Using Twitter in the Classroom

Posted on by Nursing Staff

By Amy Erickson

About five years ago, one university encouraged instructors and staff to create Twitter accounts. Unfortunately, the instructors and staff weren’t given any guidance as to how or why to use Twitter. I felt it was a great place to store frequently accessed articles or to share articles on topics relevant to current student literature reviews. But I had a feeling that this resource could be more useful.

Other colleagues of mine were a bit more skeptical. They viewed Twitter as a way of keeping up with celebrity gossip and another means of chipping away at an already low student attention span. Dr. Lang’s video “How Can I Use Twitter to Improve Teaching and Learning?” shows that there’s much more to Twitter than snarky political comments, fashion advice, or pleas of innocence. In this video, he discusses how to use Twitter to enhance classroom learning, and shares easy-to-follow instructions on how to curate course-specific hashtags.

Meeting Students in the Middle

In last week’s post, I mentioned that educator Dr. John Orlando (2016) recommends we incorporate technologies that compete for student attention into our educational materials. If students want to be on Twitter during class, why not make it a class requirement? In his Mentor Commons video, Dr. Lang (2014) suggests that educators can accomplish three things with Twitter:

  • Connect course material to the real world in a way that interests students
  • Give students a way to interact with you, with each other, and with experts
  • Provide a space in which you can store course material and resources

Real World in Real Time

Dr. Lang (2014) suggests using Twitter to connect to experts in the field. If you are teaching in an education program, you may encourage students to follow Ken Bain, the Teaching Professor, or Daniel Willingham. If you teach literature courses, you may want to follow Sheryl WuDunn, Bill Bryson, or Junot Diaz. If students have a question about a short story, it’s wonderful for them to be able to reach out and ask the author questions via Twitter. Who are the experts in your field? Are they on Twitter? Check it out!

Improved Interaction

Twitter can improve and increase your interactions with your class, and interactions between classmates. This is particularly important in an online classroom where students can feel disconnected. Dr. Lang (2014) encourages professors to ask students to go out and find current articles, videos, or Twitter posts that relate to the class. This encourages dialogue between students and affords them with the opportunity to interact with professionals in the field. Instructors can also use Twitter as a springboard for personalized discussions with individual students.

Resource Storage

When you create a hashtag for your course (explained in the next section) you can save and store files for current and future students to reference. To prevent loss of course materials, create a backup folder for yourself, since Twitter does not store these items indefinitely.

Getting Started

If you don’t have an account, you can set one up very easily. When you create your account, use the @ symbol in front of the user ID you’d like to use. For instance, my Twitter account is @LiteratureCoach.

Hashtags are the number sign (#) followed by a keyword. Dr Lang (2014) indicates that hashtags are “the most important thing to use when you’re on Twitter,” and urges educators to use them to “categorize your tweets and…see other people who are tweeting in the areas in which you are interested.”

Let’s say you wanted to read up on material related to online teaching. You can type #onlineteaching in the search box at the top right of the Twitter screen. If you find an article you’d like to share, post it with a relevant hashtag so others can find it.

Creating a hashtag for your class is important, and it should be specific. Use elements of your college and course names for clarity. For example, if you’re teaching a composition course for nurses, #composition would be too general, whereas #EXC101NComp4Nurses is more precise.

When you find articles that pertain to your class, post them with the hashtag that you created for your class. This enables students to search for the hashtag in Twitter and find any posts from you or other students that contain it.

The Difference between Following and Friending

Twitter is different than Facebook. If you friend someone on Facebook, you can see their posts, and they can see yours. However, in Twitter, students can “follow” you to see your posts, whether or not you follow their Twitter accounts in return.

#Let’s Go!

If you’re a frequent Twitter user, please share your own ideas, experiences, and resources below!

References

Lang, J. (2014). How can I use Twitter to improve teaching and learning? [Webinar]. In Magna 20-Minute Mentor. Retrieved from http://www.magnapubs.com/online/mentor/how-can-i-use-twitter-to-improve-teaching-and-learning-13265-1.html

Orlando, J. (2016, September). Tips from the pros: Curt Bonk talks about open education. Online Classroom. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.magnapubs.com/newsletter/online-classroom/151/Tips-from-the-Pros-Curt-Bonk-Talks-about-Open-Education-14177-1.html

New Course for the Fall II term – I Feel Your Pain: Illness and Empathy in the Arts

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

How do people experience being ill, and how does it change their lives? Children, parents, family, friends, and even we, ourselves, will struggle with sickness, disease, and death. People do not simply suffer from diseases, but from the emotional, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of being an individual or a patient with a disease.

HUM321
Sculpture of grief. Author: Bertram Mackennal. Image is in the public domain and was retrieved from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bertram_Mackennal_-_Grief.jpg

What are the obstacles and triumphs experienced by a boy with autism? How does a woman with cancer feel about losing her hair? What’s it like for a trans gendered person to be treated at a hospital? What is the anxiety felt by the caregiver over the years?

The Arts and Humanities deepen an individual’s ability to feel and understand the suffering of others. Through the use of film, music, art, poetry and fiction, students feel and experience how illness or disease affects individuals; they also learn about illness from different perspectives, such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. Lastly, this course provides many alternative perspectives on illness or the practice of medicine- outside the conventional views of medicine- concerning death, mental illness, grief, and suicide. HUM 321/NUR 321 provides you with inspiration for personal or professional growth, enhancing your ability to relate to those who are ill or dying.

There is no textbook required for this course.

You can find more information on HUM 321/NUR 321 through the Course Search on our website. Speak to your advisor to see if it will fit with your degree plan.

 

Yahoo Attacked

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Cybersecurity is the biggest risk in the financial services industry, with hackers targeting banks more than ever before.

By all accounts, technology giant Yahoo was the target for a major breach in 2014 in which attackers stole as many as 500 million accounts. That’s right…500 million accounts! Bob Lord, the CISO for YAHOO released a statement that says “We have confirmed that a copy of certain user account information was stolen from the company’s network in late 2014 by what it believes is a state-sponsored actor”. The breach occurred in 2014, but it was only discovered in August when customer information began showing up on the dark net for sale. YAHOO is cooperating with law enforcement officials to determine the extent of the damage and the investigation is ongoing. The information stolen includes user names, addresses, email addresses, passwords, birthdates and telephone numbers.

Yahoo is now taking appropriate action to protect its users but they suggest that customers quickly change their passwords, use caution when opening emails, and check all accounts for activity that may seem suspicious. With 500 million records stolen, YAHOO now has the dubious honor of having the record for the largest hack in history.

 

Step into the Past with a New Game-Based History Course: HIS350: World War I

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

“Europe today is a powder keg and the leaders are like men smoking in an arsenal … A single spark will set off an explosion that will consume us all … I cannot tell you when that explosion will occur, but I can tell you where … Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans will set it off.”

~ Otto Von Bismarck, 1878

Today, more than one-hundred years removed from the start of the so-called “War to End All Wars,” the lessons it can teach us still resonate.

French Soldier
A French soldier standing in the ruins of Verdun, wearing a gas mask, 1916. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. http://quest.eb.com/search/115_ 2738442/1/115_2738442/cite

Borne out of imperial rivalries and complex European alliances, World War I erupted suddenly in 1914 and ended more than four years later, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In the years between, the Allied and Central Powers engaged in a horrific and devastating “Total War,” drafting unprecedentedly large armies and transforming their economies to support the war effort, yet producing little more than stalemate and death on much of the Western Front. The Great War changed how wars were fought, and introduced new technology to the battlefield. Students who take the new course HIS350: World War I, which premieres in the Fall II term in October 2016, will examine the origins and consequences of the war, the major strategic decisions, as well as the intertwining history on the homefront of the combatant nations.

The format of HIS350 offers students the chance to explore World War I from a unique and innovative perspective: by taking a step into the past. The course contains three game-based learning simulations from Muzzy Lane Software in which students become the key decision-makers at pivotal moments during the First World War.

In the first game, The July Crisis: Be Kaiser Wilhelm, students take on the role of the German monarch after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. As the Kaiser, will you back your allies, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and pave the path toward a two-front war, or will you seek peaceful solutions by working with other leaders like Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, your own cousin?

In The True Cost of War: Be the General students take the perspective of a general on the Western Front, which has long been mired in stalemate. How can you break the stalemate and claim a victory for your forces? Can you balance the interests of your military advisors, the people at home, and save the lives of your troops in the trenches? How will you assess the ethics and effectiveness of twentieth-century warfare tactics like poison gas, tanks, and air raids?

In Making the World Safe for Democracy: Be President Wilson students take on the American presidency on the eve of US entry into the war. As Wilson, how will you convince the American people that it’s time to enter the war, even though you just ran for re-election on a platform of peace? Can you meet the demands of military advisors, labor leaders, and suffragists to best prepare your army and your nation for the coming fight?

Along with the games, students in the course will read primary source accounts of the war to understand the war’s significance, its toll on the “Lost Generation,” and its ramifications today as we commemorate the war’s one-hundredth anniversary.

HIS350 also contains no textbook costs, as the required textbook is available free through the Excelsior College Library. In order to play the games, students must have access to a web browser that meets the minimum Excelsior system requirements.

You can find more information on HIS350 through the Course Search on our website. Speak to your advisor to see if it will fit with your degree plan.

 

Mary Berkery, Faculty Program Director, History
Mary Berkery, Faculty Program Director, History

Tips from a Graduate and Student Success Coach: Hannah Lynch

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Hannah 1Some people say the happiest day of their lives is their wedding day.  As someone who has yet to get married I can without a doubt say the happiest day of my life was when I received my Masters of Science in Management degree at Excelsior College.

As an adult student I was juggling work, school, and life.  Many nights were spent at work after 5:00 pm in the Student Success Center finishing up a discussion post or essay.  I also utilized my 15 minute breaks and hour lunch to complete an assignment or respond to a classmate’s post.  Weekend mornings were also dedicated to my studies.  Did I slip some weeks?  Absolutely.  Did I fail a quiz or two?  Absolutely.  But I did not let that failure identify me.  I used it as a learning experience.

Without a doubt I can say that my job as a Success Coach and my interaction with students strengthened my motivation to allow me to persevere and succeed in my studies.  One question Success Coaches ask students revolves around support – “Who do you have in your life who is cheering you on while you get your degree?”.  It is really important for students to have that support network to encourage them while they are in school that will drive their success.  My family, friends, and colleagues were all such a great support system while I was obtaining my MSM degree.  The constant check-ins, listening to me vent over an assignment, and cheering me on over the wins really encouraged me to push forward in school.  Without this support system I think my experience would have been a rocky road.  If you are student reading this and think you have no support system go out and tell someone.  Tell a colleague, friend, family member, or neighbor (tell the world!).

My work as a Success Coach has allowed me to see regular people like you and I do amazing things.  The students at Excelsior College continue to inspire and motivate me.  One minute I will be talking to a student who is juggling five kids, works nights, and still finds the time to get their studies done.  The next minute I am talking to a military service member who is about to move his family to another country due to being deployed and still manages to get their discussion posts completed.  I think if they can do it so can I!  Remember you are not the only one doing this, there is a whole community of students who are experiencing the same obstacles while they finish their degree.

I encourage you to find that support system and find what motivates you.  Write it down! Go one step further – write down your ultimate goal on a sticky note and post it everywhere!  My students love doing this.  Writing down your ultimate goal makes it concrete and that much more within reach.  Lastly, as I encourage my students to do, set SMART goals/mini goals for yourself.  Mini goals are much more doable and make you feel like you have conquered the world.  BECAUSE YOU HAVE!

Thank you for reading a snippet of my success story at Excelsior College and the tools I used to get through it.  I hope it inspires you to get through that discussion post due this week or a required reading!  Whatever is on your plate in life – YOU GOT THIS!

Hannah Lynch, ’16

Elements of a Well Written Paper

Posted on by Nursing Staff

By Bonny Kehm, PhD, RN
Faculty Program Director, BS in Nursing Program

What are the elements of a well written paper?

Begin by taking a look at the assignment and the rubric. Consider your assignment criteria, the sources of information available to you via Excelsior College Library, and constraints such as length, document design, and assignment deadlines.

Open each paper with an introduction that clearly outlines your assignment and the topics discussed within the paper. Include a thesis statement. A thesis statement is usually presented in one sentence that appears at the end of the introduction.

Draft the body of the paper to support the thesis statement. Include evidence-based literature when applicable. Use credible sources to inform and support your thesis, and remember to acknowledge authors with in-text citations and reference pages.

End the paper with a strong conclusion that summarizes the key points made within the paper in a fresh way. Avoid introducing new ideas in the conclusion.

Did you know that Excelsior College provides its students with access to free academic resources? Learn more through our support resources page.

Open Educational Resources (OER) save college students money

Posted on by Alicia Jacobs

Open Educational Resources (OER) are a trend in distance learning with a cost savings benefit for students. Kimberly Barss, Interim Lead Instructional Designer at Excelsior College’s Center for Online Education, Learning & Academic Services explains.

Excelsior Life: Can you help define Open Educational Resources (OER)?

Barss: Open Educational Resources are materials available for free on the web, often created by leaders in their respective educational fields, for the purpose of saving students money and advancing the knowledge of a given subject area.  Many OER projects are funded by large grant-making organizations such as the Hewlett Foundation, the Gates Foundation, or large universities.  Open Educational Resources (OER) come in many shapes and sizes and include things such as videos, podcasts, virtual laboratories, simulations, textbooks, and more. 

Excelsior Life: How does OER work at Excelsior College?

Barss: OER is integrated at the course level.  A subject matter expert, when developing the course, carefully selects all learning materials to promote learner engagement and achievement of the module, course, and program level objectives.  Instead of selecting a publisher textbook that costs the student $250 and will need to be replaced within the course when a new edition is published, he or she can integrate OER.

For example, History 101 and 102 both adopted an OER textbook that is highly regarded in the field called The American Yawp.  This textbook is free and available online from anywhere in the world with an internet connect, including on a student’s smart phone or tablet.  This digital textbook is also available to students on the first day of class, reducing anxiety about paying and waiting for a book to ship before the first assignment is due.  There are many benefits. 

Excelsior Life: Can you explain the difference between MOOC and OER?

Barss: A MOOC, or a Massive Open Online Course, is a course offered by an institution for no charge, with no cap on the number of registrants.  Some MOOCs are credit-bearing, and others are for information only.  MOOCs use OER materials to support the learning objectives, in place of paid-for materials.

At Excelsior, we do not offer MOOCs, but instead offer courses that fit within our degree programs and satisfy our requirements for earning credit or can result in a certification, such as with the Center for Professional Development’s OER-supported programs.

Excelsior Life: Excelsior College provides OER to serve students education at low cost. For example, research shows 74 courses at Excelsior College have a component of OER. The School of Business and Technology offers 28 courses and have saved $217 per student. What are some of the other benefits of OER for students?

Barss: Not all students are able to or will purchase the required textbooks for their courses.  Some who are unable to afford their books may drop out of their courses for fear that they may fail the course without the textbook.  Some students who may have registered late will experience anxiety or even drop their classes if they are unable to find the textbook or it doesn’t arrive in time.  Eliminating these barriers to student success benefit everyone in the end.  It is our mission to serve students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education, and adopting OER is directly in line with this mission by reducing costs and improving the student experience.
 

 

Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): Finally for the Vehicles

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Vehicles have notoriously been vulnerable to attack from various sources. These have varied from the equipment, endpoints, and communication being insecure to open ports. Regardless of the source, these have historically and continue to provide ample attack surfaces for those with malicious intent.

Engineers in the automotive industry have attacked this issue from the defensive end. The information security engineers have reviewed the data flow, endpoints, and other equipment to write and apply the specifications to the vehicles and vendors. Where needed, these specifications are updated as technology advances. The issue with this position has been systemic with certain auto manufacturers. Info sec has been treated as an afterthought, brought in late during the project. This has also been labeled as trampling on a project’s success. This has allowed lax security in the vehicle and as it communicates with third party vendors. When there is not a sufficient amount of time to adequately specify the security requirements, have all parties approve them, and implement this into the design, there are vulnerabilities in the design and implementation. This has been seen over and over with the vehicle attacks on the brakes, the connected vehicle app being insecure, the fob not being secure as it communicates with the vehicle, and many other vulnerabilities that had been researched over the last four years. These methods have not been robust to the level needed for the vehicle attacks (Cho & Shin, 2016).

The prior methods for info security focused on the equipment in the car and methods of communication being secure via encryption, TLS 1.2, SAML, and other methods. Researchers at the University of Michigan (Cho & Shin, 2016) have shifted the focus from this. The researchers proposed an intrusion detection system (IDS) focused on seeking anomalies. These, in theory, could be anywhere in the vehicle’s communication channels. The researcher’s with this application have focused on the clock or chip-based IDS (CIDS). In short, this is designed to stop the interference with the CAN Bus (Gray, 2016). This works by sniffing the CAN Bus profile. The individual devices communicate with the Bus. As these pieces of equipment do this, they provide a fingerprint of their clock derived from the oscillators, crystals, etc. This is constructed using the Recursive Least Squares (RLS) algorithm (Cho & Shin, 2016) and takes only seconds to accomplish this (Greenberg, 2016). Over time, the tool monitors these to acquire their specific fingerprint.

With these documented, the tool looks for anything unusual or an anomaly with the equipment seeking to communicate with the CAN Bus in the form of an incongruity between the approved and authenticated equipment/source in the database and the fingerprint of the equipment attempting to communicate with and to the vehicle. An issue that would be red-flagged would be in the form of an attack from a third party spoofing messages, commands, or directions. These may be directed at the brakes or transmission of the vehicle (Greenberg, 2016). Any message without the acceptable signature would be flagged as not coming from the chip and equipment. This checking is accomplished with the Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) method (Cho & Shin, 2016). Their research indicates this new method of securing the vehicle shows a false positive rate of 0.0055%. This was accomplished with an experiment with the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Dodge Ram, simulating attacks that would normally be from a third party.

In Part 2, I will take a closer look at the ‘tool’.

References

Cho, K.-T., & Shin, K.G. (2016). Fingerprinting electronic control units for vehicle intrusion detection. Retrieved from https://kabru.eecs.umich.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/sec16-final165_final.pdf

Gray, P. (Producer). (2016, July 21). #419—Brian Krebs on future of bank cybercrime. Risky.biz [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from http://risky.biz/RB419

Greenberg, A. (2016, July 14). Clever tool shields your car from hacks by watching its internal clocks. Retrieved form https://www.wired.com/2016/07/clever-tool-shields-car-hacks-watching-internal-clocks/

About Charles Parker, II

Charles Parker, II has been working in the info sec field for over a decade, performing pen tests, vulnerability assessments, consulting with small- to medium-sized businesses to mitigate and remediate their issues, and preparing IT and info sec policies and procedures. Mr. Parker’s background includes work in the banking, medical, automotive, and staffing industries.

Mr. Parker has matriculated and attained the MBA, MSA, JD, LLM, and is in the final stage of the PhD in Information Assurance and Security (ABD) from Capella University. Mr. Parker’s areas of interest include cryptography, AV, and SCADA.

What to Do? Breach Response

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Most recently, a hack on the infidelity website known as Ashley Madison made the identities of thousands of formally confidential members public. Despite the disadvantages of these hacks, they can teach us some important things about cybersecurity.Years ago, a business could plan to secure its enterprise. The IT department would harden the system and in most cases there would be a reasonable assurance the enterprise was relatively safe. Things have changed as technology has improved. This improvement has come at a price. The
speed of advancement has not been the easiest environment in which to apply security. This lack of applied security has promoted several issues. This has been noted in many breaches. This has clearly only grown in importance as the breaches the breaches are more common and the businesses provide more data to steal.

In the case of a breach, the first act is that the alleged breach must be verified to have occurred. If one did occur, the business needs to analyze what was affected. Not all breaches are reportable. If there happens to be data involved of a consumer confidential nature, there would need to be a notification. The trigger point would be the data having social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account numbers, passwords, and other personally identifying information.

The business also may be required to notify the affected parties with in a specific amount of time. This period varies on the state and federal level, depending on the subject matter and jurisdiction.  Many states instead of putting a number of this period, simply state this have to be done within a “reasonable” time period. This generally is accepted as 45 days. If there is HIPAA information involved, there may be a timeline in place for the notification.

Once the timeline is in place and divided on, the notice itself has to be written. This is also dependent on the jurisdiction. Certain states have requirements that have to be met. For instance, Rhode Island has for its notification law six items to be met. There may be a template or form letter to be used.

These events are not going to slow down in occurrence or magnitude. As the attackers have operationalized this as a business, it has proven itself to be a revenue producer, and popular as an attack tool.

About Charles Parker, II

Charles Parker, II has been working in the info sec field for over a decade, performing pen tests, vulnerability assessments, consulting with small- to medium-sized businesses to mitigate and remediate their issues, and preparing IT and info sec policies and procedures. Mr. Parker’s background includes work in the banking, medical, automotive, and staffing industries.

Mr. Parker has matriculated and attained the MBA, MSA, JD, LLM, and is in the final stage of the PhD in Information Assurance and Security (ABD) from Capella University. Mr. Parker’s areas of interest include cryptography, AV, and SCADA.

What does your email username say about you?

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Remember when it was fun and necessary to be creative with a user name? It may have even been a competition.  Let us remind you of some creations that we may have seen in the last two decades: AnGelgurl4Life, Aquagirl007, cutemomma0f3, or how about 2fast4u81?

While these are fun, catchy, and may even speak to us, they can come across as unprofessional to others. Think about how hiring managers would react to your email address when your resume pops into their in boxes.  What do you think their first reaction would be? Here are some good thoughts for creating a professional user name that will help you to create a good first impression:

  • Create an email that includes your first and last name with a number. You can also use a combination of these, for example an initial and number would also work.

    SNL
    image retrieved from http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/10-most-cringe-worthy-career-mistakes
  • Another benefit to using your name is that the receiver will automatically know who you are and would not have to search the message for your information.
  • Think of Jane Doe. What would be a good email for her? JaneDoe12@….com, DoeJ@….com, or DoeJane1@….com would all suffice. We’re sure you could come up with many other combinations as well.

So we challenge you to take a look at your email. What would make it more professional? Does it include your name? Does it have the potential to make someone think differently of you?  Don’t miss out on an opportunity due to an email user name that is just plain silly.

Your Student Success Coaches,

Savannah & Hannah

Savannah White, Student Success Coach
Savannah White, Student Success Coach

Understanding Hepatitis: Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Treatment

Posted on by Nursing Staff

What is Hepatitis?

The word hepatitis breaks down to hepa, which refers to the liver, and itis, which means inflammation. Therefore, hepatitis means there is inflammation of the cells within the liver.

Several types of acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) hepatitis exist. These are primarily caused by viruses, but can also be caused by bacterial infection, and immunological disorder, or liver damage resulting from consumption of alcohol, drugs, or poison.

Magill’s Medical Guide summarizes the five most common types of hepatitis as follows:

  1. Hepatitis A (HAV) is caused by consumption of contaminated food or water.
  2. Hepatitis B (HBV) is a sexually transmitted disease.
  3. Hepatitis C (HCV) is spread via direct contact with the blood of someone who is infected with HCV.
  4. Hepatitis D (HDV) is seen only in someone who is also infected with hepatitis B.
  5. Hepatitis E (HEV) is caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

Other forms of hepatitis include:

  • Hepatitis G (GBV-C), spread by the blood of someone infected with GBV-C.
  • Hepatitis X, diagnosed when the inflammation cannot be identified as any other form of hepatitis.

How is hepatitis diagnosed?

An individual who suspects they may have hepatitis should see a health care provider as soon as possible, not only to seek diagnosis and treatment, but to reduce the spread of this disease. The health care provider will take their health history, ask about their symptoms, and conduct blood and other diagnostic tests, such as a liver biopsy, ultrasound, and CT scans.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis?

Symptoms of hepatitis include fatigue, flu-like symptoms, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, and yellowing of eyes and skin. Dark urine and pale stools may also be present. If left untreated, the liver will eventually stop functioning normally and liver failure can occur. This can result in bleeding disorders, fluid buildup in the abdomen which can cause breathing difficulty, liver cancer, kidney failure, and a decrease in mental abilities. If left unchecked, it can also lead to death.

How is hepatitis treated?

Treatment varies with the type of hepatitis. For instance, hepatitis A, acute hepatitis B, and hepatitis E do not require treatment beyond bed rest and hydration. Avoiding alcohol is also important for those with hepatitis, since alcohol is toxic to the liver. Other forms of hepatitis are treated with different medications that target specific types of viruses. Some individuals with hepatitis C may need a liver transplant.

If you think you may have hepatitis, or have questions about this disease, contact your primary health care provider. You can also seek out support groups for those affected by specific forms of hepatitis.

References

Alder, R. P., & Irons-Georges, T. (2016). Hepatitis. Magill’s Medical Guide (Online Edition).

Attracting More Men to the Nursing Profession

Posted on by Nursing Staff

male nurse at work stationDid you know that men have always been nurses? The first school for male nurses was established in India around 250 BCE, and documentation exists of men serving as nurses as far back as 1600 BCE and the 2nd Century CE.

However, many nursing organizations in the late 1800s and early 1900s restricted men from entering nursing. In their 2008 article about men in nursing, Brown, Nolan and Crawford note that even Florence Nightingale believed that “men’s ‘hard and horny’ hands were not fitted ‘to touch, bathe and dress wounded limbs, however gentle their hearts may be.’” Over time, Nightingale’s view led to the exclusion of males from nursing.

Today, men are more widely accepted as nurses. But the number of men in nursing continues to lag behind other previously single-gendered professions in achieving demographics that reflect the gender statistics of the general population; while only 10% of nurses are men, men currently make up 49% of the American population. Although the number of male nurses will increase over time, only about 20% of current nursing students are male.

There are several reasons for this, but measures can be taken to increase the number of men pursuing careers in nursing. For example, publishing children’s books depicting men in nursing, introducing men who are nurses at school career days, linking male nursing mentors to male nursing students, using gender-neutral language in nursing scholarship applications, and featuring more images of male nurses in recruitment collateral.

The mission of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing (AAMN) is to shape the practice, research, and leadership for men in nursing and advance men’s health. The purpose of AAMN is to provide a framework for nurses as a group to discuss and influence factors that affect men as nurses. AAMN is a national organization with local chapters such as the New York Capital Region (NYCR) chapter.

Membership in AAMN is open to any nurse, male or female, to better facilitate discussion and meet the most important objective of AAMN, which is to strengthen and humanize health care. To learn more, visit AAMN.org or contact Excelsior College faculty program director Mark Wahl, MS, RN, at mwahl@excelsior.edu.

 

References

Brown, B, Nolan, P., & Crawford, P. (2000). Men in nursing: Ambivalence in care, gender and masculinity. International History of Nursing Journal, 5(3), 4 – 13.

Kenny, P. (2008). Men in nursing: a history of caring and contribution to the profession (part 1). Pennsylvania Nurse, 63(2), 3 – 5.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2016). The changing face of nursing: Creating a workforce for an increasingly diverse nation. Charting Nursing’s Future: Reports That Can Inform Policy and Practice, 27, 1 – 8. http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2016/rwjf425988

United States Census Bureau. (2014). American community survey. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/

United States Census Bureau. (2014). Quickfacts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00