Friday, January 31, 2020

Officer Selection and Recruitment Process Essay Example for Free

Officer Selection and Recruitment Process Essay There are varying components that go into officer-recruitment and the selection-process. This paper will outline many general concerns for consideration into a law enforcement branch and then focus more on a specific agency and policy once all normal or formal recruitment procedures are addressed. Most law enforcement agencies generally start with a application process that weeds out applicants that do not fit into the general criteria or job experience, and education requirements. The minimum eligibility requirements depend on the level or category of agency you are applying to and what standards need to be met to qualify you for the position. Some of these minimum qualifications are United States citizenship, vision assessment, drivers license, and being somewhere in between the minimum and maximum age at the time you are admitted to the academy. Other parts of this process depend on if you are looking at employment at a local or federal policing agency. Most Local agencies carry an education requirement of a high school degree or at the very least a General Education Diploma (GED). On the other hand federal agencies can ask for a increased education requirement of a bachelors degree in a related field that they desire or a higher masters degree in a discipline that the agency requires. Minimum eligibility requirements imply exactly that; the smallest amount of qualifications you are expected to meet prior to application for employment. Meeting this minimum eligibility does not entitle you to the position or guarantee you to be any closer to employment to the position than any other person may be all this means is that you meet the basic criteria for the possibility of employment at the given agency. Once you meet the minimum requirements for eligibility then you are one step closer to the goal of employment in a law enforcement agency but that’s when the real part of the selection process actually begins. Selection processes do not include everything but are merely a broad spectrum of knowledge and understanding that officers need to adhere to, to furthe r move them along from just an application to the rest of the hiring process. Applicants must pass a written examination, pass a physical abilities exercise, complete a background investigation, and a psychological and other medical examination to qualify. Federal enforcement bureaus also have several step oral interview processes and most likely a polygraph test is required after the background investigation is completed. During a background investigation you are most likely asked detailed questions that are meant to disqualify you later in the process if you were to provide a false response. These truth questions are made to thin the applicant pool and will exclude you from further opportunities even if you do well on any other portion of your examinations. The beginning of the process after the application is submitted is generally a written aptitude test that has to be completed. Assuming the recruited officer passes these standardized tests, the next hurdle is physical agility and endurance testing.Depending again on the size of the agency for which you have tested, it might take quite a while for you to get your test results. The reasons may vary, but whatever they are, you can expect to eventually receive a notification with you r test score. If you are informed that you did not pass, you may receive information on how to appeal your result. In the interest of brevity, this discussion assumes that you passed the test and have been placed on what is generally called the eligibility list. These test examine are comparable to how a police officer may fair during daily tasks. Examples of what you physical activity that you will be asked to exhibit are equivalent to a military Physical Readiness Test (PRT), these are activities such as a minimum time you are able to finish a mile and a half run, sit-ups, push-ups, and basically a confidence course test with obstacles that you may have to maneuver to catch a perp. If recruited officers are in top physical condition and have a body mass equivalent to their height this should not be a issue but because of society being more sedentary this has actual become a major issue in the recruitment process. Completing the physical requirements step brings you to an evaluation of your background and history. Aspects of your life that can be checked are medical, military, school records, employment history, credit history, past criminal record and your driving record. Usually the background investigation coincides with taking a polygraph in most organizations that I have dealt with personally. The polygraph is used as an after action to determine the validity and truthfulness of your statements during the application process. This is meant to determine your strength of character and usually if you fail a poly then you will not be considered for employment. After all of these examinations policing agencies have to take further precautions with employment than most civilian organizations, agencies ask for a psychological and medical evaluation. The medical exams are needed to determine your immediate and long term health and whether or not there needs to be any concerns about how you will perform during any challenges that may arise in field. Agencies are mostly concerned on if you have any withstanding ailments or injuries that could shorten your law enforcement career. Also a major factor during your medical examination is if you have 20/20 vision or normal vision without any color blindness that could hinder your ability to complete normal job functions. The psychological examination normally had two separate parts, the first being a written questionnaire and the second being a meeting with a actual psychologist or psychiatrist who interviews determine you mental health and what you are susceptible. Lastly in the recruitment process is the personal interview which can already have been done through knowledge of some of your other interviews and assessments that were taken to this point. Mostly this portion is just to assess your communication skill set and your responses to predetermined set of questions. Interviewing agencies may be in a board format or a single interviewer but this is meant to assess your answers to difficult but pertinent questions concerning law enforcement actions and situations and create a stress on the interviewee. Interviewers compare recruits on how they handle the stressful situation and according to their line of questioning and if it remained correct throughout the interview. The specific agency that interests me is Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), all of this criteria provided fits into the same selection process that they have implemented. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service a federal agency tasked with protecting military members and their families and any other civilian personnel that has ties to the navy. NCIS protects naval equipment, technology, and the communications networks of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. NCIS personnel number over 1,200 Special Agents, 900 other civilian professionals, and 200-plus military service members all over the world to prevent terrorism, protect our national intelligence, and decrease criminal activity across the United States and over 40 countries around the globe. There are only minute differences such as the training opportunities that make a NCIS Special Agent candidates much more specialized in handling all possible situations that may arise as a federal law enforcement officer both at home in country (CONUS) or abroad (OCONUS). These agents must complete several training programs to include the Criminal Investigators Training Program (CITP) and the NCIS-specific Special Agent Basic Training Program (SABTP) at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Glynco, GA. Later opportunities may include specialized training in Polygraph and Credibility Assessment (PCA) techniques, procurement fraud, forensic science, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, leadership and languages. (NCIS) Working with the military and dealing with classified information and investigations another need that happens during their back ground investigation is to get adjudicated to a top secret security clearance. These officer-recruitment and selection-process are pain taking and rigorous but meant to weed out the undesirable or inexperienced applicants that just don’t quite fit the criteria needed to be a successful officer of the law. The requirements that are set forth make each agencies personnel that much wiser in a given situation and give them the satisfaction that they are one of the few to make it through such an extenuating selection process.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Essays --

Andre Ribeiro Ms. Michael Pre-AP English II 1-15-13 Rough Draft Charles dickens was not only one of England's first great novelists, but also one of the most prevelant, enduring figures in using fiction to effectively communicate his ideas, as well as criticize social and moral ideals throughout the Victorian era. Through "A Christmas Carol", Dickens uses the wealthy, excentric caricature of Ebeneezer Scrooge as well as the symbolic meanings of the three ghosts to convey and portray a sense of pity and uneven distribution of wealth and class during his time. Each groups of symbols and characters play a vital role in Dickens' critique of Victorian society, as well as include solutions for the issues that persisted. In the instance of "A Christmas Carol", Dickens was directly inspired to write a Christmas story highlighting the struggles that the poor faced during the major Depression that occurred during the 1840's, as well as the need for charity from those that were considered 'well-off'. Having suffered continual hardships as a child, Dickens' attitude toward the wealthy was in fact bitter. As a result, his feelings toward the wealthy, represented by Scrooge as a whole group, was one centered around resentment and disregard. The Cratchits, however, portrayed the lives of many impoverished peoples during the era, and described them as being hardworking simpletons with a kind-hearted spirit, regardless of their situation. Tiny Tim was one such example, as he always blessed everyone on multiple occasions, despite his continuing ailments. One key element in Dickens' description and thoughts towards Victorian Society is that of moral standing and the satisfaction and happiness of the very contradicting social cl... .... Equality was not a forefront topic during the time, and Dickens was outspoken and intelligent to the extent of pointing out flaws that many members of the current time never pondered. Social issues tend to become increasingly important as time persists, even more so than economic issues. This account completely disregards the social standings of specific members and focuses more on ones morality. If equality is not reached, and a 'Scrooge-like' transformation does not occur, even in today's society, the social system may collapse upon itself, and an entire "middle class" may be entirely disregarded. A solution is always at arms reach, but it all begins with the individual. Each human being is in its own respect, much like Scrooge. Moral changes are needed, and the decisions one makes today could potentially affect the lives of many for generations to come.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Safe Administration of Intravenous Medication and Management of Central Line

Intravenous therapy is a crucial element of acute care management; this provides easy access for medication, maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance, and administration of blood products (Wiechula & Hodgkinson, 2002). This is an invasive procedure that entails a number of risks for the patient. This literature review will provide important information regarding the safe administration of intravenous medication and the management of the central line. Safe Administration of Intravenous Medication. The article â€Å"Safe Practice in intravenous medicine administration† from the Nursing Standard journal provided a detailed account of safe administration of intravenous medication. The IV route has many advantages over other routes, mainly because of its absorption rate, but it must â€Å"only be used when its benefits outweigh its risks† (Lavery, 2008). The first step in safe administration of intravenous medication is assessment of the patient’s condition and satisfying the 5 Rights of drug administration; Right Patient, Right Dose, Right Medication, Right Route, and Right time. The patient’s chart must also be checked for all the other drugs that the patient is currently taking. The expiration date of the medicine ordered must be checked as well. Drug interactions and interval of the medication must be considered as well. This must be taken seriously as 22% of medication errors committed on general medical practice were due to lack of knowledge of this little detail (Joanna Briggs Institute, 2005). As a confirmatory measure the drug order must be consulted with another nurse. There was evidence that suggested the efficiency of having two nurses check medication orders prior to administration (Joanna Briggs Institute, 2005). Following hospital protocol, the procedure must be explained to the patient and acquire consent on the doing the procedure. Secondly, the materials needed for the procedure must be prepared. The materials needed will be dependent on the route specified which could be; bolus injection, intermittent infusion, and continuous infusion. IV bolus injection requires the use of a syringe; conclusive evidence suggested that labels on syringes or enhancements on syringe may prevent medication errors (ISMP Medication Safety Alert, 2004). Application of aseptic technique is essential in the process of drug administration through the intravenous route. Thus, swabbing the injection port with alcohol is an important practice. The injection port is exposed to bacteria and injecting these to the patient’s system must be avoided (Institute for Safe Medication Practices, 2007). No conclusive evidence was presented on this claim. Upon swabbing the IV port with alcohol and letting it dry, the next step is to administer the medication at the IV port. The rate of the IV push must be observed carefully, since there are conclusive evidence of death occurring on an IV push that was done too quickly (Cohen, 2003). This is known as â€Å"Speed Shock† and will be discussed in detail later. If the method of administration is through continuous infusion, the rate of infusion must be confirmed with another nurse (Joanna Briggs Institute, 2005). An infusion pump may be used to ensure accurate infusion rates. The careful use of the infusion pump must be observed by the nurse.. After drug administration, the patient must now be watched closely for adverse reaction to the drug. After assessment of the patient after administration, the central line must be flushed with a 5-10 ml 0. 9% sodium chloride solution. This is a precautionary measure to relieve the cannula of any residual medicine (Lavery, 2008). Afterwards, the sharps and other equipments used should be discarded in a proper container. CDC recommended that sharps should be disposed in a proper container; â€Å"closable, puncture resistant, leakproof on the sides and bottom, and appropriately labeled or color coded† (CDC, 1998). Proper documentation and monitoring of therapeutic effect concludes the procedure (Wiechula & Hodgkinson, 2002). Management of the Central Line The article; â€Å"Promoting Best Practice in the Management of Peripheral Vascular Devices† from the Joanna Briggs Institute, used an evidence based approach on the management of peripheral vascular devices. It stressed a number of key recommendations in achieving best practices in the management of a central line (Wiechula & Hodgkinson, 2002). This literature will be central to this discussion. It is common medical knowledge that hand washing and observance of the aseptic technique is crucial for the prevention of infection. This was also pointed out in the article and was given utmost importance. The next guideline is the dressing of the central line; the article suggested the use of gauze or transparent dressing. It also suggested that it should be changed when it is damp, loosened or soiled. Conclusive research from CDC noted that both the transparent and gauze dressings virtually have the same effect (CDC, 2002). Secondly, the routine replacement of IV catheters, IV therapy is an invasive procedure and these devices can harbor bacteria that can cause complications. In addition, it also stressed rotation of the site of catheter insertion every 48-72 hours to prevent phlebitis; this suggestion was well within the extent of rotation specified by the CDC which was every 72-96 hours (CDC, 2002). Moreover, it also stressed that IV catheter should be replaced at the first sign of phlebitis. Another consideration for the removal of the catheter is evidence of local infection (Gosbell, 2005). The third guideline was the replacement of the IV administration sets at 72 hour intervals. These equipments include; blood products, piggy back, and lipid emulsions. When a medical order required the use of these materials, the healthcare provider must make sure that these materials should be replaced or disposed of when it goes past its usefulness. This must be meticulously observed especially with blood products and lipid emulsions, which produces a higher incidence of bacterial colonization; this case requires the IV administration set to be replaced within 24 hours of initiating the infusion. Fourth, is the use of flush solutions to prevent thrombosis or infection, heparin is the most common flush solution in use today. A study with much legitimacy in it, has confirmed that flushing a catheter with a vancomycin/heparin lock will yield to a significant decrease in infection rate (Woensel, 2008). Much debate surrounds the issue of whether it should be done continuously or intermittently. A recent study by the Cochrane Collaboration attempted to address this issue. Considering the inconclusive results of the study, it still claimed that intermittent flushing, â€Å"were less likely to infiltrate, leak, or cause phlebitis† (Flint, Macintosh, & Davies, 2008). The fifth management approach to a central line is the use of in-line filters. Wietchula & Hudgkinson noted that this device is thought to reduce the incidence of infection, but no evidence confirms this claim. A similar claim supported this notion that in-line filters have no significant relation to decreased incidence of infection in a study conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration (Foster, 2008). This study, too, was shrouded with impartiality due to the lack of sufficient data. Lastly, proper management of a central line requires documentation of insertion date and time of the intravenous device. This would also serve as a guide for the overall care of the patient (Wiechula & Hodgkinson, 2002). Complications of Intravenous Therapy Intravenous therapy is widely used in acute care management. Due to the invasive nature of the procedure, healthcare providers must abide with known safe practices just like the ones outlined in this study. Failure to comply with safe practices can lead to infection and even death. The most disastrous complication can arise from failing to observe safe practice in intravenous medication. Meanwhile the patient can suffer from infections and much discomfort from failing to observe clinically effective practices on the management of the central line. These two topics will be explored in this section of the study. Aside from describing â€Å"Safe Practice in intravenous medicine administration†, this article also included some complications that arise in practices that are not clinically effective. Failure to asses the patient and confirming the medication can lead to disastrous results. A staggering 30% of medication errors arise from administering an inappropriate drug (Joanna Briggs Institute, 2005). An article entitled â€Å"Medication Errors†, mentioned that improper disinfection of multi dose vials can leave the patient at risk for infection with staphylococcus aureus (Cohen, 2003). The article even mentioned that refrigerating the MDV prolongs the life of the S. aureus compared with storing it in room temperature. In addition, it also mentioned the deadly effects of administering a drug too quickly (Cohen, 2003). This is otherwise known as â€Å"Speed Shock† (Lavery, 2008). This is the body’s violent reaction to a foreign body that was abruptly introduced in the system. The patient may experience hypotension, shock, flushed face, tachycardia, shock,and cardiovascular collapse. Miscalculations in the required dosage can be deadly to the patient as well. Failure of the healthcare provider to confirm the order with a doctor or colleague contributes to the occurrences of medication error. Studies have shown that one of the factors contributing to medication error is â€Å"poor communication healthcare professionals†, which comprises of 19% of recorded incidents (Joanna Briggs Institute, 2005). The healthcare provider administering medications must be familiar with standard dosage computation and manipulation of infusion devices like the infusion pump. There are concrete evidences published in the medical safety alert of ISMP regarding misuse of the infusion pump. It stated: â€Å"a misprogrammed infusion pump can leave a patient only a button press away from disaster† (Institute for Safe Medication Practice, 2002). Another complication is extravasations or infiltration. This condition is characterized by local edema and pain on the site of catheter insertion. This is caused by accidental administration of the drug to a surrounding tissue by a cannula poised in a wrong angle or problems in its patency. As mentioned earlier, failure to observe safe practices in managing the central line can also lead to serious complications. The article â€Å"Diagnosis and Management of Catheter Related Bloodstream infections due to staphylococcus aureus† outlined the complications arising from bad practices in management of peripheral vascular devices. Among the complications it discussed were; Catheter Colonization, Phlebitis, Infusate related bloodstream infection, and Cather related bloodstream infection. Colonization of bacteria on the catheter tip is the most common complication associated with wrongful management of the catheter tip. The Maki hypothesis stated that bacteria from the skin surrounding the catheter site can migrate to the catheter and eventually to the bloodstream (Gosbell, 2005). Catheter related bloodstream infection may lead to bacteremia and sepsis. The bacterium that is most commonly associated with this kind of infection is S. aureus which account to 5-50% of cases and coagulase-negative staphylococci in 20% to 96% (Gosbell, 2005). Failure to observe aseptic technique upon insertion of the IV catheter can contaminate the central line itself and directly introduce bacteria in the patient’s bloodstream. Another issue arising in practices that are not clinically effective is infusate-bloodstream infection. This is an infection through contamination of the fluids that are being administered. The use of the IV port either for injecting medicine or extracting blood from the patient can introduce microorganisms on the system. This commonly happens to blood products and lipid emulsions were bacterial growth is common. Lastly, phlebitis, this condition is characterized by redness, pain, and swelling around the insertion site. Phlebitis may be caused by infection and other patient factors like the patient’s inherent risk in developing such problems. Healthcare providers must be very careful in caring for patients undergoing intravenous therapy. Previous researches have shown that nosocomial infections due to bad practices in intravenous therapy account to 200,000 cases each year (Wiechula & Hodgkinson, 2002). Patients arrive in the hospital to seek medical attention, it is only imperative that healthcare providers must deliver the quality of care that patients deserve and avoid aggravating their illness by complications that could be avoided by safe practices.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Effects of Mass Media - 633 Words

University of Phoenix Material Effects of Mass Media Worksheet Write brief 250-to 300-word answers to each of the following: |Questions |Answers | |What were the major developments in the |The major developments in the evolution of mass media during the 20th century were radio, | |evolution of mass media during the 20th |television, Internet, social media, newspaper, and cell phones. Radios were less expensive| |century? |than telephones and had the ability of allowing huge numbers of people to listen to the | | |same event at the same time.†¦show more content†¦Cell phones have took over the use of house | | |phones. They have went from phones you could just talk on to handheld computer devices. | | |You can email, text, Facebook, and even send fax from cell phones. The technology of cell | | |phones is based on the battle of operating systems; if you prefer Android or Iphone. | |How did each development influence |Radio has gone from being broadcasted am or fm to satellite and Internet radio. The music | |American culture? |played today has a negative impact on Americans. The children listen to the music and | | |mimic it. They play music more than they broadcast news. Television influences the | | |American culture by broadcasting a wide variety of shows and networks that Americans have | | |become dependent upon. The technology has advanced to where DVRs are used so that you can | | |record shows and not miss a thing. You can also rewind and fast forward through live TV. I| | |feel children are the most influenced by television. During the earlier decades cable was | | |limited so it was easier to go without.Show MoreRelatedEffects Of Mass Media On The Media781 Words   |  4 Pages Effects of Mass Media Pauline Rewis HUM/186 October 19, 2015 Allyson Wells Effects of Mass Media In this day and age, most anyone can find out just about anything, on any subject, at any time with just a few clicks of a button. The act of gathering information used to be a much more tedious and physical endeavor. However, these days it can be done with ease thanks to the enormous developments in mass media distribution over the last century. The major mode of information distributionRead Morethe effect of mass media3481 Words   |  14 Pages5/27/13 The effect of media content on audiences and society | a2-level-level-revision, sociology, mass-media-0, effect-media-content-audiences-and-society | †¦ The effect of media content on audiences and society Before you can log into the site you MUST accept terms and conditions. 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