Laterality Differences in Native Arabic Speakers and English Speakers Article

Laterality Differences in Native Arabic Speakers and English Speakers - Article Example This first for example tests whether an English speaker is able to give right ear preference in hearing Arabic sounds and vice versa. This was then extended to include the other categories. Although the majority of tests showed no significant differences for left or right ear perception i.e. showed no suggestion of lateralized perception, at least one from each of the 4 categories of objectives did show evidence of a significant difference at the 5% level of significance. In the first set of tests in which all participants were exposed to both native and non-native sounds to observe any lateralized perception, it was found that each group of speakers had lateralized perception for their own native language but not for the non-native language. That is, the lateralized perception was evident amongst Arabic speakers during the Arabic language test, and amongst English speakers during the English language test, but not during the language test that was in a foreign language for each group. The significant finding was that in these cases, the average scores for right-ear perception was greater than the average scores for left-ear perception. Furthermore, in a comparison bet ween the two tests, the average score on the Arabic language test was significantly greater than the average score on the English language test for right-ear perception in the case of Arabic language speakers, and left-ear perception in the case of English language speakers. Whereas the above was as expected, when the three factors of handedness, gender, and native language were studied, the results were more interesting, and lateralization was evident in one of the 4 instances for each factor. In the English language test, gender was the only significant factor whereas, in the Arabic language test, the other two factors rather than gender were significant.

Economic Benefits Of Daylight Saving Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Benefits Of Daylight Saving Time - Essay Example Daylight Saving Time also has the added benefit of an extra hour or so of daylight after work hours for people to get home safely and to engage in social and recreational activities. Regardless of what one decides to do, whether go home and spend time with the family or go out and spend time with friends, DST can also save energy. The combination of these advantages of DST – working when there is sunlight, finishing work and safely getting home (or going out with friends) when there is still light, spending time with people one cares about and saving energy while doing so – will help the world get out of its economic crisis if DST is extended the whole year round. The reasons are easy to understand. First, finishing work early allows everyone to do many things while there is still light. It is these â€Å"many things† that one cannot do in the dark that has the power to help solve the economic crisis. One can decide to do things on one’s own that would save money and increase savings, like clean the car, mow the lawn, or paint the roof. One could also decide to do things to spend money and keep the economy running, like go bowling, visit friends, or have a beer. As mentioned in several portions of his book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time, David Prerau enumerated many proofs of the beneficial economic effects that DST has had on many sectors of the economy, such as candy manufacturers, amusement parks, restaurants and shops, movie houses and theaters, and the sporting goods industry. While there are objections that the cost of air-conditioning warm rooms and spending on outdoor activities may increase, the overall benefits to the economy were proven by DST’s role in bringing America out of Depression.

The East African Slave Trade Routes Essay Example for Free

The East African Slave Trade Routes Essay Slavery is a systematic exploitation of labor in human. It involved trading of human or capturing of human as a source of free or cheap labor aimed at working in military, in plantations, mines and as domestic servants. Slave trade was mainly in Africa. Africans were traded to other continents to work in large scale enterprises, mines, in the fleets and in the drainage of marshes. Slaves were treated like non humans and were seen as property. Therefore they didn’t enjoy equal rights like their masters. In East Africa, slave trade was dominated by Arab and Africa traders. It was mainly in the coastal cities of East Africa such as Mombasa, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. Captured or purchased African men were taken to the Middle East where they were enslaved. They faced brutal treatment along the way and in their place of work. They were overworked, abused sexually and insulted physically. They were exported annually into Mecca and Medina via the Indian Ocean giving the trade the name Indian Ocean Slave Trade. The Portuguese were also involved . Generally, it took the slaves a long time before reaching to their destination which was mainly the Arab countries, India and Middle East. The ships were too slow and overloaded thus could not move fast enough. The journey was thousand of miles between the coast of East Africa and Southern Arabia the Persian Gulf. They were traded along with gold, ivory, perfumes and exotic woods. African tribes’ men and women along the coastal line were brutally captured in their habitats. The prisoners of war were not lucky too as they were sold off by there own chiefs in exchange for money. Pawning was common in this trade and the slaves were used as such. It was traumatizing for the slaves moment as it usually involved physical abuse. They were beaten especially if they resisted capture. Their families could mourn as they knew that their captured members would never return. This separation by itself was traumatizing. The selection was inhuman. They were undressed publicly to check for any disability in front of there wives and children. The healthy and strong ones were picked living back the weak, sick and the old. They were chained and were forced to carry heavy merchandise such as the tusks of elephants on there way to the cells and dungeons where they awaited their sale. The cells were overcrowded. Men, women and children were kept in tiny cells with small windows. Some did not survive this far and died of suffocation and body weakness. There were no toilets and the place was filthy. They were whipped in front of their buyers as a show to how strong they were so that they could cost higher . For the purchased, immediately after they were bought they became the property of their masters. They were transported in overcrowded ship. They were chained together and packed into the cargo hold below dock. They were denied the freedom to move and were only allowed up on the dock sometimes in good weathers. The women and children enjoyed limited movement freedom. The food they ate was rotten if not bad and the water was foul. There were typically two meals a day. Their diet depended on what was the cheapest in the market at the particular time. The ship crews sometimes whipped the slaves for no reason at all. They were generally brutal. Sexual abuse was common especially among the female and child slaves. Severe punishment like death was common especially if there was disobedience. Their bodies would be thrown into the sea and sometimes they were thrown alive and left to die. All this time of sexual and physical abuse, starvation and sickness, some slave became traumatized and committed suicide by leaping overboard while others fell in state of shock. As a result of overcrowding, the condition in the ship was filth and diseases were common. They were the major cause of death. There were literally no toilets and the only available wooden buckets were meant to serve all the slaves on board. Dangerous diseases like small pox, dysentery, measles, malaria and scurvy plagued these ships. They affected even the ship crews. There were no drugs and much of the infected slaves were thrown into the sea to avoid transmission to the healthy. In cases of interception by war ships in search of illegal slave smugglers, the captain would throw the slaves in the ocean aimed at destroying the evidence. This was to avoid being poisoned or hanged if found guilty . After they reached to their destination, they were marketed where they now were possessed by new masters. They were assigned responsibilities but brutality still continued. The women worked as domestic servants and junior house wives while the men worked in the fields. The whip was the major impetus to work in the fields. It was the major fuel to make them work more. They were allowed little time to rest. They were merely viewed as a unit of production in the fields and mines rather than contributors. It was characterized by strong racism which dominated even there share in the society. African slaves were viewed as less human and were treated like property. Killing with impunity was common especially in cases of disobedience and sickness. They were given less attention on their humanitarian’s rights. The master or the slave owner had the powers to discipline to the point of death of all the members of the households. These included the children, kinsmen, housewives. Most of them were castrated to avoid reproduction. They were never taken back to their mother land. Therefore, as time went by they died and reduced in numbers. They had no right to own property whatsoever. Though some became leaders of the larger groups in the field, they were denied rights and would never be equal to their owners . In general, the slave trade was characterized by inhuman and brutal treatment of the slaves. The purchasing, transportation and deportation had very minimal humanitarian standards. Many continued to suffer the loss of their loved one who would never return back and who died on the hand of other human beings. Afterwards, there was abolishment of this trade though much of the African salves didn’t survive. The lucky ones went to extinction as reproduction was not possible as many males had been castrated. This trade was succeeded by legitimate trade which involved export of raw materials rather than labor. In recent years, slavery has been a world crisis with some evolutions like the American evolution putting strict measures on it but even in the modern world there still remains some traces of slave trade especially for the women and children. References Clarence-Smith, G. W. (1989) Slavery and abolition.The Economics of the Indian Ocean Slave Trade in the Nineteenth Century: Routledge, Patterson, O. (1982) a Comparative Study Slavery and Social Death: Harvard University Press. Watkins, R. R. (2001) Slavery: Bondage throughout History. HMCo Childrens Books, Collins, R. O and Burns, M. J. (2007)A History of Sub-Saharan Africa: Cambridge University Press. Total travel (2007) helping my friends teach my children about the word. Retrieved from http://www. tototravels. com/2006/10/chapter_20_zanz. html on Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Difference between aristotelian ethics and utilitarianism

Difference between aristotelian ethics and utilitarianism According to Aristotle, the ultimate human good is happiness, which is synonymous with virtuous activity and living well. Here virtue should be defined as excellence, or doing ones life-long activities well, in accordance with completing ones proper function. Aristotles notion of the proper function of mankind is described as the activity of the soul in conformity with virtue and principle, and is also what he considers to be the highest value. The moral criterion for completing ones proper function is to act in the same manner as a person of virtuous character. Man is not here simply to live, but is endowed with the faculty of reason and should exercise this capacity virtuously, as part of his proper function. Aristotle asserts that activity, especially right activity, is the function of man. Merely having the capacity to think rationally is not enough; rather, one must make use of this ability to determine whether or not the actions he wants to take are in conformity with excellenc e and virtue. Upon doing so, he is acting virtuously and must continue this course of action for his entire life in order to be person of good character and to complete his proper function. Aristotle defines The Good as being the object at which mans actions aim and goodâ€Å' as simply being the end of ones action. While he does not consider this form of The Good to be visible, the idea is very closely associated with the proper function of mankind. A proponent of teleology, Aristotle believes in a definite right way to act, as well as the existence of a universal order. Therefore, in order to complete ones proper function, one has to be the rightâ€Å' kind of person; specifically, he must be of moral, virtuous character for his actions to be considered good. Aristotle notes that it is not enough simply to do these virtuous activities, but one must purposefully complete such activities to truly perform his proper function. For man to be able to act virtuously, be moral, and achi eve supreme happiness, external goods are necessary. Such goods may be friends, wealth, and political power, though Aristotle also mentions that the lack of goods like good birth, good children, and beautyâ€Å' could spoil ultimate happiness (Aristotle, 21). Also important to Aristotle is the concept of a moral meanevery virtuous action is a mean between deficiency and excess, and he considers such extremes to be bad. Consider the following example: a lack of courage is associated with cowardice, while having too much courage leads to recklessnessneither of which would be seen as goodâ€Å' qualities. This moral mean is not universal, but relative to each individual. Associated with the idea of a moral mean is the importance Aristotle places on living a balanced life in which everything runs smoothly. Aristotle also addresses the concepts of pleasure and pain, and their association with happiness. As previously stated, happiness is identified as virtuous activity, as opposed to an emotion or feeling. While Aristotle does not believe that happiness is a feeling, he does recognize pleasure to be such. His concern with pleasure comes when man seems to be living solely for this feeling, for such a life is not virtuous. When man performs his proper function, he knows himself to be happy, and as a consequence, he feels pleasure for having done so. Aristotle does not think that this kind of pleasure is vulgar, but a natural result from leading a virtuous life. In his presentation of the doctrine of Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill bases the moral system on his observations of how people already behave in their daily lives. This process demonstrates the application of inductive ethics, which is the idea that observation and experience give knowledge of morality. If an innate moral sense does exist, according to Mill the best that this sense can do is tell us moral laws, but Utilitarianism is still necessary to decide how these laws should be applied. For Mill, the ultimate goal of man is the promotion of happiness, which he defines as the presence of pleasure and the absence of pain and recognizes to be an emotion. More specifically, the utilitarian tries to promote the general happiness of mankind, while simultaneously trying to pursue his own pleasure. These ideas lead to the General Happiness Principle, which holds to the concept that actions are right if they lead to increased happiness and decreased unhappiness, and wrong if they do the opposite. Man should always act so that society is improved, but should also be careful not to neglect himself in the process. Mill places importance on the consequences of ones actions, rather than on ones motivation for performing the actions. As long as promoting happiness is the end of the action, that action can be considered good and moral, even though ones motivation is frequently the hope of personal pleasure or gain. The doctrine of Utilitarianism is enforced by external and internal sanctions, as are all other moral systems. External sanctions are those outside of ones mind, such as the police or the opinion of the society in which one lives, which prevent one from completing certain actions. Therefore, the internal sanctions of mans actions come in the form of ones conscience and sense of duty. These sanctions are not intended to be the reasons for acting a certain way, but are protective mechanisms in case one performs an action as the result of poor judgment. Mill believes that character need not be considered when assessing the worth of ones actions; rather, one should take into account the character of another in his estimation of the worth of that person. An entire chapter of Mills work is devoted to justice. Mill describes justice as being natural and absolute, as well as a composite of several sentiments, namely vengeance, self-defense, and sympathy. Mill relates five characteristics of justice in his discussion. The first is the view that the violation of a persons legal rights is unjust. It then follows that the upholding of moral rights would be considered just. Receiving what one deservesor earning the consequences of ones actionsis the third characteristic, and for Mill the most crucial, as this concept presents the clearest conception of justice by the general population. The fourth attribute of justice is the accepted belief that breaking promises to others is an unjust action. Lastly, being impartial is admitted to be consistent with the notion of justice. Unjust actions require punishment because man has certain duties that must be performed, and justice is intended to ensure that each individual completes the actions for w hich they are responsible. Every individual has rights that they expect society to honor, and justice is necessary to uphold these rights and ensure the existence of a society in which the general happiness can be achieved. For these reasons, Mill believes that justice is the highest form of pleasure. Mill offers a proof for Utilitarianism with the following premises: (1) whatever is desired is a good; (2) each person desires his or her own happiness; (3) from the first two premises it follows that happiness is a good for every individual; (4) society consists of individuals; (5) one concludes from (3) and (4) that the aggregate good is equal to the sum of the good of each individual. Therefore, the social good is equal to the sum of the good of each individual in society. Mill arrives at his conclusion by using empirical observation, working from the ground up to build his argument. He notes that one can conclude that happiness is desirable because of the fact that people actually desire it, making happiness a good for every individual. Because society is made up of individuals, the social good is the sum of the good of each individual. Each premise is formulated from observation and experience, starting at the base and building upon these ideas, which demonstrates Mills empirica l formulation of the principle of Utilitarianism. Mill believes in the perfectibility of man and society through Utilitarianism, since its adherents would be striving for the good of all, continually aiming at higher morality. The utilitarian offers objections to Aristotelian Ethics, specifically in regard to Aristotles opinion of how to determine the nature of ones character and actions, as well as his treatment of the nature of pleasure and pain. A proponent of Utilitarianism questions Aristotles view of what constitutes a good or bad character, as well as his criteria for what makes actions good or bad. One recalls that for an act to be good, according to Aristotle, it must be performed in the manner in which a virtuous person would perform the action. In his definitions of bad acts and bad character, Aristotle uses each idea to define the other, presenting a circle that is not quite justified. He believes that a person of bad character is one that performs bad acts; however, he also believes that a bad act is one that comes from a bad character. Aristotle does provide several acts that are said to be absolutely wrong, and those who perform these acts are of bad character. However, no mention is made of actions that are absolutely rightAristotle merely states that actions taken by people of good character are right. The Utilitarian wonders how to define a good character if there exist no absolutely right actions that may be performed to provide a basis for what constitutes a good character. The notion of absolute rights and wrongs cannot be fairly used if only the absolute wrongs are taken into consideration when defining the nature of ones character. Another inconsistency found in Aristotles argument is when he allows that a virtuous person is capable of making a mistake, but can still be considered to be of good character, so long as the mistake is not so great that it cannot help but be noticed (Aristotle, 51). He does not agree that a person of bad character can do something good and have his action truly be considered good, which follows from his criteria for what constitutes good and bad actions. If one chose instead to focus on the consequences of a mans actions to determin e the goodness or badness of his actions, the character of this person could be more easily determined. An act ought to be considered good if it promotes pleasure and decreases pain, regardless of the character of the person who performs the act. Similarly, a bad act would be one that decreases happiness and promotes pain. Here, character is not a measure of the virtue of the action, but can be justly determined by observing the results of ones actions over time. Such is the view of the utilitarian. Also in question is Aristotles teleological view of mankind that is manifest in the presentation of his moral system. His espousal of the notion that man has a proper function and that there is a definite right way to do things demonstrates Aristotles support of teleology. In other words, the existence of a proper function of man is what causes one to act the way he doesin a manner striving to complete this proper function. In opposition to this viewpoint, the utilitarian doubts the existence of one right path for every individual to take in lifethe direction one chooses to follow ought to depend on the consequences of the actions that he desires to pursue. Aristotle believes that the reason man acts morally is because that is what he is supposed to do, simply because completing his proper function requires such action. The utilitarian, in favor of an empirical view of ethics, looks at what man obviously desires: happiness. Every individual has an interest in achieving and maintainin g his own happiness, as well as promoting the general happiness of society to a certain extent, so it follows that man would want to act in a way that increases pleasure and happiness, while lessening pain. By promoting the goodhappinesshe is acting virtuously. From this, one realizes that there are different kinds of happiness that can be desired; reaching these states of happiness necessarily requires all kinds of people (both so-called good and bad people) taking different actions. This admission indicates that there is not one right direction that can only be followed by the right kind of people, as Aristotle suggests. A crucial difference between Aristotelian ethics and Utilitarianism is the respective roles of pleasure and pain as they are related to right and wrong. Aristotle believes that pleasure and pain are subject to the criteria for right and wrong, whereas the utilitarian believes these feelings determine the criteria for right and wrong. The criteria Aristotle uses to determine the virtue (or lack thereof) of ones actions is whether or not the actions are those that a person of virtuous character would perform. One recalls that Aristotle believes that performing virtuous actions in accordance with ones proper function is synonymous with happiness. When one is completing his proper function he might feel pleasure as a consequence, but that is not his reason for choosing to act the way he does. Pleasure, then, would not be the desired end to ones actionsacting virtuously and completing ones proper function are the goals. However, if one accepts the view that happiness is what man most desi res, then he should see the importance of acting in a way that promotes pleasure and happiness. It would seem that right actions promote overall pleasure, for the person performing the action and often for others around him; therefore, one should choose to act in a way that promotes pleasure, as this is the right way to do things. In this manner, also, the utilitarian denounces Aristotles teleological view of the existence of humanity; clearly, man chooses actions that bring pleasure, for the purpose of attaining happiness. Utilitarianism can be considered to be practical moral system, as its ideas are based on observations of peoples actions and behavior in daily life. The inconsistencies found in Aristotles argumenthis method for defining a good or bad character, as well as the allowances he makes for one and not the othermake accepting his moral system difficult for the utilitarian. Also difficult to accept is Aristotles teleological view of a universal order and only one moral path to take, the existence of which is supposed to be the cause of our actions. Rather, it seems evident that the promotion of pleasure and diminishing of pain are the causes of human action; therefore, they are the determinants of right and wrong. Following the notion of empiricismaccepting that all knowledge originates in experienceallows one to logically conclude that because pleasure and happiness are things that everyone desires (the groundwork) people should act in a way that promotes happiness (the end).

Breast Cancer Essays -- Cancer Health Medical Illnesses Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast cancer will strike one in every eight American women. This makes it the most common cancer in woman. Approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Of that number, 40,000 will die from breast cancer each year. (Journal of Environmental Health 2003)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast cancer is just one type of cancer. Cancerous cells are cells that grow without the normal system of controls placed upon them. Breast cancer develops from the mammary ducts 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time the cancer develops from the lobules of the breasts. While breast cancer may occur in men, this paper will primarily focus on breast cancer in women. Breast cancer is 100 times more likely to affect women as it is men. There are two forms of breast cancer, invasive cancer and carcinoma in situ. (Dimensions of Human Sexuality, Shriver, S. 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Invasive cancer is the more serious form of breast cancer. Invasive cancer develops when some abnormal cells from the interior of the lobules or ducts rupture out into the breast tissue surrounding the lobules. Once these cells are free, they may travel into the lymphatic and vascular system where they have access to virtually all other areas of the body. These cells are especially fond of migrating to the liver, bones, and lungs. (Dimensions of Human Sexuality, Shriver, S. 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In contrast, carcinoma in situ are a cluster of abnormal breast tissue cells that develop inside of the lobules of the breast. These do not travel to other areas. In situ translates to mean ‘in place’. The cancer cells associated with Carcinoma in situ are not considered completely cancerous. They don’t possess the capability to travel outside the breast tissues. However, they are considered a precancerous condition. They may eventually develop into an invasive form of cancer or just raise the risk of developing invasive cancer. (Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 2003)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper will cover the following aspects of breast cancer: Breast anatomy and physiology, Risk factors, Hormonal relationships with breast cancer, Early detection/screening, Treatment options currently available, and the unique Psychological Impact that breast cancer creates for women. Breast Structure: Anatomy, Physiology, Neurologic Control, Vascular Supply   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The breasts, also called mammary glands, exist in both females and males. Ho... ...udies have been published on their effects. Research into chiropractic care is greatly needed. With a primary focus of the chiropractic research into the preventative aspects of chiropractic care in regards to breast cancer development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Women who come into a chiropractor’s office should be educated not only as to the benefits of chiropractic, but also in other areas important to her overall good health. One of these areas is breast cancer awareness. She should be given a risk assessment questionnaire, information on how to perform a breast self exam, and where to go locally for a mammogram. The chiropractor could also tell the patient where to go for more information. If the chiropractor has been thoroughly trained on how to perform a clinical breast exam and feels comfortable in doing so (and their state and malpractice insurance allows) they may perform this procedure in their office. However, it is strongly advised to have a female assistant present during the procedure, so as not to have any appearance of inappropriateness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most important thing is to get the patient educated as best we possibly can in regards to their overall health, including breast cancer.

EXTRA CREDIT HOMEWORK ON THE NATIONAL DEBT :: Essays Papers

EXTRA CREDIT HOMEWORK ON THE NATIONAL DEBT First, I would like to bring to your attention that I did forget to copy the URL because I could not get back to where I wanted. I did use the general topic National Debt, Time Magazine and Time Daily. I did get part of the URL http://pathfinder.com that is all. I am not good with computers and trying for hours just to get the web created much frustration. I hope you will still consider my work. The national debt at the minute is $4,987,184,610,949.10 and increasing $616 million every day. I do not think that the debt will ever decrease but will continue to increase. I think it is in nice terms that the government is trying to do something about it. They are creating difficulties in the process. They are going to agree. As of today, November 14, 1995, the government has shut down. The national parks, nonessential federal agencies are closed. Layoffs consist of 800,000 federal workers. No one will get paid that works for the government until they agree. These particular draw backscreate the question as to if the budget is worth it. Along with the layoffs and businesses closing, thetaxpayers paying $1.2 million dollars for every day that the goverment is closed. They should just raise the taxes if this is going to occur for awhile. The biggest problems occuring are increasing Medicare premimums, agreeing on a budget plan, and the tax cut. Clinton says he can do it in nine years, congress wants it done in seven. They already know, pretty confident that Clinton will veto the plan again. The tax cut is wanted to be at $245 million constant over a seven year period. Also, a $500 -a- child tax

Differences in Competencies Between Associate Degree and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses Essay

Differences in Competencies Between Associate Degree and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses Nursing education can be confusing because there are so many ways to become a nurse. However, throughout history, nurse leaders have advocated the importance of higher education for nurses. But as nursing shortages developed, the need for more and more nurses became apparent. To help solve the nursing shortage problem, Mildred Montag developed the associate degree of nursing program (ADN) in 1952. It was designed to be completed in two years and provide a balance of general nursing education along with clinical courses. The original program designed by Mildred Montag was for associate degree nurses to work under the supervision of professional baccalaureate prepared nurses. Due to confusion, the graduates of the associate degree nursing program were allowed to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). This NCLEX exam was the same exam given to baccalaureate degree nurses (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). Now, associate degree nurses can be found in almost every setting from hospitals to long term care facilities. However, even though associate nurses have the skills to provide adequate patient care, the advanced education of the baccalaureate degree nurse provides leadership skills, advanced critical thinking skill and improved patient outcomes (Lane & Kohlenberg, 2010). Therefore, in recent years the difference in competencies between the associate degree nurse and the baccalaureate degree nurse has been examined, resulting in a push for more nurses to obtain a bachelors degree (BSN). Associate degree nursing programs teach the technical aspect of nursing care. An associate prepared nurse can function well at the bedside. She can monitor the patient’s needs and record the outcomes of treatments. An associate prepared nurse can use critical thinking skills to determine her best course of action in most situations. But the constantly changing field of healthcare is demanding higher educated nurses. It is demanding nurses that are more professional and have an understanding of theory based practice. Nursing and medical organizations across the nation are recommending that all RNs advance their education. An advanced level of education can improve patient safety and quality of care (â€Å"Fact Sheet: Creating,† 2013). This has been evidenced by numerous studies on the correlation between higher educated nurses and patient outcomes. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study that found surgical patients had 14% lower odds of dying as an inpatient within 30 days when being cared for by higher educated nurses. Another study conducted at the University of Toronto found hospitals that increased their pool of baccalaureate prepared nurses by just 10% had a decrease in death of discharged patients (â€Å"Fact Sheet: Creating,† 2013). To fully understand the differences in competencies between an ADN and a BSN, it may be necessary to evaluate how each would perform in a specific patient care situation. For example, a 66 year male is hospitalized with an open wound on his leg. The wound is positive for MRSA and the patient is diabetic. The associate degree nurse dresses the wound properly, and teaches the patient how to take care of the wound. She helps manage the patient’s diabetes and teaches him how to manage it at home. The patient is discharged home with instructions and prescriptions. He is re-admitted a week later with high blood sugars and a worsening leg wound. The same patient is cared for by a nurse with a BSN. During his stay the nurse dresses his wound properly, and manages his blood sugar levels. During her time with him, the nurse questions the patient about his family and his home. Through casual conversation she discovers the patient lives alone, but his daughter lives close by. She also learns he is unable to clean his home properly, but he is adamant about staying there. With the patient’s permission, the nurse contacts the patient’s daughter to learn more about the challenges the patient faces in caring for himself. After talking with the daughter, the nurse discovers the patient has not had an eye exam in 5 years and his vision is poor. He does not follow a diabetic diet and prefers to eat out rather than cook at home. Armed with this new information, the nurse talks with the patient. She tactfully points out his vision problems and poor diet choices. The patient admits he needs new glasses, but cannot afford them. He admits to having trouble seeing the numbers on his insulin syringe. He also states following a diabetic diet is too difficult so he doesn’t bother. The nurse takes this information to the hospital’s case management team and together they get home health care that will help him with his dressings. They also manage to find help to clean his home and funding to get him new glasses. The nurse then makes an appointment for the patient for diabetic teaching provided by the hospital. Prior to discharge the nurse teaches the daughter how to change the wound dressing and how to give insulin injections. She encourages the daughter to go with  the patient to diabetic education classes. The BSN nurse did more than just discharge the patient. She used the metaparadigm of nursing model to treat the patient as a whole. The metaparadigm consists of person, environment, health, nursing and how they all interact with each other. (Gunther, 2011). She recognized the patient was an individual person with individual health needs. She discovered his physical and environmental challenges and learned how they were affecting his health. Utilizing the information she obtained she found the patient the appropriate help for his situation. The associate degree nurse is certainly capable of taking care of patients in almost any healthcare setting. However, healthcare is changing rapidly with increased acuity and short lengths of stay and nursing must change with it by producing more professional, well-educated nurses. References Creasia, J. L. , & Friberg, E. E. (2011). Pathways of Nursing Education. In M. Iannuzzi, & R. Richman (Eds. ), Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5th ed. (pp. 23-26). [PageBurst]. Retrieved from www. elsevier. com Fact sheet: Creating a more highly qualified nursing workforce. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce Gunther, M. (2011). Theories and frameworks for professional nursing practice. In M. Iannuzzi, & R. Richman (Eds. ), Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5th ed. (pp. 97-99). [PageBurst]. Retrieved from www. elsevier. com Lane, S. H. , & Kohlenberg, E. (2010). The future of baccalaureate degrees for nurses. Nursing Forum, 45(4), 218-227. doi:10. 1111/j. 1744-6198. 2010. 00194.