSBE Internship Office will provide evaluation forms; or you may want to use your organization’s standard appraisal form to assess the intern’s performance and provide feedback. . Provide liability coverage for student intern. The University of Minnesota Duluth Worker’s Compensation and Liability coverage does not extend to student interns. Employers may be concerned about injuries to students on-the-job or problems that could arise due to student inexperience. We recommend that concerns of this nature be addressed to your legal counsel. Your existing worker’s compensation covers paid employees and could possibly be extended to volunteers for a nominal fee if this work arrangement is established. 6.Abide by the University of Minnesota employment policies regarding the treatment of employees, including prevention of sexual harassment in the work place. Detailed descriptions of these policies can be found in the UMD Employer Handbook. 7. Contact Jennifer Schultz, Director of the Health Care Management Program, at 218-726-6695 should problems arise. Mentor/Supervisor: 1. Serve as a model, coach, mentor, and tutor to the student. 2. Assist the student in identification of learning outcomes and activities to achieve them. 3.Assign the student specific and significant duties and projects that contribute to the student’s education but are also beneficial to the operations of the organization. 4. Ensure that opportunity is provided to permit the student to achieve agreed upon learning outcomes within the allotted time. 5. Observe and/or obtain observations of the student’s interactions and work within the organization and provide feedback. 6. Share information and thought processes with the student to provide as much insight as possible into successful approaches to management responsibilities. 7.Provide the student orientation concerning policies, rules and regulations. 8. Provide a concluding evaluation of the student’s performance during the internship upon completion in a manner which will encourage the student to grow in his/her administrative skills. 9. Report misconduct on the part of the student immediately to the faculty advisor and work with the faculty advisor to determine appropriate action to rectify problems or conclude the internship experience at the organization. Faculty advisor: 1. Provide the student and mentor information concerning institutional policies governing internship experiences. . Provide the mentor with written guidelines concerning the content and conduct of the internship and such additional advice and consultation as may be necessary or requested to ensure a satisfactory learning experience for the student. 3. Provide instruction to the mentor concerning learning objectives for a successful internship and procedures to follow to structure and supervise a successful internship. 4. Take action to withdraw a student whose conduct violates organizational rules or who proves not to benefit from the learning experiences provided by the organization. 5.Maintain contact with the student and mentor during the internship to ensure that objectives are being met and that problems are dealt with in a timely manner. At least one on-site visit will be performed. 6. Ensure that all internships are initiated with a signed learning agreement approved by the student, mentor and faculty advisor. 7. Review student’s journal, final written report, and performance evaluations. Student: 1. Apply for academic credit through college registration and work with a faculty advisor for placement with a mentor. 2. Learn and abide by organizational standards as applied to personnel, e. . follow facility hours and dress code policies, etc. 3. Take as active a role as possible in the operations of the organization, performing actual duties within the department as permitted by staff to learn first-hand the activities and their contribution to the overall effectiveness of the organization. 4. Prepare a list of learning outcomes expected from the internship and obtain approval for it from the mentor and faculty advisor, then identify and pursue specific experiences which will achieve those outcomes, again in consultation with the faculty advisor and mentor. 5.Identify and agree with the mentor upon a special project to be completed to satisfy course requirements while providing a learning experience which assists in meeting the student’s learning outcomes. 6. Meet course requirements for completion of assignments including preparation of two reports and weekly journal entries. 7. Taking into consideration course requirements and the student’s personal work and volunteer experience, prepare a schedule of the amount of time to be spent at the organization, obtain approval of the proposed schedule from the mentor and faculty advisor and ensure that it is implemented.

Basic French Vocabulary Medical Help and Illnesses

Getting sick is never fun, but being in a foreign country and not being able to communicate your illness can definitely ruin your trip. Learn some French illness vocabulary so that you can communicate with French-speaking doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists. Travelers who have specific illnesses or ailments, like allergies or diabetes, will want to memorize the phrases for that particular condition prior to traveling. It will ensure that you can get proper and prompt aid should an emergency arise. Note: Many of the words  below are linked to .wav files. Simply click on the link to listen to the pronunciation. How to Ask for Medical Help Lets begin with the simple words you will need when asking for help and the medical professionals you may need to call on. Should you have a medical emergency, you can call for help using one of these phrases. Emergency -  Urgence  ! Help! -  Au  secours !   When you need the attention of a medical professional, use one of these phrases. Begin each request with avoir besoin...  (to need...) and end it with the type of professional help you require. to need... avoir besoin... ... help ... daide ... a doctor ... dun mdecin ... a nurse ... un infirmier ... an ambulance ... dune ambulance ... a dentist ... un dentiste ... a pharmacist ... un pharmacien Medical Emergencies While traveling, medical emergencies can be very serious, particularly if you cannot speak the language. If you cannot tell someone what is wrong, it can lead to a feeling of helplessness and possible mistreatment. Be prepared by learning a few simple phrases. It may even be helpful to write down your condition and these phrases in French and have them in a convenient location, such as your wallet or bag. to have a heart attack avoir une crise cardiaque to have a stroke avoir une attaque to be in labor tre en travail to break ones arm, leg se casser le bras, la jambe Asthma People who have asthma should memorize these two lines as they can quickly convey your needs to the people around you. to have asthma tre asthmatique to need an inhaler avoir besoin dun inhalateur Diabetes Likewise, if you have diabetes, these French phrases are essential before you travel. to have diabetes tre diabtique to need sugar now avoir besoin de sucre immdiatement Blood Pressure If your blood pressure is a concern, it will not hurt to learn these phrases in French. Notice the subtle difference between high and low blood pressure. Blood pressure la tension arterielle to have high blood pressure faire de lhypertension to have low blood pressure faire de lhypotension Allergies Allergies are nothing to play around with, either. If you or someone youre traveling with has an allergy, you should know the French translation prior to your trip.   Are you allergic to certain foods?  Learn how to say that particular food in French and say it after à ªtre  allergique  Ãƒ   ...   This is also important while dining, so you can ask if, for instance, peanuts are an ingredient: Sont le arachides dans cette nourriture ? (Are peanuts in this food?) to be allergic to... tre allergique ... ... aspirin ... laspirine ... iodine ... liode ... penicillin ... la pnicilline Common Illnesses and Ailments The most common French verbs for describing illness are  avoir  and  Ãƒ ªtre. You will notice that some ailments use one or the other and that either can mean to be or to have. This first group uses the verb avoir... to have... avoir... ... arthritis ... de larthrite ... diarrhea ... la diarrhe ... an earache ... mal loreille ... a fever ... de la fivre ... the flu ... la grippe ... frostbite ... des engelures ... hangover ... la gueule de bois ... hay fever ... un rhume des foins ... a headache ... mal la tte ... heartburn ... des brlures destomac ... hemorrhoids (piles) ... des hmorrodes ... motion sickness ... le mal des transports ... a runny nose ... le nez qui coule ... sinusitis ... de la sinusite ... a stomachache ... mal lestomac ... a toothache ... mal aux dents Do you have an ache somewhere else? Learn the basic French words for various body parts. If you have any of these conditions, you will begin the sentence with  Ãƒ ªtre...  (to have...). to have... tre... ... insomnia ... insomniaque ... a cold ... enrhum You can describe a condition or symptom in French with these words. They are also preceded by  Ãƒ ªtre...  (to be...). to have... tre... ... constipated ... constip ... jet lagged ... fatigu d au dcalage horaire ... pregnant ... enceinte ... sick ... malade ... sunburnt ... brl par le soleil ... tired ... fatigu To describe how you are feeling or the following symptoms, begin with the verb  avoir...  (to be). to be... avoir... ... cold ... froid ... dizzy ... le vertige ... hot ... chaud ... seasick ... le mal de mer