End year blog

The course was a real challenge for me, I had to revisit one of my many weaknesses,writing. I felt that a lot I learned I could  use in other classes. I still wouldnt consider myself a good writer but I do see some potential and the potential of writing  being enjoyable.I enjoyed a number of the assigned readings as well as the films. The concepts they tried to display were very interesting.They seemed to always speak volumes.I bet if I watched/ read them again there may be other messages that I didnt notice before, that each piece was trying to portray.the course really opened my eyes to things that I wouldnt normally notice.

The Yellow Wallpaper

I thought it was interesting that the author seemed to connect the gap seen between the doctor-patient relationship and an overbearing marriage.The wall I could see somehow symbolized the speakers physical and mental state. She felt trapped in her own home,in her own family, with everyone watching her every move and all she wanted to do was get away. It made me think about pain, the patient, and the doctor's advice. I remember reading somewhere that the worse thing to do for pain relief is to rest. In some cases, it would be better to 'walk out' the pain. This reading I think is a testament to that. Rest made her restless, she just had to think, to write and excercise her creative/imaginative mind and she got better.(assuming she still is'nt sick or mentally imbalanced).The house and more importantly the wall captivated her, helped her think. I think it was made to be yellow because it is a color associated with illness(abnormal discoloration). The only exhausting and perhaps saddest thing is that she had to hide how she felt and what she did.The reading also shows that sometimes the patient knows best. When she started talking as if she were the woman in the wall, that really made the reading interesting, almost gave it a scifi/ fantasy feel(unless she's crazy).I wonder what's next for her.

Research log continued

Research log continued

 

Sacco-Peterson, M, and L Borell. "Struggles for autonomy in self-care: the impact of the physical and socio-cultural environment in a long-term care setting." Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 18.4 (2004): 376-386. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 10 Apr. 2011

This article studies the cultural and social beliefs that affect the degree of autonomy exercized by individual patients.It also looks at the physical inability for patients to care for themselves. Many factors affect who is control in terms of our own healthcare, what we personally think  and our own physical capabilities is important and I plan on using patient's opinions on how the doctor-patient relationship should be  as examples of the societal/personal beliefs play in patient autonomy

Dreyer, A, R Forde, and P Nortvedt. "Autonomy at the end of life: life-prolonging treatment in nursing homes -- relatives' role in the decision-making process." Journal of Medical Ethics 35.11 (2009): 672-677. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 10 Apr. 2011

This article discusses the inability of patients to form competent decisions and the use of relatives as substitutes to gain consent.The goal is to protect patient autonomy despite the fact that relatives are not knowledgable of end to life care and  therefore may not be able to make appropriate decisions. I plan to use the article to show the importance of being informed and how it plays in patient autonomy.

 

 

Moser, A, R Houtepen, and G Widdershoven. "Patient autonomy in nurse-led shared care: a review of theoretical and empirical literature." Journal of Advanced Nursing 57.4 (2007): 357-365. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.

Article looks at the role of nurses in helping to foster patient autonomy as well as patients  thoughts on patient autonomy. The article  discusses and divides the idea of autonomy between a positive view and a negative view,the negative view centering around personal freedom to do "whatever" and the positive more centered towards decision making. I hope to use this article to better describe the role that care givers play in patient autonomy because this issue concerns care givers as well as the patients.

 

 

Erer, S, E Atici, and AD Erdemir. "The views of cancer patients on patient rights in the context of information and autonomy." Journal of Medical Ethics 34.5 (2008): 384-388. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.

 

This article sites the opinions of cancer patients about patient autonomy and information  being given to patients.Different aspects of autonomy received varying views. A majority agreed that patients should have control in health decision making but few on refusing a potential treatment that could save the patien'ts life.A lot depended on how questions were phrased. Why is it not clear cut? What we think about autonomy is important in how patients practice self determinism when receiving medical treatment. I hope to usse this article to support this idea.

 

 

Scanlan, C, and IH Kerridge. "Autonomy and chronic illness: not two components but many." American Journal of Bioethics 9.2 (2009): 40-42. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

 

It explores the question" what is autonomy?"It attempts to touch on the different aspects of autonomy, notablby the autonomy of "will, thought,and action".Each is explored extensively with specific examples. I hope to use this  in my paper to focus on the concept of freedom of action and how this helps in connecting between my experience and patient autonomy.

 

Waltz with Bashir

The scene that stands out the most to me was the child's head protruding from the rubble and more specifically the former soldier's mentioning of how the child reminded him of his own daughter. That they had the same curly hair and were probably about the same age.The goal may be to show the effects of  dramatic life events such as war on the human mind. The film, until the very end that is,kind of felt like something that would go on in someones head.The film did revolve around memories. It was awkward, frightening,violent, confusing and introspective at times.Just like the human mind can be, especially under psychological stress I think. Maybe the best way to capture the psychological aspects of war and the human mind was through animation.Yet I do not think it would be effective to use animation to describe or discuss a war and that's why I think the film ended with real live scenes of this event with no narration.These scenes, unlike a majority of the film, spoke for themselves.

Research log continued

Hannon-Engel, S. "Regulatory oversight: do psychiatric patients have the right to refuse active treatment?." Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 25.1 (2011): 21-23. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

 provides a more defined example of where patient's self determinism is at odds with medical protocol, and even the law.

Agran, M, K Storey, and M Krupp. "Choosing and choice making are not the same: asking "what do you want for lunch?" is not self-determination." Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation 33.2 (2010): 77-88. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

goes more into defining autonomy, what it is and is not.

Epright, MC. "Coercing Future Freedom: Consent and Capacities for Autonomous Choice." Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 38.4 (2010): 799-806. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

When is self- determination out of the question? who is'fit' to make decisions for themselves

Scanlan, C, and IH Kerridge. "Autonomy and chronic illness: not two components but many." American Journal of Bioethics 9.2 (2009): 40-42. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

What is the exact relationship as well as a detailed example

Duncan, RE, and SM Sawyer. "Respecting adolescents' autonomy (as long as they make the right choice)." Journal of Adolescent Health 47.2 (2010): 113-114. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

exploring the limits of self determinism and age.

Research log for Experience and Other Evidence essay

Gibson, Robert, M, and  Ferrini Rebecca.   "You let them do what??!! Decision-making capacity and the excercise of patient autonomy in LTC." Annals of Long Term Care 18.0 (2010): 25-30. CINAHL.EBSCO. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.

-In  trying to see what it means to be a patient, I felt it would important to know the legal rights of long term care patients.

Sakalys JA.  "Patient autonomy: patient voices and perspectives in illness narratives"  International Journal for Human Caring 14.1 (2010): 15-20. CINAHL. EBSCO. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.

-In trying to discuss patient autonmy I felt being knowledgeable of current issues revolving around the  endangerment of autonomy from patient experience would be both very important and insightful in trying to understand the relationship between the patient and their independence.

T Kunowski, et al.  " The productive partnerships framework: harnessing health consumer knowledge and autonomy to create and predict successful rehabilitation outcomes." Disability and Rehabilitation 32.12

(2010): 978-985. CINHAL. EBSCO. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.

- This article can provide a more detailed description of the current doctor- patient relationship as well as  exactly how much "power" the patient possess in this relationship.This "power" is heavily associated with autonomy of the patient or could be used synonymously with the word.From looking at the past and changing relationship of doctor and patient, defining the patient can be based on the nonchanging elements between this shift.

John Q

The scene that really stood out to me was the argument between the pregnant couple, where the woman asked her partner to do something. I think this scene was made to remind the viewer of the scene between the main character and his wife asking him to do something, which really influenced this hostage situation in the foirst place.I think the scene leans more towards pathos because it's here that  the viewer can feel a sense of pity for the main characters situation as we remember the previous scene and the reason behind his actions. I think it was an example of the film focusing on faith and how it  applies to our daily lives. At the heat of the moment are we people who just pray that things will get better or are we more inclined to take matters into our own hands,to "do something"?I think, among other things, the film tries to explore this.

Thinking about Philadelphia

I thought for the most part the film was about aking a national problem of stigmatizaation and putting a micrscopic lense on the issue.I think this is seen a lot in the beginning of the film. I noticed that the early scenes were of  the life of the people of this city,the murals depicting some history of America, the Liberty Bell and the flags of many nations. I thought it was a little like saying this is who we were as Americans before and look at us now.Lokking at the history of America and looking at present Philadelphia, which  in many respects represents other cities across the nation.The characters in many ways if not totally, represent American citizens.The problems that the main characters face are not isolated in this city alone and I think the title of this film too is a part of an artistic attempt to try and bring stigamtization into a narrow lense while trying to include every American in its message.Trying to talk about a general problem by telling a  very specific story.

When  Joe Miller started yelling out the derogatory words associated with homosexuality, I started to laugh. At the same time I wanted to root him on.This scene could have brought out a feeling of anger but I think that it's different for everyone.Few words are associated with just one thing, one emotion, or effect.For me it was a moment of reflection and familiarity. Some of these words are words we've heard before and worse yet are the type of words we may think or say to each other. I thought it was not only a dramatic scence but one that gave the film an element of honesty.

Scene from the Film

The scene from the film Philadelphia that stood out the most to me was when Andrew Beckett was with his family for their parents wedding anniversary. The home video/camera stops on his mom for a while and we see her face change from a smile, to one of deep concern a minute after hugging Andrew. I think this scene is a  very clear example of pathos because its another example where the film tries to tell you that something is going to happen to Andrew or at least something is wrong. The viewer is made to feel deep concern for Andrew and his family.I think its interesting that the film chooses things that Andrew especially misses, would we have ordinarily noticed this slight and late change in emotion?

Final Paper Topic

The experience I chose for my paper deals with independence. It's safe to say that a majority of people do not like to feel pushed around or be told what to do and there's a wide consensus of this, from children to the elderly. My experience touches on my first taste of  what independence feels like. How it feels to be alone with no authority over your shoulder and how you can do whatever you want to whenever you want to.Yet, is this what independence really is all about? I attempt to try and define what the term 'Independence' means.

My questions will concern the patient and the individuals state of independence while under medical care.There is wide belief and many cases where the patient  is limited in excercising their independence while as a patient. How did it get this way? how did being a patient cause this to happen? What does being a patient really mean? Does it necessarily mean to ignore your personal decisions or views and take precedence over the well established advice of medical professionals?It is no secret that medical professionals are held in high regard but this may be the very thing that endangers something we hold dear.

My 3 Potential Topics

1) When I stayed alone at home for 3 three weeks by myself for the first week

I remeber feeling excited through the whole experience.My mother planned on being out of town for a couple of weeks and had to leave my brother and I at home during the duration of ger trip. Before this I felt there was always adult supervision where ever I was, my life felt so sheltered. This was going to be a chance to prove that I was mature enough without having an adult figure over my shoulder.The three weeks went by pretty normal and smoothly and i was a little disappointedent that the three weeks went by so fast. Unfortunately me and my brother forgot to clean the house and my mother promised this was going to be the last time we were going to be left alone.

 Question: What does it mean to be independent?  An academic audience would be students, researchers, and other individuals heavily involved in the humanities or social sciences.  They would be concerned with people or groups of people andd their pursuit and or definiton of  human freedom or independence.This could be studied in a gender context, racial, religious, or cultural, among other spectrums.

2) When I wnet to the movies with my friends for the first time
It was senior year and my friends ( and teachers) were all shocked that I had never been to the movies. The whole thing made me laugh whenever I tried to explain that my family simply could not respect the value of going to the movies. We went to many social outings but they could not specifically understand and appreciate going to the movies.The day I went out with my friends was an even funnier one. Before going to the movies we went to the mall where we talked and joked around.We then went to watch Iron Man 2 and joked around even more.It was a chance to be loud and just laugh. I remeber feeling anxious at first but it was a new and good feeling just being out with your friends.

Question:  What is the value of spending time with others. The audience could be those students or researchers studying the health benefits of human interaction. Another audience would be those students, researchers, or individuals in the social sciences or humanities studying early human interaction and their beneficial effects to humanity and civilization in general. This could range from religious, class, and gender focused interaction

3) When my grandmother taught me how to dance

That day was like any other when I was younger. My grandmother usually babysitted us and whenever she did she would constantly play music from her home country. She may occassionally play  music from Micheal Jackson or Madonna but those were the only pieces of American music she would play, if I remember correctly.As i was watching t.v. she just came up, told me to turn it off and said she was gonna teach me how to dance. I thought it was a pain at first but as this continued on for weeks I began to enjoy it. I even participated in our schools spanish folk dancing club for a while. I began to appreciate music more, as well as dancing.

Question:Can we describe a cause as a series of random( or ordered) events or are there times where there is just a single cause to an effect?
An academic audience interested in this may be those studying patients and their illnesses, those studying historical events and their origins and meanings.Audience could also be  English students analyzing the origins of a dynamic or even static character in a piece of literary work.

Response to Arthur Franks Tricksters and Truthtellers

What I got from the reading was that its about being able to find yourself, understanding your life by looking at the stories of others.DesDespite being centered around those suffering from illness, specifically, I like how this whole reading and his message can be expanded. It can be said that we are all trying to find and understand ourselves, yet despite the fact that our lives can be viewed as distinct from others we can borrow experiences from others, find similarities and better tell our own stories. There can be no story that can specifically help us with our own life problems or experiences but we can find inspiration from a story that appears drastically different from ours through the awareness that our experiences endow us. I have to disagree with the author in his assertion that illness is different from many other narrative topics in that it gives the  feeling of being threatened. People can feel threatened in many  different situations that others may not see as a threatening situation.
I think the term of reclaiming can really be expanded here and in a way the author does a little by suggesting that stories, even if it is of a  persons specific experience, can inspire us and allow us to understand our own selves.In terms of organized programs and their  own theraputic effects, even though they have been in a way been corrupted, the fact that the narrative has an immortal aspect to it, to me suggests that these may be the better treatment for those trying to understand life.

Confessional Writing

The difference between confession and apology is whether a person  feels any remorse for an action they admit doing. A person could admit to performing an act (confession) but it does not become an apology until they admit they were somehow wrong in performing it.You could admit to doing something and feel you have nothing to apologize for,and an apology may not even be necessary.
Determining when and where confessions are appropriate requires us to look at our audience, our argument, our purpose for dialogue.In writing that requires us to reveal some of our personal truths, the writer needs to be mindful of the fact that the truth may not only support their discourse, but could potentially harm their point, or drive their reader away altogether. The truth is important but some cases it has to be categorized, and distributed unequally among a varying audience, largely because of the unequal relationships we share with the groups or individuals among our audience.It has to be asked if this confession(s) is necesssary for me to write, does my audience really care about what I wanna say here and will support my main idea or point?

The Writing Autobiography

Hi my name is Ebrahim  and I'm from Bowie, Maryland.I'm currently majoring in History and plan to go on to medical school in order to become a doctor. I  guess I chose History because I like learning about the backgrounds of different people and places.Finding the similarities and the differences amongst them is particularly interesting.From my experience as a History major I hope to gain a unique perspective in the future as a doctor and possibly help in changing  present medical/clinical approaches.
I like writing, but I love reading more.I usually have no problem coming up with ideas,though often times I sidetrack.The hard part comes when I have to conform to the rules of writing.Often times I forget certain rules and what I write on paper does not mirror how I wanted my original thoughts to be set.So organization, I think, is one of my biggest issues.I took honors and AP English Courses in high school and I remember always being told to make sure I understand and answer every part of the prompt. I think that if this course is going to be focused on argumentation it will be somewhat like my AP courses but still interesting.

First blog

Hello and welcome!