Nursing - Career Blog

I am currently majoring as an undergraduate for the college of nursing. I've wanted to be a nurse for years and I know that it's a job that I'll love. My best friends mother, Terri, is actually a nurse at the V.A. right near campus. She serves as the manager of her area of nursing, but has been a nurse for several years. 

She says that being a nurse is a very rewarding career, but it is also full of stressful situations and turn-outs that aren't always so cheerful. While death is a part of life, I would have to agree that it serves as a major downfall for many people who may have, at one time, wanted to be a nurse. Aside from the reward that you get from helping a complete stranger, the financial security is another large reason as to why people chose to go into the career. It is a huge plus to me because in today's economy where jobs can't be promised and stable, and money is much more scarce, nursing is always going to need more people and those within the nursing profession don't have to worry about loosing their jobs. 

All the years that Terri has been a nurse she has never been laid off, and her income has always been a stable paycheck. She says that the nursing exam you're required to take is quite difficult but the security you have within the profession even just starting out, fresh out of college, has such a bright outlook that it's a great career to follow. I don't expect many problems when it comes time for me to find a job, and I am very excited for that time to come. 

Footprint Results

At the beginning, these were my results:

- 4 planets to provide enough resources
- 44% on services
32% food
11% shelter
9% goods
4% mobility
- 17.8 global acres to support my lifestyle (17.5 tons of CO2)

After a day my results changed to:

- 3.6 planets
- 48% Services
21% food
16% goods
11% shelter
5% mobility
- 16.2 global acres (17.1 tons of CO2)

As shown, I increased in some areas and decreased in some areas, but over all used less acres, planets, and tons of CO2. I believe that it is effective to decrease your carbon footprint, however I wouldn't necessarily choose this program to do so because there are quite a few defaults. For example it asks how much you pat for electricity, when the amount of electricity that we pay for isn't only a result of what I used, and other things along those lines. As a society there are plenty of ways we can reduce our footprint such as eat more local foods, buy less home appliances, car pool, and recycle. I believe that it's very important to be aware and informed on the environment.

Footprint End and Career Interview

Stop - 2:13pm

As far as the career interview assignment that we're supposed to do, i'm doing mine next week because i'm interviewing my bestfriend's mom and thatt's the next time i'll see her. :]

Footprint

11:22 am - start.

FTR

For the record, it's currently 12:19pm, so I'm not sure why my technology post says 9 something.

No Technology

The time I decided to start my no technology day was pretty much chosen for me. My Internet was down on my main computer around 11:30pm last night, so I decided to start then. My day without technology wasn't technically difficult, but it was really different. I am fully aware of how much I text and go on my facebook, but I never realized how much I talk to my mom on the phone everyday, and how much I use the Internet to help me with school work and google. Google is a device that I use so often, it's scary. I couldn't imagine not being able to use it. I spent my day like I normally would, but instead of waking up and checking my email and calling my mom and best friend, I woke up and sat in silence. I eventually listened to my iPod, but besides that and the barking of my dogs, they're wasn't much sound. I would have read and been fine, except that I currently have no new books to read, and I would have worked on my papers for my other classes, but I shortly discovered that I would need to use the Internet to look up information.
Driving to school wasn't bad because I just listened to the Twilight Soundtrack :] but once I was at school and there are people all over campus on their phones and computers, I was very tempted to text someone, or at the very least check my email. Something that allows me to talk to people that I'm not able to see face to face at that moment in time. The most difficult thing about the day wasn't the now Internet, or the no TV, I've gone days before without using them because I have other things to do; but the hardest thing was not being able to talk to my mom and my best friend. My mom and I have a very close relationship, we talk on the phone everyday, I mean, I live with her, but she's still someone I like to talk to everyday. And then there was Laura, my best friend. She's going to school in Jacksonville, so the only way I can communicate with her anytime is using technology. The rest of it wasn't that bad. I had my music (no radio of course) so I was really okay.
In terms of our generation and the amount of technology dependency that we possess, I wouldn't classify it as a negative thing at all. The fact that we're able to talk to people on the opposite side of the world, and watch footage of things happening all over the world, being able to search for something and get results in just seconds is remarkable. While there are quite a few people who suggest that we don't need all the technology we have, I wouldn't say that we NEED it, but I wouldn't say that we didn't need it either. Current technology helps us as a society in a huge way, and while a day without it wasn't the worst thing ever, it was a day that I would just rather not have had to do because even though I was fine, and I lived, being able to talk to people that I cant see 24/7 is something I hold very dear. Overall, I see the point in the assignment, but I am perfectly happy in taking advantage of all of the communication technology that's offered.

Injustice

For my final paper I chose to write about the injustices that the gay/lesbian community faces; specifically the issue regarding adoption. At the current moment in time, people who are gay/lesbian are not lawfully allowed to adopt children from Florida foster homes. While this is not an injustice that will affect me directly, it will affect people very close to me. This issue just simply doesn't make any sense. Who are we to say that someone isn't capable of being a great parent just because they choose to love someone of the same sex? Not to mention, lesbian women are able to go get artificial insemination, producing a child of their own, yet they aren't allowed to adopt a child. In terms of affecting our society, this not only affects the children currently in foster care that would have the potential of being adopted by a gay/lesbian couple if it was allowed, but it also restricts the lives of those couples who truly want to adopt and build a family. The solution to this is simple, to allow these couples to adopt. There is no potential danger or risk that Florida would be taking, it's only religious views that would be affected at all. Although not everyone will probably ever agree on the issue, the truth is, these couples are just as capable of being parents as a heterosexual couple. As a society we need to be more accepting of people as they are and not restrict them from doing good just because of who they choose to love.

Thesis and Ideas - Paper 2

As far as my thesis and such, I don't have one as of now but I do have a few ideas for the paper.

I was thinking I would do it on World of Warcraft.

Directions to take it:
1. The game overall is not an unethical game, however since the game is role-playing, one could choose to play the game outside of moral standards making his/her realm of the game unethical. in order to successfully/or to make it entertaining... the player has to kill or steal (do whatever the quests require) in order to continue. if you choose not to you basically walk around aimlessly... what are the ethics involved in a game where the only way to receive entertainment or to successfully engage in the game is to do unethical acts

I'm not sure how to structure that into a thesis statement or if that is the actual direction I will take the paper, but as for now, that's my idea.

http://www.fatbabies.com/fatstories.html

This article talks about the difficulties of getting "The Sims Online" game to be as successful as its offline counter-part. The creators of EA games have said that they are working on ways to advance the game and make it more entertaining. The sales for the game have not been very successful and EA creators are looking for ways to promote "The Sims Online". The Sims game (offline) has remained in the top 10 games being purchased according to NPD Group Inc., and executives of EA were hoping that the online game would be just as successful; with their owners of the offline version taking interest in the online version. The fact that EA creators are attempting to widen their game reach to more main-stream gamers is ambitious, but as commented on by players who tried the free trial, you run out of things to do. Unlike the offline version of the game, players have the opportunity to interact with other real people who are also playing the game, but there is only so much you can do in the online version aside from meeting new people. EA continues to work on re-shaping their online version of "The Sims" and hopes to becomes more successful as the time progresses.

http://www.theparentreport.com/resources/ages/preteen/kids_culture/130.html

This article explored the potential "addictiveness" possessed by video games. According to the article, video games can be addictive in the sense that a child will want to learn more about the game, solve whatever needs to be solved to continue to the next level. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it. If video games were extremely simple to beat, and didn't present the gamer with a problem, there would not be as many children playing video games because they would have beat them all and there would be no entertainment value left in them. The article also touched base on how video games can expand a child's way of analyzing and strategic thinking. Which again, makes sense. The situations commonly brought up in video games requires players to think strategically and analyze the situation in order to defeat, or solve the presented issue. In addition to that, the article recommended parents that if their child seems to become addicted to video games, to make a schedule so that there is limited usage allowed. In other words, monitor and restrict how much time, daily, can be spent on playing video games. Also keep in mind other important activities to children as well, such as reading and exercise. 

Thesis and Outline

Thesis:

In an effort to raise awareness, games such as “Darfur is Dying” and “Ayiti: The Cost of Life” place emphasis on the struggles faced by the common citizens of both Africa and Haiti by projecting facts and realistic situations to gamers. 

... This is a very rough draft of my thesis, i'll probably end up changing it a billion times. 

Outline:

- Briefly explain each purpose of the game – how to win/ how you lose

- Point out flaws and strengths of each game

- Explain how each game was affective towards its cause

- Compare and contrast the games – what was expected in each game from the player, how did each element and dimension affect the game and the overall status of the game

... this is also a rough outline. I am not sure exactly how I want to break down my paper in terms of paragraphs and such, so these are just thing I will mention in the body of my paper.

Two Games

Game One: ID The Creep

         The purpose of ID the creep is to teach, or at the very least, inform, teenagers about the dangers of online chatting, instant messaging and emailing people you do not know. You choose a character, choose a format of communication and then you choose what to say and whether the online “friend” is a “creep” or not. Prior to playing the game I had assumed that the character you portray would be a neutral gender, but since all characters you have to pick from are female, it would be rightful to assume that the creator of the game was aiming the game more towards the teenage female audience rather than the teenage male audience. I say teenage because all the girls are between the ages of 15 and 17 years old. In the end, the game is structured so that all the “friends” that you are communicating with online are actually creeps. The game does a fairly decent job displaying the ways that a person online can seem like a friend, when in reality they are a “creep”, by using neutral phrases like “hey what’s up” and talking as if they are part of your generation of people, and live their lives the same way you do as well, however the fact that they chose to portray only female characters slightly takes away from the reality of the game. Perhaps it’s because most news cases deal with girls who talk to guys that they don’t know online, and then a negative consequence occurs, but the truth of the matter is that males are also unknowingly exploiting themselves to “creeps” on the internet. 

Game Two: Escape Your Boyfriends Room

“Escape Your Boyfriends Room” would most properly fit into the educational genre of games as well. You are “mouse-sitting” for your boyfriend, and while snooping around his room you discover things in his room that lead you to the conclusion that you should no longer be with him. From that point you are on a mission to find the key to escape his room. It took me awhile to realize that what seemed like random numbers, actually when put together, became a phone number you were supposed to dial on the phone to get the key. Once I figured that out I received the key and was then informed that the number you are supposed to dial in the game is the number for an abuse hotline. I found this to be educational because it displays signs that the person you’re dating may be abusive and provides you with a number if you are in an abusive relationship, and because of that, one could also sort this game into the advertisement genre of games. As far as the effectiveness of the game, I didn’t find it to be that affective because although it shows you “signs” of a potential abusive partner, it does nothing further to inform you about abusive relationships. The title alone suggests that the intended audience is women.