Monday, January 27, 2020

The Integration Of Core Concepts And Frameworks In Health Studies Nursing Essay

The Integration Of Core Concepts And Frameworks In Health Studies Nursing Essay Introduction This assignment attempts to explore the integration of core concepts and frameworks in health studies. The purpose of the assignment is to analyse the writers current professional practice, focusing on the outcomes of reflection, models of health, focus for learning, methods of enquiry and occupational mode of practice. Where reflective accounts are used to demonstrate a relationship to current practice, the author will make these entries in the first person (Webb, 1992, Hamill, 1999). The author is a senior staff nurse within an acute and emergency care facility in the North West of England. To ensure anonymity and confidentiality no reference is made to either patients or staff (NMC, 2004). During the last three decades, many professional groups have taken up reflective practice. Bulman Schutz (2004) argue that this enhances learning and promotes best practice within nursing. It is seen as an appropriate form of learning and a desirable quality amongst nursing staff (NMC, 2002). There have been many attempts to define reflective practice, however, Atkins Murphy (1993) argue that the whole concept is poorly defined. Reflection and reflective practice is a process allowing the practitioner to explore, understand and develop meaning, highlighting contradictions between theory and practice (Johns, 1995). Moon (1999) defines reflection as a set of abilities and skills, to indicate a critical stance, an orientation to problem solving or state of mind. Reflection is a window through which an event or situation is broken down and evaluated upon in an attempt to understand what has happened, to improve practice and aid learning and development (Reed, 1993, cited in Burns Bulman, 2000). Kolb (1984) states that reflection is central in theories of experiential learning and argues that within nursing, this form of learning is the most dominant. Platzer, Blake Ashford (2000) state that there are many benefits to learning through reflection, however, they are critical of individual reflective accounts and acknowledge the barriers to this form of learning. They explain how group reflection is more potent when attempting to understand complex professional issues and believe that through sharing, supporting and giving feedback in these sessions will facilitate learning with greater effectiveness. Wilkinson Wilkinson (1996) share this view, but highlight the importance of respecting and maintaining confidentiality. Schon (1983) describes reflection in two ways: reflection in and reflection on action. The differences in these types of reflections are reflecting whilst the situation unfolds and reflecting retrospectively on an event (Greenwood, 1993, Fitzgerald, 1994). Atkins Murphy (1994) improve upon this and suggest that for reflection to make a significant difference to practice, the practitioner must follow this up with a commitment to action, as a result. Interestingly, Greenwood (1993) also states that reflection before action is an important preparatory element to reflective learning as it allows the practitioner to formulate plans ahead of situations arising. There are other writers on reflective practice and conflicting arguments exist about when best to reflect. (Wilkinson, 1999). There are some critics of reflective practice, these highlight issues including the surveillance and self-regulation of reflective practice (Taylor 2003). Bulman Schutz (2004) suggest that when bringing personal feelings and emotions into the public domain that this can act as a barrier to reflection. They also acknowledge other limitations to the reflective process, including a lack of effective tools for assessment, political and financial pressures and the knowledge and skills required by facilitators. Taylor (2003) proposes that due to the confessional nature of reflection, debate can be raised over the legitimacy and honesty of the process. Schutz (2007) states that insufficient research has taken place to assess the benefits of reflection in nursing, leaving some debate about its appropriateness. Taylor (2003) argues however, that reflective practice is considered a positive approach to learning and is an important educational tool. There are many models to guide a practitioner through the reflective cycle. Reflection was first explored by Dewey (1933), Boud et al (1985) Cooper (1975) Powell (1989), Jarvis (1992), Atkins and Murphy (1994), Reid (1993) and others. More recently, models used to guide reflective practice, include Gibbs (1998) Johns (1995), Bortons (1970), Smyth (1989) and others. Health is a broad concept and can embody a variety of meanings, of which there is no particular right or wrong answer. There is no ideal meaning of health, making it a highly contested topic (Aggleton, 1993). The word health derives from the old English word to heal (hael) meaning whole (Naidoo and Wills, 2000). This statement suggests that health relates to the individual and concerns their holistic well-being. However, the literature suggests that opinions vary and that some perspectives disagree. Health is defined in many ways, generally divided into two types of understanding; official and lay perspectives. The main difference between the two, is that one is the view held by professionals and the other represents the views of lay people (non professionals). Official definitions of health have two common meanings in every day use; positive and negative (Cribb 1998, Aggleton 1993). The positive view represents a state of well being and the negative view surrounds absence of disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) (1946) encapsulated a holistic view of health, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Whilst setting high targets to be achieved, this definition has been criticised for being too idealistic and impossible to attain (Aggleton, 1993). In view of the criticism, the WHO changed its definition: health is the extent to which an individual or group is able to realise aspirations, to satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment. Health is therefore seen as a resource for everyday life not the object of living. Health is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities (WHO, 1986). This suggests that more recent definitions see health not as a state, but as a process towards the achievement of each individuals potential (Seedhouse, 1986). Negative definitions focus on the absence of disease or illness (Aggleton 1993, Naidoo Wills 2000). One definition of health suggests that people are healthy so long as they show no signs of bodily abnormality (disease). This definition fails to take into account how the person feels about themselves. The individual may feel ill in situations where health professionals are unable to find any underlying pathology (Aggleton 1993). Alternatively, an individual may have a disease and feel perfectly well. The main point being made here is that subjective perceptions cannot be overruled or invalidated by scientific medicine (Naidoo Wills 2000). The negative meaning of health is utilised by the medical model, which is explored later in the text. Whilst in the workplace, it is apparent to me (who is also a Registered Nurse) that both positive and negative meanings of health are used. Doctors focus on health from the negative viewpoint e.g. a doctor may review a patient and whilst not being able to find evidence of an acute illness, decides that the patient is fit to be discharged. Alternatively, I may focus on the positive view. In this context, a holistic approach to the patients health and social well-being is being explored, and therefore a comprehensive assessment of these needs are being made prior to discharge. As previously mentioned, lay beliefs are the views of those who are not professionally involved in health issues (Aggleton 1999). Whilst this is so, they must not be totally discounted as they can be as important as official definitions. They often influence the behaviour and understanding of an individual, and ultimately, the way they respond to health issues. An example of this can be demonstrated when reflection takes place after an incident e.g. a gentleman was admitted to the assessment area complaining of chest pain. After investigation, he was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction. Immediately after diagnosis, he remained on bed-rest for twenty-four hours, then after this period, the patient stated (when asked how he felt), that he felt well and had infact never felt better. At this point the patient proceeded in an attempt to get out of bed and mobilise locally. Thus, it was his belief (a positive view) that because he felt well (he had no symptoms of feeling unwell) then th is was a signal for him to carry on, in his normal manner, which was not the case. If the patient had been told he needed to rest, then it is likely that his behaviour would have changed. Beliefs about health can also vary from place to place (Aggleton 1993). Having nursed in various locations throughout the United Kingdom, my experience of this is first hand and from this experience, I share the views of Aggleton. There seem clear distinctions between health needs and health interpretations between different social class groups. e.g. in deprived areas, beliefs of health are that you just get by, however, in more affluent areas, health is not seen as merely being free from ill-health, but looks at other dimensions too, like keeping fit, eating healthily and being active. According to Jones (1994), health is subject to widely variable individual, social and cultural expectations, produced by the interplay of individual perceptions and social influence; suggesting that individuals create and re-create meanings of health and illness. This is done by our lived experiences. This view is supported by researchers, who have identified social class differences in concepts of health (Blaxter 1990, Calnan 1987). Their findings concluded that middle class respondents had a more positive view of health and found this to be linked to perceptions such as enjoying life and being fit and active. Through the same research, working class groups viewed health as functional and avoiding ill health. One explanation for these findings is that compared to working class people, middle class groups have greater control over their lives, due to income thresholds and job security, generating higher standards of living. According to Naidoo Wills (2000), this leads to people in different social classes holding different beliefs about autonomy and fatalism. These views are confirmed by my experiences in the workplace. The majority of patients I see are from working class backgrounds. This information is obtained from the patient during admission, when asked about their occupational status. It must be acknowledged however, that someones occupation doesnt necessarily denote their social group. These patients do have a tendency to view health as functional and this further supports the explanation offered by Naidoo Wills (2000). The United Kingdom is undoubtedly classed as a multicultural society, therefore it could be argued that a range of cultural views about health co-exist (Naidoo Wills, 2000). Alternative practitioners offer therapies such as acupuncture, reflexology and massage, which are based on cultural views of health and disease and run in conjunction with therapies offered by the National Health Service, which focuses on scientific medicine. The use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) is largely unregulated but due to recent government pressures, a regulatory body to govern the use of some of these practices is to be set up (Hawkes, 2008). It is also evident that differences in chronological age and lifestyle also play a key part in influencing our views about health. For many young people, health may be seen as the ability to take part in sporting activities or being at the peak of their fitness (Blaxter 1990, Aggleton 1993). Alternatively, health for the older person is more likely to relate to the ability to cope and to be able to undertake a more restricted range of actions (Williams 1983, Aggleton 1993). It is clear from this discussion, that there are a variety of forms that can be taken from a concept. It is felt therefore that it would be useful to use an analytical framework which brings together defining features of concepts of health and demonstrates their relationship to each other. One such framework is by Alan Beattie (1987, 1993). Beattie (1987, 1993) suggests that concepts of health can be characterised by a focus on health as the property of individuals through to the property of people collectively, on a continuum. Further concepts can be seen as open to authoritative definition (or scientific principles), or alternatively as socially negotiable within the context of people concerned. This lead Beattie to set out two interlocking axis the horizontal and vertical axis. The horizontal axis represents individual people to families, groups and whole communities. The vertical axis represents a stance from expert led (authoritative usually represented by expert knowledge) to client led (negotiated using peoples own interpretations of their health and viewing them as experts in their own right) interventions. From this, the four quadrants of Beatties concepts were born. Biopathological models of health are related directly to the individual, them being the focus for treatment and free from illness or disease. Health is proclaimed in an authoritative manner through investigation and diagnosis. This model relates closely to the medical model of health. Biographical models of health focus on the individual subjective experience of health. Health is seen as part of everybodys life story and is therefore seen as being linked to our individual biographies. Health is not established through science but the personal opinion of the individual in the context of their lived experience. Environmental models view health as a property of populations as opposed to individuals. The emphasis is on the use of statistical data to describe epidemiology, in order to determine the health of the population. The communitarian concept states that health is the property of the social contexts of peoples lives in their communities. Health is seen to be influenced by how people respond to their material and cultural circumstances of their lives and not being shaped by authoritative monitoring of patterns of health. Beattie (1987, 1993) suggests that these models are not mutually exclusive. They can co-exist in differing circumstances, however, the emphasis may be more or less dominant. Having explored these models, it becomes evident that within my practice the Biopathological model is the most dominant between the members of the health care team e.g. a patient is admitted to the assessment unit with complaints of chest pain. The medical team (or the technician as Beattie would refer) would see the individual as the focus for treatment and will carry out expert, scientific led investigations. The diagnosis would then be proclaimed in an authoritative manner. This model has been criticised for being too narrow and it can be argued that medicine is not as effective as it is often claimed (Naidoo Wills 2000). The twentieth century has seen a reduction in mortality and increased longevity in developed countries and it is often assumed that medical advances have been responsible for this. McKeown Lowe (1974) would argue that this is not necessarily the case. In their historical analysis they concluded that social advances in general living conditions had been responsi ble for most of the reduction in morbidity, whereas the contribution of medicine had played a much smaller role. However, within the professions and institutes of medicine, mechanistic approaches to analysis are still dominant (Beattie et al 1993). In practice, the biopathological model of health is usually adopted when dealing with the nominated patient group, but it must be acknowledged that sometimes, due to the nature of nursing (even in an acute area), I may utilise other models within Beatties framework, particularly the biographical model of health. Here, the focus is still individual, but the care is negotiated as opposed to prescribed. Interestingly, the NMC (2004) code of professional conduct also advocates that patients be treated individually, with respect and with their best interests in mind. An example can be given to the reader of when this overlap occurs. A patient is admitted to hospital, following an acute exacerbation of chronic airways disease. The individual is seen by the doctor and in an authoritative manner prescribed a course of treatment, which included smoking cessation. The patient did not respond well to this demand. He believed that because he had been smoking for most of his adult life, that this did not contribute to his current health breakdown. Utilising previous experience in this area, I talked through the issues of smoking cessation and gave a rationale for the proposed treatment. I listened to the patient, with their concerns and anxieties and found that previous attempts at stopping smoking had been unsuccessful. The patient highlighted that no help had been offered previously from the health care team and that he had no financial compensation for his treatment. After a discussion about the support and available services, the patient accepted my offer to a free and confidential stop smoking service and agreed to a referral being sent. According to Beattie (1987, 1993) the focus for learning concerns the type of knowledge a health care practitioner needs in order to practice within their setting. Within the biopathological model of health, the focus for learning is that of essential knowledge applied by the competent worker (the technician). This is consistent with my focus for learning and is utilised frequently in every day practice. It is the most dominant over other focuses suggested by Beattie (1987, 1993) within other models of health. An example of when I might use this form of knowledge could be when managing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) clinic. I assess the patients risk of having a DVT, then, by following the trusts protocol decide the patients management plan. To ensure the effective running of the clinic at a competent level requires me to have essential knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of DVT including a thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiology involved, the treatments, radiologi cal investigations, complications and side effects to treatment. Carper (1978), suggests that there are four fundamental patterns or types of knowing in nursing. These are known as his taxonomys of knowing and include, the empirics, aesthetics, personal knowledge and ethical domains. The empirics element of his taxonomy relates to the science of nursing and having the ability to describe, explain and predict. The aesthetics dimension relates to the art of nursing. Personal knowledge relates to the knowledge that an individual has from their past experiences in nursing and the ethical component of Carpers taxonomy relates directly to the decision making, the rights and wrongs, holding values and applicating. A method of enquiry, concerns the formal ways in which knowledge is generated and used by practitioners (Beattie 1987, 1993), often referred to as research and is vital in informing practice (Rolfe 1996). Research has two main paradigms for which there are different terms. Here, they shall be referred to as positivism and interpretivism. Positivist research is concerned with facts based on objective information, which is tested and systemised e.g. a randomised controlled trial. Interpretivist research deals with meanings based on subjective information e.g. a patient satisfaction survey (Parahoo 1997). Previously, I have identified that the predominant method of enquiry in the workplace is the positivistic approach, directly relating to the biopathological model of health. In nursing, the use of evidence-based practice is prevalent and Naidoo Wills (2000) agree is firmly established. This is consistent with the use of randomised controlled trials to establish what forms of treatment are most effective for most people. Sackett, Rosenburg, Muir Gray, Haynes Richardson (1996), describe evidence based practice to be a conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. This suggests that evidence based practice is crucial to the effective delivery of care and to the role and status of the nursing profession (Hardey Mulhall 1994, Roper, Logan Tierney 1996). An example of positivistic research, used within my practice, would be the use of diabetes mellitus, insulin glucose infusion in acute myocardial infarctio n (digami regime) (see appendix 1, for summary of research findings). Following these findings, the digami regime has been implemented throughout the NHS Trust in which I am employed, and is now standard procedure for staff to use on the appropriate patients. The data to support the use of the digami regime evolved from randomised controlled trials, which Hardey Mulhall (1994), maintains provide high reliability. Further more, the randomised controlled trials have been described within evidence-based practice as the gold standard (Naidoo Wills, 2000). On the negative side, Parahoo (1997) argues that positivistic research studies human beings as objects and does not provide knowledge of the patients views of the treatment. Conclusion It is undoubtedly clear that health is a complex and multi-faceted area for discussion. There are many meanings and definitions to health with no simple answers. It has become clear that lay and professional views should be regarded equally due to their equal stature. The practitioner has always regarded these as so, but the essay has highlighted this important area and has increased my awareness of this for future clinical practice. The practitioner will continue to view health positively and holistically and will endeavour to promote this practice amongst other members of the multi-disciplinary team. The practitioner has learned that using an analytical framework is a useful tool when mapping concepts of health in particularly Beatties framework. The framework was easy to follow and relates well to practice. The focus for learning was found to be predominantly around applying essential knowledge. The method of enquiry that informs practice was dominantly positivism which linked closely with Beatties biopathological model. Not surprisingly, this model prevails as the most dominant in my clinical practice. From this module, I feel that I have developed both personally and professionally. The knowledge gained through the undertaking of further study has helped me bridge the theory practice gap and has made me more aware of issues surrounding this complex area of health. Appendix 1 This study was initiated to test the hypothesis that rapid improvement of metabolic control in diabetes patients with acute myocardial infarction by means of insulin glucose infusion decreases the high initial mortality rate and that continued good metabolic control during the early post infarction period improved the subsequent prognosis of myocardial infarction (Malmberg et al 1995, Malmberg et al 1994, Malmberg 1997). Conclusions from this study, support the immediate use of insulin glucose infusion followed by multi-dose insulin in diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction (Malmberg et al 1995, Malmberg et al 1994, Malmberg 1997) References Aggleton. P. (1993) Health Routledge. London. Atkins. S., Murphy. K. (1993) Reflection: a review of the literature. Journal of advanced nursing. 18(8) 1188-1192. Atkins. S., Murphy. K. (1994) Reflective practice. Nursing Standard, 8(39) 49-56. Beattie. A., Gott. M., Jones. L., Sidell. M. (eds) (1993) The changing boundaries of health. The Macmillan press Ltd. Hampshire. Beattie. A. (1987) Making the curriculum work inAllan. P, Jolley. M. (eds) The curriculum in nursing education. Chapman Hall. London. Blaxter. M. (1990) Health and lifestyles. Routledge. London. Borton. T. (1970) Reach, teach and touch. McCraw Hill. London. Boud. D., Keogh. R., Walker. D.(1985) Reflection: turning experience into learning. Routledge falmer. London. Bulman. C., Schutz. S. (2004). Reflective practice in nursing (3rd ed). Blackwells publishing. Oxford. Burns. S., Bulman. C. (2000) Reflective practice in nursing: The growth of the professional practitioner. Blackwell Science. Oxford. Calnan. M. (1987) Health and Illness. Tavistock. London. Carper. A. (1978) Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. In Nicholl L H (Ed) Perspectives on nursing theory. Lippincott Company. Philadelphia. Cooper C. L. (1975) Theories of group processes. John wiley Sons. London. Cribb. A. (1998) The philosophy of health in nursing practice and health care a foundation text. Arnold. London Dewey. J. (1933) How we think: a restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the education process. DC Heath co, Massachusetts. Fitzgerald. M. (1994) Theories of reflection for learning. in Reflective practice in nursing, A. Palmer. S. Burns. (eds). Blackwell scientific. Oxford. Gibbs. G. (1998) Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. FEU. London. Greenwood. J. (1993) Reflective practice: a critique of the work of Argyris Schon. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 19. 1183 1187. Hamill. C. (1999) Academic essay writing in 1st person: a guide for undergraduates. Nursing Standard. 13 44 38-40. Hardey. M. Mulhall. A. (1994) Nursing research Theory and practice Chapman Hall. London. Hawkes. N. (2008) New laws to govern alternative medicine. TimesOnline http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3134337.ece (accessed 6th January 2008). Jarvis. P. (1992) Reflective practice and nursing. Nurse education today. 12. 174 181. Johns. C. (1995) Framing learning through reflection with Carpers fundamental ways of knowing in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 22. 226-234. Johns. C. (1995) Achieving effective work as a professional activity. In Schober. J. E., Hinchcliff. S. M. (eds). Towards advanced practice: key concepts for healthcare. Arnold. London Jones. L. J. (1994) The social context of health and health work. Macmillan press. Basingstoke. Kolb. D. A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall. New Jersey. Malmberg. K. A., Efendic. S., Ryden. L. E. (1994) Feasibility of Insulin-Glucose Infusion in Diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction Diabetes Care 17(9) 1007-1014 Malmberg. K. A., Efendic. S., Ryden. L. E., Herlitz. J., Nicol. P., Waldenstrom A., Wedel. H., Welin. L. (1995) Randomised Trial of Insulin-Glucose Infusion followed by Subcutaneous Insulin treatment in Diabetic patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (DIGAMI Study) : Effects on Mortality at 1 year Journal of American College of Cardiology 26(1) 57-65 Malmberg. K. A. (1997) Prospective randomised study of intensive insulin treatment on long term survival after acute myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes mellitus British Medical Journal 314, 1512-5 McKeown. T., Lowe. C. R. (1974) An introduction to modern medicine Blackwell scientific publications. Oxford. Moon. J. (1999) Reflection in learning and development. Theory and practice. Routledge Falmer. Oxon. Naidoo. J., Wills. J. (2000) Health promotion foundations for practice (2nd ed). Balliere Tindall. London. New York. NMC. (2002) Requirements for pre-registration nursing programmes. NMC publications. London. NMC (2004) The code of professional conduct: standards for conduct, performance and ethics. NMC publications. London. 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Sunday, January 19, 2020

Cultural Anthropology and Ethnographic Fieldwork Essay -- Cultural Ant

Cultural Anthropology and Ethnographic Fieldwork James P. Spradley (1979) described the insider approach to understanding culture as "a quiet revolution" among the social sciences (p. iii). Cultural anthropologists, however, have long emphasized the importance of the ethnographic method, an approach to understanding a different culture through participation, observation, the use of key informants, and interviews. Cultural anthropologists have employed the ethnographic method in an attempt to surmount several formidable cultural questions: How can one understand another's culture? How can culture be qualitatively and quantitatively assessed? What aspects of a culture make it unique and which connect it to other cultures? If ethnographies can provide answers to these difficult questions, then Spradley has correctly identified this method as revolutionary. Cultures are infinitely complex. Culture, as Spradley (1979) defines it, is "the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experiences and generate social behavior" (p. 5). Spradley's emphasizes that culture involves the use of knowledge. While some aspects of culture can be neatly arranged into categories and quantified with numbers and statistics, much of culture is encoded in schema, or ways of thinking (Levinson & Ember, 1996, p. 418). In order to accurately understand a culture, one must apply the correct schema and make inferences which parallel those made my natives. Spradley suggests that culture is not merely a cognitive map of beliefs and behaviors that can be objectively charted; rather, it is a set of map-making skills through which cultural behaviors, customs, language, and artifacts must be plotted (p. 7). This definition of culture offers insight into ... ..."Not a Real Fish: The Ethnographer as Insider-Outsider." In P. R. DeVita (Ed.), The Naked Anthropologist: Tales from Around the World (pp. 73-8). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co. Mead, Margaret. Margaret Mead: Taking Note. (video) Raybeck, D. (1992). "Getting Below the Surface." In P. R. DeVita (Ed.), The Naked Anthropologist: Tales from Around the World (pp. 73-8). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co. Spearman, A. M. (1988). Yoqui: Forest Nomads in a Changing World. Fort Worth: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Spearman, A. M. Fighting the Odds for Cultural Survival. (publishing information was unavailable) Spradley, J. P. (1979). The Ethnographic Interview. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Pub. Spradley, J. P. & McCurdy, D. W. (1972). The Cultural Experience: Ethnography in a Complex Society. Chicago: Science Research Associates.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Human Virtues Essay

Virtues consist of a set of character strengths, these strengths represent good character. They are wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Wisdom and courage are two virtues that my Grand Father encompassed. He was a very strong and knowledgeable man. His life revolved around going against all odds, he truly believed in beating whatever he was at battle against. His perseverance was with him till the day he died. He passed away at the age of 65, he wasn’t that old, yet he was a very wise man. His personality was filled with love, care and compassion for others. Very open-minded, when he met someone he was the one who always found the good in them, no matter who they were. If a situation would arise, he never just considered what was likely to occur, he looked at the â€Å"whole† picture. His love for learning was obvious, one of his hobbies was reading. When asked why, he would reply, â€Å"the more you read, the more you know†. He was a stickler for making us do well in school. He wanted each of us to have a good education to build our lives out of. He was a Lieutenant in the Federal Prison System for 25 years, after retiring from the Army, his life here was to provide for and protect his family, which he done with a happy, energetic, and determined attitude. His gratitude for life was amazing, he taught us all the meaning of Live, Laugh, Love. He walked this life on faith, while teaching others how to do the same along the way. Although his life at home was well rounded and energized by his love, his life at work was a very emotional one. It became as if life in prison, was life for him too. He developed emotional attachments to the inmates, He cared for them, he knee their situations, and he knew why they were there. His courage allowed him to become involved in their lives, which paid off in his favor the night he and some others were held hostage in Virginia Federal Prison, by a convicted serial killer. Yet once again, he put forth is faith, his knowledge and courage and talked the inmate down. He helped release the others, and saved many lives includ8ng his own. Wisdom and courage I think are two virtues that we all should possess. I try to live by good character, I think back on all of the talks me and my Grand Father had, and all the years in between. I smile and think to myself, â€Å"yes, I sure wish I could be just like him†.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Cuál es el costo de sacar o renovar pasaporte americano

Lo que cuesta el pasaporte americano depende de una serie de factores, entre los que se encuentra la edad del solicitante, la urgencia de la peticià ³n, si se trata de una renovacià ³n o de sacarlo por primera vez o, incluso, de si se pide conjuntamente con una tarjeta de pasaporte.. Este documento solo lo pueden solicitar los ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos, incluidas las personas nacidas en los territorios de la Commonwealth, como por ejemplo, el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. Asimismo, se puede solicitar dentro de Estados Unidos o tambià ©n desde el exterior, a travà ©s de una Embajada o consulado. Es importante resaltar que el  pasaporte americano no se compra ni se vende, es necesario previo a solicitarlo haber adquirido la condicià ³n de estadounidense por nacimiento, naturalizacià ³n, derecho de sangre u otra forma derivada a travà ©s de los padres o adopcià ³n. Por el contrario,  sà ­ es posible comprar la residencia en Estados Unidos, es decir, la tarjeta de residencia a partir de una inversià ³n de mà ¡s de medio millà ³n de dà ³lares. Este es un modelo similar pero diferente al que siguen  estos 20 paà ­ses que tiene programas de adquisicià ³n ciudadanà ­a (pasaporte) y/o residencia a cambio de inversià ³n. Algunos son realmente interesantes. A continuacià ³n, un desglose del costo del pasaporte americano, segà ºn cada uno de los diferentes casos.. Costo del pasaporte americano para los ciudadanos de 16 aà ±os o mà ¡s Tanto en el caso en el que se solicita por primera vez como tambià ©n cuando se renueva la cuota a pagar $110. Ademà ¡s, cuando  se trata de sacarlo por primera vez a esa cantidad deben aà ±adir separadamente $25 mà ¡s, en concepto de gastos de gestià ³n. Es lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como acceptance agent fee. Se tiene que pagar porque un funcionario federal da fe de la firma que se estampa en el pasaporte. Tanto en un caso como en otro si el solicitante quiere, a mayores del pasaporte, obtener una tarjeta de pasaporte deberà ¡ pagar $30 mà ¡s. Estos precios arriba mencionados aplican tanto cuando se solicita el pasaporte en Estados Unidos o en el exterior en la embajada o consulado que corresponda. Todos esos costos son para el caso en los que no hay urgencia para solicitar ese documento y se puede esperar entre 4 y 6 semanas, que es lo que se viene demorando la tramitacià ³n regular. Ademà ¡s, sà ³lo para los casos en los que el solicitante se encuentre en Estados Unidos podrà ¡ pedir que la gestià ³n se tramite urgentemente.   Costo del pasaporte americano para los nià ±os menores de16 aà ±os Tanto en los casos en los que se saca por primera vez como en los de renovacià ³n hay que pagar $80 a los que hay que sumar siempre $25 en concepto de gastos de gestià ³n que solo hay que pagar cuando se aplica por primera vez, no al renovar. Si ademà ¡s se solicitase una tarjeta de pasaporte, aà ±adir $15 al precio. Costo para acelerar los trà ¡mites para el pasaporte Si se solicita una gestià ³n de urgencia, pagar otros $60.  Esto aplica tanto en los casos en los que se solicita el pasaporte por primera vez o se renueva. Y no hay distincià ³n de precio segà ºn la edad del solicitante, es decir, pagan igual nià ±os que adultos. Y, ademà ¡s $12.85 por servicio de mensajerà ­a urgente, si bien este servicio es opcional aunque recomendable. Costo de otros servicios relacionados con el pasaporte Pueden darse las siguientes circunstancias: Cuando el solicitante no encuentra documentos que prueben su ciudadanà ­a: $150 para que el gobierno investigue sobre posibles Reportes Consulares de Nacimientos en el Exterior o posibles pasaportes anteriores.Pasaporte robado o extraviado: $80 si se trata de un menor de 16 aà ±os y $110 para los que han cumplido los 16 o tienen mà ¡s edad. No hay que pagar si el solicitante se encuentra en otro paà ­s y su pasaporte ha sido robado o lo han extraviado.Correccià ³n de un error administrativo como equivocacià ³n en nombre o fecha de nacimiento: no hay que pagar.Cambio de nombre: no hay que pagar si el pasaporte actual vigente tiene menos de un aà ±o y se puede documentar legalmente el cambio de nombre (por ejemplo, por acta de matrimonio). Si se solicita un trà ¡mite de urgencia, à ©se servicio sà ­ que hay que abonarlo.Segundo pasaporte: $110. Los costos del pasaporte americano siempre se pueden verificar en la pà ¡gina del Departamento de Estado. Consejos para el paso de control migratorio y de aduanas Estos son los documentos que pueden utilizar los ciudadanos americanos para ingresar a su paà ­s, es importante estar informado porque aunque el pasaporte siempre se admite en algunos casos es posible que un ciudadano regrese a los Estados Unidos sin necesidad de mostrar el pasaporte. Y recordar que es posible acelerar el paso por el control migratorio cuando se regresa a los Estados Unidos por medio de la participacià ³n en ciertos programas, cada uno con sus propios requisitos. Por ejemplo: Nexus, entre Canadà ¡ y Estados UnidosSENTRI, paso terrestre o marà ­timo entre Mà ©xico y Estados UnidosY Global Entry y APC para aeropuertos. Doble nacionalidad: quà © pasaporte utilizar en la frontera de Estados Unidos Por à ºltimo, destacar que si un ciudadano americano tiene doble nacionalidad y, por lo tanto, 2 pasaportes, debe tener siempre en cuenta que la ley requiere que el ingreso a Estados Unidos siempre se realice utilizando el pasaporte americano. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.