Office of the President of the United States free essay sample

A description of the duties and powers of the president of the United States. This papers outlines the role played by the American president. It discusses the fact that the President is subject to the issues that are laid out in the Constitution, an eighteenth century document that was intended for governing a rural nation, far removed from the advanced, industrialized America of today. The writer explains that despite this fact, the office of President of the United States has become one of the most powerful and influential positions within world politics and economics. Although, on the one hand, the President of the United States is one of the most powerful and influential individuals in the world, it is an office that is also subject to the rules and limitations which are clearly set out in Article II of the US Constitution. This constitutional definition of the office of President is highly specific on issues such as the term of office, the qualifications required to become President, and the structure of presidential elections. We will write a custom essay sample on Office of the President of the United States or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, in regard to many of the important powers and roles of the President, there exists a degree of room for interpretation and evolution. Despite being generally considered as one of the great successes of the Constitution ( Pritchett, 1981), the modern office of President has acquired authority and functions which were neither intended nor outlined by the Constitution, and, through the legislation of Congress and the courts, the powers of the US President continue to expand and adapt to deal with todays issues (White, 1982).

How To Unlock Quality Content From Your Worst Posts

How To Unlock Quality Content From Your Worst Posts You had a great idea, you wrote your heart out, and it turned out to be a hugedud. How do you recoup the time and effort you put into it? Because if time is money, you don’t want to have wasted it. Bottom line, and all of that. Your worst-performing content must be something you learn from, and/or reuse. 10 Ways To Unlock Quality Content From Your Worst-Performing Posts via @JulieNeidlingerWhat are some characteristics you’ll see evident in your worst-performing content? I’m going to hazard a guess and say: Weak, vague, or inaccurate headlines Low-grade graphics Completely irrelevant to your audience Lax compliance with promotion and social media strategy Bad timing Keep that last one in mind and remember that content that performs poorly might not always be the fault of the content itself, but might be problems with promotion. Anyway, what can you learn (and do) when you have a content dud on your hands? 1. Your Research Is Never Wasted No matter how crappy your content, your research is never wasted (that is, if there was any research in it). Research is hugely time consuming, so there is absolutely no way you want to waste the information you found. Even if the first way you packaged that research tanked, use it again in a different way. Make an infographic. Rewrite the content with a different approach. Write it into a guest post for someone else. Don’t waste the time you invested in finding that information. 2. Your Approach Might Be At Fault Great ideas turn into bad ideas depending on how you approach the topic. I wrote a pretty stinky blog post a while back, bad enough that I would want to protect my mother’s eyes from ever catching a glimpse of it. It probably wasn’t a bad idea as far as the topic (lack of planning can kill your blog), but the approach was all wrong. Considering that the post talked about how to make your blog fail...maybe have the post bomb was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whatever the case, the comments section is all crickets chirping. Have a blog post that bombed? Maybe your approach was at fault.It’s hard to separate the idea from the approach in knowing which was the reason for the failure of the content. Thing is, you won’t know if an approach won’t work until you try it. So while it’s not a shining moment of glory, I’m glad I took a swing at it anyway so I could at least know. Recommended Reading:  9 Ways To Reclaim Your Breakthrough Content Ideas From Old Posts 3. You Have A Chance To Bare All If you’re not allergic to humble pie, you can use the opportunity of a failed piece of content to ask a more experienced content marketer what they think went wrong. Whether you do this behind the scenes or do it publicly and turn it into another piece of content (â€Å"Why My Post Bombed† or â€Å"3 Experts Dissect A Bad Piece Of Content†). Hootsuite did something like this: Ouch. Heres what we learned from our WORST performing content: http://t.co/czwpTFg6hG pic.twitter.com/WiX6VOp7zk Hootsuite (@hootsuite) February 12, 2015 Confessional behind-the-scenes content is appealing to readers (as you’ll see in item #4). Wouldn’t you like to know all the dirt on how a post gets created here at , and what we do when something flops? I know I enjoy reading that type of revealing content from big name bloggers because it actually encourages me; there’s a sense that the gods came down from Olympus. Recommended Reading:  Proof That Publishing More Content Won’t Grow Your Blog Traffic (And How To Do That) 4. You Can Do A Post Mortem Speaking of content dissection, why not do it yourself? Slice and dice that content and see if you can learn something from it post mortem. What are you looking for? Redundancy. When I have nothing to say, I usually find lots of ways to say it, repeatedly. It makes for hideous content. Bad headlines. Headlines are what get people to read. Search engines might not care, but people do, and people are a huge part of your audience. They make up 100% of it. Communication barriers. I’ve written about communication barriers that we put in front of our readers. Tone, ego, language- they all play a part in turning people off from your content. Uninteresting research. Piling research into your post is only valuable if it’s actually valuable and interesting research. If you’re going to use research, you need to find a way to liven it up either by â€Å"translating† it anecdotally for your reader, or using comparison and contrast to put that research into the context you’re going for. Simple spewing out percentages in a list can be mind numbing. Too much copycat. Your headline, your post- whatever it was- is just like every other blog post being written out there. Be careful about mimicking the influencers; everyone else is, too. Nothing trumps a defiant streak of originality. You were bored writing it. No one creates boring content like a bored writer. Your readers didn’t care. It doesn’t matter if the topic was important to you. It has to be important to your reader. All your passion on a topic amounts to zilch if Melonie Dodaro did a post mortem on her seven worst blog posts, and you can get an idea of how to go about it using her example. You’ll notice that key among her findings was how a headline either had little to do with the post (and people bounced out as soon as they realized it) or was a dog from the get go. Headlines, headlines, headlines. So important. I read Dodaro’s entire blog post because I’m like most of you: I have a slight penchant for schadenfreude mixed with curiosity over the confessional approach. So that, right there, is a great way to turn blog post duds into traffic getters. 5. Your Practice Is Never Wasted Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make a habit. Not only did that bad content still have a role in your writing training and habit-making, it fulfills that important role of letting you experience failure so you know better what is good, what is bad, and the art of being able to pick yourself up and move on. Everything- even the failures- is a data point. Hopefully you’re tracking it. 6. It Might Be Time To Shift Your Strategy Perhaps your content wasn’t all that bad, but it performed badly because your social sharing, paid promotion, email, or other promotion methods are in need of a tune-up. Are you promoting your content at the wrong time of day or the wrong day of the week? Has your audience changed since when you first started? Are you on the wrong social network? Do you need to send out more emails? You’ll often see blog post suggesting that you review your data, your results, and ultimately your strategy periodically. If you’ve noticed a series of poorly performing content, it might be a sign you need to do that, that your strategy needs to be retooled. You've had blog posts bomb. How often do you check your data to know what really happened?7. You Didn’t Leave Enough Time Maybe you slipped a bit and weren’t doing as well as you’d hoped as far as planning your content on your editorial calendar. You didn’t give yourself enough lead time to keep up with posts, and are fast approaching the point where you’re behind the curve instead of ahead of it. What do you do in a rush? You start to lose sight of important things, such as keeping your SEO tight and your copy audience-suited. Not all poorly-performing content is the result of letting time get away from you, but it’s worth an honest look. This is one of the reasons an editorial calendar is so vital. It keeps you from falling into that dark valley of â€Å"OMG, I need a post for tomorrow!†, a valley where sloppy and shallow are most likely to emerge. Look at the poor performing content, and take a look at your editorial calendar or work schedule. How much of a rush were you in? If you had a post that bombed, how fast did you write it? You can use that idea again, here's how.If you can’t keep up with the content quality because you bumped the quantity up a few notches, bring it back down and work on focusing on a singular post a week. 8. Your SEO Has Gone Wild Being rushed sometimes means your SEO is barely given a nod. On the flip side, though, getting too narrow a focus on a keyword can also derail your content. Dodaro admits as much for one of her failed blog posts, noting that the problem with a post was a faulty headline which had an â€Å"SEO keyword crammed in at the expense of title’s integrity†. Yep. We’ve done that, too. Ever see those weird headlines that look like someone bungled the grammar, leaving out the article in the midst of a keyword phrase or seeming slightly off from how a real person talks? â€Å"How Market Research Firm Can Help You† â€Å"What Time Is The Super Bowl?† (An actual headline from the Huffington Post. Probably a huge long-tail search term, but how much content can you really create for that without seeming obnoxious?) â€Å"The Business Social Media Hacks That Work† That’s what happens when your headline is an indentured servant to keywords and SEO. It’s as if you’re playing the Cat Game from Super Troopers, packing keywords everywhere you can: Fast Company puts this well: â€Å"If you find yourself trying to fit a square-pegged keyword into a round-shaped title, just let it go. You don't want to write something that doesn't make sense or confuses the reader just for the sake of SEO.† Clunky headlines that search engines might love but people ignore don’t do you any favors on social media and in email. 9. Decide If You Need To Cull It I won’t recommend deleting content, but if you are unable to bear the thought of that awful content existing, perhaps it’s time to remove it. However, be sure to salvage what little traffic you had coming to it. Direct that low-performing post to a brand new, much better post using a 301 redirect. Or, follow the Moz blog’s suggestions for weeding out low-performing content and cleaning up your site. 10. Look For Salvage Maybe you can save it. How bad was your post? Be sure you are really identifying your site’s worst-performing content and not just the stuff you don’t like yourself. At that point, there are likely things you can still salvage if the sum of the parts happened to be less than stellar. Did you have an idea for an interview and the interview went badly? Maybe the interviewee answered in one- or two-word answers. Can you turn that interview into data or other forms (charts, percentages, or recharacterizations)? Maybe you got sloppy and cheated a bit on the headline by using the first one that came to mind instead of really working through the best options.Why not change the headline, and reset your social sharing and promotion to see if it fares better? At the very least, you can get some A/B testing data out of that between the two headlines. Take Action:  Look through your analytics and choose at least three of your worst-performing blog posts. Dissect them. Figure out why they bombed. Was it: Headline problems Copy failures Wrong topic Wrong timing Lack of proper promotion Uninterested writer Dissect your bad content and figure out why it  didn’t work. Rework them into a new piece of content, and try again, taking into account the things you did wrong the first time. Or, develop a checklist for yourself to be sure you don’t repeat the same mistakes for future content.

Mandatory Sentencing Guidelines and Special Interest Groups as Policy Essay

Mandatory Sentencing Guidelines and Special Interest Groups as Policy Makers - Essay Example The intent of three-strikes (and even two-strikes) laws is to incapacitate selected violent offenders for very long terms-25 years or even life. They have no specific deterrent effect if those confined will never be released, but their general deterrent effect could, in theory, be substantial." In this regard, mandatory sentencing guidelines appear to be good policy when it comes to deterring potential criminals from committing crimes, but that is not necessarily the case if a criminal has already be incapacitated. It is more of a case of setting an example for others. There are pros and cons to mandatory sentencing, but they seem to vary upon different factors such as location in the country. First of all, let us take a look at the possession of handguns. The case study mentions, for example, possession of unlicensed handguns in Massachusetts and how the law has been effective there. The same law, however, has not been effective in Michigan and Florida. However, it has bee effective against homicide in Detroit, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, though it has not been effective against other types of violent crimes, such as sexual offenses (Case Study 3.2 2008). 2.

What is superconductivity and what practical applications does it have Essay

What is superconductivity and what practical applications does it have (radiotelescopes, MagLevs, etc) - Essay Example Their application makes use of the properties rendered to them by electric and magnetic reactivity that is exploitable in major engineering projects. As briefly indicated in the applications segment, it is clear that superconductivity phenomenon offers a wide range of application solutions that increase efficiency and safety. According to the Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer (BCS) theory, electron pairing phenomena near the Fermi level then inside Cooper pairs occasions some rare form of interaction that stabilizes the crystal lattice of the material in question (Creswick et al, 1995). The three scientists behind the discovery were led to this discovery by the existence of a band gap on the Fermi level which was then extrapolated to the interpretation of crystal lattice phenomenon. Further research that included the isotope effect was applied in conjunction with the critical temperature observation of a physical state that exhibited superconductor features finally led to the discovery credited to Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer who won the Peace Nobel Prize in 1972 (hyperphysics.edu, n.d). This happens when the material is subjected to the temperatures specification that supports the superconductivity phenomena. Electron pairing of this phenomenon obeys quantum mechanics principles where lattice vibrations cause them to attract each other in what is referred to as phonon interaction. This happens in type I semiconductors that consist of about thirty pure metals of the periodic table. Type I superconductors obey the BSC theory and only experience superconductivity below the critical temperature (Tc). The exact temperature for which each of these superconductor materials exhibit this zero electric resistance phenomenon is referred to as critical temperature (Tc) and it varies from one material to the other. To achieve the critical temperature for any of these materials in order to acquire the near

D.C Sniper case Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

D.C Sniper case - Coursework Example Two individuals who have 15 years of experience in two totally different subdivisions of one main field can not be expected to have knowledge about each other’s fields in spite of such a vast experience (Turvey, 2008, p. 139). Owing to the inefficiency of life experience in increasing a criminal in wisdom or knowledge, it is important not to hold this factor as a basis for interpretations and drawing conclusions in the criminal profiling. Life experience should not be considered as a valid means of judging a criminal’s wisdom or knowledge. It is more important to give due consideration to the specific field in which the experience has been gained. Criminal profiling of a serial killer can involve life experience as a tool for judging the criminal’s capability to kill and evaluating the techniques he/she has been making use of. To conclude all that has been said above, life experience in general can not be conceived as a scale of a criminal’s wisdom until t he specificities are looked into. References: Turvey, B. E. (2008). Criminal profiling: an introduction to behavioral evidence analysis. 3rd Ed. UK: Elsevier Inc.

Men in the female dominated nursing profession

Men in the female dominated nursing profession The existing literature in nursing reviewed, and is mostly based on the reason for the shortage of men in nursing, and their experiences in a female dominated profession. Most of the articles obtained in this literature review were from the databases of Pub-Med, MEDLINE, Elsevier, Bio Med Central, SAGE pub, and Google Scholar. The key search words were caring, gender, men, nurses, nursing, stereotypes, non-traditional jobs, and advantages. The data obtained for this literature review span from 1964 to 2010. Little is it known about the experiences of men in nursing in Malta. However, Mr. Joseph Camilleri (1964) wrote about History of nursing in Malta stating that the knights themselves performed the nursing care exclusively, to the same gender. The literature review presented is aimed to explore the advantages and disadvantages that male nurses experience while performing their caring roles in nursing. 2.2 Difficulties male nurses encounter in a traditionally female profession 2.2.1 Introduction Nursing became predominately a female profession in the late 19th century. Though Florence Nightingale made major contributions in the nursing profession, she was greatly involved in excluding men from this profession by affirming that nursing was a discipline for female. She did work hard in establishing nursing as a laudable profession for respectable women, ignoring the past indispensable contributions made by men (Black and Germaine-Warner, 1995). Nightingale saw the males task restricted to physical jobs like moving or lifting patients and never appreciated their caring task. Besides, the Industrial Revolution largely influenced the way out of men from caring professions, such as nursing. During this period, the widely acknowledged professions for men were business, technology and science. Men pursued medicine and women pursued nursing (Black and Germaine-Warner, 1995). Men entering the nursing profession cross the conventional lines of gender. As a result, their masculinity becomes an issue. Over time, masculinity has been defined by the roles men perform (Connell, 1995). The concept, notion or idea of masculinity deters men from entering women-dominated professions, such as nursing, but men are silent on the entry of women in the mens traditional professions, such as medicine and technology. Williams (1995), Table 2.1 conducted in-depth interviews with 76 men and 23 female who work in predominantly female professions as social workers, elementary school teachers, nurses, and librarians. Through deft interpretation of her interviewees words, it was found that male nurses and those in other female-conquered fields frequently emphasize their masculinity and try as much as possible to avoid socializing with their women colleagues. This is argued by Williams as the only way of legitimising their working in the womens conventional professions. An exploratory study, conducted by Heikes (1991),Table 2.1 based on in-depth interviews with fifteen male nurses, showed that male nurses saw themselves in the abnormal position of belonging to two very dissimilar groups. For instance, in the nursing profession, men are taken as a minority group tagged as male nurse, whilst in a broader society, men fit in the dominant social group where they are expected to be successful and excelling in their profession. Male nurses are therefore a unique type of minority group in the sense that they are either a minority of the principal social faction or minority of majority. This disparity in grouping (minority-majority) stresses and discriminates men in nursing more than other tokens. Furthermore, the study indicates that many of the disadvantages male nurses experience (e.g., homosexual stigma, gender stereotypes) originate from outside of the nursing profession (Heikes, 1991, p.398). According to theoretical research of the literature, carried out by Evans (2004), Table 2.1, a man associated with the nursing profession compromises his reputation plus social status in patriarchal culture. Also, male nurses experience the stigma of working in a female-dominated profession, and they are seen by society as challenging the conventional roles of men (Lammi and Kauppinen-Toropainen, 1993). Evans argues (1997,p.228), citing Mangan (1994), that stigmatising labels imply that men who do nursing are different from other men, isolating them as deviants who are odd or homosexual. Furthermore, while analysing the data from semi-structured interviews with eight men nurses on their experiences in nursing, Evans (2002) noted that the male nurses are exposed to rejection and suspicion as nurturers and caregivers due to the perception that men and women caring styles were not the same. Touch was one expression of caring that all participants identified as central, to their practice as nurses, and potentially dangerous because it can be misinterpret, which makes them vulnerable caregivers. Similarly, men in nursing are likely to be labelled gay. Pringle (1993) asserted that any feminised profession is believed to attract homosexual men, be it fashion, hairdressing, or even nursing. A study link appears to be drawn between sexual preferences and gender. Savage (1987) suggested that a male nurse is always tagged with a predominant image of being homosexual. He further supported this suggestion by asserting that men entering the nursing profession have purportedly failed in other manhood professions and that the only opening for them remains in the womens world. Harding, (2007), Table, 2.1 in the social constructionist study conducted among 18 New Zealand men employed in general nursing found that majority of men in nursing are heterosexual. However, public perception is still that most male nurses are gay. This stereotype persists only in general nursing because it was constructed as feminine and abnormal for men, whereas psychiatric nursing was constructed as normal for men (Harding, 2007, p.641) Male nurses are believed to be further weakened, emasculated or ineffectual by resorting on womens traditional jobs in which they are anticipated to exhibit feminine qualities, such as being gentle, caring and subordinate to women. Thus, labelling of men in the nursing profession as homosexuals makes them feel remorseful, outcast and discouraged. Pringle (2002) asserted that in most cultures, male homosexuality is seen as an infringement of masculinity and a denigration of mens mythical power. He further asserted that as homosexuality nibbles at masculinity, it deteriorates the gender order. As earlier mentioned, up to this very moment nursing is extremely dominated by women and this translates to a number of personal and professional challenges to men entering the field. For example, several male nurses have reported about physicians and head nurses placing less trust in them. Besides, male nursing students encounter discrimination from physicians, practicing nurses and the general public (Kelly et al., 1996). Female nurses frequently request male colleagues for assistance in turning and lifting patients, thereby emphasising physical strength and not professional expertise. It is all very frequent for male nurses or students to find themselves unwanted in delivery rooms, prenatal clinics and other related settings that male physicians have liberated access (Black and Germaine-Warner, 1995). Another difficult issue male nurses or students encounter is a mistrust emanating from their patients. Literature has it that a considerable number of patients become so violent or hostile in the presence of a male nurse and will be uncomfortable submitting to intimate medical procedures. This is a difficult position to encounter, and several male nurses usually become frustrated when patients are not willing to confide in them because of fear or underserved disrespect (Fisher, 1999). Also, mounting study indicates that men in female-dominated careers, such as catering, nursing and fashion, encounter gender bias, elevated rates of job linked to stress as well as job discrimination (Amour, 2003). Table 2.1 The distribution of studies regarding the difficulties male nurses encounter in traditionally female profession Author/s and setting Sample and sampling method Research design/Instrument Significant findings Evans, J. (2004), Canada à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Theoretical research of literature review on men nurses in Canada, Britain U.S.A. between 1900 and 2003. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Statistics, CINHAL, Pub Med, and Sociological Abstract databases à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Failure to recognize mens participation in nursing leaves male nurses without historical background, almost invisible; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Gender boundaries are negotiable during wars and acute nursing shortage, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Men in nursing tend to choose areas of specialization that are more masculine, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Mens career path takes on traditional masculine role that seeks power and influence Evans,J .(2002), Canada à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢8 male nurses from community health nursing, medical-surgical, and general duty nursing, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢6 married, 1 with partner, and 1 gay; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Age from late 20s to mid 50s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Two rounds of semi-structured interviews à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The stereotype of men as sexual aggressors is compounded by the stereotype that men nurses are gay, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢These stereotypes sexualise men nurses touch, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Men nurses are subject of accusation of inappropriate behaviour Harding,T. (2007), Norway à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Discourse analysis of data from existing texts, and 2 films on men, nursing and masculinity, and interviews conducted in 2003-2004, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢18 participants, 11 self-identified as gay, 6 heterosexual, and 1 no information on sexuality, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The workplace included clinical nursing, education, administration, midwifery, mental health and armed forces à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Purposive and snow ball sampling à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Loosely structured interviews with broad, open-ended questions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Three themes emerged which characterized the participants experiences: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Persistence of the stereotype of the gay male nurse, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Meeting homophobia in the work place, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Strategies to protect ones homosexuality like working as psychiatric nurses. Heikes, J. (1991), U.S.A. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 15 male RNs from nine different hospitals in Austin, Texas; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Age range 26-43 years; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Working experience ranged from 1-14 years à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢In-dept interviews based on interview questions about the concrete work experiences, and non-work interactions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Four role stereotypes emerged from the data: Ladder-climber, Troublemaker, and He-man, traditionally masculine traits, and homosexual, which is imposed on male nurses from the outside; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Male tokens are expected to excel in the occupational or public sphere; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Respondents reported social isolation in order to maintain higher status and to reduce the possibility of them being labelled un masculine or homosexual. Williams,C. (1995), U.S.A. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢76 men and 23 women in four occupations: nursing, librarian, elementary school teacher, and social worker; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢From 1985-1991 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Snowball sampling à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Age range from 20-66 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢In-dept interview, with the interview questionnaire consisted of several open ended four broad questions on motivation to enter the profession, experience in training, career progression, and general about mens status. (p.229) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Face to face interview à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Cultural and social stereotypes about masculinity pressure men to raise in a glass escalator to the highest paid and most prestigious nursing specialities; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Men encouraged to advance by an invisible pressure; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Men develop strategies to present themselves as masculine, and superior to female colleagues 2.3 Advantages and disadvantages perceived in males nursing career 2.2.1 Introduction Male nurses belong to a minority group. Approximately 3.1 percent of nurses in Canada and the United States are male, about 8.77 percent in the United Kingdom, (Rott, et.al (2008), and in Malta 28 percent (Council for nurses and midwifes, 2010). According to Evans (1997), Table 2.2, women working in mens traditional professions normally encounter hostile working environment. However, men working in female-dominated professions may never encounter such disadvantages. That said, the focal rationale for drawing men to nursing is to enhance the status and the prestige of the profession as a whole. It remains debatable whether this will really work or not. Several researchers and scholars have argued that the rationale puts a noteworthy pressure on men to salvage the nursing profession, whereas others believe that allowing men in the profession merely raises the position of masculine gender in the society (Evans, 1997). Male as well encompass an advantage in the nursing profession due to traditional stereotype that men are always the breadwinners of the families. In most societies, women usually take primary tasks for childcare and housework, giving men a distinct benefit. For instance, there is a devastating perception in the United States and most Anglo-Saxon world that women are less devoted to their work than men. This is largely due to the unfair division of labour inside the household. As such, even in female professions, men remain with this unequal advantage over women (Williams, 1995). In addition to, Abrahamsen (2004), Table 2.2, argues when men obtain leading positions more often than women, this can be result of favourism of men (p.35). A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive study ,conducted over twenty years, in order to identify constructions of masculinity, and career development, showed that twenty years after graduation, ,70% of male nurses were in the leadership position, and away from somatic wards. They moved to a sector which offered better income , which suggests that salary is important when male nurses move within different parts of the healthcare sector ( Abrahamsen, 2004). Additionally, the major functions in nursing accentuate technical knowledge, leadership and devotion to work, all these are perceived as being masculine traits. Consideration to detail and showing of emotions that are usually characteristics of females are not credited as good skills of leadership. What is more, male nurses are more social with doctors than their female counterparts. Since men feel they lack much in common with their female counterparts, they prefer talking about vehicles and sports with other men, especially male doctors. This in itself provides advantages for career projections, as doctors begin to appreciate male nurses as being competent just like their women colleagues (Bush, 1976). The transversal study of Dassen, T., Nijhuis,J.N. Philipsen, H. (1990), Table 2.2 which was based on a National Survey among intensive-care (IC) nurses in The Netherlands, showed that male IC-unit nurses consider IC-nursing to be a medical rather than a nursing activity in order to upgrade their own profession into a kind of medical profession. Due to an over-representation of men in technical wards, distribution of labour among male and female nurses is taking place according to traditional sex -specific patterns where male nurses stand a better chance of being promoted to higher positions. In addition, the study revealed that 50% of male nurses wish to become head of a nursing ward which proves that male nurses are more oriented towards profesionalization than female nurses. On the other hand, Kanters (1977) notion of tokenism supposed that the numerical underrepresentation of individuals in an occupation, particularly those classified by gender, ethnicity or race, will lead to discriminatory treatment. Therefore, for all minority groups, a given profession will always experience negative job impacts. According to Kanter, members of minority group are likely to achieve less in the working environment than members of the majority group. However, Williams (1995) contravened that when men are seen as minority group in the nursing profession, they normally use their dominant gender privilege to rapidly rise to the topmost hierarchy (Saville-Smith and James, 1994). Conversely, nursing is seen by several people as a feminine profession and is therefore devalued in male-conquered patriarchal society. This profession is always stereotyped as having the characteristics of caring, nurturing, submission and dependence. These traits accredited to nursing contrast with the alleged male characteristics of dominance, aggression and strength and thus male nurses usually isolate themselves from their female nurses as a way of expressing the notion of masculinity (Heikes, 1991). Moreover, when an individual forms an identity which is incompatible with the expectations of the society, people usually become uncomfortable and uncertain on how to behave. In most societies all over the world, nurses are perceived as women, and thus it is quite difficult for individuals to know how to interrelate with male nurses. They find it too unusual why a man would decide on a career dominated by a recessive sex. This is a major disadvantage to men in nursing and most of th em are indeed deterred from the profession by assuming that other individuals will see them as unmanly (Bagilhole and Cross, 2002). Table 2.2 The distribution of studies regarding the advantages and disadvantages perceived in males nursing career Author/s and setting Sample and sampling method Research design/ Instrument Significant findings Abrahamsen, D. (2004) Norway à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢1450 male and female nurses who completed training in 1977 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Norwegian survey of nurses undertaken at the end of 1998 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢After a year from graduating, 10% of male and female, both were in leadership position, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢After twenty years later, 70% of men were in leading position away from somatic wards and bed-ridden patients, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Better income was moved male nurses within different parts of the healthcare system. Dassen,T.W.N.et.al., (1990) The Netherlands à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢1960 male and female nurses, data borrowed from the Intensive Care Association, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 960 returned the forms by post, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢R.R.49% à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Survey, questionnaire sent by post; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢There is an over-presentation of men in technical wards, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢10% of the male nurses reported having chosen to work in an IC-unit, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢50% of the male nurses wish to become head of a nursing ward compared to only 15% of female nurses. Evans,J. (1997) Canada à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Theoretical literature review à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Not stated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Even in the female dominated profession , patriarchal society enables men to obtain dominant position, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Marital status for men has significant career advantage, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Men nurses have more university degrees compared to women nurses, 2.4 Why men choose nursing as a career 2.4.1 Introduction Most men choose nursing for the similar reasons women choose nursing. They are goaded by the desire to care for patients (Boughn, 2001). Besides, men have numerous practical reasons that include career opportunity, job security, job flexibility and stable income. Conventionally, men tend to prefer active and challenging fields of nursing, such as cardiac care units, trauma units, emergency departments, cardiac care units, intensive care units, anaesthesiology or flight nursing, among others. Men are often attracted to the technical aspects of acute care specialties and always motivated by the challenges created by the medical instruments utilised in those units. However, a pilot study investigating the motivations and experiences of 42 males in the nursing profession conducted by Whittock M. Leonard L. (2003), Table 2.3 showed that a major factor that attracted men in nursing was influence of parents, specially mothers, employed in nursing or other healthcare professions. On the other hand, this finding was not true for all interviewees. A similar, qualitative, study exploring what motivates Israeli men to choose nursing as their profession was conducted by Romem, P. Anson, O. ( 2005), Table 2.3. Self- administered questionnaires which included 52-items were drawn up, in order to determine the social characteristics of male nurses, and their motives in choosing the profession. These questionnaires were distributed to all registered nurses, 137 female and 123 male, in three general and three psychiatric hospitals. The results of the study show that an early exposure to the profession, as well as the ethnic background are prominent factors that motivate men to choose nursing. Job security, career opportunities and salary, also play an important role (Romem, Anson,2005). On the other hand, men in nursing are not taking leading positions in the health care system due to their social origins. Nevertheless, there has been worry that several men may just look at the nursing profession as a facilitator to other masculine professions such as medicine and that they may not take nursing as their long lasting career. This is because of low pay and perceived low status of nursing as it is always associated with a lesser sex in the society (Williams, 1989). This anxiety was borne out in 2002 by a study conducted in the University of Pennsylvania. The study was based on the Analysis of the 1992-2000 the National Survey of Registered Nurses, the nations most extensive and comprehensive statistics on registered nurses with current licenses to practice in US. In this study it was found that about 7.5% of new-fangled male nurses left this female-dominated profession within four years after graduating from nursing school. This was a higher percent compared to the 4.1% of female nurses who deserted the nursing profession in the same period (Solchalski, 2002). While Sochalski (2002), Table 2.3, in her research underscored the need to determine the reasons for the exodus of nurses, a study of Rajapaksa Rothstein (2009), Table 2.3, showed that men and women nurses who left nursing had some similar and some different reasons for their actions. The sample consisted of 1,589 registered nurses who were employed in other occupations at the time of the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses 2000. Gender was the primary independent variable, although the vast majority of respondents in this study were female ( 93,5%). At the time of the survey , 63.2% of the respondents were working full time at their new jobs, and 36.8% were working part time. The survey consisted of a self-administered forced-choice questionnaire that included gender, participants age, working age, income, marital status, educational level and race. The results revealed that both men and women left nursing for better working hours and more rewarding positions elsewhere, and whilemen nurses do not leave nursing for other occupations because of dissatisfaction with their roles as nurses, but rather because of their perceptions of the low financial rewards associated with nursing (Rajapaksa, et al 2009, p.206). A number of issues face majority of men who do decide to remain in nursing. These men frequently feel an emotional reaction, a role strain that might be felt by any individual in a profession which has a social formation conquered by members of the opposite sex. For those men raised in the culture of American andocentricism, not used to anti-male gender inequity, this may create discontent and anxiety. Increasingly, though, men today fill majority of leadership tasks in the nursing profession. 2.3 Table The distribution of the studies exploring why men choose nursing as a career Author/s and setting Sample and sampling method Research design/Instrument Significant findings Rajapaksa,S. Rothstein,W. (2009) U.S.A à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Secondary Analysis of the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses 2000, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Sample 1.589 RNS who were employed in other occupations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢90% white, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Age of the respondents 48.49 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Average number of years worked as an RN was 8.73 years à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The data used were the General Public Use Files, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Self-administered forced choice questionnaire à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Three main reasons for leaving nursing: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢46% respondents stated that the working hours where more convenient in the new job, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 47,2% found current job more rewarding, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢35% stated that they left for better salaries Romem,P.Anson,O. (2005) Israel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢260 participants, 123 male and 137 registered nurses in 3 general and 3 psychiatric hospitals during 1997-1998. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢RR 74% à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Mean age was 37 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Majority of the respondents were married à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 52-item questionnaire based on in-dept interviews with 5 male and 5 female RN à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Nursing appeals to groups out-of the stream (immigrants and ethnic minorities); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Israeli men in nursing do not occupy leading positions in health care; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Men are absent from the nursing Administration. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢78% of the male in this study belong to immigrants or ethnic minority. Sochalski,J. (2002) U.S.A. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Data Analysis of 1992-2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The number of respondents in 2000 questionnaire was 35,579. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢R.R.71.7% à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Data from National Survey of Registered Nurses; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Questionnaire à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New nurses at the beginning of their career show job satisfaction, 75% of women among new nurses were satisfied with their job, and only 67% men, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢7.5% of new male nurses left their job within four years, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Male nurses are leaving profession twice the rate of women à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢136,000 nurses are working in other professions. Whittock,M. Leonard,L. (2003) U.K. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢1.Literature review on males in nursing from historical and present day perspective, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢2. Pilot study on what prevents from considering a nursing career à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢30 pre registration male nurses, 30 post registration male nurses, 10 ex-nurses males. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The sample to date 42 male nurse of different ethnicities Mean age 33,64 years à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢In dept semi-structured interview limited to 1 hour duration; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Face to face interview à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Interviewees have expressed the view that males can be caring as females, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢They have experienced some form of caring situation, usually in family, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Schools services are doing nothing or little to portray nursing as a possible career for young men, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Only 14% of male are enrolling into nursing 2.5 Views of male nurses in the nursing profession 2.5.1 Introduction Several male nurses have over time expressed their views concerning the nursing profession and in most instances they have reported undergoing a role strain. This has greatly implicated their career ambition and put a question as to whether caring is destined for them (Simpson, 2005). A qualitative study conducted by Simpson (2005), Table 2.4,in order to explore the experience of men in non-traditional occupations ,underscored from 40 in- depth interviews, that majority of men feel discomfort, embarrassment and shame. Many have reported masculinity challenges, including low pay and loss of status. Moreover, in the nursing profession, a good nurse is usually acknowledged by having attributes such as caring, subservience, compassion and kindness (Hicks, 1999). All these attributes are similar to those naturally depicted in females and thus the profession requires an individual with feminine traits. Loughrey,M.(2007), Table 2.4 performed a quantitative, non-experimental descriptive design in order to find out the gender role perception of male nurses, for the first time, in Ireland. Following the analysis of this research, out of 104 male nurses, 78 respondents identified themselves as affectionate, sympathetic and understanding, which corresponds more to female gender roles, and that adoption of the characteristics of the female gender role may not be unusual to male nurses. Hart, K. (2005), Table 2.4, reports on Men in Nursing Survey, that the reality that nursing is traditionally female profession is the main reason why more men arent attracted to the profession, according to 38% of respondents. Other key reasons cited were the stereotype that all men in nursing are gay (29 %), poor pay (15 %), and lack of role models (15%). One respondent said that many people think a man who chooses to spend his career as a staff nurse is a failure or lacks direction. Many others said that male nurses are perceived as men who flunked out of medical school. (Hart, p.48). With these hard-hitting facts, men in nursing view themselves as unsuited for caring task (Wingfield, 2009). Even more, male nurses have reported not once of being victims of homophobic abuse, some of them state that they have been called dreadful names, such as you faggot this while providing nursing care to patients. There are even views of male nurses who feel disadvantaged in life because they decided on a female-dominated profession, which confers a lesser status upon them (McDougall, 1997). The effect of nurse gender on nurse and patient perceptions of nurse caring were explored by Ekstrom, (1999),Table 2.4, using two matched, Likert-like, and 61 items questionnaires. The results collected from the two groups of 145 nurse-patient gender combination, indicated that caring is not particularly female quality, and that nurse caring can be performed by both genders male and female, from the nurse or the patient perspective. However, men find it difficult to demonstrate caring behaviours suggesting avoidance of self-identification with a feminine stereotype. According to these views, it is as if humans are perpetually susceptible, incapable of handling their affairs. Undoubtedly, the preoccupation with the harms and hurts of being a male nurse appears at odds with the evidence of mens masculinity and brisk technological advancement (Furedi, 2003). 2.4 Table The distribution of the studies regarding the views of the male nurses in the nursing profession Author/s and setting Sample and sampling method Research design/Instrument Significant findings Ekstrom,D.N. (1990) U.S.A. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Sample of two 145 nurse-patients combinations, from 5 adult acute care medical centers; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Random sampling of the patients, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mean age of female nurses 35.5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mean age of male nurse 36.3, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Patients had a mean age of 46.4 with a range of 19-82 years. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Two 61 items-matched Likert like questionnaires: 1. The nurse caring questionnaire, 2.The patient caring questionnaire

Teacher Certification Admission Essay :: College Admissions Essays

Throughout high school and during my undergraduate studies, education was never a top priority for me. Only during the past two years, in the "real world", have I realized the importance of education. I look back at those years and wish I had done more and realized all the potential I had in my hands and not wasted so much time. During my undergraduate career my social activities consumed my life. My friends were not motivated to do well in school so I followed their lead. My grades were low, and I did not even care. After I graduated in 1997 with a Psychology B.A. and lost touch with my old friends and old ways, I have realized that I should have spent more time doing some soul searching and thinking what it was that I wanted to do with my life. I liked Psychology but what I really wanted to do was work with children more closely. I had spent my junior and senior years involved in internships at Head Start and at a High School in a Program for teenaged mothers. I loved my work ther e. At Head Start I was a Teacher Aid for the pre-school, teaching the children to read, numbers etc. And at the High School I counseled the teenaged mothers, took care of their kids while they went to school and after the school day I tutored them with their homework. After being out of school for a while, I started to miss that. The feeling that I was teaching something those kids, the feeling that I was making a difference. I was determined to find a job in education, with my background in Psychology, how hard could it be? I found work at a residential school for runaways and abused teenaged females. It was great! I was ready to go, I was going to change the world and change those girls lives. What I didn't realize is that will alone does not make me a teacher and that I needed training, a lot of training. I made a lot of mistakes in that job. I got discouraged and decided to forget about working with children, forget teaching and do something else that paid more. So, I got a job as a Secretary, I did that for about two years. Teaching, working with children was always on my mind.