Muscles

Muscles, skeleton and skin give the body shape and form. But it’s the muscle tissues that clearly give the features and shape of the human body. Much effort is given to muscles that it has even become a large global industry just to maintain it. Among the specialized tissues in the body, the muscle tissue is highly specialized. Muscle tissues have contracting abilities and conducting abilities. Muscles are found to carry out electrical impulses. Voluntary muscles are differentiated from involuntary muscles. In terms of structure, muscles can either be striated or smooth. Muscles are commonly known as smooth, skeletal and cardiac. Different organs use different kinds of muscles. Small intestines have smooth muscles. Smooth muscles are neat and form parallel lines. Intestine muscles are involuntary muscles. They contract without conscious thought. These muscles fit the intestines because digestion is not an act of will. Whether you like it or not, intestines will move according to the contents of your stomach either when they are full or empty. The uterus also has smooth muscles. Other organs such as the bladder, blood vessels and other internal organs also have involuntary muscles. Skeletal muscles are confused to be fibres of connective tissues. Skeletal muscles are not of connective tissues because these muscles are not extracellular elements. These muscles describe the individual skeletal muscle cells. These tissues are fibres that are thin and very long. They almost look like threads like the one we see in clothing. Under the microscope, these cells are cylindrical and unbranched. The nuclei of these tissues are neatly arranged that goes around the periphery of the cell. This neat and orderly arrangement is made up of actin and myosin filaments found inside the muscle cell. Skeletal muscle cells that are arranged and form large bundles are called fascicles. These bundles are enveloped with thin layers of connective. Continuous arrangements of these fascicles become parts of a particular muscle organ, for example biceps. Cardiac muscles are almost an integration of smooth muscles and skeletal muscles. These muscle tissues make up the wall of the heart. They are striated and multinucleate like skeletal muscles however, they also seem to be smooth because their nuclei are located at the center and that a lot of cells are required to occupy the length of the muscle. â€Å"It differs from both skeletal muscle and smooth muscle in that its cells branch and are joined to one another via intercalated discs. Intercalated discs allow communication between the cells such that there is a sequential contraction of the cells from the bottom of the ventricle to the top, facilitating maximal ejection of blood from the ventricle during contraction. This occurs with out nervous innervation to each cell or group of cells. Cardiac muscle also differs from the other two muscle types in that contraction can occur even without an initial nervous input. The cells that produce the stimulation for contraction without nervous input are called the pacemaker cells.† (Ackerley, 2006) These three types of muscles help the body more than make it look good. There are many important benefits from proper maintenance of muscle tissues. The muscle is fit when one is strong, has endurance, is flexible and can carry out everyday tasks without injury. Keeping the muscle fit will also keep the organs fit. Programs such as weight lifting or weight bearing help the muscle build endurance and flexibility. One need not be a weight lifter to have properly maintained muscles. Weak muscles are cause of lower back and posture-related diseases that can lead to painful problems. If the muscles are healthy, it will help the skeletons to cope up with stressful activities of the body. Both voluntary and involuntary muscles are important to keep the body balanced. Massaging muscle tissues are almost the basic human instinct that is first aid to muscle pains. Massaging the muscles specially the ones that are in pain or are with disease is a way to increase body chemical flow in and out of the muscles. Given that muscles are smooth, skeletal or cardiac, massaging the muscles will help the muscle tissues from stagnating and being rigid. References: Ackerley, Sandra K. 2006. Muscles. Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved April 1, 2006    Bourne, GH. 1960. The Structure and Function of Muscle. Academic Press      

Equipotential lines Essays

Equipotential lines Essays Equipotential lines Paper Equipotential lines Paper To visualize an electric potential interaction between two electrodes and to sketch the resulting configuration as it creates a 2-dimensional electric field that can be used to map 2-D, equipotential lines. Method: With an electric potential meter (also known as a volt meter or Galvanometer), find points on the paper that have no potential difference between them, where the voltage reads at 0.Using a battery and a voltmeter, take a mapping board, a U-shaped probe, two clear plastic templates, and five different plates of various designs and create a mapping board that will take the design that has been lined up with the screw holes, and connect it to a battery, and using a piece of graph paper, trace the resulting equipotential lines with a design template to provide a frame of reference for the electric field that is being produced for the template. Using the probe, lightly slide it over the board ball end on the underside and connect one lead wire of the voltmeter to it. Then connect the other lead (the one besides the black one) to the banana jack numbered E1. As you guide the probe along, without applying pressure, when you find a null point where the voltmeter reads 0 volts, then mark it as it is a point with the same potential as E1. Continue to mark points until you have enough to trace an equipotential line, repeat this from jack E1 through E7. Do this procedure of E1 through E7 for each of the five given plates: parallel plate, two point, point and plate, Faraday ice pail, and insulator and conductor in a field. After getting five separate pages for each plate, add E-field lines to each diagram remembering that electric field lines run perpendicular to the equipotential surfaces and those electric field lines will never cross one another. Make sure to give the direction of your E-field lines and label which pole is positive, and which is negative on the sketches. he reason why equipotential lines near a conductor’s surface are parallel to it is because when there is a charged surface, as it is along the conductor’s surface, it makes it so that the electric field lines go parallel to it. As voltage goes up along the electric field lines, there will always be points that are parallel to these lines at which there is no voltage, or rather the equipotential line shows up perpendicular to the electric field lines. And why are the equipotential lines near the insulator surface perpendicular to the surface? Think of the way a topographical map looks, the steeper a hill the more the lines will indicate that it is so, just like with equipotential lines, the â€Å"steeper† the voltage is near an insulator, the more the equipotential lines will show up as going perpendicular to how the electric field lines are going. For the parallel plate and two point examples, when the lines had less distance between them, the electric field strength was constant, but as the lines grew apart, the electric field strength went down and subsequently so did the equipotential lines distance from each other increased because there was a less steep gradient of voltage value. This lab provided a visualization of the way electric field lines behave around insulators and conductors, as well as how their being perpendicular or close together indicates the surrounding voltage and direction of equipotential lines. Basically a charged surface is connected to an electric field which is shown by the lines that are perpendicular to that charged surface. The voltage â€Å"slope† if one can visualize it that way (like in the topographical map) is corresponding to these lines. Each line indicates that there will be points that will pop up as the same potential, and hence why there ends up being equipotential when the voltage goes to zero, and this is when all these points are at ninety degrees or perpendicular to the force lines. And then when there are lines of equipotential, just like with the topographical map, the closer the line are to each other (the more â€Å"squished together† they are), the steeper the voltage â€Å"slope† or voltage gradient will end up being. And if the voltage gradient is more sloped or steeper than the insulator can stand, then the insulator will break down (think of how lightning has to break down the insulator that the Earth’s atmosphere has that would inhibit anything less than a huge amount of voltage between opposite charges).

The Surprising Day Jobs of 20 Famous Writers

The Surprising Day Jobs of 20 Famous Writers Sure, being a bestselling author sounds glamorous, but its a long road to the top, and sometimes that road starts out with a job mopping up a locker room floor. Most writers who have made a name for themselves in the field had to spend at least a few years toiling away at jobs where no one appreciated their quick wit or their skill for crafting a lovely turn of phrase. Some spent their entire lives working in service industries and didnt have their greatest works published until after their deaths. It makes sense that working for minimum wages in utter drudgery may have been the main inspiration for some of the most revered literary works in history. When creative minds are forced to work mindless jobs, sometimes theyre inspired to create extraordinary stories set in ordinary places. Check out The Expert Editors infographic on the surprising first professions of some of the worlds most famous writers.

Why is there suffering in the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why is there suffering in the world - Essay Example (Craig 2) Therefore, atheist philosophers assume that God does not exist; otherwise he would stop all kinds of evils and sufferings in this world. In this regard William Craig comments, â€Å"there’s no reason to think that God and evil are logically incompatible. There’s no explicit contradiction between them† (2). Indeed by doing so they ultimately defy the very essence of a man, ‘freewill’. If God would act according to the claim of an atheist and had He stopped a tyrant who brings down sufferings upon others, He would have to seize that tyrant’s freedoms to act, to talk and even to think. Therefore, in a sense, by provoking God to stop sufferings that have induced by a tyrant, an atheist wants to seize ‘freewill’ the essence of being a man. Then an atheist may ask why God does not stop sufferings caused by natural disasters like earthquakes, Tsunami, etc. Here again the atheists fail to evaluate the role of sufferings in God’s world. According to their claim, if God should make the world free of sufferings from natural disasters, He also should make it easy in the fullest sense. But obviously a theist will object to the idea of a hunger-free or pain-free world, since a hunger or pain-free world is, in some way or other, inert. In this suffering-free inert world, no one needs to work, to create good relationship, to talk, or to interact with others, since man is then self-sufficient. In such world, the ‘good’ or comfort is absolutely meaningless, as suffering or evil itself is meaningless. Again a theist will necessarily argue that when an atheist wants God to make the world free of sufferings, he or she wants a meaningless and inert world. Indeed the question that necessarily arises here is: â€Å"What does the Bible says about the role of suffering in this world?† The Bible says, â€Å"[man] means

Advanced Nursing Role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Advanced Nursing Role - Essay Example elly (2012) front line managers are responsible for patient care delivery, planning and monitoring resources, maintaining codes and standards and developing and evaluating staff. Middle-level managers facilitate cooperating in the organization by serving as a link between front line and upper-level managers. Upper-level managers are specialized in management and administration of the healthcare organization; by establishing goals and strategizing plans (p. 401). I agree that nurse managers and nurse administrators have supervisory tasks in an organization. Even though individuals sometimes regard a nurse administrator and nurse manager as one administration role, it should be noted that these two roles differ in responsibility and payment. Nurse Managers are responsible for a single unit within a medical facility, while a nurse administrator is responsible for more than one unit all units in a medical facility. Additionally, nurse managers fall under the category of middle management, while nurse administrators fall under executive level management (Crowther, 2008). In regard to educational level; nevertheless, they can possess a graduate degree as an added advantage; while nurse administrators require a graduate degree as well as clinical experience. Nurse Managers work directly with nurses who offer primary care to patients, giving guidance on the appropriate medical care, whereas nurse administrators work with middle-level managers and other senior staff, thereby providing indirect care to patients (Parker & Smith,

Social networking www.instagram.com Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social networking www.instagram.com - Assignment Example This means that Instagram has its terms and conditions and legal sanctions, as shall be seen in the discussion that ensues forthwith. 1) The Type of Conduct Specifically Prohibited Instagram prohibits the use of its services by any person below 13 years. Instagram does not also allow posting of violent, discriminatory, nude or party nude, hateful, pornographic, sexually suggestive or infringing photos or content, via its service. Instagram also prohibits the selling or transferring of accounts, account followers, account rights or account username. The only exception to this rule is assigned top businesspersons. In the same wavelength, Instagram prohibits an individual from opening an account for another party. Bonanos (2012) divulges that for security and ethical purposes, soliciting, collecting and using login credentials of other Instagram users is prohibited. Defaming, stalking, abusing, defaming, harassing, intimidating and impersonating other people or users of Instagram are pr ohibited acts. The posting of confidential information such as nonpublic phone numbers, and private e-mail addresses, social security, national identity card numbers and card information via Instagram is also prohibited. In another wavelength, Instagram also prohibits the changing, modifying and altering contents of other websites to give the false impression of association with Instagram is also proscribed. Alongside this is also the accession of Instagram’s private API by means outside Instagram’s permission. All users are also not allowed to submit or generate unwanted e-mails, comments or any other form of commercial which may harass communication to Instagram users. Instagram also prohibits the use of web URLs and domain names without receiving prior written permission from Instagram. The creation of accounts with Instagram services through unauthorized fashion (such as through the use of script, automated device, bot, scraper and crawler) is also not allowed. Any act that may interfere with Instagram’s services, Instagram servers and networks such as transmission by worms, spyware, malware, viruses or any other code of disruptive or destructive nature. In this light, no one is allowed to inject code or content or even alter the way an Instagram page is displayed in the user’s device or browser. No one is also allowed to attempt to, or restrict another Instagram user from enjoying or using Instagram services, or encourage the violation of Instagram’s terms and conditions of use. It is also important to note that any form of action which is in contravention to the terms and conditions of Instagram’s use that the client had agreed to abide by is a violation and is therefore prohibited. Additionally, all Instagram users are expected to comply with Instagram’s Community Guidelines. This above is seen in ABA Business Law Section’s statement which reads, â€Å"As a social networking Web site matures, its business and the ever-changing legal environment are likely to prompt revisions to the standard posted EULA terms.† This is found in ABA Business Law Section (2009). Again, this is reflected in Instagram’s website which reads, â€Å"By accessing or using the Instagram website, the Instagram service, or any applications (including mobile applications) made available by Instagram (together, the "Service"), however accessed, you agree to be bound by these terms of use

Skills Gained In Social Care Social Work Essay

Skills Gained In Social Care Social Work Essay A significant learning experience is one in which the student has acquired knowledge and/or skills or where the experience has informed or shaped the students social care values and beliefs. Throughout the course of my placement there have been many cases upon which I have experienced significant learning. These include conversations with both staff and service users, as well as sitting in on various meetings and programs. The main learning experience I enjoyed was in relation to Personal Centred Planning folders or PCPs. Personal Centred Planning is a way of discovering how a person wants to live their life and what is required to make that possible (NDA, 2005). Personal Centred Planning primarily focuses on the person as opposed to a disability. It is about the whole person and their life, not just their disability. Personal Centred Planning is not an assessment of service users. PCPs are, an extremely effective method of helping service users meet their goals in life and also, for keeping track of their basic daily activities. It was a very interesting and useful method to learn how to use. Person centred planning is based on shared action, about finding creative solutions rather than categorising people and about problem solving and working hard over time to achieve goals. Its about changing a persons life (Sanderson 2000). PCPs seek to craft a vision for a persons life in which they can play an active role in their local community or any organisation of their choice. It also describes the action necessary to make this vision come through (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). This is accomplished through some basic stages. Firstly you must discover, understand and then address the core issues for the individual involved. Secondly you must explore choices available to the individual before you then alert and involve the individuals entire social network. A balance must then be reached between what is important for the individual and what is important for their social network. Ideally, the individuals goals for themselves are the ones most focused on and not the goals that the individuals friends and family have for them (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). There are six key principles that underpin person centred planning. These are that PCPs are an individuals perspective, creative approach to planning, uses all the resources available to the person, requires serious and genuine commitment, an art and not a science and that the development of the plan is not the objective. There are also several advantages to using Person Centred Planning. Some of these are that it sets out important goals for the future, provides a forum to make choices, it provides encouragement and support and may be viewed as a lifelong process and support (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). Person Centred Planning is based on completely different way of seeing and working with people which is fundamentally about sharing power and community inclusion (Sanderson, 2000). A good caring service mobilises all its resources to assist people with disabilities to increase control over their lives. They also set goals that are personally meaningful and express personal preferences. They offer guidance to the individual. It is only through organisations like this that the PCPs are a success (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). There are many issues to be considered when supporting people who have difficulty in making choices. Some of these issues are if you take a different perspective than that of the person, if you develop a different understanding of the person and risk assessments must be carried out. The service user also requires certain support and assistance from the PCP process. Some of these include interpreting the environment, understanding other peoples expectations and conditions for cooperation and to figure out satisfying ways to pursue what they want (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). Person Centred Planning has one plan per person. The service users key worker drives the process. The first step the key worker must take is to get to know the person. This includes getting to know their personal history, family, friends, health, hobbies and other personal details. You must talk to the person in order to gather this information. You must observe them in their natural environment too in order to get your own vision of the persons personality. A good way to add to this vision is to speak to the persons family and friends to get other opinions of the service users personality and goals in life. Finally reviewing previous documentation on the service user will give you other opinions on the service user, this time from a professional view (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). The second step is to discuss the persons own goals and dreams for the future with them. This involves sitting down with the service user in what they feel is a safe environment, so that they can reveal their dreams to you without feeling threatened or embarrassed about them. You then document the service users goals in their PCP file and move onto step three which is to plan a meeting. The meeting is entirely the service users choice. They get to decide who attends, where it is, when it is and what exactly will be discussed. It is simply our job to facilitate them by giving them any help or support they might need. The meeting itself is then step four. In the company of the service user and whoever they had wished to have at the meeting you work out what has to done is the coming weeks and months to achieve the service users targets. The fifth and final step is to implement everything that had gone before. It is now that the staff starts working on achieving the agreed goals. Any progress gained should be recorded in a progress plan form. A review sheet must also be completed at the end of each month and at the six month review meeting (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). The staff involved in the Person Centred Planning process, play a crucial role and have extremely important responsibilities in ensuring the process is a success. Person centred planning requires that staff adopt a flexible and responsive approach to meeting peoples changing needs and circumstances, guided by general principles of good practice rather than standard procedures (Sanderson, 2000). It is important that the staff do not underestimate the scale of the task and should allow sufficient time for it to be completed. Initially the process involves identifying people who are likely to support the idea and then, running some information and basic training sessions for everyone likely to be directly involved, impacted or called upon for support (McGinn, 2006). The unit manager also plays an important role in the Person Centred Planning process. Managers have a significant role to play in enabling staff teams to adopt a person centred approach (Sanderson, 2000). Sanderson advocates that managers extend the principles of person centred planning to their staff teams, in order to develop what she describes as person centred teams (McGinn, 2006). There are characteristics that a person centred team leader needs in order to be successful. Some of these include being able to bring the best out in people, having a clear vision and direction, encouraging personal involvement with the people being supported and investing in community connections (Sanderson, 2003). The leader of this process needs to develop a very clear understanding of the key principles and processes of Person Centred Planning (McGinn, 2006). The leader must ensure that staff work together as a team and not as individuals which will only drag the process in different directions, accomplishing nothing. They must ensure that there is good, ongoing communication at individual plan level. It is also their job to maintain and update plans over time or assign somebody the role of doing so. At a more general level, it is important to establish a routine process of monitoring, evaluating reviewing and developing the way person centred planning is being done, so as to ensure it is having a positive effect on lives and services. Every effort should be made to ensure that the role and responsibilities of every individual, group and organisation participating in the person centred planning process is clearly understood and agreed by them and adequately supported (McGinn, 2006). Success will be achieved will the Person Centred Plan if the staff team ensure that the needs of the service user are met to the greatest extent possible, consistent with their responsibility to assess risks involved and ensure that they are acceptable and considered. It is also necessary that they build a closer relationship with the service user in order to become more acutely aware of their needs and wishes. The staff team must ensure that all risks are identified and action is taken to minimise them. They must seek to maximise opportunities for the service users self development, self esteem and independence in order to realise their fullest potential (McGinn, 2006). Finally the role of the Key worker is crucial to the success of the Person Centred Plan. The Key workers objectives are to develop a close and positive relationship with the service user. They must also work co-operatively with other staff, family, external services/professionals etc, on the service users behalf to ensure that a quality service is provided. The Key workers team role is to enable the team to effectively support the service user. To do this the Key worker must listen to others, respect and support team members, maintain commitment and communicate effectively. The Key worker enables the service user to advocate for themselves, develop new skills and build enjoyable relationships with others (McGinn, 2006). There are of course challenges to implementing Person Centred Planning. The need for everyone to develop a new perspective on people with disabilities is defiantly one of the larger ones. For a goal like that to be reached it will take a global effort and one that is not easily achieved. Other challenges include the need for a new general perspective on services, resistance to change and risks and learning curves (McGinn, 2006). All of this was being carried out on a constant basis in RehabCare Cavan while I was there. Sitting in on meetings between the key workers and the service users was an eye opening experience. It also really stood out to me just how much Unconditional Positive Regard is used in services and why it is so crucially important in a programme such as Person Centred Planning. Without it the programme would be a complete failure. The entire PCP programme worked well while I was on my placement. It was being managed very sufficiently and all staff members had an excellent relationship with each other. I personally felt that I helped the staff to show unconditional positive regard towards the service users when they were finding it tough. Most importantly I have learned and witnessed just how positive an impact the PCP programme can have on the service users when managed properly. Seeing the delight on service users faces when they achieved goals which would have been impossible without Person Centred Plans made me realise how much they need the programme and educated social care workers to manage it for them. Critical Reflective Paper My twelve week placement in RehabCare Cavan provided me with sufficient opportunities for learning and to enhance my social care knowledge, skills and values. Throughout the duration of my placement I enjoyed the experience of working with a vast variety of service users most of whom had disabilities and problems that were completely unique to themselves within the centre. I also had the chance to compare my skills as a social care worker with a number of people from different occupations including social care workers, community nurses and psychologists. They all both worked together as a team and then as individuals. Overall my placement in RehabCare Cavan was an immensely enjoyable and positive experience. There were however, a number of difficulties to deal with along the way. These included challenging behaviours from the service users and limitations from the staff. Altogether though, I believe my placement would not have been as educational had it not been for the combination o f positive and negative factors. The part of my placement which I feel most facilitated my learning was working with the inter-disciplinary team. This team consists of a list of professionals from different occupations and also collaborates with the parents or friends or next of kin for each of the service users. The service user decides who they wish to have present at the meeting from their family or friends. There are strong positive relationships between the different members of the team. At the beginning of my placement I found it quite overwhelming and complicated to understand how a team consisting of so many people managed to perform sufficiently and how mistakes werent made. I also struggled to understand how there was need for so many individuals and how they each had their own unique role within the group. At first I just sat in the corner of the room and observed the team meetings. I felt I didnt know the clients well enough to make contributions and that the staff didnt know me well enough to be able to justify accepting my contributions. It was my job for the first few weeks to simply sit, observe and analyse what was being discussed and proposed within these meetings. Over the following days and weeks I started to become more familiar with the staff, the service users and the cases. I began to feel more confident interacting with the staff and service users and believed I had a place within the centre. I could see advantages of using the interdisciplinary team system, however I quickly realised too that mistakes were made. These mistakes were few though and no system or person is flawless so they were generally accepted as small human errors and rectified. Each team member had adequate knowledge of the other team members, their profession and their disciplines. This allowed each team member to answer questions and give guidance, even if was only to tell the person involved which team member was most likely to solve their problems. As my placement progressed I was able to become more involved with the staff as I became more aware and familiar with each case. By having the opportunity to observe and ultimately work with the different professionals i nvolved I was able to gain valuable knowledge and skills relevant to each discipline which will prove valuable throughout the rest of my course and beginning of my own professional career. One aspect of the service or the centre which limited my learning was unfortunately due to cutbacks. Due to lack of funds the service was severely understaffed which meant there was an extremely heavy workload on the remaining staff members. This in turn meant that there were long periods were they had work to do and I was unable to participate. During these periods I would socialise with the service users, talking to them, playing games with them and helping them in whatever way possible. Although from a professional perspective this reduced my learning experience, personally it greatly increased it. It was during this time that I got to know the service users, their likes and dislikes, their personal ambitions and most importantly, what it was like for them individually growing up in the community with their disabilities and how RehabCare has greatly improved their lives and self-esteem. I felt that it was this information that would help and inspire me to progress through my place ment and academic years ahead. While on my placement I took a leading role in facilitating a few programmes in particular for the service users. As I have a great interest in sport personally I became involved in all sport related programmes with the service users. Every Tuesday six service users went swimming and I accompanied them. I observed how much excitement and pleasure they got on a weekly basis out of this one simple activity. I also got involved with a soccer programme with the service users. As I have a good knowledge of the game I took some training sessions with them and helped them develop their skills. They are hoping to compete and win out a regional RehabCare Soccer tournament in the New Year. I also became heavily involved in programmes that were not sport related. I helped set up a woodwork programme which had not existed before I arrived. I trained the service users in the basic skills of carpentry and through this they learned how to work on a project as a team, but most importantly they could see that they were making a difference and that their project was evolving into beautiful furniture. I witnessed a sense of pride amongst the service users that was almost unprecedented. A pleasure as small as completing a piece of furniture was enough to have them busting with pride for days. Overall the programme was a remarkable success. I am particularly proud of this group as I feel this is an area in which I was able to apply a lot of knowledge and skills to that nobody else in the centre could have. One other Key programme which I participated in was the Writing skills programme. The activities or skills that were focused on during this programme were writing, pronunciation and basic maths skills. Under these heading we worked on different needs of each client which included spelling, counting and oral communication skills. As this was a continuous weekly programme I had the opportunity to observe these service users as week by week they worked in their weaknesses and I could observe a marked improvement from when I first arrived. I was able to monitor their progress and have evaluated that it was a very effective programme. I was able to contribute my knowledge towards the class which meant that more progress was gained in the same length of time. One aspect which I feel contributed positively towards my learning was working with and witnessing the staff handle particular cases which involved serious and cautious matters involving the service users. Examples of these cases are when violence is threatened by service users or a case where one service user was being unfairly manipulated into giving away the money they earned on social benefit. The staff team in RehabCare are quite a close-knit team and conduct their work very professionally. Working alongside them was an extremely positive experience and I had no problems in asking them questions when I had queries. The staff all worked together in serious cases and did not just leave it to the service users Key worker. I could see that this was an extremely effective and positive way for them to operate as each staff member brought their own ideas and together they were able to formulate a plan more effectively than if it were just one of them. Initially I was too nervous to mak e contributions myself but as the weeks passed I began to make a few suggestions some of which were used in solving certain cases. As a result of my experiences on placement I have significantly enhanced many of my social care skills and values and expanded my knowledge. One particular area in which I feel more confident in is my communication skills with a range of professionals and services, especially when communicating with people who suffer with intellectual disabilities. I gained experience and built my ability to show empathy and unconditional positive regard, particularly when being on the receiving end of insults. It is essential that social care workers have the ability to demonstrate empathy to allow them to be more responsive to the service users needs and build better relationships based on trust and honesty. Learning about the Person Centred Planning approach was probably the most valuable information I gained. I saw firsthand how well the plan works when managed sufficiently. It is a goal based system, focusing on what the service user wants to achieve in their lives. It is person focused which is the secret to is success and why it is so popular. The medication procedures in the supported accommodation branch of RehabCare were extremely interesting. The service user had to put their pills into an egg cup and then swallow them all. The support worker then had to check the service users mouth to make sure they were all swallowed. I realised then the extreme of the medication policy within RehabCare. I found it rather unsettling that the support worker had to look into the service users mouth to make sure the medication had been swallowed. Previous to distributing the medication each daily dose had to be counted to make sure that the pharmacy didnt make any mistakes while distributing it. It was surprisingly frequent how often the pharmacy had made mistakes. In conclusion my time spent on work placement has been an invaluable experience to me. I have learnt and developed many skills that will be a great attribute to me in my career as a social care practitioner. Some of these skills have included learning how to manage a Person Centred Plan, gaining practical experience in solving a wide variety of cases involving people with intellectual disabilities, improving my overall knowledge on disability awareness and most importantly learning that I can make a positive impact in any social care field that I wish to pursue. I am fully aware that becoming a successful, fully trained social care worker does not happen overnight but takes years of hard work and practice. However, seeing the positive impact that I can make of peoples lives with my career is the inspiration I need to go on and succeed. It is a long journey to get where I want to be, one that started years ago and is set to continue for a good time to come. This journey will change wh o I am, will change who I will become but only for the better. With the knowledge that I am gaining from my social care class, the lessons I am learning about myself I am sure that I will evolve into a fully competent and successful social care practitioner. Personal Learning Account Profile For the purpose of this placement, I have received a position in RehabCare Cavan, working with the Programme Facilitators at the facility. RehabCare is the health and social care division of the Rehab Group. Their aim is to enhance the lives of all of their clients through the provision of high quality, flexible, person centred services. They presently provide and are developing a number of services, including Resource Centres, Residential Services, Respite Care, Supported Accommodation and Home Based Services for people with disabilities. The role of the Programme Facilitator in the facility is to report to the Community Service Manager through the Programmes Supervisor. The Programme Facilitators facilitate service users in their choices, developing programmes within the context of a person centred model of service delivery. The programmes may include independent living, personal development and occupational and leisure activities within the context of a quality of life model. For this placement, there are a number of personal attributes and learned knowledge which will assist in getting maximum benefit from completing placement with the Programme Facilitators. Some personal attributes which play an important role in the social care role are patience, understanding, kindness and the ability to apply learned knowledge to a specific situation. Having talked to one of the Programme Facilitators I also became aware that being open-minded, compassionate flexible and a good listener play particularly important roles in this service. These are all equally important attributes as at different times they can individually and collectively be the difference between dealing well any given situation in comparison to dealing poorly with it. Due to the unfortunate discrimination that, many of the older service users received when they were younger, the Programme Facilitator must take an understanding therapeutic approach when working with these service users. For this to be successful the Programme Facilitator must apply Carl Rogers conditions for the outcome to be successful. Rogers created three conditions which a service user must believe are present b efore a therapeutic relationship can develop. These are empathetic understanding, congruence and unconditional positive regard (Sherry and Lalor, 2009). The skills and knowledge that I gained through Creative Studies (both art and drama), will play a great role in helping me assist the Programme Facilitators, in trying to ensure the service users get the best experience possible from the service. Arts and Crafts as well as drama are programmes which receive a lot of focus from the Programme Facilitators at the facility. A good understanding of people with disabilities which I gained from modules, such as Issues in Social Care and Theories in Social Care along with, reading Applied Social Care by Perry Share and Kevin Lalor will assist me throughout my placement. Also the knowledge that I gained doing woodwork in secondary school will be of great benefit, as the Programme Supervisor is planning on starting up a woodwork programme for the service users but no Programme Facilitator has any experience in the field. Communication plays a crucial role in working in RehabCare or any organisation which is designed to fit the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities. Listening is a function which we do every day without paying much notice to the information we are obtaining. However, in a facility such as RehabCare the ability to listen to clients and then digest what they are saying is of crucial importance. The ability to listen attentively to service users problems and concerns and to then support them in whatever form necessary is a skill that cannot be replaced. Considering the fragile state of mind of many of the service users you must always be compassionate when listening to them and your response must be swift. Needs Analysis Within the learning contract there are a number of objectives identified as part of key learning. Enclosed in the professional learning objectives, the task is outlined of using and critiquing social care theories. As a second year social care student I felt that it was important for me to identify theories and then critique them and recognise limitations within the theories structure and their application to real life situations. My personal learning objectives surrounded interactions with the service users. I was lacking confidence and very unsure of myself when I first started my placement. The staff were very supportive though and within a few days I found my confidence improved dramatically and with it so did my effectiveness in helping the staff and having a controlling but compassionate authority over the service users. I became firm and assertive when dealing with problematic service users and fights between them. I hope my abilities and confidence continue to grow in this ar ea which will leave me in a very strong position by the time my placement is completed. Showing Unconditional Positive Regard towards some of the service users is something I struggled with for the first few days. It was left difficult when service users were constantly rude, disruptive and fighting. I have felt myself improving though and believe over the next few weeks I will have perfected it. During my induction week I had numerous policies and procedures to familiarise myself with. There are policies and procedures regarding health and safety, fire evacuation, risk management, prevent and control, child and adult protection, swine flu, confidentiality, medication policy and staff supervision etc. A basic knowledge of these policies and procedures is paramount in order for me to play an effective and positive role during my placement. Action Planning and Activity Throughout the course of this placement, I shall partake in a number of activities with the service users, which will assist me in meeting my learning objectives. Areas of activity include practical work such as arts and crafts and woodwork while sports and drama both play key roles in the centre too. Communication skills and independent living skills have a high priority too, as RehabCare is an organisation, designed to bridge the gap from full support to independent living. Assisting the programme facilitators in training the service users through these programmes, I felt I would meet my learning objectives. The programmes are usually done on a 10(service users)-2(programme facilitator and myself) basis. I will have several opportunities to practice my communication skills as I will have to give my input and express my opinion in different cases involving different service users and different programme facilitators. Through the communications programme I will also get a chance to train some of the users in the basic forms of communication, i.e. teach them how to, write a letter to a friend, use the telephone and practice various verbal and non- verbal communication skills. During the placement it is highly important that I test a number of theories which I learned through academic means. Through applying theories to real life situations, and recognising when a theory is used, the applicability and usefulness of the theory should be examined. As a social care student, the ability to recognise the limitations within theories will assist in identifying the best practice for the service user. I can practice this in different programmes and in free time that I spend just talking to the service users. Throughout placement knowledge of policies and procedures surrounding disability awareness will be obtained through dealing with the different cases and service users. I will have to familiarise myself with all government and RehabCare policies and procedures. I shall also become aware of them through hands on work throughout the duration of my placement. Evaluation A consideration of the learning goals following the completion of the placement, there is a sense of achievement as I believe all learning goals were reached and an in dept knowledge of disability awareness and the role of a programme facilitator were gained. I believe I successfully completed identifying and applying theories. I was very happy with my supervision classes as I was able to discuss with my supervisor what I did well and what I did not so well. I was able to discuss troubling issues which I had witnessed and discover the background stories and mental reasons for such incidents arising. Treating the service users with empathy and unconditional positive regard proved crucial time and time again as I managed to keep the service users trust in compromising and threatening situations. It also allowed some of the service users to open up about their feelings and their lives. Due to their mental disabilities some service users wouldnt disclose such information while others would have without being treated with empathy or unconditional positive regard. They didnt know any different. An example of where these theories didnt work was when a service user threatened violence against both myself and the staff members in the centre. This situation arose on numerous occasions. There was a considerable improvement in my communication skills throughout my placement. I was slightly shy on my first day in the centre both with staff and the service users. It took me the length of the induction week to overcome this shyness and be able to give a genuine account of myself. By the time my placement was completed shyness was a problem of the past and communication was free flowing between me and the service users. An example of this communication is when I took programmes with up to ten service users and took a teacher like approach with them. I regularly took the writing skills programme which involved me stand