The Impact of the Employee Handbook on Organizations Essay

The Impact of the Employee Handbook on Organizations - Essay Example What is an employee handbook There are many attorneys with internet presences offering "free advice" on handbook drafting in layman's language (Dickson Wright).Look for simple definitions on the internet and you may be disappointed; however, Schaefer goes to some trouble to distinguish it from the much larger "manual of policies and procedures": An employee handbook is designed to familiarize employees with basic company policies and benefits programs, and although it draws topics from the far broader policies manual, it presents them with much less detail. (43) Also, the reader may have direct experience of signing an acknowledgement often including a statement, a disclaimer, to the effect that you agree that the handbook does not in itself constitute an employment contract (Schaefer 43) which is a key point in understanding them. Handbooks are informational, non-contractual documents that cover the employee journey from induction to discharge. Implicit in them is the legal concept of consensus in idem ("agreement in the same thing"), widely acknowledged to be an advantage of these documents (Newcomb). For the purposes of this essay we will only consider large-scale enterprises which are usually where they are used. Handbooks can be most useful for employee induction, as a basis for resolving disputes or reducing a company's exposure to law suits arising from health and safety legislation, claims for harassment and for unfair dismissal; indeed, it could be a combination of all of these and more. Although it may be assumed that the handbook may not be well received by some employees, this misses the point in that it is a top-down, employer-created document and they must comply with its rules and spirit. In a unionized workplace, much of the content would depend of the relative bargaining strengths of the parties. Employer interests will inevitably dominate and, ironically in some respects, be separated from their employees', e.g. consider McDonalds' policies on "no solicitation, no loitering" (McDonalds 9). It may prescribe the use of safety goggles or a uniform (McDonalds 13), but also describe, say, an attitude that shop floor staff must have toward customers, as illustrated by McDonalds' conc ept of "customer delight" (10). If we compare and contrast the handbooks for a commercial concern, McDonalds Australia, the University of Chicago and The State of Iowa, we can see immediately that although covering broadly similar themes, they are tailored to the organization to take account of their particular corporate culture and aims, e.g. differing health and safety requirements, differing staff profiles (diverse age group or predominantly young people), the mission of the organization, etc.. One is aimed primarily at inexperienced young adults, one at a range of staff from clerical to collegiate, degree-educated academics and one at an American state with probably the broadest and most diverse employee profile. Handbook content is broadly similar regardless of the organization's purpose and covers matters such as absence and sick leave, benefits, dress code, health and safety, performance and appraisal,

Vision Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Vision - Research Paper Example At the end of the process, there is the consolidation of the gains by the organization before ending the process by anchoring the change (Cameron and Mike 187). The success of any organization usually comes about due to the joint efforts of all stakeholders within the organization especially in decision-making. This calls for the engagement of every person within an organization in the coming up with a vision and its communication so that the business achieves its mission and objectives presently and in the future. This underscores the importance of vision to any business that operates in any environment, which must carefully adopt changes especially in its vision to align it with the dynamism of the operational environment. In this work, our focus will be on vision, what and how it should be and the reason for having the vision within an organization. Vision is important to any organization as it will determining the success of the business as it gives the process through which the business is to be run and the expected benefits. This means that having a strong vision and the strategy for executing it is important in the carrying out of change within any organization. According to Kotter, having an effective vision helps the company to define its future by conveying a picture of what it will look like as well as knowing the realistic and attainable goals. The vision also helps in knowing the long-term interests of the employees and guidance on the decision-making goals of the organization. A clear vision for an organization helps in allowing individual initiative and the possibility of having alternatives especially when the conditions within the organization change. According to Kotter, the management of change within an organization is important for the planning and the control off the processes within the organization that are geared towards transforming the way it is run

History of Private Investigators in the US

History of Private Investigators in the US Private Security is a corporate business that provide armed and unarmed security services and expertise to public and private security companies. They provide patrolling, surveillance, and protection services for a fee. These services involve, but not limited to, security guards, watch dogs, security monitors, and parking security. Allan Pinkerton, Francois Vidocq, and Jay J Armes paved the way for modern day private security through their investigative techniques, tools, and services that are still either in used or influenced in todays private security sector. Detective Allen Pinkerton first opened up the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in 1849. The Pinkerton agency patrolled the Wild West, stopped bank robberies, counterfeiters, and any crime clients paid or they seem deemed to stop, researched by Bond (2015). Allen Pinkerton and his agency became respected by many, including President Abraham Lincoln where he saved him from an assassination attempt plot on his way to inauguration as President during The American Civil War between 1861-1862. In addition, Pinkerton also created two techniques still in use by intelligence agencies today called Shadowing and assuming a role. Shadowing involve conducting surveillance of a known target or location and recording everything so that a theme emerges from the analysis; and assuming a role which is undercover work where the detective blends into the environment and infiltrates the criminal enterprise, pretending to be a member to gather insider information to stop and prosecute criminal activiti es, researched by Bond (2015). Pinkerton also joined the United States forces and became the leader of the newly formed Union Intelligence Service during the American Civil War where he formed a massive network of spies leading all the way into the heart of the Confederate army, according to Fitzgerald (2017). Allan Pinkerton was also the first to create a database for criminals that outlined their criminal history and background, places of operation, tactics, galleria of criminal faces, etc. It is currently being used today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Former criminal turned crime fighter Francois Vidocq wasVidocq was the first chief of the Sà »retà ©, now known as the French National Police. The FBI, Scotland Yard, and other worldwide crime fighting organizations were based on the Sà »retà ©, researched by FlourishAnyway (2016). Vidocq created the First Paris undercover detective unit where they monitored all known former and current criminals as they moved into the city as their new home. The small unit also assisted with arrests and crime prevention. The unit consists of 4 members, eventually 28, who wore plain clothes and had complete access to the city which was surprising. Vidocq only hired ex-criminals because they had the street smarts and tough mentality for the undercover detective unit job. The unit reduce crime rates in Paris to 40 percent by 1820. Vidocq also contributed to modern day investigation due to his creation of these tools: undercover police work, ballistics (the flight characteristics of bullets), record keeping system, plaster of Paris casting for shoe imprints, indelible ink and unalterable bond paper (he held patents on both), crime scene security, fingerprinting, and forensic anthropometrics (measurements of the human body in police work) researched by FlourishAnyway (2016). Due to his criminal activity during early years, he does not get the recognition he deserves. However, He was the father of Modern Criminal Investigation with superb detective skills that will never be forgotten. Jay J Armes is an American Amputee private investigator, and an actor of repute and intelligence. He is known for the way he uses his prosthetics hands due to losing his real hands from rubbing two torpedo sticks together, detonating them and causing the mangling of both hands. This happened after he and his friend Dick Caples broke into a Texas Pacific Railroad section house and stole railway torpedoes. In 1977, Ideal Toy Corp created a new line of action figures around him that included detachable prosthetics, electronic gadgets, and lastly Mobile Investigation Unit. He is the only private investigator having an action figure modeled after him. In 1978, Armes joined forces with Ideal Toy Corp to create the Investigative Course for Children. The course was later introduced in many US schools at district level, researched by famous-detectives (n.d.). Also in 1978, Armes launched the comprehensive correspondence-based investigative training course, and paved the way for the formation of The Investigators Training Academy. In the same year, he also launched The Investigators Security Force. Afterwards, he created a mobile patrol and security service that served the society and provide refined security services. However, the patrol service was stopped after two years of effort. The Investigators Security Force then and now serves as the function to provide domestic government contracts and industrial security management abroad, reported by famous-detectives (n.d.). Armes is also a certified peace officer. His commitment in his work, and the many profiles of job roles that lead to great accomplishments shows that he is intelligen t and can give answers to anything related to private security and any security field. References Bond, M. (2015, February 26). MultiBrief: Pinkertons legacy still lives in law enforcement, security fields. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/pinkertons-legacy-still-lives-in-law-enforcement-security/law-enforcement-defense-security Famous-Detectives. (n.d.). J.J. Armes. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://www.famous-detectives.com/j-j-armes.htm Fitzgerald, P. (2017). Allan Pinkerton. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://www.thefinertimes.com/Spy-s/allan-pinkerton.html FlourishAnyway. (2016, June 18). Eugà ¨ne Vidocq: The Convict Who Became the Father of Modern Criminal Investigation. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Eugne-Franois-Vidocq-The-Convict-Who-Became-the-Father-of-Modern-Criminal-Investigation

The British Empire Essay -- British History, Industrialization, Politi

The British Empire is the largest empire ever seen on the face of this planet. The empire was divided into two. The first part of the empire revolved around the British colonies in America that were popularly known as the thirteen colonies. These gained independence from Britain in 1783. The second part of the empire, which developed from the first empire, came later. It started during the Napoleonic wars and survived throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. In fact, the British withdrew from its last colony, Hong Kong, in 1997; indeed the empire lasted for a long time. It developed from India and spun to regions of Africa and Australia. The influence and the power of the empire spun around the world shaping it in different ways. This influence is still evident in many places that fell under its control (Ferguson, 2004). To many people the world is the way it is due to the effects of the British Empire. Certainly, this empire just like other nu merous empires before it and after it had triumphs and humiliations; however, the fact that this empire had numerous good effects cannot be overemphasized. The empire impacted positively on Britain and the colonies. The first notable positive effect of the empire is industrialization. The British having been ahead in industrial evolution helped spread technology to new places around the world. Particularly, the British Empire was responsible for the development of early industries in their colonies (Balasubramanyam & Wei, 79). They built industries in the colonies such as sugar factories, cotton factories and tobacco industries. Certainly, this was a new development in these colonies that later led to the colonies mechanizing their cottage industri... ...ver, as a result of the demands of abolitionists, the British parliament enacted laws such as the Slave Trade Act 1807, which resulted in abolishing trade. Certainly, this was a remarkable contribution to the respect of human rights. Clearly, the vast empire also left a vast influence. The numerous positive affects are still evident today in most of the former colonies. Indeed, as most people believed the â€Å"sun never sets† on the British Empire. Most people believe that the current state of the world is a product of the empire. Numerous things including educational systems, farming, judicial, governance systems and others around the world are a product of the empire. The empire left a permanent mutual relationship among former colonies, which still enjoy trade and diplomatic ties. It is, therefore, beyond doubt that the empire had numerous positive effects.

Gender and Language Essay

Other forms which establish their superiority over women is their need for scientific jargon, to prove to women (and sometime themselves) that they are the more intelligent of the two genders. Other male magazines tend to use abbreviated terms for titles or objects, which connote authority, such as ‘FHM’, ‘GQ’ or even ‘MAX POWER’. These titles connote the idea of periodic and scientifically symbols or even macho representations such as G. I Joe. Max Power being a prime example of the bigger is better theory shared by a majority of males. In which case all the titles connote the idea that by reading these magazines they will fundamentally gain enjoyment and authority as well as establishing the male gender as the more dominant of the two. The placing of the title also suggests that what men really want from a magazine is what the media has always believed to be true; Sexually portrayed, attractive young women spread across the front cover, regardless if the title can be seen or not, is always more likely to sell to a male audience rather than another male being shown. The actress Tara Reid is the focus point of the front page and draws the reader in, due to her seductive pose. She is inviting but yet still shows sign of vulnerability and innocents as her ensemble of clothing is of very lacy and more to the point of white fabric, white connoting all that is good and untouched by others. The tag line also insinuates that the article containing her will also be of great interest to a male audience as it is sexually oriented and suggests phallic implications. This has been chosen to suit what is speculated to be the needs of today’s man, which is the chance to be the more dominant of genders and who is capable of giving women security. This ideology and belief has now been shifted, as women today are more than capable of dealing with life much better on their own without a man. Men are also more aware of how women like to be seen as equal to them, and some are very open to this change while others prefer to remain in the past and continue to view women as docile individuals. The cover of ‘Maxim’ doesn’t encourage today’s changes in genders, which suggest this is how they maintain an audience of male chauvinists, or at least to gain their attention. Within the actually magazine stories and articles are very similar to those found in female magazines but obviously aimed at a male audience. It’s very refreshing to see that the barriers between the two sexes are very alike, in terms of language used and design. The typical ‘hard’ image of what men perceive to be has in some ways become more softer and less aggressive, showing that the new man of the twenty-first century can also adapt to new ideas, and that the gap between the two genders draws closer with each generation. Obviously certain aspects of the magazine must be deemed just for a man, or at least of more interest to a man than to a women, for instance an article which expressed ways in which police officers captured and tormented their prisoners, showed images of guns and military dressed young men with vicious blood thirsty dogs barking at the prisoners. The overall affect of the images were very crude and somewhat inhumane, but for some men the idea of human destruction and war will always be of interest to them, for reasons which still hold questions as to why? Overall the identification of this magazine being targeted at a male audience can be said to be true, due to the following aspects: – A Semi- nude female (preferably blond) will be spread across the front page, more identifiable if the female is already well known. – The title expresses a large quantity as mentioned by theorist Raymond Williams that men are prone to the idea that ‘Big is always better’ – Sub-headings denote issues, which contain those related to sport, especially as the world cup is due to start. – And current affair issues which reflect destruction and chaos from around the world whereas with a female magazine the current affairs brought up are mostly directed at individuals who are form the world of showbiz or contain humour. In terms of the last point, female magazines such as ‘MORE! ‘ tend not to dramatise or even discuss issues which reflect those found on the news unless it is of relevance to their British, female audiences. This in some ways might be because they still fear that women are quite frail and are more prone to show emotion to such topics. Hence defeating the object of a magazine being a medium of entertainment, if the issues raised are of a more serious nature. This is where the difference between magazine journalism and that of newspaper journalism lies. As Newspaper writing is aimed at various individuals and not to one set gender or age group it allows for news and entertainment of both kinds to be expressed without the fear of upsetting anyone, as this is what it is set out to do. Magazines such as MORE, are what give female audiences a break from reality and allow them to indulge into the world of gossip and fame. A belief shared by most people, in particularly men, that women enjoy gossip. Mary Crawford states that gossip allows women to communicate with their peers and gives them a sense of comfort; being allowed to know what other people are doing from another world, which in turn is very different to that of their own gives them satisfaction and enjoyment. In conclusion what I have noticed within my brief analysis is that although times have changed male magazines still seem more relatable to today’s society and contain more in-depth issues which a lot of female magazines fear to tread on. However this may only be the start, barriers have already started to break between the two genders and with time these barriers may cease to exist. As women are now given more sexual freedom and social changes have taken place in terms of media influences (for instance commercials now cater for all genders and represent them as equal to men). A lot more of society now embrace the new feminist women and single mothers and radical changes have taken place in order to have reach this state as well as changes from men and their somewhat narcissistic attitudes. A quote, which most women of today’s society can now identify with would be that of Charles Fourier in 1808, which said stated that ‘The extension of women’s rights is the basic of all social change. ‘ In other words allow women to live the way in which they choose and not condemn them for it and changes within the sexes will be made for the better. Bibliography Crawford, M ‘Talking difference: on Gender and Language’, Sage 1995 Fourier C, ‘ Theories of the forth Movement, 1880 Martin, M, ‘Ways of reading’, language and gender, 2000 Williams, R. (1980/1996) ‘Advertising the Magic System’, Media Studies: A Reader

Clinical Experience of Student Essay

My learning throughout the first year has been helped by an unerring optimism in the value of nursing, and an appreciation that each and every daily interaction augments my experience. This enthusiasm, however, has caused an inhibitory effect on my self-directed researching, and created conflict in some placement areas. While developing my role as a nurse, my activities as a person at home and beyond have diminished, as I attempt to adjust to the demands of both domains (Spouse 2003:109). I resent distracting influences, and frequently domestic pressures restrain my desired pace to accumulate factual knowledge. As described by Palmer et al. (1994:40), my learning can oscillate between two extremes, â€Å"all or nothing†. Spouse (2003) depicts the student nurses’ need to develop multi-tasking skills emotionally, mentally and physically as they are caught between the cultures of clinical areas, peer-driven University life and home. The conflicts arising from these settings create a disharmony, which I believe for some, may undermine nursing as a career choice. The competence of a future nurse is evaluated by evidence-based documents, instructors, mentors assignment and examination results and is based on a continuum of regular assessments. The learning experience of a student nurse remarkably influences own practice in clinical areas, as well as the performance level of the student in academic matters. First timers in clinical rotation engage themselves in the initial stage of familiarizing and accustoming one’s self to the practice becomes crucial. This is the point when printed theories in books and hand outs are recalled nd reshuffled in the mind in order to carry out the best intervention suited for a particular situation. It was never easy for the a novice student nurse to be assigned in the OB ward or in the emergency room without sufficient knowledge about postpartum care or familiarity with the basic instrument used in minor surgeries. Also, inadequate and ineffective education influences the manner that one gains necessary principles and skills needed in actual and assisted delivery cases. This has affected the coping strategies of the trainees to different problems arising in the clinical settings. In reality, some just performed as assistants instead of handling actual deliveries—this is also dependent to the hospital protocols—and some were just given free cases. This fact has urged others’ curiosity to get a hasty view of the first learning experiences of the other nursing students who are also in the same level. Some people ought to assess the level of students’ adjustment with the respect to different conflicts they have encountered so that appropriate improvements in nursing education programs will be obtained. The trend to commit oneself to healthcare field has not yet wiped out especially in nursing profession. Students seem to be devotedly engaging themselves into this line as seen with continuous enrollment of freshmen students and transferees, may it be influenced by financial demands, personal preferences, or just by current blooms. The Professional Regulation Commission reported that the country has an oversupply of 400,000 licensed nurses (Porcalla, 2008). With this fact that there are still thousands of nursing graduates in the country who are either unemployed or working as call center agents, clerks, salesladies or salesmen, discouragement in the part of the fresh high school graduates is still invincible. Though many say that those temporary jobs are just their means of earning money while waiting for the board examination, individual encounters prove that a significant percentage of those graduates would just end up working in the same condition; others fortunately have passed the board and served as volunteer nurses to gain experience during the initial years of the profession; and some might have dealt with hard life or just settled down rearing families. For so many reasons, nursing career—for some—terminates there, which should not be. Why is it that even universities have started to limit accepting nursing enrollees due to overpopulation of out-of-work nursing graduates, the government’s need for ideal healthcare system is still unmet? The answer would be—it is a matter of competition! In the Filipino context, it goes, â€Å"Matira ang matibay. † As with the student admission criteria of one hundred eleven medical schools in the United States, education programs and requirements filter nursing students meticulously (Reynolds, W. Scott, P. A. ,& Austin W. , 2000). Spouse (2003:42) depicts the student nurses’ need to develop multi-tasking skills emotionally, mentally, and physically as they are caught between the cultures of clinical areas, peer driven university life and home. The conflicts arising from these settings create a disharmony, which Greenwood (2003) believes for some, may undermine nursing as a career choice. Aside from it, it is not new to hear stories about taking the course with the dictate of the mother in exchange for the big Dollar sign neither a complaint for expensive matriculations and a shelf of three-kilogram-books. According to Rep. Satur Ocampo, â€Å"Low and inappropriate budget of DOH for 2009 now pegged at 28. 9 billion still does not address the problem of the exodus of nurses in the country†(Porcalla, 2008). It is one of the major sicknesses of the country’s healthcare system which puts down the field. But with the growing population and high expectancies of quality care and competence, nurses should be skillful in integrating theoretical frameworks, as well as nursing philosophy, into real life situations so that high quality care can be delivered and optimal health will be met and promoted. Nursing is an art, an art of caring. Nurses are much involved in lots of health teachings and interventions; and are expected to portray a variety of roles. Be it as an educator, communicator, caregiver, counselor, advocate or as a leader, a nurse should possess a well-defined body of knowledge and expertise in the field especially on actual scenarios (Kozier et. al. ,2008). Student nurses may be perceived as trainees, yet it is far apart from that thought. It is incorporating oneself to and embracing the vocation of helping and providing care in order for mastery and dedication to be more likely. The developmental educative process in nursing is a sophisticated and complex combination of scientific, logical, humanitarian, communicative, experiences and psychomotor skills, designed to consolidate abilities to produce â€Å"knowledgeable doers† (Greenwood 2003, Sajiwandani 2000, Slevin 1992, Cheung 1992). Nursing students at this point of time should be cautious whether they have delivered or could deliver appropriate care. They have to be very vigilant because they deal with a lot of toxic things every single day (Tacdol, 2008). It is not anymore in a classroom setting, it is more of real life situations. When at the area, there is no room for mistakes. No more dummies. No more trials. The reflective process enables the students to gain a sense of proportion. While researched academic study underpins practice, there are frequently qualifications made by nursing staff about ward performed procedures, stating â€Å"real-life† situations employ differing methods to those taught in the class room. These instances challenge student’s assumptions and provide impetus for further clinical reflective investigation (Spouse 2003, cited by Greenwood 2003). They also serve to demonstrate the existence of multiple methods of care delivery, attuning them to motives and perspectives of other practitioners in the healthcare team, indicating that others have legitimate reasoning (Palmer et. al 1994 cited by Greenwood, 2003) The performance of students in the clinical area is greatly affected by difficulties they encounter especially in their first clinical duty. Factors include relationship with clinical instructors, misunderstandings arising from group works, hospital policies and requirements, alterations in contingencies when handling patients and so on. As new members of the healthcare team, adjustment to different stressors seems to be crucial. It is an undeniable fact that problems with the clinical instructor top all. Many claim that superiors sometimes do not provide favorable atmosphere for learning. Using negative reinforcement is one of the examples. Others found this as beneficial since it helps the students to ask questions, enhances perception, and inhibits recurring of errors. But many negate this assertion. Embarrassment, comparison to other schools, and stickling behavior of the superior notably outweigh the benefits it should have made. Although many have agreed that the student nurses are very effective in delivering their duties and responsibilities in the clinical areas, there should still be improvement in the learning scheme of the education provider because there is no room for mistakes in the medical profession because it deals with a very fragile thing-life- and a single mistake may cause an enormous damage which is death. The students must be prepared and trained well before their exposure in the clinical areas so as not to commit error (Babula et. al. , 2006). Group conflicts such as lack of teamwork have something to do in accomplishing case studies. Hospital policies and protocols may at times become annoying and confusing. Different shifts and location of clinical duties tend to be the second in the list. Personal moods and anxieties affect functioning of the whole personality which may result to unproductive planning and ineffective nursing interventions (Abaravar et. al. , 2006). Moreover, unexpected problems arising when handling patients are to be aided with harmonious interaction between the instructor and the students while correction and giving of remedies are done (Amania et. al. , 2008). The identification of these common conflicts that are actually the factors which affect the level of performance of nursing students in clinical duties extensively bring up good adaptation behaviors and ease up finding solutions to the mentioned conflicts. Because of the continuous efforts made by some concerned people behind the nursing education? students, educators, and also the registered nurses in the profession? improvements in nursing curriculum has been made. Though distinction between the old and new curriculum of the program have been clearly identified, effectiveness of each are still debated and talked about more often. For nursing education and nursing career does not end in passing all the academic subjects and completion of the PRC forms, one has to subject himself in difficult situations when nursing judgment becomes a necessity. As nursing student begins on the path of career, he or she finds new opportunities unfolding as from within which brighten the path ahead. The kaleidoscope image used on the cover of the 7th edition of Fundamentals of Nursing by Kozier and Erb is an everchanging piece of art with its colors, light and form. As it turns, it represents new opportunities for beautiful new designs. Seeking light and reflections to form new shapes allows one to open one’s mind to all possibilities a kaleidoscope has to offer (Kozier et. al. ,2007). Same with the field of nursing, there are many areas that a nursing student may have never imagined at the beginning of his or her journey. As nursing students open their minds and eyes to these wonderful chances, a good experience they had gained when they were still first timers would be a pertinent tool and inspiration in attuning upcoming difficulties and developing passion in the career. These would let them not to desist from this world of struggles. Conclusion A qualified nursing practitioner is a professionally trained integrated member of the health-care team. This professional education should be life-long, beginning with three years pre-registration factual knowledge and skill acquisition. As previously described there is a symbiotic relationship between nursing’s craft and nursing wisdom, and they are required in practice simultaneously. Despite the apparent impression given by traditional methods of education that these categories exist seperately, for nursing they are fluidly cohesive, one informing the other, through reflective analysis (Watts 1992:). The elements experienced by nursing students during their training are bonded internally together to authenticate their practice, by unleashing possibilities inherent in the situation between patient and the therapeutic self (Kirby and Slevin 1992). The following guidelines are intended to promote improvements in the student’s learning experience. Qualified staffs that direct pace and direction of study need to encourage students in imaginative and innovative ways to prepare them for adoption of new concepts and the flood of changes and that they will need to make in all aspects of their life. Support such as this will guide them through the vulnerable initial stages of their steep learning curve of level one, as echoed by the dissonance described in the first paragraph of the essay. Guidelines I would like to see better preparation of mentors by lecturer-practitioners within clinical placements, in order to foster environments of positive, constructively planned activities. From this, students can gain insight to challenge their assumptions and lay-view of nursing. In this respect, I would like those in the clinical settings to be encouraging students rather than attempting to degrade their efforts by dismissing their academic research based interest in the subject of nursing. I would like access to professional teaching staff in-college at all times, especially immediately prior to and post placement. I hope for tutor liaison with mentors more regularly within the clinical settings, serving to remind mentoring nurses that their duty to support students is real, and linked with Higher Education Establishments. I would like to see in-college mentors giving better, basic and consistent guidance while initially developing the concepts of critical reflective consciousness and the production of an evidence-base of knowledge thus strengthening the intellectual and practical growth of students.