Understanding Of Sociological Concepts And Theories Sociology Essay

Understanding Of Sociological Concepts And Theories Sociology Essay This essay will demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of sociological concepts and theories related to health, illness and health care. It will also look and explain the historical and contemporary patterns of inequality in health and illness. It will also critically discuss why some people are healthier than others. It will also Discuss insight of sociological methods of research discovery and evaluate the relevant data. Sociology of health is the study between different ethnic groups and individuals in human society. The twentieth century has witnessed a rise in life expectancy for people that live in industrialized countries compared to other parts of the world the standards of health and wellbeing are quite high. Research has shown that certain groups of people tend to enjoy a much healthier life style than others. Theses health inequalities appear to be in the larger socioeconomic patterns. Sociologists have attempted to explain the link between health and the variation in social class, gender, race, age and location (Giddens 2001). Research on class and health has shown a pattern between death and illness and an individuals social class. There have been two nationwide studies on health in the United Kingdom one of theses being The Black Report in 1980 (Giddens 2001). The Black Report, was commissioned by the government to look at data on health inequalities and to make recommendation for policy and research, which focused largely on materialist explanation of health inequality. The report emphasised the need for an all- inclusive anti-poverty policy and for improvement in education in order to reduce health inequalities (Macintyre 1997). Studies show that poverty can be bad for your health. Areas of the country with above average numbers of people dying young, that is before 65, are generally poor urban areas. Glasgow, London and many of the biggest cities in the North of England stand out in particular. Suicide rates amongst young men are four times higher amongst those with no known occupation compared to those in Social Class 1. People on low incomes are more likely to suffer episodes of serious depression. (BBC News 1999) In a speech on 27 March 1977 the then Secretary of State for Social Services stated: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. The crude differences in mortality rates between the various social classes are worrying. To take the extreme example, in 1971 the death rate for adult men in social class V (unskilled workers) was nearly twice that of adult men in social class I (professional workers) even when account has been taken of the different age structure of the 2 classes. When you look at death rates for specific diseases the gap is even wider. For examples for tuberculosis the death rate in social class V is 10 times that for social class I; for bronchitis it was 5 times as high and for lung cancer and stomach cancer 3 times as high. Social class differences in mortality begin at birth. In 1971 neo-natal death rates deaths within the first month of life were twice as high for the children of fathers in social class V as they were in social class I. Death rates for the post-neo-natal period from one month up to one year were nearly 5 times higher in social class V than in social class I à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The first step towards remedial action is to put together what is already known about the problem à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is a major challenge for the next 10 or more years to try to narrow the gap in health standards between different social classes. Many cultures have different health and cultural beliefs such as in the Asian ethnic groups believe that the extended family have influence on individuals; the oldest male is the decision maker and spokesman. Stacy (1988) stated that various cultural social and economic factors all of which have their own roots in the eighteenth century Biomedical is one of the ways to understanding health and illness in the western cultures, but also being accepted not only by doctors but also by none professional. There is general agreement among contributors that there are a number of important characteristics Nettleton (1995.5) describes some examples these being Mid -body dualism which is accepting that the mind and the body can be treated with two different things, Mechanical metaphor looks at the theory of which that the body is a machine, Biomedical is described as reductionist in that there are tendency to reduce all explanations to the physical working of the body. All cultures have a known concept of physical health and illness, but most of what is recognized as medicine is a consequence of development in western society over the past three centuries. Premodern cultures, the family was the main institution coping with illness and disease. There have always been people who believe that you can be healed by different remedi es such as physical and magical in the non- western cultures throughout the world (Giddens 2001). The Bio-medical model there are three main theorys on why the bio-medical model of health is predicted. First disease is seen as a breakdown within the human body that diverts it from its normal state of being The germ theory of disease, second is the mind and body are able to be treated separately and the third being doctors who have been trained and are experts in treating illness and disease (Giddens 2001). Critics to this model say that the effectiveness of scientific medicine overrated. In spite of the prestige that modern medicine has acquired, improvement in overall health can be attributed far more too social and environmental changes than to medical skill. Effective sanitation, better nutrition and improved sewerage and hygiene were more influential particularly in reducing the rates of infant deaths and young people (Mc Keown 1979). Other critics like Ivan Illich (1976) states that modern medicine has done more harm than good.

Abortion - Morally Wrong for 3000 Years! :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Judaeo-Christian tradition has always condemned abortion as a grave evil. The law of Moses ordered strict penalties for causing an abortion. We read, "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [Hebrew: "so that her child comes out"], but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" (Ex. 21:22-24). This applies the lex talionis or "law of retribution" to abortion. The lex talionis establishes the just punishment for an injury (eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life, compared to the much greater retributions that had been common before, such as life for eye, life for tooth, lives of the offender's family for one life). The lex talionis would already have been applied to a woman who was injured in a fight. The distinguishing point in this pas sage is that a pregnant woman is hurt "so that her child comes out"; the child is the focus of the lex talionis in this passage. Aborted babies must have justice, too. This is because they, like older children, have souls, even though marred by original sin. David tells us, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Ps. 51:5). Since sinfulness is a spiritual rather than a physical condition, David must have had a spiritual nature from the time of conception. The same is shown in James 2:26, which tells us that "the body without the spirit is dead": The soul is the life-principle of the human body. Since from the time of conception the child's body is alive (as shown by the fact it is growing), the child's body must already have its spirit.    The approximately 5,000 historic documents of the Early Church Fathers makes numerous references to abortion as a grave sin. The Didache, perhaps the first Christian catechism from 70-90AD, records the following in chapter 2, verses 1-2: "The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child.

The Evolution of the Microprocessor Essay -- essays research papers

The Integrated Circuit: The Evolution of an Electronic Miracle The microprocessor evolved over the course of many years of research, and people all over the world enjoy the benefits of this electronic miracle. It is difficult to think of anything that has affected modern life more than this invention. Cellular phones, wristwatches, calculators, automobiles, stereos, televisions, and computers are just a few of the thousands of electronic devices that have a microchip at the heart of its operation. Over the years, three major breakthroughs occurred to accelerate the birth of the microprocessor: the vacuum tube, the transistor, and the integrated circuit. The Vacuum Tube American physicist Lee De Forest invented the vacuum tube in 1906. However, one must look back to 1879 when Thomas Edison first revealed the incandescent electric light bulb to understand how De Forest developed his idea. Edison’s invention consisted of a conducting filament mounted in a glass bulb. Electricity passing through the filament caused it to heat up and created a vacuum that prevented the filament from oxidizing and burning up. In 1883, Edison detected electrons flowing through the vacuum from the lighted filament to a metal plate mounted inside the bulb. This became known as the Edison Effect, but he did not develop this particular discovery any further. However, British physicist John Fleming found that the Edison Effect also detected radio waves and converted them to electricity. In 1904, Fleming first showed off his two-element vacuum tube known as the Fleming diode that converted an alternating current (AC) signal into direct current (DC) (Kuphaldt). The Fleming diode consisted of an incandescent light bulb with an extra electrode inside. Electrons boiled off the surface of the metal plate and into the vacuum inside the bulb as the filament became white-hot. When the extra electrode became more positive than the filament, a direct current flowed through the vacuum proving that AC signals could be converted into DC. One of the first uses of the Fleming diode was to detect weak signals produced by the new wireless telegraph. Later, the diode vacuum tube was used to convert AC into DC for power supplies in electronic equipment (Kuphaldt). Many inventors tried to improve the Fleming diode, but the only one who succeeded was American inventor Lee De Forest. In 1906, De Forest int... ...light bulb. References Bellis, M. The History of Computers. Retrieved Mar. 03, 2005, from About.com web site: http://www.inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm. Hoff, T. Fascinating Facts about the Invention of the Microprocessor. Retreived Feb 28, 2005, from Idea Finder web site: http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/microprocessor.htm IC Knowledge. History of the Integrated Circuit. Retrieved February 28, 2005, from IC Knowledge web site: http://www.icknowledge.com/history/history.html. Kuphaldt, T. R. Early Tube History. Retrieved Feb. 24, 2005, from All About Circuits Web site: http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_3/chpt_13/2.html. Lindberg, A. A. The History of the Integrated Circuit. Retrieved Mar. 03, 2005, from Nobelprize.org Web site: http://nobelprize.org/physics/educational/integrated_circuit/history Maxfield, C. and Brown, A. Retrieved Feb. 24, 2005, from The History of Computers Web site: http://www.maxmon.com. Riordan, M. and Hoddeson, L. (1997). Crystal Fire-The Birth of the Information Age. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company Inc. Sullivan, J. (Ed.). (1988). The Chipmakers. Alexandrea, VA: Time-Life Books. (Understanding Computers Series)

Breadcrafter’s breads Essay

This business plan is a tightly constructed, succinct consideration of all factors relevant to launching this bakery. From rent charges to competition and seasonal changes to costs per loaf, this plan hasn’t left anything out†¦all without being overly verbose. This exemplary plan is very focused and complete, which will help the business stay on course. Breadcrafter’s breads will stand out from the competition due to their uniqueness and outstanding quality. Most of the breads are European in style, including Sourdough, Miche (a traditional French whole wheat bread), and Sourdough Rye. These breads are made by the sourdough method which uses no added yeast. This method imparts a rich flavor, which can be tangy or mild, as well as a toothsome inner crumb and a crackly crust. By using this method, a skilled baker can create truly delicious breads without added fats or sugars, making many of Breadcrafter’s products 100% fat free. Sourdough breads also have an extended shelf life, remaining fresh for days without the use of preservatives. Breadcrafter will also offer specialty breads, which will be made in the sourdough way with the addition of such luxurious ingredients as Parmagian cheese with fresh ground pepper and dried Michigan cherries with roasted pecans. Spent Grain Bread, made with barley leftover from beer brewing, is another unique product that Breadcrafter will offer. Two varieties of French style baguettes will be offered fresh daily, a high demand product that is available nowhere else in the area. Breadcrafter will also produce White and Wheat Sandwich Breads with soft crust and a tender crumb for traditional American Style sandwiches. As the needs of the customer change, so will the lineup of Breadcrafter’s products. The bakery equipment is chosen with versatility in mind. After establishing the business, Breadcrafter will research the possibility of producing sandwiches to increase revenues. This investment would require approximately $1500.00 for the purchase of equipment and ingredients. The company will also pursue wholesale contracts. Toothsome Foods Company has indicated interest in a contract to produce two Christmas products on a per loaf basis, Cherry Chocolate Fruitcake and Midwest Christmas Stollen. These products can help generate revenues in the slower Autumn months. The proprietor will also consider producing some of Toothsome Foods’ current lineup of Handmade Breads on a wholesale basis. Read more: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/business-plans/Business-Plans-Volume-05/Bread-Bakery-Business-Plan.html#b#ixzz2IzCX4Wxt

The Watch (English language creative writing)

A while back I bought a gun from a man who stole a mustang. He sold it cheaply: hundred bucks for A Browning 9x19mm Grande Puissance. Hard black plastic handle – cold to touch, black metallic covers the barrel and the heaviness weighs my hand down as I hold it under my coat, carry it to my car and place it on the passenger seat. A criminal – cold, alone it stays still. I drive fast, imagining the scenarios where my trusty weapon would be used. Trapping a burglar, stopping a murderer. I take it to my house, hide it under the bathroom sink – and never speak of it to my two angels. My abode: so secure and sheltered, it is often one which is of difficulty to find. One of which is so protected it is under my own lock and key twenty four hours a day. My family, like my pride of lions -spellbound by my fantasy boundary. My imaginary line of the strictest limit to the edge of our fence, unless otherwise approved. Strict guidelines set: to be followed accordingly. Blinds open at zero six hundred hours every morning, pulled up to the third stopper on the wiry string: all seventeen in the house except one. This, followed swiftly by waking the children up at the exact precise time as of when the blinds are raised, so they are able to carry out their chores in austere time spans of fifteen minute bursts. Following this: the children head to school, and I take my place on the antique grey aged rocking chair in front of the porch window, draw the blind down at exactly zero eight hundred hours and watch as the slender young girls and broad young men outside cross the only way to the secondary school placed two hundred and fifty six meters down the avenue. Although it may seem a disgusting habit, if you truly took the time to understand the utter belief I have in this art, then you surely would understand the necessity of it. For I do not spy on the children. I do not seek to harm their innocent bodies, or to even make an attempt to frighten or threaten them. All I seek for them is their safety, and for that one obligation to stay out of harm's way. I spy only upon a small yellow house, a mere nineteen meters from my very residence. Inside this small house, gleaming with fake satisfaction and false contentment. Hiding behind the sunshine beaming from the walls of the bunkers' exterior lives a man. This man, I have observed for many months now, and have found that his main priority is to stay hidden in the gloom of the shadows, behind his window. This window, like a mirror reflects myself. he follows the same routine as me by staring out of his window when my children step out of the door, but for different reasons these glares are seen . He, for different reasons from my speculation lusts for the young. Like a cheetah, he prays on weak, girls, only just becoming of age. The intensity has grown, focusing upon him daily. His routine has changed; he starts to water his grass at zero seven hundred hours every morning, and stays there on his lawn for approximately eighty minutes, so he can catch the paper girls attention each morning. The children grow suspicious: I tell them its for their safety. My main concern my daughter: Jenny, a simple thirteen year old. Dark chocolate brown long hair with innocent mossy eyes. Slim and tall, his favourite. He spies on her: I can see it. in the evening when she is allowed out for an hour to visit the park, or to visit her dear acquaintance Jona who lives in the next avenue. I watch him watch her as she skips nightly to her play date – strict instructions to be home for bed at twenty hundred hours. Months pass. The necessity for him to prey increases and an itch begins to develop. To be scratched, there is only one way. It cannot be let to get that far. Soon the time will come and the itch will be gone: the sunshine will dim and the moon will shine clear upon our avenue. I saw him again like a ghost to the window: he stood white against the moonlight. I saw my opportunity. For months he had invaded my privacy, tried to separate my intact stable home and ruin he only thing I have left that I can say is real. My daughter not his. I ran to the bathroom. Staring into my mirror I saw sweat dripping from my forehead. I reach under the pipe in the cupboard and find the cold metal press against my fingertips. I rip it away from the tape and cock the gun, It clicks and the barrel is loaded. Before I realise – I'm out of the door and in his back garden, feet imprinted on his perfectly trimmed grass. I shout. No reply – and again, a clumsy rattle comes from his kitchen as he fondles to find the back door knob. I lift my hand – pointing the shaft directly at his heart, he steps out. ‘Whos the-‘ cut off mid sentence by a bang. Disbelief is the only emotion I feel. I stand next to my neighbour in cold blood shaking – frozen. Minutes pass – a siren bellows down the surrounding avenues. I try to move, but I cant, cement is weighing me down. Four officers around me – surrounded I drop to the floor, weapon down. I smile. A cold room – alone, grey. All that remains is a tape recorder, a table and two chairs – one which I, the hero sit on, and another opposite. The blind is down on the window, third click on the wiry string. And officer walks in. standing tall, staring with intention. He doesn't have a chance to speak before I tell my tale. ‘A while back I bought a gun from a man who stole a mustang.' I whispered to the tape recorder.

Redemption in The Kite Runner Essay

It is only natural for humans to make mistakes, just like Amir in the novel The Kite Runner, but it is how the mistakes are resolved that will dictate ones fate. The main character of The Kite Runner, Amir, knows a thing or two about making mistakes. What he struggles with throughout the novel is finding redemption for those mistakes. Throughout all stages of Amir’s life, he is striving for redemption. Whether Amir is saying the wrong thing or hiding from a hurtful truth, he always finds new things he will have to redeem himself for. That is why redemption is a huge underlining theme in The Kite Runner. When Amir is a child, he feels his father blames him for his mother’s death and cannot love him. He does everything he can think of to try and make up for the mistakes he made in the past. Since Amir feels his father does not love him, he thinks of ways to make things right with him. Amir sees Baba as a perfect higher presence that he could never amount to. When the kite running competition comes around he takes this opportunity to prove to his father that he can be more of an â€Å"ideal† son to Baba, ultimately getting redemption for everything his father has not approved of. Amir sees Baba as a perfect father figure because everyone looks up to him. Amir could never live up to Baba’s expectations of him and that is where the theme of redemption comes to play between these two characters. Although Amir impresses his father by winning the kite running competition, he ends the day by hurting his best friend in a terrible way and one day he will have to find a way to make up for it. Amir and Hassan are two inseparable children, but their relationship is unusual because Hassan is Amir’s servant. Amir is never very nice to Hassan, but Hassan would never turn his back on Amir. This is evident when he says, â€Å"For you a thousand times over†. Amir makes a huge mistake one day by hurting Hassan and it takes a ver y long time for him to find a way to redeem himself. The kit running competition was supposed to be the best day of Amir’s life. He would win, and earn his dad’s unconditional love once and for all, but things are not always as they seem. Although Amir did win the competition, something went very wrong. Hassan will always have Amir’s back, until the day he dies he would do anything for him. When Amir cut the last Kite down from the sky, Hassan decided to run it. Assef and his two friends didn’t exactly want Hassan to bring the kite back to Amir. Amir is a very evil young boy and since Hassan would do anything for Amir, he refuses to hand the kite over to Assef. Hassan’s final act of bravery results in his rape and Amir’s next big mistake. Amir watches Assef and his friends rape Hassan, but he does nothing to help his friend. Amir goes many years knowing this information but never tells anyone, but what goes around comes around. When everything finally catches up with Amir, he is a grown man. Things in Amir’s life have finally settled down, but now the past is brought b ack up; he must go find redemption once more. Amir survived his childhood, made a good life for himself and marries a beautiful Afghan woman named Soraya. One thing Amir is deprived of in his life is the ability to have children. Amir’s inability to have children could possibly be looked at as coincidental or symbolic to him making amends for his past mistakes and misgivings. Amir receives a phone call from his father’s old friend Rahim Khan. Although Rahim is dying, he asks Amir to come visit him in Afghanistan. Amir soon realizes that the main reason Rahim Khan asked him to visit was not to see him before he died, but because Rahim wants to help Amir succeed in reaching his final redemption. Rahim Khan has known about the kite running competition for Amir’s entire life, and he has a way for him to try and set things right. Hassan, who is dead now, has a son, but he is an orphan boy. The Taliban has taken over Afghanistan and they killed Hassan and his wife in cold blood. Sohrab, who is Hassan’s son, has been taken by the Taliban as payment for the orphanage. Rahim Khan puts Amir up to the challenge of going to find Sohrab and giving him a proper home. He states, â€Å"I have a way to make things right again†. In order for Amir to redeem his past with Hassan, he must go and find Sohrab, who is the ultimate symbol of redemption in Amir’s life. Finding Sohrab was Amir’s greatest accomplishment, it was the ultimate redemption for all the evil and unjust things that have haunted his past. Amir fails to stand up for himself and others, as a child. As an adult, he redeems his uncourageous past by setting it right with the help of some very close family members. Amir goes through many stages in his life, but he always seems to be redeeming himself for something. Sometimes life seems to work out in the end, and the search for redemption may not always be easy, as witnessed in Amir’s case. However, a strong will and determination can help guide the road to redemption and possible forgiveness.

Automobile collision with serious injury

Nurses have for many years been awarded the top ranking in opinion polls about which occupations are most trusted by the general public. Some people might opine that nursing duties only relate to clinical settings and they tend to focus only nurse-patient relationship. Duties of the nurse exist only within the parameters of the hospital. Some might even argue that such intervention in roadside emergencies can get a nurse into legal complications. But then, nursing is a profession that the public depend on for support and care especially in emergency situations. Historically, nurses have been associated with emergency responses. In early times, even though nurses were not as much educated and trained as the nurses of today, they offered their nursing services with great dedication and motivation. They were known for their self-sacrificing nature and offering a human touch that says â€Å"I care.† Nursing history is replete with examples of nurses who have knowingly incurred great risk in order to care for those in need of nursing or to contribute to the advancement of health science. In the United States, the Civil War is cited regularly for the role of volunteer nurses and for the stimulus it gave Clara Barton to organize the American Red Cross, which she eventually accomplished in 1881 (Williams, 2003). That humane touch has been characteristic of the nursing profession. The first plank of the Code for Nurses states â€Å"The nurse provides services with respect for human dignity and the uniqueness of the client, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.† This central axiom of respect for persons directs the profession (ANA, 1994). The nurse is not at liberty to abandon those in need of nursing care. According to Gebbie and Qureshi (2006), â€Å"The fundamental goal of nursing, to assist individuals to their highest possible level of functioning in the face of health and illness challenges, is never more needed than under emergency conditions†. This means, a registered nurse is obligated to attend to the wounded person in a roadside emergency. According to the Code for Nurses, nurses may morally refuse to participate in care, but only on the grounds of either client advocacy or moral objection to a specific type of intervention. As applied to nursing, a moral obligation exists for the nurse if the following four criteria are present: The client is at significant risk of harm, loss, or damage if the nurse does not assist; The nurse’s intervention or care is directly relevant to preventing harm; The nurse’s care will probably prevent harm, loss, or damage to the client; The benefit the client will gain outweighs any harm the nurse might incur and does not present more than an acceptable risk to the nurse (ANA, 2006). In the case of the roadside accident, the victims need to be attended to by a healthcare professional. Prompt medical attention by the RN can make a difference between life and death. Moreover, there is no personal risk. Hence there is a moral obligation on the part of the nurse to attend to the vi ctims. Society has come to rely on nursing and to expect that it will rise to the health demands of virtually any occasion. The only problem registered nurses encounter during such roadside interventions is that they may be forced to take decisions beyond those they are qualified for. But then, they can be protected by the Good Samaritan Doctrine which is a legal principle that prevents a rescuer who has voluntarily helped a victim in distress from being successfully sued for ‘wrongdoing.’ The purpose of this doctrine is to prevent people from refusing to help for fear of legal repercussions if they make mistakes in treatment (Neumann, 2005). The practice of the professional nurse extends beyond the confines of the immediate setting where the nurse practices to the broader environment (AU, 2006). According to a survey of many nurses all respondents claimed to have medical assistance and would do so again, but about half of them would not do so unconditionally. However, no respondent has experienced legal complications from providing medical help though they had â€Å"heard† or â€Å"read† of such cases. Thus, it is the moral obligation of a registered nurse to help any accident victim in an emergency situation. Critique of Journal Article: Gebbie, K., Qureshi, K. in the article titled â€Å"A Historical Challenge: Nurses and Emergencies† (September 30, 2006) reviews the beginning of emergency nursing as a specialty. The authors also discuss the 21st century expectations about nursing during unexpected disaster situations and various nursing roles related to emergency care. The article is detailed and has many links to related articles. The article says that both paid and volunteer nurses have played a huge role historically in fighting epidemics, HIV and AIDS. Later, nurses became known for their wartime services. By the middle 20th century, emergency rooms came into being. Today, emergency care has become a nursing specialty. The authors then point to the growth of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Rescue Committee. The role of the nurses in local public health emergencies is highlighted. The authors conclude that nurses have been key players during various emergency situations in the past. In the future, any kind of emergency in the community can impact the public’s health and nurses are needed for prevention, surveillance and response of every type. At the end of the 20th century, national thinking about emergency preparedness led to two important developments: identification of the key competencies needed for effective emergency response, and increased attention to planning for and practicing emergency response. The authors point out that it was necessary for nursing to identify the core abilities needed to become a part of an emergency response team and perform well. Therefore the UG nursing curriculum was adapted by the International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education (INCMCE) to assure communities that their professional nurses were competent to respond when needed. The article includes tables that list the competencies for public health workers, and the currently available emergency response competency sets applicable to nursing and the sources from which these data can be accessed in their entirety. Today, it has been recognized that there needs to be an inter-agency, interdisciplinary response, and that nearly all emergencies have potential health consequences. The authors conclude that nurses will continue to be key players in the local and national level emergency response as we move through the 21st century and that the fundamental goal of nursing, to assist individuals to their highest possible level of functioning in the face of health and illness challenges, is never more needed than under emergency conditions. The article is written in chronological sequence and is highly informative. The authors discuss present day trends in detail in the context of the terrorists attack on the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina. The included tables and references prove to be very useful in understanding the competency sets needed for emergency responses. This article underlines the need for competency in emergency response. This means nurses should be given better basic and continuing education and should be trained to meet such emergency situations through hospitals, public health centers, and community drills. Bibliography: Internet Sources: U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Registered Nurses. Occupational Handbook. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm AU (2006). School of Nursing: Our Philosophy. http://www.nursing.auburn.edu/about-us/our-philosophy.html Williams, Robyn (2003). ABC Radio National Broadcast: The Ethics of Nursing in the Third Reich. Adelaide Institute. http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/Holocaust/nursing.htm Print and Journal Sources: Gebbie, K., Qureshi, K. (September 30, 2006) â€Å"A Historical Challenge: Nurses and Emergencies†OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. #11 No. #3, Manuscript 1. Available: www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic31/tpc31_1.htm ANA (1994). Ethics and Human Rights Position Statements. Risk versus Responsibility in Providing Nursing Care. http://www.nursingworld.org/readroom/position/ethics/etrisk.htm ANA (2005). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. The Center for Ethics and Human Rights. http://www.ana.org/ethics/code/protected_nwcoe303.htm Neumann, Karl (2005). Are you a Good Samaritan. News Share. Nov/Dec 2005. http://www.istm.org/publications/news_share/200512/samaritan.aspx Automobile collision with serious injury Nurses have for many years been awarded the top ranking in opinion polls about which occupations are most trusted by the general public. Some people might opine that nursing duties only relate to clinical settings and they tend to focus only nurse-patient relationship. Duties of the nurse exist only within the parameters of the hospital. Some might even argue that such intervention in roadside emergencies can get a nurse into legal complications. But then, nursing is a profession that the public depend on for support and care especially in emergency situations. Historically, nurses have been associated with emergency responses. In early times, even though nurses were not as much educated and trained as the nurses of today, they offered their nursing services with great dedication and motivation. They were known for their self-sacrificing nature and offering a human touch that says â€Å"I care.† Nursing history is replete with examples of nurses who have knowingly incurred great risk in order to care for those in need of nursing or to contribute to the advancement of health science. In the United States, the Civil War is cited regularly for the role of volunteer nurses and for the stimulus it gave Clara Barton to organize the American Red Cross, which she eventually accomplished in 1881 (Williams, 2003). That humane touch has been characteristic of the nursing profession. The first plank of the Code for Nurses states â€Å"The nurse provides services with respect for human dignity and the uniqueness of the client, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.† This central axiom of respect for persons directs the profession (ANA, 1994). The nurse is not at liberty to abandon those in need of nursing care. According to Gebbie and Qureshi (2006), â€Å"The fundamental goal of nursing, to assist individuals to their highest possible level of functioning in the face of health and illness challenges, is never more needed than under emergency conditions†. This means, a registered nurse is obligated to attend to the wounded person in a roadside emergency. According to the Code for Nurses, nurses may morally refuse to participate in care, but only on the grounds of either client advocacy or moral objection to a specific type of intervention. As applied to nursing, a moral obligation exists for the nurse if the following four criteria are present: The client is at significant risk of harm, loss, or damage if the nurse does not assist; The nurse’s intervention or care is directly relevant to preventing harm; The nurse’s care will probably prevent harm, loss, or damage to the client; The benefit the client will gain outweighs any harm the nurse might incur and does not present more than an acceptable risk to the nurse (ANA, 2006). In the case of the roadside accident, the victims need to be attended to by a healthcare professional. Prompt medical attention by the RN can make a difference between life and death. Moreover, there is no personal risk. Hence there is a moral obligation on the part of the nurse to attend to the vi ctims. Society has come to rely on nursing and to expect that it will rise to the health demands of virtually any occasion. The only problem registered nurses encounter during such roadside interventions is that they may be forced to take decisions beyond those they are qualified for. But then, they can be protected by the Good Samaritan Doctrine which is a legal principle that prevents a rescuer who has voluntarily helped a victim in distress from being successfully sued for ‘wrongdoing.’ The purpose of this doctrine is to prevent people from refusing to help for fear of legal repercussions if they make mistakes in treatment (Neumann, 2005). The practice of the professional nurse extends beyond the confines of the immediate setting where the nurse practices to the broader environment (AU, 2006). According to a survey of many nurses all respondents claimed to have medical assistance and would do so again, but about half of them would not do so unconditionally. However, no respondent has experienced legal complications from providing medical help though they had â€Å"heard† or â€Å"read† of such cases. Thus, it is the moral obligation of a registered nurse to help any accident victim in an emergency situation. Critique of Journal Article: Gebbie, K., Qureshi, K. in the article titled â€Å"A Historical Challenge: Nurses and Emergencies† (September 30, 2006) reviews the beginning of emergency nursing as a specialty. The authors also discuss the 21st century expectations about nursing during unexpected disaster situations and various nursing roles related to emergency care. The article is detailed and has many links to related articles. The article says that both paid and volunteer nurses have played a huge role historically in fighting epidemics, HIV and AIDS. Later, nurses became known for their wartime services. By the middle 20th century, emergency rooms came into being. Today, emergency care has become a nursing specialty. The authors then point to the growth of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Rescue Committee. The role of the nurses in local public health emergencies is highlighted. The authors conclude that nurses have been key players during various emergency situations in the past. In the future, any kind of emergency in the community can impact the public’s health and nurses are needed for prevention, surveillance and response of every type. At the end of the 20th century, national thinking about emergency preparedness led to two important developments: identification of the key competencies needed for effective emergency response, and increased attention to planning for and practicing emergency response. The authors point out that it was necessary for nursing to identify the core abilities needed to become a part of an emergency response team and perform well. Therefore the UG nursing curriculum was adapted by the International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education (INCMCE) to assure communities that their professional nurses were competent to respond when needed. The article includes tables that list the competencies for public health workers, and the currently available emergency response competency sets applicable to nursing and the sources from which these data can be accessed in their entirety. Today, it has been recognized that there needs to be an inter-agency, interdisciplinary response, and that nearly all emergencies have potential health consequences. The authors conclude that nurses will continue to be key players in the local and national level emergency response as we move through the 21st century and that the fundamental goal of nursing, to assist individuals to their highest possible level of functioning in the face of health and illness challenges, is never more needed than under emergency conditions. The article is written in chronological sequence and is highly informative. The authors discuss present day trends in detail in the context of the terrorists attack on the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina. The included tables and references prove to be very useful in understanding the competency sets needed for emergency responses. This article underlines the need for competency in emergency response. This means nurses should be given better basic and continuing education and should be trained to meet such emergency situations through hospitals, public health centers, and community drills. Bibliography: Internet Sources: U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Registered Nurses. Occupational Handbook. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm AU (2006). School of Nursing: Our Philosophy. http://www.nursing.auburn.edu/about-us/our-philosophy.html Williams, Robyn (2003). ABC Radio National Broadcast: The Ethics of Nursing in the Third Reich. Adelaide Institute. http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/Holocaust/nursing.htm Print and Journal Sources: Gebbie, K., Qureshi, K. (September 30, 2006) â€Å"A Historical Challenge: Nurses and Emergencies†OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. #11 No. #3, Manuscript 1. Available: www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic31/tpc31_1.htm ANA (1994). Ethics and Human Rights Position Statements. Risk versus Responsibility in Providing Nursing Care. http://www.nursingworld.org/readroom/position/ethics/etrisk.htm ANA (2005). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. The Center for Ethics and Human Rights. http://www.ana.org/ethics/code/protected_nwcoe303.htm Neumann, Karl (2005). Are you a Good Samaritan. News Share. Nov/Dec 2005. http://www.istm.org/publications/news_share/200512/samaritan.aspx