Pursuing a Career in Neuroscience Essay -- Personal Statement

Of all specialties of the Biomedical Sciences, I find Neuroscience very intriguing out of sheer fascination for the epitome of evolution – the brain. The brain directly or indirectly controls almost all functions necessary for survival, which compels me to investigate its complexity and functioning. Unexplored frontiers in Neuroscience - from the neuron to cognition, coupled with an urge to discover what makes us truly living compel me to pursue a career in Neuroscience. When I graduated from college in India, there was a scarcity of institutions offering graduate level courses in Neuroscience, and limitation of facilities and content in teaching, syllabus and research in this field. Hence, in order to obtain graduate level training, and since degrees obtained from American universities are internationally renowned for their academic excellence; I decided to apply to universities in the United States. While researching potential universities, what set Florida State University (FSU) apart was that besides academics, almost equal emphasis was placed on community service, leadership, and social or religious involvement. I really appreciated that students were recognized not merely for academic potential, but also for exemplary character demonstrated in selfless service rendered to the community, hospital or elders in retirement homes. The holistic approach that FSU had to offer during a student's college life, and quality of education in terms of coursework, research, seminars, conference, and specialty guest lecture series in Basic Neurosciences that graduate students were privileged to receive inspired me to apply to this university. My first visit to the United States was in Fall-2007 upon obtaining a scholarship ... ... rigorous academic schedule balancing a full load of course work, teaching, research, co-curricular, extra-curricular and social activities while consistently maintaining a high GPA. During the entire course of my graduate studies, I was awarded a scholarship that covered tuition and stipend. In addition, my academic excellence reached its zenith when I was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society in October 2008 which provided additional opportunities for personal and professional development. Unlike many international students keen in settling in the United States, I chose to return to my home country and apply the rich experience and training that I received to serve my own people. Hence, upon graduating with a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, I relocated to India, sought and gained admission into the topmost school for Neuroscience.

HCS 483 Clinician Provider Order Entry Implementation Essay

Clinician Provider Order Entry Implementation Health Care Information Systems HCS 483 September 02, 2013 Clinician Provider Order Entry Implementation Implementation Process Health care organizations look forward when starting the implementation process for information system implementation. Adding or upgrading health care systems is met with excitement and opposition from the employees who must use the system and adapt their current practice processes. Constructing a rollout period for the employees to train and get specific training for their job requirements is imperative to the success of the health system implementation. Employees knowledge of how to use the system is equally important to the implementation process as choosing and designing the program that is best for the organization. Roles and responsibilities The project or system champion is someone in the organization who is vested in the completion of the project. The champion’s role is to help obtain the buy-in of other physicians into the use of the new system and makes sure the physicians who will be using the system have adequate input in the selection process of how the new system will be used. The board of directors is the governing entity for the health care organization that approves the acquisition and implementation of a new system. The board of director’s role is to have a voice for the organization. Going forward the board needs to be involved in how the new system will affect the processes of the primary users and help curtail the expenses that develop as the project evolves. The Project manager is the person accountable for the successful implementation of the new information system. â€Å"He or she is the person who provides the day-to-day direction setting, conflict resolution, and communication needed by the project team†(Wager, Lee, Glaser, & Burns, 2009, Chapter 7). The project manager is responsible for the team of engineers  installing and testing the information system. The project manager is responsible for relaying the progress of the project back to the board of directors. This includes the good, and the bad as outlined in the case study of Memorial Health System in which Dr. Melvin Sparks yelled at Sally Martin over substantial increases in work force, cost, and time increases. Sally Martin resolved not to share any bad news or setbacks with Dr. Sparks again creating a false sense of understanding of where the project was in the stages of completion. The original action of Dr. Sparks started a domino effect toward the failure of the project. Fundamental Activities Information Technology (IT) is responsible for the long and tedious process of installing, changing, removing, testing, and correcting the chosen information system for the health care organization. IT must have a strong plan in place for the scope of the projected project. Organizing, identifying the project champion, determining the project’s size and expectations, and establishing and implementing the project plan are the steps in the IT implementation process. Creating detailed project guidelines for cost, number of employees needed to complete the implementation and project completion dates of the different phases to help complete the goals set forth by the health care organization. Fundamental activities that led to the project failure were lack of organization, system analysis, and employee workflow. The project was set to a rushed timeline that did not permit for proper organization for the intricate details of implementing a new information system. Doing the system analysis in six months and making a choice without direct input from the employees who would be using the system on a daily basis was part of the project failure. Employee workflow is a vital portion of the selection process of a new system in a health care organization. â€Å"One of the first activities necessary in implementing any new system is to review and evaluate the existing workflow or business processes†(Wager, Lee, Glaser, & Burns, 2009, Chapter 7). If the process is too complicated or cumbersome, the workforce will fight back and reject the new system. In the case study of Memorial Health System although intentions were good for the implementation of a clinician provider order entry (CPOE) system by Fred Dryer and Joe Roberts the process was rushed and not properly laid out with realistic goals in place. IT was  not given adequate time to organize, plan, or determine the scope for the steps they would need to make to implement the new CPOE. Commu nication Dr. Melvin Sparks was a fundamental player in the project failure at Memorial Health System. Probably without direct knowledge of his actions, Dr. Sparks started a domino effect that ultimately led to many of the project failures with implementing the CPOE system. The initial communication between Dr. Sparks and his appointed project manager, Sally Martin, set the communication barrier of relaying time delays, lack of workforce, and budget increases that snowballed into the failure of the CPOE implementation. Project Failure Project failure in the Memorial Health System case study was evident from the beginning of the project. The idea was solid, but the planning was not thorough. Five indicators that the project would fail are lack of clarity of purpose that happens when the objectives of the project are unclear. Lack of belief in the project happens when the key users are not convinced the system will ease their workload. Insufficient leadership support happens when the lack of commitment shows through the lack of involvement by the leaders spearheading the implementation process. Organizational inertia happens when project work is added on top of the daily workload adding stress to the employees. Project complexity is multifold and is a direct effect of when the people working on the project do not have an understanding of the scope of the project. Minimize Project Failure Memorial Health Systems could have taken different steps to eliminate or minimize the effects of the project failure on the new CPOE system. This Student would have acted differently to minimize the effects for a different outcome on the implementation process for the new CPOE system. Lack of clarity of purpose This student would have communicated that the implementation of the new system will make the daily process of patient care is necessary so the providers and supporting staff understand that it will prepare for a better patient health record and reduce errors in orders. Lack of belief in the project This student would have communicated an understanding that the new CPOE system will create an efficient and useful electronic medical record. Therefore, easing the workload and minimizing errors in patient orders. This student would have made continual updates and newsletters updating the providers and staff about improvements that they would be making in his or her patient’s care. Insufficient leadership support This student would have created a more visible and involved leadership team. This student would have created meetings and training involving both the leadership team and the providers to create a better understanding of how the implementation of the CPOE will help the quality of care given by the providers at Memorial Health System. Organizational inertia This student would have organized the workforce to help drastically reduce the amount of daily workloads to free up dedicated time for the CPOE implementation project. Working in stressful environments can create lack of forward motion on a project because of the added work. Increasing the workforce to distribute the workload will help in the project continuing to move forward. Project complexity This student would have had a frank conversation with the contributing departments and stakeholders about the complexity and scope of the CPOE project. Communication would have included that additions to the project would increase the timeframe and cost of the project. When all entities understand the complexity of the project and that, there will be delays or setbacks in the implementation process this will help ease doubt during transitional times. Conclusion Having a strong implementation plan and goals are imperative when beginning the process of adding or changing an information system. Health care is changing rapidly and implementing system changes takes time, extensive planning, and support. Ensuring that a strong foundation and understanding of the project is in place before implementing a systems change will help in the success of the project. References Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., Glaser, J. P., & Burns, L. R. (2009). Health Care Information Systems. A Practical Approach for Health Care Management, Second Edition. [University Of Phoenix]. http://dx.doi.org/ 9780470387801

Target Population Free Essay Example, 750 words

Demographic Paper Number and Number Number of Words: 769 Target Population Target population that will be considered in this report is New York. Data about the Target Population The total population in New York as of 2010 was 19,378,102 which represents 6.27% of U. S. total population (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). Dominated by women with 51.4%, the population change rate in New York is 2.1% which is 7.6% slower than the population change in the United States (ibid). This explains why children below the age of 5 years old is composed of only 6.3% of its entire population. Chart I – Target Population Summary Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 With regards to educational attainment, only 31.8% of the entire population holds a Bachelor’s degree or higher among individuals above the age of 25 years old whereas majority with 84.2% of them were able to complete high school requirements (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). As of July 2011, unemployment rate in New York was 8.0% (New York State Department of Labor, 2011). General Effects of Demographic Changes on Health Care Market and Impact of Changing Demographics on Health Care Although the unemployment rate in New York dropped 0.6% from 8.6% in July 2010 to 8.0% in July 2011 (New York State Department of Labor, 2011), this figure is still considered high. We will write a custom essay sample on Target Population or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now In general, the money use in maintaining the quality of health care services in the market usually comes from the collected taxes. If the ageing population in New York exceeds the young generation (below 5 y/o), it means that the state is at risk of facing serious problems with regards to the sources of health care funding 20 years from now. Based on the demographic profile of New York, majority with 58% of its population belongs to the age bracket of 18 – 64 year old whereas only 23% of its population today will be ready to join the NY workforce (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). Say 10 – 20 years from now, the number of elderly individuals in New York will significant increase. Thus, increasing demand for health care services. Given the potential limited sources of funding, the demographic profile of New York strongly suggests that its government officials need to start finding solution to this problem. Two Key Health Care-Related Changes in this Population Through Medicaid expansion, president Obama signed a legislation back on the 23rd of March 2010 which clearly states the need to change the nation’s health care system which could make it easier for more than 10 million Americans to have a ready access for medical insurance (The New York Times, 2011). Under the said legislation, Medicare will give seniors the benefit to have free preventive care, post-hospital care, tax-free health savings account, and rebates to consumers starting on 2012 (Kavilanz, 2011). A state program in New York called â€Å"EPIC† which enables the seniors pay their prescription drugs through secondary coverage. Basically, eligible applicants for EPIC includes individuals more than 65 years old who are earning less than US$35,000 (single) and US$50,000 (married) (New York Departmetn of Health, 2011a). Through this program, elderly individuals in New York are able to enjoy as much as 90% saving on the cost of their prescription medicines. In response to Obama’s health legislation, the income bracket eligible for EPIC’s Part D premium assistance will be increased from $20,000 to $23,000 (single) and $26,000 to $29,000 (married) starting on 1st of July 2011 (New York Department of Health, 2011b), Furthermore, application for EPIC will be free starting the 1st of January 2012 (ibid). How a Chronic Disease Wellness Program affect the Cost of Health Care Services The presence of chronic diseases costs roughly $2 trillion on medical care insurance. In general, a chronic disease wellness program aims to prevent the incidence of chronic diseases by extending health care teachings in school, work environment, healthcare institutions, and community (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2011). Through a continuous promotion of health teachings, a chronic disease wellness program could help reduce the cost of health care services in the long-run. Strategic Ways on How the Community Can Address these Conditions Regardless of age, gender, race and socio-economic status, people in New York should start supporting the development of a chronic disease prevention and health promotion. By making it a habit to live a healthy lifestyle, New Yorkers will be able to help keep the cost of health care services down. In the case of illegal immigrants, the community can help address the health care related problems by reporting them to the authorities. Illegal immigrants do not pay taxes which should be contributing to the fund available to maintain the quality of health care services in New York. *** End *** References Kavilanz, P. (2011, March 3). CNN Money. Retrieved August 28, 2011, from Health care: Big change in drug costs for seniors: http: //money. cnn. com/2011/03/03/news/economy/health_care_reform_changes/index. htm National Conference of State Legislatures. (2011, March). Retrieved August 28, 2011, from Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: http: //www. ncsl. org/default. aspx? tabid=14507 New York Department of Health. (2011b). Retrieved August 28, 2011, from Executive Budget Changes - EPIC - SFY 2011-2012 - Key Points & Additional FAQs: http: //www. health. state. ny. us/health_care/epic/2011-12_key_points_and_faq. htm New York Departmetn of Health. (2011a). Retrieved August 28, 2011, from Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program: http: //www. health. state. ny. us/health_care/epic/ New York State Department of Labor. (2011, August 23). Retrieved August 29, 2011, from State Labor Department Releases July 2011 Area Unemployment Rates: http: //www. labor. ny. gov/stats/pressreleases/prlaus. shtm The New York Times. (2011, August 12). Retrieved August 28, 2011, from Health Care Reform: http: //topics. nytimes. com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/health_insurance_and_managed_care/health_care_reform/index. html U. S. Census Bureau. (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011, from New York: http: //quickfacts. census. gov/qfd/states/36000.html