Answering a Question

Violence in the workplace

                Over the years, there has been a major increase in the demand for Nurses. People will always get sick or injured and hospitals need nurses available to treat them. Some think nursing is an easy career to pursue, but it comes with much schooling and tough competition. In college many tough classes are required and the nursing program becomes harder and harder to get into every year, accepting only be best future nurses.  What most people don’t realize is that a hospital is not always the safest environment and that there are things that go on that most people are in fact shocked by. Many nurses experience violent patients, contact with sick patients, and much fatigue due to lack of sleep and many hours on the job.

                Many nurses have been victims of this violence in the workplace. In fact, nurses are more likely than any other healthcare professionals to be a victim of assault. This is because patients spend most time with the nurses, only seeing the doctor once or twice. The nurse is the one to give them medicine, care for them, and make sure they are alright. Nurses are aware ahead of time of the potential of danger in this field such as twisting and ankle or slipping, but never anything very severe. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 500,000 nurses are assaulted by violent patients each year. In Martinez, California for example, a patient faked a seizure and smashed a lamp into the head of his nurse, Cynthia Palomata, killing her. Another nurse, Kelly Mclean from New York was brutally attacked by a patient, kicked and punched until she was unconscious. The patient then grabbed the phone from the charge nurse who was calling for help, and used it to continue his assault. As crazy as it sounds, this type of violence happens very often.  But why would a patient act like that? Some nurses have reported that conditions have worsened in the last couple years due to the Great Recession and massive layoffs which resulted in many people losing their health care insurance coverage, mental healthcare, and jobs. Thus therefore making people more stressed out, desperate for help, and agitated when entering the hospital. But does this justify harming an innocent person?

                Not only do the violent patients make hospitals an unsafe environment, the many sick patients also does. Part of being a nurse comes with being in close contact with many patients who are suffering with injuries, illnesses such as the flu, an infection, diseases, and etc. For example, many nurses who have come in close contact with patients who are ill do in fact sometimes end up ill themselves. If a nurse becomes sick, other nurses around them may end up sick soon after as well. The fact that nurses are not allowed many personal days due to things such as being ill can cause much damage. If the nurses are sick, it can cause the patients to be sick sometimes worsening their state.  Another major reoccurring problem in hospitals more recently is the needles. Many nurses have found themselves being injured by the sharp needles, making it a workplace hazard. Many hospitals have called for acts requesting that all needles are safe to use along with the campaign “Safe Needles Saves Lives” helping to make people aware of the dangers of unsafe needles.  Although these are many risks involved with being a nurse, there are ways they can be managed and prevent them from continuing to happen.

                Lastly the fatigue it causes nurses to have can have an influence on the environment in the hospital. Being a nurse comes with many responsibilities, such as being available to work whenever it is needed and working long shifts up to as much as fourteen hours. This especially can be dangerous to nurses working the night shift and having to sleep during the day. This fatigue can have a toll on the nurse and their performance on the job, putting much stress on them. A nurse’s sleep is very precious, because if they do not get enough rest, a patient’s life can potentially be harmed which is why nurses should be given more days off to rest. Even though their jobs are important, they are only human and need as much sleep as everyone else. This fatigue can also make them less able to handle situations with aggressive patients, putting them at a greater risk of danger. Because of this, hospitals in places such as New York and Massachusetts have created a barrier against abuse and protect nurses who work night shifts and those who work alone and are short staffed.  These new laws are helping to create a better environment for nurses, and life on the job is improving.

                On the other hand, many might say that these acts of violence and hazards in the workplace are all part of the job description that comes with being a nurse and that if you cannot handle them you should purse a different career. A nurse must know how to handle situations with violent patients, maintaining calm to diffuse anger among a patient who may feel anxious or fearful to let he/she know they’re there for them.  Also nurses are taught how to restrain patients, sometimes having to tie them down to keep them from harming themselves and others around them.  When dealing with a sick patient, nurses wear gloves and masks, taking precautions to keep the patients illness from spreading. But even though a nurse is taught all of these ways to take care and handle a patient and that they should be aware of all of the risks, sometimes they’re put into situations where these methods are ineffective.  Sometimes things happen and they cannot be prevented, but no person should be put in harm no matter the situation.

                In conclusion, violence in the workplace is a rising problem found in hospitals worldwide. These violent acts are continuing to happen because the nurse is either afraid to report, knows nothing will be done, or may in some cases even feel they are to blame for the incident because of their own “weakness”. But this should not be a way for the person to get away with this. Many hospitals have prompted nursing associations such as NYSNA and ANA to issue calls for action to end workplace violence, holding vigils for the unfortunate ones who didn't make it. They believe nurses have the right to work in a healthy environment. If a nurse is injured there are many repercussions for the patient, evaluating their mental state, and possibly jail time. There has been a big increase of patients coming into hospitals that are on drugs, have gone without care, and many of them have come from prisons and have mental problems and are more prone to violence. By getting these patients the right care they need, and evaluating their mind state, this may help with this problem. These laws and associations coming together has helped to decrease the number of injuries due to violent patients,  states such as Alabama, Arizona, and North Carolina, are states that have enacted legislation to increase penalties for acts of workplace violence affecting nurses, hopefully this number increases to all states one days soon. This issue is one that most people are not aware of, but in time hopefully this violence in the workplace is stopped indefinitely, keeping nurses worldwide safe, making hospitals a better environment. 

Analysis

Grey’s Anatomy

                Like many other television shows and movies, the reality of life is portrayed. When most people think of their future they dream of being successful with a good job, perfect family, wealthy, and happy. This kind of life is possible, but it is not always easy. The show Grey's Anatomy is a great example of the roller coaster we call life. It's about a group of people training to be surgeons at a hospital known as Seattle Grace. They experience the stress that comes with being a surgeon, dealing with a variety of patients involved in car accidents, to as far as people diagnosed with cancer. In an episode called "Flight" the residents pass their board’s exam and are officially surgeons. They were each offered jobs at hospitals all over the world and as they are on their way to their interviews they are in a tragic plane crash. Some are injured tremendously and others die. This episode portrays the value of life and how short it is, how bad things happen to good people, and how tragedy brings people closer together.

                The value of life and how short it can be is a common theme found in the show Grey’s Anatomy. In the episode, after the plane crash they think. “Why me?” Questioning everything about their life not understanding why it had to happen to them. One of the characters, Mark, who was on board when the plane crashed was devastated because his ex-girlfriend, Lexi, who was also on the plane when it crashed, was killed after the accident. “We’re going to have the best life, you and me. You can’t die because we’re supposed to end up together. We’re meant to be.” This quote from Mark explains how guilty he felt, not being able to be with her. This teaches viewers that life is too short, and that one should value everything they have. To not take it for granted, making the most of it not knowing when it may end.

Another concept common in this episode was that bad things sometimes happen to good people. A member of the plane, Derrick, who was known as one of the best surgeons, injures his hand which is the most important part of a surgeon’s body. Another member of the plane, Arizona, who was another well-known surgeon who operated on new born babies and young children, lost her leg in the accident. “We need to find help, my hand needs  surgery, this type of damage may ruin my career” A quote said by Derrick, like Arizona he was worried that his career was in danger, and that he would never be able to perform a surgery again. No matter what type of person you are, no matter how many good things you do in life, sometimes bad things happen. Tragedy is a part of life, it happens. But in a tragedy, never give up. As a result this teaches viewers to be stronger and to have faith, because good things come to those who wait.

                Lastly, tragedy can bring people closer together. Even though some of the members of the plane crash died, those who survived never gave up and stuck together. They did everything they could do to make sure that everyone was okay, and shared what little food and water they had left with each other as they waited for help, lost in the middle of nowhere after the plane went down. They had become a team, and learned to trust one another. “There’s an end to every storm. The clouds will part. The rain will stop. The sky will clear in an instant and only then, in those moments after the storm, do we learn who was strong enough to survive it “Said by Meredith, a passenger, explaining how they all learned to be strong and then realized sometimes when bad things happen, making them realize that every moment counts, never life your live your life unhappy. After everything they had been through they stayed positive. Eventually they were rescued, and when they returned to their homes and families back at the hospital they remained closer, even closer than they were before. Because even though the accident happened, it was something that will always remind them how lucky they truly are.  After they returned they sued the plane company and went through a long tough process but in the end they won, each getting five million. Instead of spending the money on themselves they gave back to the hospital which was in debt, putting all of their money together to get the hospital back up and running. Arizona and Derrick, the two members of the plane that were injured putting their career at risk, went through many surgeries and trainers but in the end they were fine and could return to work. No matter what happens, staying positive leads to good results.

                Overall, the show Grey’s Anatomy is a great example of the values of life and tragedy.  In many ways, TV producers use shows such as this to attract more viewers and make more money. Giving them something they can look up to, people they can admire, by showing real life tragedies that happen every day to anyone. Also teaching them how to work through them, value their life and be grateful for what they have. Life is short and you should do everything you can to make sure you’re happy and that you are where you want to be in life. The perfect life to some may be becoming rich and successful, but to others they may want to just simply be happy and around the people they love, not caring about the materialistic things. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, not saying bad things should happen to bad people just meaning that it can happen to anyone and no matter how you live your life, not matter what you may do and how much you may give back, it happens because that’s just life. All TV shows are supposed to have a theme, not only are they for entertainment but they teach you something. Grey’s Anatomy teaches viewers that if they work hard and never give up, they can achieve great things such as becoming a surgeon and saving lives, inspiring viewers to want to be great too.

MLA Works Cited

“Flight.” Grey’s Anatomy. Writ. Shonda Rhimes. Dir. Rob Corn.  ABC, 11 Jan. 2011. ABC.com. Web.  17. May. 2012. 

Response

Personal Image

                Every male or female has always had a problem with the way they look, and how other people perceive them in some way.  Whether it be their looks and face, their weight, the way they dress, or even the people they associate themselves with. When you think about this concept you normally think girls in their young teenage years, and sometimes even middle aged adults.  But this can in fact, happen to males as well. Personal Image is the idea, concept, or mental image one has of oneself. But what makes a person feel bad about their image? And what do they do about it?

                Personal image has become a reoccurring subject talked about in today’s society. As a young kid even I looked up to all of the pretty models and actresses on TV, reading all of the magazines, looking at the pretty clothes and make up, wanting to be just like them and dress the way they dressed. I thought it would make me look more mature. But isn't that what every young kid dreams about, Being a “big kid”? To many people, they see the perfect image as a young beautiful girl whose face is clear and flawless, with perfect makeup their lips shining and eyes glowing, skinny, with the best clothes and fashion sense. But is that really what the perfect image and body is supposed to look like, or simply just what the media and magazines make it out to be. These are questions most people ask themselves after reading these magazines and seeing these beautiful people.

                Media and magazines portray what would be commonly known as the “Perfect Image” in many ways. They use these beautiful, skinny models to advertise the perfect size you should be. They put the models in the best clothes to make you feel like you need to dress like he/she dresses. Models, singers, and actors/actresses are all ways that the media draws you in. These use these known famous people to attract more people to buy their products. Famous people like Madonna and Marilyn Monroe, people that everyone knows and worships. Many young teenagers admire and want to be like these iconic stars, on the other hand making older adults feel old and bad about the way they look, wishing they could be young again.

                The media knows the ways that people think, and exactly how to catch their eye. Therefore using these well-known and famous people to use as advertisement to sell their clothing, TV’s talking about different ways of dieting and losing weight to have the perfect body. Some of these methods have proven to be successful, attracting many young teenagers into the stores and the amount of money being made increasing rapidly, but some have proven unsuccessful. For example the concept of the perfect body can have a negative impact on people. After seeing ads for all of the ways to diet and lose weight, many people see what they think are the perfect body and do everything that they can to have that body. Sometimes putting their health at risk, leading to eating disorders such as Bulimia which is where someone eats little portions and then throws the food up thinking it will make them lose weight. Also another disorder is Anorexia which is where the person doesn't eat at all, convinced that they are fat and work out constantly to lose weight. These are very dangerous, unhealthy and can lead to death in some cases. Ads of the perfect image can also lead a person to want to get plastic surgery, changing the way they look, spending mass amounts of unnecessary spending’s.

                But what if that wasn't the case? What if the way personal image was portrayed was in fact a positive thing. To some, seeing magazines full of models that are beautiful and in great shape could be more of a motivation than something to feel bad about. Making some people want to work out, eat healthy, and start a diet. People will begin losing weight the right way, the way that is proven to be more successful and safe. Seeing someone who has expensive and popular clothing may make someone feel thankful for everything they have, and in fact make one not feel jealous at all of the clothes models wear, feeling just as good and satisfied about their own clothing. Surprisingly enough people might not feel bad about their personal image, they may indeed feel happy about the way they look and wouldn't change a thing about it. Media and advertisements of beautiful models make many feel great and thankful for everything they have been given, and everything they've achieved in life so far.

                This concept of personal image all depends on the person. One may view it in a bad way, as something that would make someone feel the need to change the way they look and their body, in some cases inflicting bodily harm upon themselves. But to others personal image is a motivation to look even better than they already do, or to admire and appreciate the way they look and how hard they worked to get there. Every person has their own opinions and feels differently about certain situations. These opinions may be based off of how they were raised and have always been known to feel about certain situations, their culture, and even as deep as their confidence level and if they have high or low self-esteem. Personal Image is a very diverse concept; it is more than what meets the eye. The perfect image and body doesn't have to be what the magazines make it out to be. The perfect body could be someone who is a little bigger. The perfect image can be someone who doesn't wear too much makeup, who doesn't have all the perfect clothes, if they like the clothes they have and are content with them nothing else should matter. As long as you’re happy with whom you are and the way you look, you too are the perfect image. Would you rather be like everyone else, dress like everyone else? Or would you rather be your own person and do/wear what makes you feel confident and happy? These are all very important questions to think about when discussing Personal Image.

Narrative

Graduation Night

               

                It was a beautiful, sunny, Saturday morning.  May 25^th 2013, a day I will never forget as long as I live, Graduation Day.  It was a day that motivated me more than anything to be successful in my future life to come. The birds and crickets chirping, cars driving by, all sounding like a beautiful melody. I was tired because I had barely slept the night before, my mind racing like no other.  What if I fall? What if they forget to call my name?  I was thinking about every possible thing that could go wrong. We were told to arrive at our assigned rooms at 9:00 am, and the ceremony was scheduled to start at 11:00 am. As we waited we decided to take a walk around the school for the last time. As I walked memories came rushing back, it was like I was in a time machine. I thought about my first day of high school, how nervous I was. I thought about homecoming, our senior prank and how we blocked the parking lot so students couldn’t get through. I thought about my last day of senior year, how we all brought our dogs to school. The principal was furious but couldn’t help but laugh. It all just seemed so surreal, am I really about to graduate?

As we all walked onto the field, I remember feeling so happy. My head held high, walking with purpose. I was so proud of myself for working so hard to be where I was. Walking to my seat I heard “Woo, go Alyssa!” my face red as ever as my family screamed my name. As we took our seats the principal gave an introduction speech and the ceremony began. I had my favorite teacher Mr. Nesselroad give me my diploma. He was my chemistry teacher. Although he was hard on us, it was only to make us stronger, and confident that we could achieve any career we dreamed of with hard work and dedication. I couldn’t explain how I felt being handed my diploma because it was all such a blur. I was numb and in total shock with the biggest smile on my face. After saying my goodbyes, I headed off to graduation party after graduation party. My best friend Brittany and I decided we wanted to do something fun to end the night, so we gathered up all of our friends and we decided to go to a party. We stopped at a nearby gas station, UDF, to get some snacks. That was when our night took a huge turn of events, when the night got horrifying. As we were shopping we noticed a man that was staring at us and smiling. He was about thirty five, with short black hair. He wore a gray shirt and a red Ohio state cap. Freaked out by the man, we left in a hurry and after driving for about twenty minutes I realized someone was following me. “Hey do you guys think this man is following us?” I said worried. “Yes, let’s make some random turns and try to lose them” my friend Taylor said.  But they were persistent, we started to panic. “Oh my gosh what do we do? I’m too young to die”. My friend Brittany said in a panic. “I have an idea! Let’s run through this yellow light leaving them stuck on red” I said confidently.  I hit the pedal with force flying through the light, just as it was turning red. Looking back we realized the car had run the red light. “AHH” we all screamed.  In a panic we drove straight to the police station. The car had followed us into the police station, luckily cops were outside. “Help this man is following us, we don’t know who he is “we all yelled.  All at once cops came rushing in, arresting the man. Just as we had thought, it was the man from the gas station. The police came to us telling us the man was drunk, he said he was certain we had told him to follow us. Laughing he calmed us down telling us it happens all the time, and not to worry. We were told to fill out statements of what exactly happened and then were free to go. 

                Out of all of the crazy nights I’ve had, graduation night was definitely the best by far. Even though it was a scary experience I learned a lot that night. I learned about opportunities, how hard work pays off and that you should never give up. Getting my diploma motivated me more than ever to achieve everything I have always dreamed off. And I hope to one day become successful and prove everyone who doubted me wrong, making my friends and family proud.

Welcome

Hey! My name is Alyssa Williams and I recently graduated from Rutherford B. Hayes High School. I am a first year student at CSCC and I have created this blog for an assignment in my english1100 class at Columbus State. I intend to hopefully aspire a career in the Medical field as a Nurse after I graduate college. My plan is to spend the next two years at Columbus State to achieve my associates in Science, then go on to The Ohio State University to get my Nursing degree. Nursing is something I have always been interested in doing because I love helping people and I hope to make a change in someones life one day.  I hope that by reading this Blog you can hopefully learn more about me and my hobbies and interests!