The Guns of August Essay -- Papers Barbara Tuchman Novels

The Guns of August Barbara Tuchman's Pulitzer prize-winning book about the start of World War I is a fascinating and detailed work that delivers the thoughts and actions of the belligerents and their previously mysterious leaders to life on every page. This military history of the first month of the war is written in a way as to keep the reader interested because of the great detail. The author also manages to write about the events in such a manor as the reader sees them as they happened. Despite any previous knowledge about the historical events of the war, the book manages to keep you wondering if the Germans will succeed in its aims. In Chapters 5 through 9, Tuchman doesn't discuss much about why Germany, France, or Russia progressed toward war, she pretty much describes it as more of an inevitability sparked by Austria's affairs with Serbia. She does manage to chronicle the key events, the people and their decisions of the preceding years and days of the war. Along with the key events of the first few weeks of battle, Tuchman provides a perspective into each of the belligerent's strategic aims and goals. These forces that drive each country into war in 1914 along with a brief discussion of their backgrounds is what follows. It is possible that with no other country in the twentieth century clearly on the inevitable road to war has there been as much unpreparedness and complete lack of all comprehension than that of Russia prior to World War I. For the few years before 1914 and the start of the war, especially following the embarrassing loss to Japan, Russia recognized its eminent clash with Germany. The way with which it conducted its international relations and internal affairs is puzzling to say the least. ... ...nd therefore it is understandable why so many found a war that appeared to have little benefit for them unappealing. Tuchman helps us understand an interesting time in history when old ways clash directly with new means of communication and ways of fighting. These few years in world history are a unique time of unusual people and events that can only be explained in the context of understanding how much things for these countries had remained the same despite the changing world around them. After the strategy and plans, the following deployments and battles would demonstrate this very fact. The Guns of August is a superb narrative bringing us a key insight into the war that at the time had such great significance and today has such great historical value. Bibliography: Tuchman, Barbara W. The Guns of August, Ballantine Books; New York: 1962.

A Comparison of Nursing Education Essay

A career in nursing has many possibilities and depending on where one is employed there may be different educational requirements. There are many nurses in the workforce with only their associate’s degree in nursing, but as time passes it seems that the baccalaureate degree is becoming more of an expectation. This brings up the question- is there a difference in the competency of the associate-level nurse from the baccalaureate-level nurse? Studies are showing that there is a difference and patient outcomes are affected by this difference. Differences between the Associate Degree in Nursing and the Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing In order to compare the competencies between nurses prepared at the associate-degree level versus the baccalaureate-degree level, one must first compare the requirements to obtain these degrees. The Associate’s Degree in Nursing, abbreviated ADN, is a two-year degree usually earned through a community college. It requires 60 credit hours to complete and upon completion the graduate can apply for licensure through the state in which they will practice. The Bachelors of Science in Nursing, also called BSN, is a four-year degree obtained at a university. It includes the same areas of study and has the same license upon completion of the NCLEX as the ADN nurse, but delves further into nursing theory as well as pathophysiology and technical skills. Many employers require the bachelor’s degree for higher positions in nursing such as clinical managers and nurse specialists. Differences in competencies between nurses prepared at the associate-degree level versus the baccalaureate-degree level As explained above the bachelor’s degree in nursing requires two more years of education and a much deeper study of nursing theory and pathophysiology than the associate’s degree. The question is does this extra education and focus on nursing theory make a BSN nurse more competent than an ADN nurse. Research suggests there is a significant effect of nurse experience and a significant effect of the percentage of BSN nurses in each hospital (Kendall-Gallagher, Aiken, Sloane &Cimiotti, 2011) in regards to better patient outcomes. To understand the difference one must look at the basic nursing process and how knowledge of nursing theory and pathophysiology affects it. The basic process taught in nursing school in providing patient care is assessment, plan, intervention and evaluation. Assessment is one the first things a nursing student learns. The associate-level and bachelor-level nurse will both have learned this skill in the very first days of nursing school. Both nurses will also be competent with the last step, evaluation of the interventions. The advantage a BSN nurse will have lies in the middle two steps- plan and intervention. The plan and interventions a nurse provides is affected by their decision-making skills and this is based on their education. Plan and Intervention To determine a patient’s plan of care, one looks at the abnormal assessments and then uses their knowledge of pathophysiology to determine the plan of care. While the BSN nurse will not necessarily have more clinical hours in assessing the patient, they will have taken more classes in pathophysiology than the ADN nurse and therefore may notice a disease process more readily than the ADN nurse. This is where the interventions will occur. Interventions are determined by the nurse based on their decision-making skills. Decision-Making Skills Nursing is a field in which one is given a great amount of autonomy. Therefore much of a patient’s care is affected by a nurse’s decision-making skills. One’s ability to make decisions is affected by many things including past experiences, environment and education. The focus here is education and how the additional study for the BSN affects nurses’ decision-making skills. The BSN nurse will have studied pathophysiology and nursing theory in greater depth than the ADN nurse. This extra knowledge is then applied to the decisions a nurse makes for their patient. These decisions have a great impact on patient outcomes and recent studies have indicated that there is decreased morbidity, mortality, and failure-to-rescue rates in hospitals that employ larger percentages of baccalaureate prepared nurses (Altman, 2011). Effect of baccalaureate-degree level nurses on patient outcomes In the acute situation the BSN nurse can use their knowledge of pathophysiology in addition to their decision-making skills to decrease morbidity and mortality. Taking into account the greater picture, a more holistic approach based on the BSN nurse’s familiarity with nursing theory, will improve patient outcomes. For example let’s look at a hospital admission for a congestive heart failure exacerbation. Both the ADN and BSN nurse will assess the patient and notice classic signs like shortness of breath and edema. Both nurses will plan on diuresis and paying close attention to respiratory status. The difference will come with the holistic approach that a BSN nurse is more likely to take. The emphasis on the nursing theories that a BSN nurse has studied will allow them to look at the patient as a whole, rather than dealing with only stabilization of symptoms. The knowledge of nursing theory the BSN nurse has will allow them to delve further into why this patient admitted and what they can do to prevent a readmission. The BSN nurse asks questions as to what caused the exacerbation. It may be that the patient needs more teaching on diet and medication compliance. They will ask the patient about their home situation. It’s possible the patient is having financial burdens that have kept them from filling their prescriptions. The BSN nurse is more likely to look at the home situation. The patient may have depression with the diagnosis and need some resources for social support. In regards to King’s theory, nursing’s central goal is to help individuals maintain their health so that they can function in their roles (Creasia, 180). By helping the patient function in their role, the nurse empowers the patient to lead a healthier life. The patient is sent home educated with the resources needed to lead a healthy life and therefore reduces unnecessary hospital admissions. This in turn allows the space available for hospital admissions that are necessary and leads to a healthier community . REFERENCES Altmann, Tanya K. (2011). Registered nurses returning to school for a bachelors degree in nursing: Issues emerging from a meta-analysis of the research. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 39, (2): 256-72. Creasia, J; Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice. (5th Edition). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Kendall-Gallagher, Deborah; Aiken, Linda H.; Sloane, Douglas M.; Cimiotti, Jeannie P. (2011). Nurse Specialty Certification, Inpatient Mortality, and Failure to Rescue. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 43, 188-94.

French Listening Comprehension and Practice Exercises

If youd like to improve your French listening comprehension skills, the exercises below can help you better grasp the language. They  include  a French sound file with a study guide, quiz, transcript and translation. Altogether, there are more than 100 listening exercises  on this site, ranging from simple dialogues to in-depth listening comprehension exercises. The most popular pages offer practical advice or discuss someone or something famous. The French Language Accents de FranceFrench varies from country to country and from region to region. Learn about some of the accents you might encounter in France in this audio report from  LaGuinguette. French in France Introduction to French in France (dialects and standard French) and the  Dictionary of French Regionalisms. PatoisDiscussion about dialects in France and the two main points of view on their linguistic status. The Patois of Vendà ©ePresentation of some characteristics of the French patois spoken in Vendà ©e. Patois and Regional CharacteristicsDo regional differences in dialect reflect regional differences in mentality? Beginning French DialoguePractice your French listening ability with this beginning-level French dialogue featuring greetings and introductions and your choice of speeds: regular and slow. (Camille Chevalier Karfis) The Scary HouseBeginning level of  Les portes tordues, a bilingual audiobook for beginning to intermediate students. (Kathie Dior) The Twisted DoorIntermediate level of  Les portes tordues, a bilingual audiobook for beginning to intermediate students. (Kathie Dior) The CemetaryIntermediate level of  Les portes tordues. (Kathie Dior) Greetings and IntroductionsPractice your French listening ability with this beginning-level French dialogue featuring greetings and introductions and your choice of speeds: regular and slow. (Camille Chevalier Karfis) Number Practice Learning to count in French is one thing - its fairly easy to memorize  un,  deux,  trois. Its another matter entirely to be able to think of a number without counting up to it, or to understand individual numbers when you hear them. Fortunately, practice makes perfect, and these sound files can help you to get better at understanding and using French numbers with random number generators. (Laura K. Lawless) Who said no? Intermediate level of  Les portes tordues. (Kathie Dior) Politics and Social Issues Riots in FranceOn 27 October 2005, riots began in a Parisian suburb and quickly spread across France and even to neighboring countries. In this three-part discussion, a reporter discusses the riots with two neighborhood elders in Clichy-sous-Bois who are trying to calm down the situation. Sà ©golà ¨ne Royal - prà ©sidente?Sà ©golà ¨ne Royal is a socialist who  worked hard to become Frances first female president. Learn about her platform and her struggle in this discussion. LETA et le Pays BasqueIntroduction to the history behind the ETA, the Basque separatist movement. Le CPEIn January 2006, the French government passed a labor reform law that sparked off protests around the country. Learn about the CPE and why it was so distasteful to French students and workers. MitterrandJanuary 2006 marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of Franà §ois Mitterrand, the first and so far only socialist president of France. Learn about Mitterrand and some of the people who loved him. French Culture Graffiti Graffiti does not necessarily equal vandalism. Its a means of personal and even artistic expression. Learn about some of the people and techniques behind graffiti. Le jardin des TuileriesLearn about the famous Parisian park, le jardin des Tuileries, as you work on your listening comprehension with this three-part discussion. Cest de lamour và ©ritable!Old age does not have to mean the end of living, or even loving. In this interview, a 90-year-old man shares his thoughts on how to get the most out  of life and love, at any age. La loi EvinLearn about the regulation of advertising of alcohol in France, and the reasoning behind it. Tourism, Shopping,  Travel Dining Out À lhà ´tel ~ At the Hotel  Beginning-level French dialogue between a hotel receptionist and guest.   Le viaduc de Millau  Le viaduc de Millau  was completed in 2004. Learn about its construction and safety mechanisms. Au magasin ~ At the storeBeginning-level French dialogue between a customer and storekeeper. Au restaurant ~ At the Restaurant  Beginning-level French dialogue between a waiter and customer. Breakfast ~ Le petit dà ©jeuner  Beginning-level dialogue between a customer and waiter at breakfast.