Even if there have been serious attempts to reform the system and introduce a universal means of publicly financing medical care for all people, "Americans have fewer doctors per capita than most Western countries. We go to the doctor less than people in other Western countries. We get admitted to the hospital less frequently than people in other Western countries. We are less satisfied with our health care than our counterparts in other countries. American life expectancy is lower than the Western average. Childhood-immunization rates in the United States are lower than average." (Gladwell, 2005) Indeed, given the fact that the U.S. is considered to be the most advanced country in the world it is rather peculiar the lack of a reasonable medical care system, one that would provide assistance also for those with medium to low incomes in order to help them access more freely the hospital and clinical systems.
Attempts to reform the medical system have been made but rarely has the real issue been addressed. More often the legislature, no matter their political orientation, tried to resolve the under funding of the medical units by cutting the spending the state has with insuring staff in major hospitals or even by reducing the number of hospitals. Such initiatives have led to the current situation in which there are fewer hospitals operating with a more limited staff. This in turn forced the patient to either seek solutions for their treatment in the private sector or, more worryingly, to adopt a self-made home remedy. Eventually, there is no easy way out or a reasonable one. The reality today is that there is a reduction in hospital units and a shortage of nurse staff because of the policies undergone by all administrations from the late 60's on. (Reid, 2004)
From my point-of-view, I consider this situation rather unacceptable. I do feel that there should be a system set in place that would offer a minimum of medical assistance irrespective of the family or personal outcome. Indeed, it may encourage certain abuses, as the notion of "moral hazard" suggests insurance can change the behavior of the person being insured (Gladwell, 2005); at the same time, however, it may help some of those who cannot afford private medical insurance to get treatment because, according to different interviews taken, "almost every time we asked interviewees what their first priority would be if the president established universal health coverage tomorrow the immediate answer was 'my teeth.'"(Gladwell, 2005) therefore there is an acute need for public funding in this respect.
At the same time however, a satisfying solution could also be one that advocates a more intense public involvement in financing the medical system. More precisely, in order to have more funds to the budget, additional contributions by employees and employers should be made common and regular practice. In this way, there would be more significant financial resources to provide the medical care needed and one that would enable every person the access to a basic package of medical care.
The particular situation of the medical care system is just one of the issues a nurse must confront when entering the practice. Up to the point of graduation, there are more theoretical aspects rather than practical ones that are given increased attention. However, when dealing with real life and common situations, even if there had been discussed in class, they become important and in the beginning they represent a certain amount of difficulty. Dependent of such cases, there can be a smooth or less smooth transition from the state of graduate student to that of fulltime nurse. As Janice Ellis and Celia Hartley consider, "like most new nursing graduates, when you complete your studies, you will probably seek employment in an organization- a health care organization. This may be in an acute care hospital, a long-term care facility, an intermediate care facility, a clinic, an outpatient unit or a variety of other organizations that offer challenging opportunities. Accepting employment in a health care organization requires that you are knowledgeable about and become accustomed to the policies and procedures established by that organization. You will go through what we refer to as 'role transition', the process of assuming and developing a new role." (Ellis and Hartley, 455) The idea,...
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