What are the distinguishing aspects of Hispanic culture which affect Essay

What are the distinguishing aspects of Hispanic culture which affect political behaviour in the US after Obama - Essay Example The Census Bureau of the United States has defined individuals who are of Hispanic origin as those individuals who live in the United States, but state their origins as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American. The same definition has been utilized by small business organizations all over the country as well as many federal, state and municipal agencies. This is needed by the mentioned organizations when it comes to awarding contracts to businesses owned by individuals from minority groups (US Census Bureau, 2001). As of this writing, the record for the number of Hispanic nationals residing in the United States has come up to 33 million, therefore making around 12 percent of the entire US population. It has been predicted that the numbers would increase to over 50 million by the year 2020 (US Census Bureau, 2001). According to Mendoza (1989), the Hispanic community is becoming increasingly acculturated. The process of ‘acculturation’ refers to the process of the integration of ethnic minorities into the mainstream culture of their environment. There has been research implying that acculturation has the tendency to reduce the feelings of inadequacy and helps minorities to feel a part of their ethnic group and the mainstream culture (La Fromboise et al., 1993). In the Hispanic population, acculturation has become more and more prevalent and despite this, there are still some cultural traits that Hispanic individuals possess, which in turn come into conflict with American culture. Lee et al (2006) has mentioned that cultural differences plays a part in affecting the organizational goals and objectives of an administration. The enormous changes in demographics within the 21st century has meant that postmodernism became one of the main players in the 2008 presidential elections. According to Sanchez & Fernandez (1993), Hispanic identity has been defined as the level to which individuals

Mentorship For Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mentorship For Nursing - Essay Example Consequentially, mentors are responsible for and can enhance the quality of mentoring culture in clinical settings. How to promote effective mentorship is a difficult question, but it is clear that a good mentor will avoid the errors of over-protection and the flaws of the master-protege relationship, but will display appreciation of students’ efforts, demonstrate genuine concern for their successes and promote mutuality and reciprocity in their relations with students. Mentorship is becoming a critical instrument of growing professional nurses. With the shortage of professional nursing staff, mentorship has a potential to expand the pool of professional, caring nurses in healthcare. â€Å"Mentorship initiatives, especially in hospital settings, are being introduced and fostered to attract nurses to healthcare systems with the primary goals of nursing retention and support† (Block et al 134). However, mentorship is not good by itself; rather, good mentorship is the key to developing and retaining professional nursing staff (Jarvis 415). Much has been written and said about factors affecting mentorship and mentored students, in particular. Apart from the fact that students assessed formatively on their hand washing skills experience anxiety and anticipation, formative assessment also exemplifies the final product of the long process of mentoring and can be used to expose the flaws and inconsistencies in student-mentor relations. A student assessed formatively on their hand washing skills is primarily influenced by the quality of their relationship with the mentor, mentor guidance, culture, and leadership style (Bally 144; Bell-Ellison & Dedrick 556-7; Littlejohn 456; Saarikoski 1016). Guidance affects the quality of nursing student results, as it represents routine elements of daily cooperation with students, including problem-solving activities and planning formative assessment of the basic nursing skills (Bell-Ellison & Dedrick 556; Berk et al 70 ). The quality of the student’s presentation is profoundly influenced by their relationship with the mentor; this relationship incorporates a complex set of elements, including student and mentor’s personal problems, worldview, and social activities (Bell-Ellison & Dedrick 557). One important aspect that influences both the relationship and the results of formative assessment is the mentor’s leadership style, as well as the supervision system (Saarikoski 1016). Simply stated, how the student is assessed and what skills he (she) develops as a result of the mentorship program largely depends upon the quality of mentor’s supervision and their understanding of the students’ experiences, contexts, and cultures (Saarikoski 1016). The importance of the mentorship-culture relationship can hardly be overstated. Successful mentors must be able to create a â€Å"full† picture of the organization and leadership, by recognizing a complex interrelationshi p between mentorship, leadership and organizational culture (Bally 144; Callahan & Ruchlin 296; Neuhauser 471). This picture will help nursing mentors to understand how various aspects of one and the same culture interact. The choice of particular leadership style must also depend upon the culture, in which students and mentors interact, since no mentorship will work when there is no leadership-culture congruence