Las Meninas

Peer Review Experiences

2006-12-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Hmm. Peer review, is it helpful? I think yes and no. I find it helpful because your peers know what the requirements for your papaer our. They are in your class so they know what the teacher is looking for. I think they know the general writing level for your class. I feel that peer review is good for these purposes.
I think that is nt helpful in a lot of ways. I think that peers are afraid to be brutally honest, no one wants a grudge hed against them for reviewing a paper harshly. I also think they don't catch a lot of of problems because they are just as educated as you are. Most of us are on the same level and are making the same mistakes ourselves.
In conclusion, I think the more people you have read your paper, the better. It is always good to have an outsider look at your paper with a fresh pair of eyes.I think peer review would be more helpful if it was taken seriosly and if we actually knew what we were talking about. I think it is better to have a older and more educated person look at your paper.

Results of Not Vaccinating A Child

2006-11-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

While doin me research I ran across a story that I found quite interesting and sad. It tells about the results of not immunizing your children.
Maria had several children, on Christmas Eve night her second to youngest son had a horrible asthma attack and she had to rush him to the emergency room for help. One of Maria friends had been against childhood immunizations and had told Maria that immunizations sometimes caused asthma. After this incidence with her son she was skeptical about immunizing her youhgest baby. Maria had heard rumors of a vaccine containing mercury, one day while she was in the doctors office she notice a sign on the way telling people to wiat for a new shipment of vaccines that contained no mercury. Maria decided to pass on immunizing her baby all together. She felt that immunizations were putting her children at a greater risk. Unfortunatley one day her baby caught meningitis, a disease that can be vaccinated against. THe baby was treated, and thanfully lived.
I think this story is a great example of why childhood immunizations are so important. These diseases have not left our presesnce in the United States. We don't see a lot of it because immunizations are required of almost everyone before entering school. There are stil a select few who so not recieve theri immunizations. These people are still suseptible of these disease and can spread them to other people who are not immunized. Let this story serve as a lesson to you and always remember the importance of ummunizing your children in a timely manner.

English 1010 class

2006-11-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

I'll admit that at the start of this class I was a little skeptical, writing papers differently then before? Is it possible? I was worried that if I wrote in this new method the rest of the world would not recognize the writing technique, not to have a paper with a thesis and supporting paragraphs. I was worried if I wrote a paper differently my other teachers would grade it poorly. How foolish was I. I did not realize there is a better, more professional and mature way of writing papers. Who knew!
I feel badly because Mrs. Smith had to put up with our complaining and crap about a new method of writing. Young people always think that they know everything. I can see the bigger picture and now admit that she knew what she was talking about and was right. One day it really clicked with me what the final product of this class would be. I didn't understand that each individual paper was preparing with the steps to a final , perfect, and complete paper.
I now recognize that a good paper questions something and examines all perspectives of an issue. You can't just pick a thesis, research the topic, pick and choose what proves your thesis point and leave out all the other research not supporting it. You must take everything in account . We are now old enough to we have a voice and can possibly be taken seriously. You can't be ignorant on areas of a topic if you are trying to prove a point. You must cover all your bases and look from every angle. That is waht I good writer does.
I can now see the bigger picture and fianl goal of our English class. I think it will improve in my writing for other classes as well. English is a course that is most definitetly applied in other everyday, areas of our life.

Immunizations

2006-10-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

My research topic is on immunizations for children. Are they helpful or harmful? This seems to be a huge controversial topic. I chose this particular topic because I want to be a pediatiric nurse. I know nothing about the immunizations that children need. I came about with this idea from my last paper I wrote about animals. I mentioned some of the vaccinations necessary for pets. I stressed the huge importance of vaccinations for animals. I am currently a pet and I am concstantly telling owners how important they are. I was thinking about how if I am a pediatric nurse I will need to know this for children as well. What immunizations do they
need? What diseases are they preventing our children from getting? Are these diseases treatable if caught or deadly. How importnt are they? Do children have vacicne reaction like animals? Are there negative side effects. Are the side effects worth it?
I have run across people who are oppossed to immunizing their children for several different reasons. A common reason that I have heard of is that some immunizations lead to autism. I have also talked to mothers whose children have such bad reactions that the parents would rather take the risk.
I am so used to telling people about the importance of vacinations that I feel that they must be just as or more important for children. An outbreak of these diseases could be terrible. I have heard that not immunizing children can cause other problems such as low fertility.
I hope that while doing this research project I will be able to learn and understand the importance of immunizations for children.

Prerequisites to Nursing Program

2006-10-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

I chose to write about the prerequisites to getting into the nursing program here at UVSC. This relates to our English class because many of the articles I have written responses to have dealt with the nursing career. It is not enough for me to just be interested in the career, I must know and be able to meet the requirements.
As you may have guessed, English 1010 is a prerequisite. This requirement will benefit me greatly for the courses to come. Without the basic knowledge and skills of writing I would not be able write a good paper. This class will help prepare me for the research papers to come in my program. It will also teach me the discipline needed to do the research. This semester we have focused and finding a problematic topicc and thinking over all the possibilities. This will benefit me and help me to be able to think deeper about a topic. It will help me be a questioning person and help me become a problem solver. English can help me in many ways besides just grammar and conventions. English is an important prerequisite to any program.
Before I start questioning and solving problems in the medical field I must first finish a few courses besides English. Requirements are math, chemistry, biology, anatomy and physiology. This courses will all help better prepare me for my future career path. Through careful planning and a lot of studying I hope to be admitted into the nursing program. By finishing these prerequisites I will be smarter and more prepared person.

"Real Life Angels"

2006-10-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

I read an article from the ABC 7 Chicago News called "Real Life Angels". This article is about volunteers who bring happiness to the lives of people undergoing chemotherapy. These angels send a card or words of comfort at least twice a week. Many patients have said how these wonderful angels have helped them in their lives. Anyone can be a volunteer for these patients with cancer. The love and support given is sometimes just what a patient needs to hang on, knowing that someone cares for them.
I found this article interesting because I hae thought a lot about becoming a in home nurse for people with cancer. I think that volunteering to be an angel would be a good start to get an idea of what kind of emotional experience I would need for this kind of job. I agree with this article, I think that the love and support from others can help aid in the survival of the patient. I would like to deal more with the medical treatment of these patient but the emotional treatment can sometimes be just as important but is often overlooked. I hope to someday have the opportunity to be a helping angel to others and make a differnece in their lives.

Response to "I'd Rather Smoke Than Kiss"

2006-10-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

I chose the article "I'd Rather Smoke Than Kiss". This title caught my attention forst thing. The idea that someone would rather smoke than kiss is absurd to me. This article is about a 54 year old woman who began smoking at age 26. She had no desire to ever start smoking before then. Her mother started amoking at age 12. Her mother did not quit smoking while she was pregnant with her. Despite this she was born and had no complications. The woman had never planne don smoking but one dau she came across a pretty red box containing cigarettes, she thought that this box would be ideal for holding paperclips. She emptied the cigarettes from the box and into a drawer. Oneday she thought she would try one. She talks of all the pleasures smoking gave her and the enjoyable times she had with a fellow addict man. She talks about how people judge her for smoking. She talks of how the dangers of smoking she be up to the smoker to decide if they want to take the risk because it is their own life.
I was stunned to think that this woman was so addicted to nicotine that she would rather have it than kiss. I wondered if this addiction is partly to blame her mother because of her smoking habits while pregnant. Maybe smoking addiction is similiar to alcoholism, could some people be more genetically prone to this addiction with one smoke? We're always told "just say no" if someone offers us just one smoke because it is sometimes that one smoke that gets you hooked. It's amazing to see how true that is in some peoples case.
I also thought it was ironic how she talked about smoking with such fondness. She said, " I remember those easy-going smoking sessions with that man: the click of the lighter, the brief orange glow in the darkness, the ash tray between us-spilling sometimes because we laughed so hard together..." When in reality the one thing she loves so much will most likely be to blame for her death. She said she believed life should be savored rather than lengthened. My thoughts to this are the longer life you have the more moments to savor. I don't want a short life with regrets for the stupid and selfish things that I did.
She talked about how smokers should have a choice but so should the people arounfd them. We chose not to smoke and shorten our lives but their habits are still affecting our lives. The smoker are infringing on our rights, Second hand smoke affects everyone. Smoking is a selfish act. There are better way to relieve stress, stay thin, rebel agianst parents, etc... The are better ways to deal with things than turning to smoking.I don't think that people are sinners for smoking. I have had family and friends who were smokers, all of which are good people. I just wish they wouldn't risk their lives for short pleasures.
It is a good thing she would rather smoke than kiss because no one likes to kiss a smoker.

Liberal VS. Vocational education

2006-09-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

I found it the article "As a weapon in the hands of the Restless Poor" and " As lite entertainment for the College Student" to be very interesting. The concepts found in these two articles are somethign we can all realte with.
The first concept I would like to discuss is Liberal Education vs. Vocational or technical school. I can relate to this because I have attended both. I struggle with the decision of which would be best for me. When I was in highschool I attended a technical college at the same time. I found my classes to be exciting because I was only studying what I was most interested in. Not only did I learn about the subject I love but it prepared me for a job I was interested in. This job pays more than my previous jobs that I had that required no schooling. The best thing about vocational colleges is it takes much less time and will get you in the career you desire. This is very tempting to me because I would like to shorten the amount of time I go to school and increase my salary. I would like to be in a job I enjoy and be in the real working world as soon as possible. Money isn't everything to me but we must have it to pay rent, feed ourselves, and pay car and phone bills.
On the other hand I want a good education. I don't want to be clueless when it comes to other subjects. I would like to be able to understand a little of everything. I would like to be able to have enlightening and thoughful conversations with others. A liberal education will give me this. I feel a liberal education makes you a more rounded person and will mold you into a person that can think for themselves and can solve problems on their own. In society today vocational schools are not accepted as readily as liberal schools. I have found that the jobs that vocational schools prepare you for will not pay you as much as if you had a degree from a liberal university. I hate to admit it but the biggest reason I go to college is to ensure that I get an enjoyable and well paying job. I was always told to get good grades when I was yougn so I could get into a good university and eventually have a wondreful job because of it. The best thing about a liberal school is you learn a little of everything and get a job in the end. The bad part is it will take more money, more time, and will not train you in specifics for your job.
I have struggled with what kind of school is best for me? What will make me the best person I can be? What school will make me happiest in my future? Obviously I am attending a liberal education college. I decided to go with the more acceptable schooling. I think it the best decision for me. I have already experienced a year of vocational schooling. It has brought me a great job that I enjoy. I do not regret the time I spent going to a technical school. I am glad that I was able to have a fufilling job that will now pay my way through a liberal education college succh as Utah Valley State College.

Nursing Article

2006-09-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

In Kristi Melvens article, "Improving Nursing Care for Newborns" she stresses how important skin to skin contact is for a newborn baby. Melven studied nursing practices in developing countries and found the affects of skin to skin contact with the mother had miraclous results. In developing countries there are incubator shortages for newborns, to solve this problem they use skin to skin contact for warmth. Research has shown that when this practice is performed there are positive affects on respiratory rate and heart rate. It also improved breast feeding and resulted in less crying. Other studies have shown that the infant mortality rate declined, and infection rate went down because it was not necessary to overcrowd an incubator with several newborns.
In this article Melven questioned our practices in The United States and if they were really better for the newborns well being. Often this skin to skin care is not practiced in the states because we do not have a shortage of incubators. Melven noticed how if the newborn was in any distress at all they were immediatley whisked away. She questioned if this was the best thing? She commented on how it was often times sad to see the baby taken away. She noted how they whisked it away and out it in a warmer. Why not just let the mother warm it? This got me questioing this as well. Mother's throughout the centuries have been using skin to skin contact and it has been working fine. Is it right to take the baby away so soon. Newborns have a very real and close bond to their mothers. They need her for survival, they having been living inside her for nine months.
If we have found an effective and natural way to improve babies health, why not put it to use? It could be very effective in some cases. Melven is hoping that this skin to skin technique will spread more to The United States. To help solve this problem Melven is doing all that she can by publishing her literature and studies as well as taking it to the national conference. She is currently working at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City. While she is working there she is helping write policies on when skin to skin contact might benefit a mother and child.
I felt that Melven's questions to problems had importance to all of us. It was something that I found very interesting. I thought she did a nice job on finding a solution to these problems, she even was taking an active role in the solution of these problems. Melven incoporated the studies of others in her literature and their opinions. This article had me thinking deeper and questioning the skin to skin technique and its effectiveness. It had me questioing if The Unites States always has the best health care with all of our new technologies.

My Major

2006-09-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have just recently decided on my major. I always knew I wanted to have a job on the health field area but, did not know what in particular. I chose to go into nursing. I have always been interested in healthcare and have found it easy for me to learn because I find it so enjoyable. I have not come to a decision on what field of nursing I would like to go into yet, but I have been leaning towrds pediatrics.
I have read a little bit about cancer in pediatric patient. I read an article on adolescents with cancer and how thier success rate is much lower than in children and sometimes adults. Why is this? How does age affect their survival. How can we learn more about this? I found this very interesting and sad and would like to learn more about this. How can I, in the future, help these adolescents have a better success rate.
I also read another article on the postoperative affects on pediatric patients with cancer. There are many side affects to treating children with cancer. I recently learned that children with bone marrow transplants often have rapid weight gain with in the next year. What are physicians doing to prevent this and to help these patients? SOme common side affects to treatments are fever, lethargy, hair loss, etc.. the list goes on? How can we make these patients more comfortable while undergoing treatments?
I hope that in the future I will be able to learn more about pediatric oncology and be able to help these patients make it through their treatments more sucessfully and comfortably. I hope to learn more about the uprising information and technology regarding the treatmnet of cancer so that someday I can make a diiference in childrens lives.

What Keeps Me Awake at Night

2006-09-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that a lie awake at night thinking of the problems in our society today and trying to find solutions. I find that I am much more self centered late at night and I mostly think of problems that arise in my own personal life. I find myself worrying about school, money, and what is ahead in my future. I realize that these subjects keep most people awake at night as well. I just recently have been dropped to part time at my job, not goood timing. In several months I am getting married and we'll need all the money we can get! Getting cut down to part time now means I do not get any health benefits. Bummer. I now need to find another part time job or i will not be able to pay my bills and save money for the future.
I was studying bioveterinary science at Utah State University. My first semester was rough and I came back home to Provo to go to school. Since there are no universities with a veterinary science program in Utah Valley I thought it best to change my major. I also had to ask my self if I could really become a veterinarian. Do I have the discipline to go to school for eight years? Do I really have the brains to pass all the math and chemisrty classes required. I finally had to fess up to myself that I am not wonder woman.What could I change it to? I love medicine and making things better, i also loved animals more than people. I have been working as a pet nurse and knew that I could not make a living with that as a career. Unfortunatley it does not pay very well considering the hard work and schoooling it takes. Through many sleepless nights and much consideration I decided to study to be a people nurse. I can only hope this is the right future career path for me. Were my stressful and sleepless nights over yet, I think not.
When attending USU I had a full scholarship and money for school was not a huge issue, by coming to school at UVSC I now had to find a way to pay for all of tuition and save money for next semesters tuition as well. I have always had a job and saved my money but there never seemed to be enough. I now had to decide if I wanted to take a break from school and earn money or take out a loan and be eternally indebted to the bank.
These are several problems that I question each night as I try to sleep. These are common problems that each of us loose sleep over and I'm sure these same stressful problems will continue to cost me sleep even as am older. The great thing about problems is as soon as you get one solved, new ones arise.

2006-09-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

For the past several years I have worked at a couple pet hospitals as a pet nurse. As a pet nurse I deal with quite a number of euthanasia cases. Just this last week I was in a room checking a patient in for a euthanasia patient in, even when the patient is in for a euthanasia we still go ahead and do a thourough exam and get an accurate history. While I was examing the patient it seemed to be just fine despite the fact that she was now an old cocker spaniel. With further investigation I asked the owner what was wrong with her dog, she replied, " Is has been bleeding from the rectum and has blood in the urine."
This is obviously a problem but not always a life or death problem. The elderly owner kept going on about how it had been like this for several weeks but she hadn't had the heart to bring her dog in yet to euthanize it. I was happy because I knew that we could most likely fix this problem and not euthanize the animal. I was dying to tell her the news but I"m not authorized to say such things with out the doctor looking over the animal first. The doctor entered the room and completely the exam while asking the woamn all the same questions I had just previously asked her. After his exam he came to the same conclusion that I had, the dog has problems but could be helped with some medications. I looked over to see what I thoguht would be the elderly womans estatic face, much to my dismay it was quite the opposite. The oldwoman was furious, she wanted her old dog euthanized! I couldn't believe it. The old woman stormed out of the exam room screaming about how this hospital was an outrages and she couldn't even get her dog put to sleep. She was going to another hospital.
This strange experience got me thinking about the ethics of euthanasia. Why are we superior enough over the animal kingdom to make such decisions for them? Who is qualified to make these decisions for pets, this old lady clearly wasn't alright in the head to make such a decision for an animal? How can we control animal populations without animal shelters that believe in euthansia? If we give pet owners more knowledge and make them more aware of the importances of spaying and neutering your pet, will there be a need as much need for animal shelters? These questions also got me thinking about euthanasia for people. Is it right? Is it alright to do in old suffersing people? Who is to make that decision for someone if they are not capable to do it for themselves. If it is concidered more humane to euthanize an animal n pain why is it not considered more humane for people?
These are just a few problematic questions that arose with my experience working at the vet hospital this week. What are your toughts and comments about these questions? Where do you draw the line? What is morally correct?

2006-08-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hello to my English 1010 class. Welcome to my blog.