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Effectiveness Of Drug Therapies In The Treatment Of Depression
Effectiveness Of Drug Therapies In The Treatment Of Depression
Treatment
There are several ways of treating depression. A method of treatment is chosen depending on the type of depression a patient is suffering from and also basing on the patient’s choice of the method of treatment. Methods of treatment can vary from use of drugs, psychotherapy, collaborating with family members, friends and other people close to the patient to try to change the patient’s perspective towards everything. Physical treatment (the use of drugs) works best for patients whose depression is of a biological basis for example menopause among women. Psychotherapy on the other hand is most preferred for depressions that result from stress due to socio-economic problems of example financial difficulties, relationship issues.
The use of drugs is an attempt to relieve the symptoms that are related to depression. Some of the drugs normally used include Irreversible Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOIs), Tricyclics, and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). The use of this medication has had its success and could be considered effective in treatment of depression. According to Use of Medication in Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Depression, in article published by a membership for Parents and Medical workgroup, 61% of patients who receive medication alone for depression normally recover. This means that medication of depression has been quite effective and could be adopted in treatment of depression.
About 65% of patients show some response upon receiving the first medication. The remaining proportion show response upon receiving the subsequent medication whether or not the medication is administered together with some cognitive behavioural therapy. After receiving medication convictions of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, etc are lost.
Despite the effectiveness of drugs in treatment of depression, there are also negative effects of using drugs alone in the treatment of depression. CITATION Gio03 l 1033 (Giovani, 2003) argues that prolonged use of antidepressant drugs may be effective over a short period of time but may a have harmful effects that outweigh the advantages in the long run. A study conducted by Viguera et al, indicates that the more depressants a patient uses, the higher the chances of a relapse occurring. Patients who used antidepressants throughout the recovery period had depression relapsing while those who used it for first six to eight months of medication had lower relapses. It can also be argued that the use of drugs only relieves the symptoms of depression but not the cause.
Additionally, with continued use of antidepressant drugs, there occurs tolerance to that particular drug. When the body has gotten used to the antidepressant there is a tendency for pharmacological tolerance and cycling to occur. There also is a tendency of detrimental chemicals that breaks down the drug to accumulate in the body. When drugs are taken by the patient, these harmful chemicals break down the drug, reducing its concentration and eventually its effectiveness. With the body repeatedly getting used to the drugs, its sensitivity to the drugs reduces. An example of a person who lives in tropical Africa and has been used to mosquito bites is less likely to have allergic reactions towards a mosquito bite unlike a person from Western Europe who has never encountered mosquitoes. The individual from Europe will have severe allergic reactions to a mosquito bite. In the same way, a body used to antidepressants will show little sensitivity if he/she consumes the drug.
Use of drugs to treat depression is also prone to resistance. This is a situation where an initially effective drug becomes ineffective after some drug-free period. Resistance to antidepressants results from a repeated administration of a particular antidepressant. It is believed that use of a single kind of antidepressant induces some pharmacodynamic reactions within the patient’s body that make the body to ‘resist’ or show no change when under the drug.
There is a developing practice of irresponsive use of antidepressant drugs among the modern generation. People use to use antidepressant drugs to treat every condition that resembles depression. There are cases of people using antidepressants using fluoxetine (a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) to treat cases such as boredom and demoralization. This could have a very bad impact on the individuals and on the effectiveness of the drugs. When people make their bodies familiar to antidepressants, they increase their chances of experiencing antidepressant resistance and tolerance if at one point are affected by depression and need to use these drugs. Irresponsive use of these drugs also makes one vulnerable to depression since the body’s mechanism cannot on its own control moods and stresses.
It is therefore important that people find other ways to deal with depression or find other ways to make augment medication and make it more effective in treatment of depression. It is important that people understand proper ways of preventing depression so as to make its control easier. Prevention of depression is all about having a proper state of mind. One therefore has to learn to find ways of putting himself/herself in a proper state of mind. Since people have different personalities, different likes and dislikes, there are no particular ways that can help everybody avoid depression. However, the most common ways include doing regular exercises, listening to music, participating in co curricular activities for students, going for walks, dancing etc.
In the case that depression has occurred, better methods such as Inter-Personal Therapy (IPT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be applied. Inter-Personal Therapy is applied when ones depression results from peoples’ failure in aspects of social therapy. If someone wronged another one and in the process one is depressed, treatment if this method is applied involves the offender apologizing to the offended so that proper mindset of the offended can be restored. The affected individual then has to be educated on how to deal with his/her own personality in relation to other people so as to avoid the occurrence of other cases in future.
Another way of depression treatment is the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This method is effective for depression that do not have biologic basis. People in this kind of state have a negative attitude towards themselves, their neighbours, and about their environment. CBT uses approaches that try to change these peoples’ attitude so that they develop a positive attitude towards the world around them.
IPT and CBT are both good methods of treating depression which reduces by a great extent the chances of recurrence. However, they are useful in treating depressions that do not have biologic origins. They also require more manpower and more time for it to be effective unlike the use of drugs which requires comparatively less time and less manpower.
Effectiveness of conducting
Effectiveness of conducting Correlational Research
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Correlational research is vital when exploring relationships among associated variables. Understanding this relationship among variables is a vital aspect of healthcare research. In correlational research, one or more variables are measured while the researcher is unaware of which variable will be the outcome. Nursing research has significantly increased in the last decade, with a call for more nursing research being put forward by nursing executives and professional organizations. Nursing leaders have called for more nursing research that collects evidence-based results that provide empirical evidence to support findings (Chen et al., 2019). This article gives an overview of conducting correlational research in nursing and its importance to healthcare conversations and decisions.
Correlational research is usually used in healthcare and social research since it can be applied in any research that does not require the manipulation of the independent variable. Correlational research is also an appropriate tool for nursing, which may assist with the determination of certain outcomes and the relationships among them. The researcher normally selects two or more variables from the population and gathers information through a collected data set. The researcher must then perform statistical analysis on these variables to identify findings.
Correlational research utilizes qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods for data collection. In nursing, correlational research is normally conducted in a large sample size that can comprise over 100 participants (Chen et al., 2019). This allows the researchers to draw conclusions and make recommendations to patient care practices based on their findings.
The key considerations in correlational research are sampling, variables, and outcomes. Sampling is the process of systematically selecting a data set that is representative of the whole population. This includes considering the sampling techniques such as convenience, probability and non-probability sampling. The researcher must also choose between quantitative or qualitative methods in data collection. Quantitative methods collect numeric data through instruments such as questionnaires and surveys, while qualitative methods involve in-depth interviews and observational studies.
The variables that are used in correlational research derive from the construct theory by differentiating characteristics, attributes, dimensions, or elements of a system with respect to variables based on their properties. Variables are observable, measurable, or quantifiable characteristics of a system that can change, unlike constants. There are at least three types of variables: qualitative and quantitative variables and one categorical variable. Qualitative data is non-numeric data that describes the characteristics of a population. Quantitative data describes numerical quantities or attributes by specifying the quantity with units and values. Categorical variables are defined as nominal data or ordinal data that only has distinct categories and does not have any quantitative measurement. Outcomes in correlational research may be described as the result of an event like a clinical sign, symptom, disease state (Friedman et al., 2022).
References
Chen, J. H., Björkman, A., Zou, J. H., & Engström, M. (2019). Self–regulated learning ability, metacognitive ability, and general self-efficacy in a sample of nursing students: A cross-sectional and correlational study. Nurse Education in Practice, 37, 15-21.
Friedman, C. P., Wyatt, J. C., & Ash, J. S. (2022). Designing and Carrying Out Correlational Studies Using Real-World Data. In Evaluation Methods in Biomedical and Health Informatics (pp. 289-325). Springer, Cham.
Fire Fighter Recruitment Plan
Fire Fighter Recruitment Plan
Katelyn Bohn
Executive Summary
In this recruitment plan, you will see our strategy for attracting and hiring the best qualified candidate for your position. Our goal is to attract and maintain employees. We have many recruitment goals, such as ensuring a nondiscriminatory applicant pool. We have also developed a strong job description that you will see later in this plan. We have a very detailed people finding and interviewing strategy that you will see later but it’s generally built to find us the best candidate. And finally, our selection technique is, simply put, to find a brave, capable person with potential. We ultimately want to obtain a diverse workforce.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Recruitment Goals
Core Competencies
Job Description
People Finding Strategy
Interviewing Strategy
Selection Technique
Conclusion
References
Recruitment Goals
Our number one recruitment goal is to personalize the recruitment process. We will achieve this by: (1) Develop a list of appropriate recruitment coordinators to be available for contact with any questions. These coordinators will be trained to know what kind of information they can provide, and how often they should. (2) Keep candidates up to date with information on the recruitment and selection process. (3) Keep in touch with underrepresented ethnic groups by using talk shows and radio stations with high ethnic demographics. (4) Engage with community organizations to reach locally. (5) Use a lot of recruitment advertising mainly on social media platforms.
Our next goal is to diversify our hiring techniques. We will do this by: (1) Using the knowledge of current employees to refer qualified candidates. We will gather input from employees- ideas for improvement, etc. (2) Keep track of the employees who give input and actually refer candidates. (3) Have specific employees dedicated to recruitment. (4) Set standard numbers for minority groups as a goal to get them to apply.
Our final goal is to reduce the time required for the hiring process by 15%. We will do this by: (1) Describing the hiring process and deciding what is and isn’t necessary. (2) Review the background requirements which allows you to immediately eliminate some candidates from consideration.
Competency Models
Below, I have outlined our core competencies and described them.
Public Service
Educates the public. It’s important to inspect buildings for proper smoke detectors, attend large gatherings to ensure fire safety is taken seriously, etc.
Provides and demonstrates quality customer service. Show example for the community.
Communication
Properly handles emergencies. Communicates accurately and efficiently.
Proper use of fire radio. Promptly transmits information.
Processes paperwork correctly. Incident reports are accurate and complete
Communicates with community in order to stay safe.
Listens actively with everyone.
Effective verbal and non-verbal communication.
Takes criticism effectively and develops upon it.
Teamwork
Participates actively- does his/her part.
Mutual respect between peers, community, etc.
Supports organization’s goals.
Considers impact of actions.
Professionalism
Treat everyone with respect and fairness.
Embraces company’s goals through all aspects.
Strong work ethic in order to keep community safe.
Strong ethical standards. Knows how to handle ethical dilemmas.
Positive attitude. Focuses on opportunities rather than negativity.
Time-management by responding promptly and appropriately.
Job Description
Our department has high standards when hiring new employees. We value respect, responsibility, and teamwork. It takes a lot of courage to risk your life and be a fire fighter. We aim to achieve a comfortable, efficient, and diverse work environment. While there are the obvious responsibilities of extinguishing fires, we also have many other requirements. Our job description is as follows.
Protect citizens during emergencies.
Prevent fire damage by conducting inspections for hazards.
Conduct educational programs to prepare citizens for emergencies.
Testing fire hydrants to ensure availability of water at scene.
Responding to scenes quickly to minimize damage to buildings and people.
Conduct equipment tests to maintain necessary maintenance.
Evaluates new techniques and equipment to ensure efficiency in an emergency.
Maintains knowledge by attending educational training and participating in scheduled drills.
Work as a team to ensure results are accomplished.
Employees will work in 8-12 hour shifts with the occasional 24-hour shift.
Necessary Qualifications/ skills:
Heavy lifting
Physical Fitness
Decision Making
Good under pressure
High judgement
Dependability
Emotional control when necessary
Safety management
Education/ Experience/ Age Requirements:
High school diploma or equivalent
At least 18 years old
Must pass physical and written tests
Drug screening
Medical exam
People Finding Strategy
Our goal is to attract a skilled and diverse workforce. In order to do this, we will advertise through flyers, career events, social media, and most importantly through our current employees. We want to find employees that contain goals that are consistent with our company’s goals.
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Flyers: We will create flyers that portray our diverse and cohesive image. We will post these flyers to anywhere its allowed, such as; high schools, college campuses, diverse clubs, etc.
Career Events: We will have an employee dedicated to attending events where they will recruit qualified candidates.
Social Media: We will take advantage of social media to attract the new generation.
Current Employees: We will encourage our current employees to make recommendations and be aware of potential candidates.
Interviewing Strategy
Our interview strategy is very simple because the candidates have to pass the firefighter test which handles their capability aspect. We want to find honest, genuine employee.
We first look at presentation; did they bring a resume? Are they dressed presentable? Does it look like they took time to prepare for this? And most importantly, do they look happy to be here?
Next, we pay attention to how they answer questions; are they actually listening? Are they being honest or are these planned made-up answers? Are they passionate?
And finally, we want to ensure we are happy with their answers to the following interview questions.
QUESTIONS AND IDEAL ANSWERS:
Why do you want to work in this industry? Talk about history with industry and what attracted you to it.
Tell us about yourself. Doesn’t read off of resume. Talk about role-related strengths.
Why are you leaving your current role? Looking for a challenge to broaden skills.
What’s your greatest weakness? Use a real example of a weakness overcome.
Why should I hire you? Highlight what makes them unique.
What did you learn from your greatest failure? Focus on how a minor failure made them better.
When were you most satisfied in your job? Be specific and enthusiastic.
Selection Technique
Our selection technique is fairly set. There are many tests applicants must pass. At the end of the day, safety is most important. The standard National Firefighter Selection (NFS) process is as follows.
A PQA based application form
Physical tests
Medical tests
Ability tests
Final Interview
As it is not required to follow the NFS process, we do and will change it where necessary.
To begin the selection process, candidates must first pass ALL of the necessary tests- with no exception. Then from there, if we have multiples to choose from, we will just choose the candidates we feel are most fit.
Conclusion
After researching all of the necessary information, we were able to put together this recruitment plan. Firefighters are very selfless people, willing to risk their life every day. We admire every candidate who even applies for this job. We hope this recruitment plan has much success. If there are any questions or any additional information is needed, please feel free to contact me at kbohn1@students.towson.edu.
References
Bendersky, C. (2018, December 20). Making U.S. Fire Departments More Diverse and Inclusive. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/12/making-u-s-fire-departments-more-diverse-and-inclusive
Firefighter Job Description Sample. (2019, September 13). Retrieved from https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/job-description-templates/firefighter-job-description/Link, F. (n.d.). 15 Toughest Firefighter Interview Questions. Retrieved from https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/interview-tips/15-toughest-firefighter-interview-questions.html
The future of the fire service: Hiring for character. (2019, September 16). Retrieved from https://www.firerescue1.com/recruitment/articles/the-future-of-the-fire-service-hiring-for-character-gVmvFgcmoVWfcYGz/The Selection Process. (2018, April 2). Retrieved from https://www.fireservice.co.uk/recruitment/the-selection-process/