College and career goals and why I should receive this schlorship Essay

College and career goals and why I should receive this schlorship - Essay Example I decided to pursue a career in acting at an early age and my first experience was when I was in third grade. I took part in the third grade talent show, my performance was exemplary, and the audience together with my teacher was thoroughly impressed and encouraged me to pursue a career in acting. Since then I have taken acting classes at KD Studios in Dallas. Additionally, I have taken part in a movie (A Race against Time- The Sharla Bulter Story Extra MSD Production Directed by Maurice Durham) as an extra and several school plays. I am also a member of the National Thespian Society and was the President of the Desoto Chapter Of the National Thespian Society (2013/14) and won the Award for All Star Cast (Lead) – UIL One Act Play â€Å"The Insanity of Mary Girard† (2013) Dancing (Hip Hop). I always keep myself updated with the developments taking place in the acting (Conley 99). My academic performance is satisfactory and I have a 3.3 GPA. I am also an avid learner who is willing to do all it takes to excel in my studies. While I continuously looking for ways to improve my proficiency in acting, this scholarship would transform my life and help me achieve my career goals. The institution’s rationale for choosing Justin as the best candidate for the scholarship lies behind the fact that he is a talented, motivated and experienced actor who is willing to do all that it take to improve his acting

Leadership and Change in Nursing

Leadership and Change in Nursing Leadership and Change Kym Bell I have chosen to use Jersey College in Trenton, New Jersey for my leadership change project. Jersey College is an educational nursing program that provides the combination of Licensed Practical nursing (LPN); Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and bridge programs for Registered Nurses (RN). The college is located in an urban setting with the student body predominantly from lower income families. The college provides, â€Å"education for adults through an open curriculum that accommodates diverse lifestyles† (Jersey College, 2014). The school prides itself on being the conduit to provide diverse opportunities for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), LPN’s, RN’s. The program provides the opportunity for LPN’s and RN’s to acquire a BSN. Jersey College was founded in 2003 and was originally called The Center for Allied Health Nursing Education. In 2004, the LPN program was approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing. Since opening in 2004, the school has grown to incorporate two New Jersey campuses and two Florida campuses. The school is affiliated with many institutions who provide a variety of other educational opportunities for students (Jersey College, 2014, p. 1). In the past few years, there has been a decrease in the availability of nursing faculties and training sites for nursing students. This has increased the need for nursing instructors to look at alternative clinical sites. A variety of clinical sites are needed to provide students diverse learning and training opportunities. These practice opportunities are needed to prepare students to become independent professional heath care workers. One solution to this problem is to establish a virtual skills laboratory software program. The stakeholders for this project will be the college, instructors, students, parents, and the future communities that these students will be working in. Organizational Structure There is an organizational structure that depicts the framework for running Jersey College (Appendix A). There is a board of directors that hold the governing power. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is included in this group. The budget and financial management of the college is overseen by the CEO. The board hires the president of the college. Presently the president of Jersey College is Steven Litvak. He responsible for organizing, constructing, executing, and assessing the financial aspect of the college. The president is responsible for maintaining and establishing the mission, purpose, and policies of the college. The nursing education department is led by the Dean of Students. The education department is split into the Practical Nursing Program and the Professional Nursing Program. The two combined programs have a budget for educational needs. If a large purchase needs to be approved the department must submit a written request to the Dean of Nursing. The request is then submi tted to the president who then submits the request to the Board of Directors. The school is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE), New Jersey Higher (NJ) Education, and the New Jersey State Board of Nursing (Jersey College, 2014). The department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has supported grants that will sponsor a wide variety of research grants to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of health care in the use of technology. My plan is to apply for a grant called Faculty development: Integrated technology into nursing education and practice (ITNEP). The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (2014) offers a grant that provides support to nursing collaboratives for faculty development in the use of information and other technologies in order to expand the capacity of collegiate schools of nursing to educate students for 21st century health care practice. Nursing collaboratives will use health care information systems to enhance nursing education and practice, optimize patient safety, and drive improvements in health care quality (HHS, 2014, para. 1). Assessment of Readiness Jersey College has a very small simulation lab that has very poor ventilation and very few nursing supplies. There are currently two students in my group that have latex allergies and cannot physically work in the skills lab without having allergic reactions. The students often complain that, even though there are many mannequins, there are no simulators that attach to the mannequins. Many of the other machines and supplies are in disrepair. The mannequins’ teaching capabilities are outdated. Many of them have missing limbs or do not have anatomically correct parts. For example, one of the mannequin’s tracheostomy hole is drilled incorrectly so that the student can only put in the tracheostomy tube upside down. The students do not feel that they are truly getting exposure to best practice in the present skills lab. The cost of replacing the lab has been discussed at many meetings and the concept of implementing a virtual lab has been in committee for the past year. The committee has researched many options and has come up with pros and cons of switching to a virtual lab. With the assistance of community and government funding options, the future of a virtual skills lab appears to be on the horizon. According to the Joint Commission (2014), one of the major causes of a sentinel event in the United States is the lack of communication. This means miscommunication is usually demonstrated in the form of â€Å"wrong patient, wrong site, and wrong procedure†. A sentinel event is a recurring medical issue within a facility that causes patient harm. The Joint Commission has recognized that many of these errors can be avoided by taking a â€Å"time out†. The â€Å"time out† procedure requires a consensus of all healthcare individuals that are involved with the patient. Everyone must stop what they are doing to verify that they have the correct patient; the correct site being assessed; and the correct paperwork/lab results must be verified. Nursing students need to recognize how important it is to verbally and nonverbally communicate with each other to avoid potential medical mistakes. The use of a virtual nursing skills lab can mimic medical situations in a safe and consistent environment. This type of laboratory will provide multiple opportunities for students to interact and communicate with a variety of cyber patients. Nursing students can utilize a virtual environment to learn clinical skills and to practice communication techniques. These skills will be useful when students are interacting with patients, families and other healthcare team members. Currently, the students do not have ample opportunities to access a computer during their class time. Many of the students, over ninety percent, have computers of their own. The nursing program is not currently set up to allow access to class information or other learning materials online. The Dean of Nursing is a very forward thinking person and has petitioned the president to acquire a working virtual laboratory. The Dean and instructors would like to update the school’s equipment and keep the facilities modern and technologically savvy. The new program will keep current students up to date and a new virtual laboratory would be a great way to entice new students into the program. Analysis of Data There are many different types of leadership theories, I chose to use Lippett’s Theory of change. This type of theory decrees that a leader is needed to promote the need for change. Lippitt, Watson, Westley (1958) utilized the basics of Lewin’s Theory of Change which included the concept of freeze, unfreezing and refreezing. Lippitt expanded on Lewin’s theory by adding four more steps. Lippitt et al. (1958) discovered that: Maintaining a favorable balance of forces is a continuous job for the change agent and client system, beginning with the initial decision to undertake a change project or helping relationship and continuing until the project has been completed (p. 73). Lippitt’s Theory of change has seven phases. Phase 1: Recognize there is a problem The problem is that the current hands-on skills laboratory is out of date and in need of a massive facelift. The cost of this renovation would be staggering to the institution. Phase 2: Assess the motivation and capacity for change The students, as well as faculty, have voiced their opinions that either a new skills hands on laboratory or virtual laboratory needs to be added to enhance the teaching/learning capability of the school. Phase 3: Assess the resources and motivation of the change There is a grant and government funding for the school to replace the current lab with a virtual one. Many of the faculty have gone back to school and have been exposed to new technological advances. Virtual software can provide nursing students with a multitude of learning opportunities that cannot always be accessed in the â€Å"real† world. The faculty is eager to learn how to work within an online environment. They have stated that they are willing to be instructed in how to run this type of lab. Upper management is willing to put in the time and energy that is necessary to make this change. Phase 4-Design the progressive stages of change The stages that will take place will be: Have a representative, from the selected virtual laboratory software company to come and speak to those staff members that have volunteered to be â€Å"Super Users†. Implement a training sessions for â€Å"Super Users†. These are fellow colleagues that that are given extensive training to assist others in transitioning to a new product or service. Meet with the nurse managers to provide training using the new laboratory software. Answer all questions and concerns that may affect each individual instructor’s educational needs for each specific laboratory classroom. Provide training sessions for educators to provide each instructor guidelines for the new software. Go â€Å"live† with the virtual laboratory software with students. Phase 5: Ensure the role and responsibility of the change agent is clearly understood Clearly identify as many of the problems as possible to fix prior to going â€Å"live† with the program. Ensure that everyone that works with this change will have technical backup and support. Confirm that there will be a representative from the company to answer any and all questions. Phase 6: Maintain the change through communication, feedback, and group coordination There will be evaluation forms for managers and students to provide feedback. Users will be surveyed to evaluate any changes that may be needed to support their teaching/learning needs. The evaluation will be an ongoing process. As problems arise, there will be a representative available on site or by telephone to assist any users. Phase 7: Gradually remove the change agent At the initial phase of the project, there will be a representative on site to help anyone who is having trouble accessing or understanding how to navigate the new laboratory software. After the first six or eight weeks, the physical presence of the software company will no longer be on site but, there will always be twenty-four hour telephone support (Lippitt, Watson, Westley, 1958). Plan for Change After careful research, by a chosen committee, a specific software program will be bought by the college. The college is currently looking into the software called â€Å"The Digital Clinical Experienceâ„ ¢Ã¢â‚¬  made by Shadow Health. Farmer (2014) states that there are over four hundred colleges and universities that are currently using this type of software in their nursing programs. The article goes on to state that the Shadow Health’s program â€Å"is broken down into ten modules, each of which correlate with a body system students study in class† (Farmer, 2014, para. 10). The acquisition committee has a chairwomen that will contact the software developer and set up a demonstration of the product. The committee members will have the opportunity to talk to one of the four hundred present user sites and observe the software in action. Once the decision has been made to purchase this program, the training will begin. Phase I will be the technical part of installing and updating any computer equipment that the school has. Phase II will be educating and training the instructors and â€Å"Super Users†. Phase III will be educating the students and remaining faculty. Phase IV Take the program â€Å"live† and start assigning lessons within the software website. There will be follow up meetings and suggestion boxes to evaluate the staff and students feedback in using this new system. The staff and students need to feel like their suggestions and feedback will make a difference in promoting advanced learning. The amount of money it will take to update, install, and train faculty and students will be added into the cost of tuition. The research committee has evaluated the cost and have estimated that the increase in semester cost will be two-hundred and fifty dollars per student. There will be opportunities for students to reduce this cost by applying for grants and/or financial aid. Evaluation As with any change, it will take time and dedication for staff and students to get used to the new software and work within an online environment. There will be an initial survey for students and faculty prior to starting the online learning lab project. After the software has been up and running for six months, a follow up survey will be given to evaluate the student’s and staff’s perception of the learning quality provided by the software. The students should be aware that there will always be technical support available to them and that instructors will be reasonable regarding grades and assignment within this initial new setting. The students should be contacted, by the instructor, via email numerous times throughout the semester and asked if they are experiencing any issues or concerns with the new software (O’Neil, Fisher, Rietschel, 2014, p. 134). The continuous evaluation process will allow the college to work with the software developers to custom fit the needs of the college. References Farmer, R. (October, 2014) Virtual patient teaches nursing students lessons in real-life care. Nurse.com. Retrieved from http://news.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014141009007#.VFvjrvnF8mvAssets/ 092014_SpaceCoastBusinessMagazine_FlCTWWinners.pdf Jersey College. (2014). About us: Accreditation and licensing. Retrieved from http://www.jerseycollege.edu/about/accreditation-licensing/ Joint Commission. (2014) Sentinel event data: root causes by event type 1995–2Q2014. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/General_Information_1995-2Q_2014.pdf Lippitt, R., Watson, J. Westley, B. (1958). The dynamics of planned change. New York: Harcourt Brace. O’Neil, C., Fisher, C., Rietschel, M. (2014). Developing online learning environments in nursing education (3rd Ed.). New York: Springer. Shadow Health. (2014). Health assessment software. Retrieved from http://www.shadowhealth.com/health-assessment.html The Center for Allied Health Nursing Education. (January, 2012). Faculty guidelines for practicum experiences. United States Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS). (2014). Faculty development: Integrated technology into nursing education and practice (INTEP). Retrieved from http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/grants/itnep.html Appendix A ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF JERSEY COLLEGE Admission Advisors `Education Coordinator Financial Aid Planner Career Services AdvisorProgram Administrator Media Services and LibrarianNursing Faculty Administrative AssistantProgram Administrator Registrar Nursing Faculty Academic Affairs Coordinator The Center for Allied Health Nursing Education. (January, 2012, p. 14)

Review of Research Paper on Creating Home-Made Stem Cells

Our paper discusses an important step in the research surrounding stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are found in the early blastocyst, and can differentiate into different cell types such as neurons, cardiac muscle, or blood cells. As is explained elsewhere on this paper, stem cells are extremely useful and hold amazing medical potential, especially to â€Å"grow† specific cells, tissues, and even organs for patients. Controversy mires the progress of stem cell research from embryos, however, and technical problems exist along with the ethical ones. Marius Wernig and his team of scientists have had success studying a way to get around this, however. What if, instead of taking stem cells from newly created embryos, an individual’s own cells could be used? The cells in the adult body are no longer stem cells; they aren’t pluripotent, and can only be a certain type. But with special techniques, it’s actually possible to induce these adult cells to become stem cells, with a pluripotency that allows them to develop into whatever cell type is needed! In this experiment, induced pluripotent stem cells were created using the fibroblast cells from mice. Fibroblasts were removed from underneath the skin of the subject mice. In order to revert the cell back to a induced pluripotent state, four specially selected transcription factors (Oct 4, Sox 2, c-Myc and Klf4) were used. These four transcription factors were each incorporated into the DNA of a virus that lacked the capacity to infect, and the fibroblasts were exposed to these viruses. Just like normal viruses, these injected their DNA into the fibroblast cells, and the DNA was incorporated into the cell. Now the fibroblasts contained the new transcription ... ... become a breeding ground for debate as well as a popular platform for presidential candidates. These topics have also become very partisan issues, Democrats being known to fully support stem cell research and Republicans being known to disagree with the practices involved with it. In 2004, stem cell research was a particularly hot topic, and it is commonly thought that President Bush’s second term was won that year due to his stance on embryonic stem cell research. He thought is was unethical to create any more embryonic stem cell lines, but that the use of the existing ones for research was acceptable. Works Cited Wernig, Marius, Alexander Meissner, Ruth Foreman, Tobias Brambrink, Manching Ku, Konrad Hochedlinger, Bradley E. Bernstein & Rudolf Jaenisch. "In vitro reprogramming of fibroblasts into pluripotent ES-cell-like state." Nature 448(2007): 318-325.

Case Study Crescent Pure Essay

Due to Crescent being Portland Drake Beverages’ (PDB) first entry into the U.S. sport/energy beverage market, there are some issues that PDB should consider with regard to Crescent’s impending launch. These issues consist of determining what customers want, being discussion-worthy and being transparent. Before launching Crescent it is essential to make sure that there is a place for Crescent in the market. Sarah Ryan, Vice President of Marketing for PDB, is doing this by trying to specify whether Crescent fits in the market better as an energy drink, a sport drink or a healthy organic beverage. Being discussion-worthy is another important issue to consider because it is important to make sure Crescent’s product stands out against the various other energy/sport beverage companies that are coming out with their own products. By captivating your consumers with something discussion-worthy, you’ll foster organic word-of-mouth about your brand. Being transparent is also a vital issue to consider because consumers have so many options on where to spend their money for sport/energy drinks. By being transparent and showing consumers exactly where their money is going, Crescent’s product will attract consumers. Letting consumers know where Crescent’s products are coming from and why they are priced they way they are gives power to the consumer, and helps them feel confident about their purchases. The factors that should influence the position of Crescent are competitors, market segmentation and market size. The market segmentation for sport drinks and energy drinks are distinguished through levels of hydration provided, energy provided, nutrition provided and favorable taste provided. Most energy drinks have higher energy, lower nutrition, lower hydration and  lower favorable taste compared to sports drinks. Additionally, the largest group of energy drink consumers were males between the ages of 18-34. Also parents of children were more likely to consume energy drinks and the highest volume of drinks consumed was by respondents with a household income below $25,000 per year. For sport drinks, roughly half of men consumed them, while only a third of women did. Furthermore, although 40% of men found sports drinks refreshing, only 27% of females did. Sports drinks appealed to younger consumers, 62% of those between the ages of 18 to 24. Crescent’s best target is males a nd females between the ages of 18-35. PDB must decide whether or not to position Crescent as an energy drink, a sport drink, or a healthy organic beverage. The advantages for positioning Crescent as an energy drink is that the market size for energy drinks has grown 40% between 2010 and 2012. Energy drinks were estimated to be $8.5 billion in the United States in 2013; forecasts projected that figure to reach $13.5 billion by 2015. Another advantage is that Crescent is a beverage that consists of organic ingredients that are a healthier option than most energy drinks. This is an advantage because sales of energy drinks with lower levels of caffeine and purer ingredients are rising due to consumer demand for healthier food and beverage choices. A disadvantage for positioning Crescent as an energy drink is that many potential consumers view energy drinks as unhealthy and might not see past that when PDB launches their new Crescent energy drink. Due to news stories highlighting the alleged health risks from energy drinks, 32% of consumers over 18 indicated they drank an energy drink in the last six months, 11% of who were drinking fewer energy drinks than they had a year earlier. The advantages of positioning Crescent as a sport drink is that the market size is also increasing. The market increased 9% between 2007 and 2012. In 2012, sports drinks reached $6.3 billion in the United States and are expected to grow to $9.58 billion by 2017. Another advantage of positioning Crescent as a sports drink is that diet and low-sugar beverages, which did not exist before 2009, had grown by 33% between 2010 and 2012. The market size for diet and low-sugar sports drinks is expected to increase from $1.4 billion in 2012 to $2.97 billion in 2017. This is perfect for PDB because  the Crescent beverage is based on being a diet, low-sugar, and overall healthy option. The disadvantage of PDB positioning Crescent as a sports drink is the concern regarding rising childhood obesity rates resulting in government-mandated guidelines to remove high-calorie sugary drinks and snacks, including sports drinks, from school vending machines. This could be a negative impact on the amount of sports drinks young consumers buy, who make up a large portion of the sports drinks that are consumed. The advantages of positioning Crescent as a healthy organic beverage is due to consumers currently moving towards healthier food and beverage options, as mentioned earlier. It is a market that is currently growing and will continue to grow. The disadvantage of positioning Crescent as a healthy organic beverage is that it lacks the energy that is provided by other energy drinks due to its use of organic ingredients. A focus group feedback found that some young consumers noted that Crescent had less energy than they had hoped. The positioning strategy that I would select would be a healthy organic beverage. It is important to find what draws you apart from the competition and then advertise based on that. The target market that Crescent wants to attract are people who are health conscious and consumers who buy sugary energy and sport drinks aren’t going to be as health conscious. Other implications that this will have for other elements of the marketing mix is that PDB could potentially raise the price for a Crescent beverage because some consumers from the focus group questioned PDB’s ability to deliver quality organic ingredients at $2.75, when most healthy organic beverages are above $3.00. Another implication this will have for other elements of the marketing mix is where this product is going to be sold. If Crescent is being sold as a healthy organic beverage then it must be sold in a store that sells other healthy and organic products in order to provide for the right target market. Lastly, Crescent will have to be advertised as a healthy organic beverage through packaging, commercials and other forms of advertisement showing that this product is healthy and only organic ingredients are used to make it.

Economic, Political, and Social Factors Related to Aids in Africa

Without a single doubt, one can say politics has been the main driving forces in the spread of this disease. Once the â€Å"triple cocktail† was discovered by doctors, it managed to signal an era in which AIDS was no longer a fatal disease. Nevertheless, the high costs of this drug meant that it was unaffordable to patients from the undeveloped countries where stigma and desperation flourished. Additionally, patients in developed countries such as America were incapable of being introduced to this remedy if they were incompetent in affording health care.Patients felt defeated, restless, isolated, and accepted that there is a social disorder accommodated with this disease. There was a political conflict in subordinating the expenses of this medicine in countries such as Brazil where health care is guaranteed for all its citizens. South African government further encountered a tragic failure in battling with this epidemic that was overwhelming its country. President Mbeki came i nto power with an unconventional message and promised solutions for AIDS.When Mbeki was leading a nation with more infections than any country in the world, he affirmed throughout his speech that HIV is not the causation of AIDS but an environmental or social condition such as poverty, and banned the cocktail claiming it was toxic for the population. Hence, the fundamental proposition that arose was if HIV doesn’t cause AIDS, then how would anti-HIV drugs lead to such dramatic improvement in one’s well-being and how does AIDS get passed on to a child from a mother who is infected with HIV.This evidently proved that denial and neglect in African government for covering the cost burden of these drugs in order to save the lives of its citizens. Indubitably there is a monumental controversy regarding the funding for AIDS drugs globally. If our mission is to reach equity and justice in our society, we must ensure funding for AIDS drugs and also ensure practical preventative factors are provided for all our citizens regardless of their socioeconomic status.