NURSING AND EDUCATION PLATFORM

Pay for health workers has always been generally low; it should be vocational they say. Yes, I agreed with this many years ago. Now I feel, to attract the appropriate people, we need to py more especially to care assistants in care homes. Other jobs pay so much more.Indeed, everybody needs enough money tolive off so cannot afford to do care work even if they want to.Consider footballers---. Paying them less devalues the skill involved.Value staff and they will value the patients and the team.

We have known for so long, how much publications may be restricted, despite accusations from individuals of inaccurate reports. Now there are dilemmas surrounding who regulates the press. This also applies to some of the nursing press. If articles are rejected, it is not solely based upon the quality of writing. It also depends upon the topic- as well as who has written it. The readers are more likley to purchase journals which display what they like and agree with, anything unusual may be rejected. Yet this delays development and restricts it to that which we want to hear.

New authors with new issues to raise, need a channel.

When teaching students nurses we need to remember all fields of care- not only hospitals. Situations do differ in private healthcare or prisons or care homes. This again involves dilemmas of practice and the situations that nurses may find themselves in. It may also apply to other fields such as education.

It is not enough for professionals such as nurses and teachers to be taught theory during their courses. Students need to know how to apply theory and what to do when dilemmas arise- see my articles/book. Students much prefer discussions based on case studies where theories can be linked in thus promoting thinking. Awareness of  a theory does not indicate  a high level of thinking.We can become aware of theories by reading a book and teaching is them largely powerpoint which fails to stimulate students in general. Unfortunately, not all lecturers are aware of case studies or dilemas especially if they have not practriced for 20 years. Many are afraid to refer to actual cases studies fearing confidentiality. Yet when at the patient's side doeas a nurse recall the 13 functions of the liver (as I did to pass my exams! cannot recall them now- does that make me  a bad nurse?? Or when does the nurse recall all parts of the heart at the patient's side? Consider also models in nursing or in education. I am not saying they do not need to know this but the art is in it's application.

Why are people afraid of being honest today? Take teaching/ lecturing. If a student asks a question or another teacher, and you the teacher do not know; why not say it? They may even mention something you have never heard of or vice versa. Surely we can be honest and reply, let's look that up together? Why is honesty a sign of weakness? Nobody knows everything and certainly in my field of nursing, we need to raise nurses who are honest and admit when they do not know. This can only start in education. If lecturers or teachers fail to be honest, we are encouraging our students to be the same. people should be congratulated when admitting that they do not know-- not reprimanded.

Study re acadmeic plagiarism. Please respond via survey monkey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z3BZHYB

Winterbourne View; an example of shocking care. Residents were transferred elsewhere to receive poor care again. Suprised? I am not. Why? It is time for honesty and reflection. Who do we really serve? They argue, it only ocurs in the private sector. No it does not; there is poor care in the NHS also. It comes back to values. I feel we are  a consumer society which aims to gain profit and materialsm. There are however, some of us who remain with humane values. Yet nobody will listen to the person at ground level. There are some really excellant care assistants and nurses  out here. The only one who is listened to is the person at the top. What  a piece of paper grants you these days. A paper qualification- hides it all. Noticeably many MPs have been taught at Oxford University. Does this make them any better? I know excellant people without  a paper qualification. Time we listened.

There has for years been poor care within all areas of care whether private or NHS and indeed, within all countries. Remember Romania? See article Care in Crisis, on this web. Individuals or nurses or care staff and anybody else who wished to speak out, have been capped. The question is why? Political? Loyal? Fear of loss of jobs? Similar to the horrendous Jimmy Savile affair is it not??

There is  a great piece of research here if anybody is allowed to do it. I have studied it for 20 years but nobody listens.

OK. Becoming employed at University today, or indeed any profession at  a higher level, is extremely difficult. First- they like to know you- either of you , or worked with you in some capacity. Why? You are less likely to rock the boat and more likely to sink with their ideas and methods. If you are totally new, of course you will suggest new methods and ideas and wonder why they do not do things like your previous establishment. So- you will have questions- which many do not approve of. Colleagues I know have been told in the past-- your face does not fit. What does this mean? Black hair? No. You deliver in ways that conflict with our methods. It is time for change. There are people out here with far more knowledge and ideas and motivation. We are not here to cause conflict. It is time people were honest and open with one another. In any job yes, it is who you know---.

Many are unaware that the complaints procedure differs in praivte care homes, hospitals or schools.

In private care, complaints may only be taken to the manager or owner of the establishment. CQC will not represent individual complaints anyway. The PCT will not be involved. There are charity bodiues who will advise. In academy schools or private schools, again the complaint goes to the head or academic trust. Ofsted may be involed eventually, if it concerns the school in general. Or there is the Department for Education.This differs from Government owned schools when the Local authority may ve involved. Is this adaequate I wonder?