Assignment 480 ch.6 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

480 ch.6 - Assignment Example This is therefore, a crucial process that will help match the goals and values of the hospital with the needs and expectations of the new employee. The essay will outline the process that will be used in hiring a nurse and develop a job description for this position. As earlier stated, the hospital does not have both the job description, and the hiring procedure. As a human resource specialist, my first objective will to develop the description and specifications of the job, and in our case is nursing. Job analysis is the first step when developing a job description. This will include gathering data on the nature, and position of the job vacancy at the hospital (Arthur, 2012). This will help determine the personal characteristic, knowledge, skills, and other characteristics, (KSAOs), that the job demands. The data gathered will be recorded in a document entailing the specifications and descriptions of the job. The two documents will aid the recruiters and applicants on learning the objectives and requirements of the job vacancy. The second step will involve developing a hiring procedure/process for the hospital. The role of the hiring procedure is to ensure that the hiring is in accordance the values, capacities, and need of the hospital. Additionally, it helps in identification of the system and tools that will aid the hiring process (Arthur, 2012). For the hospital to hire the best candidate there is need for the presence of a large number of applicants. The applicants are informed through employee referral, advertisements, walk-ins, and school recruiters, depending on the cost, time, and resources available. Selection techniques are then employed to ensure the candidate who is best qualified is selected for the job. Scientific selection methods are also employed when selecting the employee. In our case, the hiring procedure will be simple but effective since it is only meant to address one

Issues in eDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Issues in eDUCATION - Essay Example In order to provide a good quality education to students, teachers should develop new teaching and learning strategies that could increase the students’ motivation in learning. By doing so, school teachers will be able to convert the students’ negative learning attitude into a positive attitude and behaviour. (Schweinle et al., 2006) For the purpose of this study, the researcher will discuss the factors that could increase the students’ misbehaviour inside the classroom including: (1) the size of the classroom; (2) differences in learning capabilities of each student within an inclusive classroom; (3) Medical or Genetic Factors; (4) school teachers’ inability to develop an outstanding classroom environment that could increase the students’ curiosity in learning; and (5) other factors: boredom in class or frustration in learning. Knowing these factors will enable the readers to have a better idea on how to control the students’ misbehaviour in class. As part of controlling the students’ misbehaviour, the researcher will first examine the difference between disciplinary actions using the managerial and educational activity prior to concluding which among the two methods are more effective in managing a class. Among the five possible factors that could increase the student’s misbehaviour inside the classroom including: (1) classroom size; (2) differences in learning capabilities of each student within an inclusive classroom; (3) medical or genetic factors; (4) school teachers’ failure to develop an outstanding classroom environment that could increase the students’ curiosity in learning; and (5) other factors that could cause boredom in class or frustration in learning; the most important factor that school teachers should artistically learn to control within an inclusive classroom is the medical and genetic factors. This is primarily because other factors could

American industry during the era from the late 19th century to the Essay

American industry during the era from the late 19th century to the 1930s - Essay Example The prime purpose of the paper is to present and discuss about the influence of managers and workers towards controlling of wage structure and application of newly used methods other than strike. The history of labour in United States is determined as the history of working people and organized labour. The umbrella labour federations of organized unions consist of citywide federations and AFL-CIO have merged, evolved, split, participate and fought against the periodic federal government interference and changing priorities. In 1894, Samuel Gompers was elected as AFL-CIO leader. At the time of emergence of mechanization, it has become pivotal to replace machines from highly skilled craftspeople. At the time of late 19th century to early part of 20th century, most of the Americans left small towns and farms to work in factories which was effectively categorized by steep hierarchy and organized by mass production. The effect of industrialization has been enormous on working people and result of the alteration of worker lead to the increase in the competition of jobs, loss of the bargaining power and lack of personality on relationships between employer-employee in any new organization1. Unskilled labours were paid less. Moreover, the working condition was often dangerous and unhealthy. The increase of industrialization and rapid upsurge of economic growth meant that percentage of wages growth from 1860 to 1890 in United States was around 60%2. The wage structures for American skilled workers are much higher than that of other countries in Europe. Under the leadership of Samuel Gompers, the Federation of Organized Labour and Trade Unions came in to existence. It has been estimated that between year 1881 and 1905, more than 37,000 strikes were organized by the labour unions. The influence of managers and workers has been supreme towards the formation of strikes. The main goal for occurrence of routine events of

Human Immune System Essay Example for Free

Human Immune System Essay None of these things are able to get in when your immune system is working, but the moment your immune system stops the door is wide open. Once you die it only takes a few weeks for these organisms to completely dismantle your body and carry it away, until all thats left is a skeleton. The human immune system is made up of a number of interdependent cell types which collectively protect the persons body from various parasitic, fungal, bacterial and viral infections, as well as from the growth of tumor cells. | A number of these cell types have specialized functions, are able to kill parasites, engulf bacteria, or kill tumor cells or viral-infected cells. Frequently, these cells are dependent upon the, T, helper subset for activation signals in the form of secretions which are more formally referred to as, Lymphokines, Cytokines, or specifically as, Interleukins. An understanding of the T helper subset may assist in comprehension of the root of immune deficiencies, as well as perception of the potential avenues that the human immune system can be modulated in the case of particular diseases. Immune Response The presence of an APC, combined with a T cell or B cell, is required in order for there to be an immune response to a foreign antigen. Should an APC present an antigen on its cell surface to a B cell, for example, the B cell is signaled to proliferate and produce antibodies. The antibodies then specifically bind to that antigen. If the antibodies bind to antigens on parasites or bacteria, it acts as a signal for macrophages or PMNs to engulf and kill them. One addition and important function of antibodies is to start something referred to as a, Complement Destruction Cascade. When antibodies bind to bacteria or cells, serum proteins referred to as, Complement, first bind to immobilized antibodies, and then destroy the bacteria through creating holes in the bacteria. Antibodies may also signal macrophages and natural killer cells to kill bacterial infected cells or viral cells. Aids The fight between the virus and the immune system for supremacy is continuous. Our b ody responds to this onslaught through production of more T-cells, some of which mature to become helper T-cells. The virus eventually infects these targets and eliminates them, too. More T-cells are produced; these too become infected, and are killed by the virus. This fight may continue for up to ten years before the body eventually succumbs, apparently because of the inability to any-longer produce T-cells. This loss of helper T-cells finally results in the complete inability of our body to ward-off even the weakest of organisms (all kinds of bacteria and viruses other than HIV) which are normally not ever a problem to us. This acquired condition of immunodeficiency is called, AIDS.

Addiction and Behavior Essay Example for Free

Addiction and Behavior Essay Thesis Statement: In this paper, I will try and analyze addiction and the various behaviors that addiction will induce in an individual, and I will also describe the kinds of addiction that an average individual is prone to, and research the efforts that are being made for an addict to try to control his offensive behavior brought on by his addiction. Experts feel and do stress on the fact that addictions and compulsions of any kind stem and originate from an overwhelming feeling of not being in control of one’s life, and a need to gain some form of control over events that seem to be overtaking him or her. Certain addictions, however, possess genetic components, and are generally passed on within the family, where one member may have been addicted or been prone to compulsive behaviors. He may have inadvertently passed on this behavior to the next generation, and in these cases, this vicious cycle would continue. Addictions can be of several kinds. One such compulsion is that of an addiction to drugs or other substances, and another is an obsession for sex. Eating disorders can also qualify as addictions of compulsions, and overspending, gambling and overworking too are obsessive and compulsive disorders. According to experts, â€Å"The power of fantasy is the enduring power of addiction†, wherein an addict may be prone to developing fantasies of having gained a sense of control over his life, because of his addiction. The addict would then be quite unwilling to give up these drug induced fantasies and enter a normal life again, and this can be one of the major problems that an addict may face at the time when he is addicted; no matter what his addiction may be. The addicted individual would more often than not choose to induce mood changes in himself, instead of trying to address the actual causes of the stresses that he is faced with. Take for example an alcoholic; he would prefer to drink and blame the failure of his marriage on his spouse, rather than face the underlying issues behind the failure of his marriage. In this lies the causes and the reasons for his continued addiction to alcohol. Take the example of a money addict. This individual would prefer to binge on a spending spree, rather than face the underlying money issues, and making use of the money to settle his debts. In short, an addict behaves in such a way that he believes with strong conviction that no matter what stresses life may have to throw at him, he would be able to face them all, as long as he has his own addiction to get him through life’s tough situations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Earll, Steven, 2004) As a result of extensive scientific research done through the years, today one can be reasonably sure that addiction as such can be qualified as a disease that affects one’s brain as well as one’s behaviors. It is interesting to note that in the past, scientists attributed addictive behaviors related to drug and alcohol abuse to the fact that the user lacked in willpower, and that he could, if he wished to, bring an end to his addictions. This was the view that shaped most of society’s responses to addicts; an addict was viewed as a morally flawed individual, who displayed serious moral failing by being unable to control his own behaviors. It is only today that the average individual is able to comprehend the basic fact that addiction may be the result of a combination of different factors, and that it can must be treated as a disease than could cause great harm to one’s health. Scientists today use this vital knowledge to create and develop effective methods of treatment, which would be able to reduce the toll that addiction has on the individual’s family and friends. Today, preventive drug abuse has gained precedence over other forms of treatment, and this has been proven to help addicts get over their addictions with a reasonable amount of success. Drug addiction or abuse as such can be described as a chronic and relapsing disease that affects the brain of the user, despite the user being aware of the fact that such abuse can result in grave consequences for him in the long run. One must remember that the longer an individual is addicted to drugs, the more harmful the impact of the drugs on his brain, and the more harmful his behavior may become. To understand the true nature of addiction, one must first try to understand why people take drugs, and exactly why they become addicted to drugs and other substances. One of the more important and one of the first reasons according to researchers is that an individual starts taking drugs so that he may feel good. Most drugs induce a sense of great pleasure in the individual who has taken them, and more importantly, the user feels a sense of power, self confidence and self assurance that he would never feel in normal life. Perhaps, the sense of power, feelings of relaxation and of intense satisfaction that the drugs have given him induces him to take more, and then some more, until the time when he can no longer control his intake, and at which time he is considered to be addicted. Individuals, who may suffer from feelings of acute anxiety, or from stress related disorders, or from clinical depression, are also prone to use drugs to help them overcome these feelings. Some others may feel that drugs may help them perform better, like for example an athlete, who may take performance enhancing drugs that would help him win. Adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to drug addiction, perhaps because of peer pressure, or simply because ‘others are doing it, why not me?’ the sad fact is that although drugs may offer the user a sense of satisfaction and power at the outset, it is true that as time goes by, the user will feel that he has to take more quantities of the same drug, if he wished to achieve the same feelings of euphoria and pleasure. It is at this time that the user realizes that he would not be able to function without a ‘fix’, at which time he may be considered an ‘addict’. Drug addicts reach a point of time when they pursue the drug as if it were a lifeline, regardless of the behavioral problems that the Drug usage may cause in them, and the trouble that they may be causing others around them, because of the drug usage and addiction. It is at this point of time that drug usage becomes known as drug abuse and addiction, and it is at this point that the addict’s self control becomes severely strained and impaired. Scientists have conducted brain imaging and mapping studies of drug addicts, and the findings show that for addicted individuals, physical changes become evident in the areas of the brain that would normally control judgment, decision making, memory, and even behavior control. These are the changes in the brain that affect the addict’s behaviors, and they may well be able to shed light on the compulsive and the addictive behaviors displayed by an addict. A tragic factor is that an adolescent’s brain continues to develop and grow into adulthood, and when the adolescent uses drugs and becomes addicted to them, then he undergoes dramatic changes in his pre-frontal cortex, that area of the brain that would enable him to assess a particular give situation, make decisions based on his judgment of that situation, and keep his desires and yearnings under control, as any normal adolescent would do. This means that the adolescent would be forced to lose control over a given situation, and submit to the influence of drug addiction on his behavior. Therefore, say experts, introducing drugs or other substances at this stage of development would automatically have a long lasting negative impact on the young person who has become addicted. (Volkow, D Nora (2007)

Analysis of Quality Improvement Initiative

Analysis of Quality Improvement Initiative With reference to the practice development literature, critically discuss the principles informing a quality improvement initiative in your area of practice as a Community Registered General Nurse Introduction The purpose of this assignment is to critically analyse a quality improvement initiative, namely the updating of care plans and other documentation within the student’s area of practice, which is Community Nursing. The chosen initiative has occurred within the framework of practice development. The concept of practice development originates from the 1980s when Nursing Development Units (NDUs) were established with the aim of advancing the profession of nursing in order to benefit both patient care and the profession (Bassett and McSherry 2002). Practice development is becoming a part of every Trust’s strategy, being seen as an essential requirement for modernising health care. A key component of practice development is the integration of research- based evidence into practice. Another key element of practice development is Total Quality Management (TQM), a process that involves quality assessment, quality improvement and quality assurance (Blackie and Appleby 1998).Clinical governance is a system whereby health care providers are accountable for the provision of quality services (McSherry et al 2002). Magnet hospitals provide an example of centres of excellence that actively demonstrate high standards of care (UK healthcare 2007). Practice development also involves increased interprofessional working and the empowerment of patients and clients, thus embracing the concept of consumerism (Chin 2003). Consumerism within healthcare refers to its recipients having more informed expectations about healthcare provision and being able to articulate these (Gough P 2002). In Ireland the Commission on Nursing (1998) recognised that increasingly, people are being cared for in the community as opposed to other settings and accordingly made recommendations for the development of public health nursing with more emphasis to be placed on health promotion and prevention, thus paving the way for practice development within community nursing. Inevitably practice development involves change. Within healthcare there have been several areas of reform, which have been influenced by social, economic and political factors (Brooks and Brown 2002). As a result health care services need to be responsive to the need for change. Theoretical overview This section will further examine the relationships between practice development, quality issues and change theory, with particular emphasis on the implementation of change. Practice development is a continuous process of improvement that works towards the transformation of care. It is a process that requires management, in order to advance its progress, which needs to be done in a systematic and rigorous way (Titchen and Higgs 2001a). In some areas facilitators have been appointed with the specific remit of advancing practice development; elsewhere practice development units have been established (Bournemouth University 2007a). Practice development is said to dovetail with clinical governance standards (Bournemouth University 2007b) and is linked to quality issues in the following ways: by empowering healthcare professionals, patients/ clients and carers; by promoting a client- centred approach towards delivery of care; by promoting interprofessional communication and collaboration; by working towards clinical governance; by facilitating the selection, recruitment and retention of quality staff; by influencing organisation strategy in line with National Policy and by drawing upon the knowledge and skill of identified experts. An essential element for the delivery of quality care is evidence- based practice (Parsley and Corrigan 1999). As highlighted within the introduction, an important element of practice development is ensuring that practice is informed by research. Strategies for introducing research into nursing practice include the creation of nurse researcher posts; encouraging nurses to access continuing development opportunities that will enhance their research skills, promoting research- mindedness as well as research activity; making research findings accessible to practitioners; forging stronger links between educational institutions and clinical practice areas and setting- up journal clubs. Because of the developing nature of the discipline, community nurses are often involved in research activity whether as participants or researchers (Lawton et al 2000). However there is evidence to indicate that not all nurses are actively basing their practice on research findings; some are neither researc h active nor research- minded, so there is developmental work needed in this area (Banning 2005). As previously identified within the introduction, it is inevitable that practice development involves the need for change.(Titchen and Higgs 2001b). The change strategies framework by Bennis (1976) provides a useful model for understanding and challenging the different assumptions we have about what effectively brings about change. The framework includes three strategies for bringing about change which are based on different assumptions about human behaviour, and which involve three distinctly different approaches. The first strategy (rational- empirical), is based on the supposition that ‘knowledge is power’. Within this strategy it is assumed that an individual will change in response to receiving reliable and valid information. For example, if a manager in a healthcare setting wishes to initiate change, this strategy would involve giving information to the healthcare practitioners involved, that includes valid reasons for making changes to their practice. The reality is that people are often resistant to change and may adopt certain strategies in an attempt to avoid change. For example, they might adopt Freudian mental defence mechanisms, which are (in this case) maladaptive coping strategies used to circumvent evidence that change is necessary. These include denial, intellectualisation (which i nvolves citing contradictory evidence), or rationalisation, among others (Lupton 1995). Resorting to these defences can undermine the power of knowledge and evidence, however valid and reliable it is. The second strategy (power- coercive) involves the use of legislation and policy change in order to enforce health- related change. Within this strategy, a manager would use power, authority and/ or disciplinary procedures to bring about changes in practice. Inevitably there are some legislative and policy changes that inform practice, so there will be times when this strategy is used. The first two strategies adopt a ‘top- down’ approach whereas the third strategy (normative- re-educative) is based on the assumption that an individual is more likely to change if they have had involvement in bringing about the change; if they feel empowered. According to Wheeler and Grice (2000), this last approach is critical if the enthusiasm and cooperation of those affected by the change process is to be gained. This is the approach that the student aimed to use when putting her chosen change initiative into practice, which is analysed within the next section. Practice Development initiative The chosen initiative was to update care plans and other documentation. As nurses we are accountable through our documentation; there could be legal consequences to what we write (Richmond and Whiteley 1999). Care plans and other nursing documentation are essential communication tools. The language used therefore, should be clear and unambiguous, and avoid the use of abbreviations. A well- written care plan should provide all the information that a nurse needs to provide comprehensive care to a patient. A care plan should not just be a ‘paper exercise’ but an integral part of nursing activity. The need for this change initiative was identified by staff, patients and management. This was a promising start as the drivers for the change came from everybody who would be affected by it. As the last section proposed, change is more likely to be taken on board if all involved have been included within the decision- making process. It was found that the existing care plans were insufficient for use with a client- group who have increasingly complex needs. Care plans are based on nursing models, which are derived from nursing theory. Nursing theory is a knowledge base that has been developed specifically for nursing. Practice development and research contributes towards the continued development of nursing theory. A nursing model is a conceptual framework; a blueprint for nursing practice. The appropriateness of nursing documentation contributes towards closing the theory- practice gap. We should therefore review our nursing documentation at regular intervals and strive for excellence in relation to these tools. The model of choice for the revised care plans was Orem’s Self- Care Model which is based on the belief that the individual has a need for self- care actions, and that nursing can assist in meeting that need. This model is widely used in all areas of nursing. Orem suggests that a person needs nursing care when the person has a health- related self- care deficit. She has defined three nursing/ care systems based on the premise that the nursing/ care system depends on the self- care needs and abilities of the clients: wholly compensatory the nurse gives total care to meet all needs; partly compensatoryboth the nurse and the client perform care measures; supportive- educative the client can carry out self- care activities but requires assistance (Taylor et al 1997). The emphasis on self- care within this model was the rationale for choosing this model for use within a community setting where frequently the nurse works in partnership with the patient and their informal carers and facilitates the reduction of their dependence on her, as the ability of the patient to be self- caring increases. With most if not all, change processes there are factors that can be harnessed to drive change, and there are factors which impede or restrain, change. A model which can be used to identify driving and restraining factors is forcefield analysis (Martin and Whiteley 2003). This enables us to identify and work with, both the negative and positive forces. In relation to the change initiative i.e. updating care plans and other documentation, the driving forces were identified as: the commitment of most staff; strong leadership and a generally agreed need for an increased customer focus. The restraining forces were identified as: resistance from a small number of staff; lack of time to devote to the project and the need for education and training in the effective and consistent use of care plans. It was essential that the tools to be developed met with recognised quality standards and guidelines; therefore the developmental work was informed by the Irish Health Services Accreditation Board (2007). The Board is concerned with quality and safety issues across the health care system in Ireland. The values which underpin its work; patient- centredness; integrity and accountability; excellence, innovation and partnership provided us with an excellent framework upon which to base the development of the new care plans. The change initiative could also be described as a benchmarking project (Pickering and Thompson 2003). Benchmarking involves: the sharing of best practice; user involvement; a user- focused approach; the use of an evidence- based approach and the use of stepping stones to work towards the benchmark (NHS Modernisation Agency 2001). As far as possible the initiative was designed to meet these criteria. Drawing upon the principles of the forcefield analysis outcomes, the guidance provided by the Irish Health Services Accreditation Board and the benchmarking criteria, the project was designed as follows: A working group was set up to represent the views and input of all who would be affected by the change which included user representation. It was hoped that if those affected by the change were involved in the development of the initiative from the start, then they would be more committed towards it. Staff who showed an initial resistance tended to become more enthusiastic about the project once they became involved in the initiative. Time issues were addressed by delegating aspects of the work to different people, which was coordinated by a project manager. By breaking the task down into manageable parts, these became the ‘stepping stones’ of this benchmark project and helped to promote involvement from different people. Assistance from the Education Institution with which we are associated was mobilised in order to provide the essential theoretical input and to provide some education and training regarding the principles of care planning, which addressed one of the identified restraining forces. Care plans from other areas were also scrutinised (with permission) in the spirit of sharing best practice (derived from the benchmarking criteria), in order to gain new ideas that might help to inform our work. Once the new documentation had been developed, it was piloted to test its effectiveness. A patient survey (Graves 2002) was conducted to gather their views about the newly- developed documentation. The final version of the new care plan and other documentation was produced and introduced to all staff with some training sessions to support this new initiative. The use of the new documentation will be monitored and its effectiveness will be regularly evaluated. Conclusion and Recommendations Practice development is about continually improving our practice, which should be evidence- based. We should increasingly work in partnership with patients/ clients and their informal carers. Practice development has implications for change. With any change there are both driving and restraining forces, and those affected by change may be resistant towards it. Change therefore, needs to be managed. We can draw on change theory to inform the management of change. A learning outcome from the change initiative described above is that people are more likely to be responsive to change if they are involved in all stage of the change process. Other important aspects of the change process were the sharing of knowledge, the integration of theory and practice with input from academics and working in partnership with those ultimately affected by the change initiative i.e. the patients/ clients and their informal carers. References Banning M. Conceptions of evidence, evidence-based medicine, evidence-based practice and their use in nursing: independent nurse prescribers views. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 14(4) 2005. 411-417 Bassett and McSherry Practice Development in the Clinical Setting: A Guide to ImplementationNelson Thornes 2002. p. 11-12. Blackie C and Appleby F. Community Health Care Nursing. Elsevier Health Sciences. 1998 p. Bournemouth University. Institute of health and Community Studies. Practice Development Unit: What is a PDU? http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/ihcs/pduwhat.html. Accessed: 20th January 2007. Brooks, I. Brown, R. The role of ritualistic ceremonial in removing barriers between subcultures in the National Health Service. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 38 (4) 2002 341 – 352. Chin H. Practice Development: A Framework Toward Modernizing Health Care in the United States and the United Kingdom and a Means Toward Building International Communities of Learning and Practice. Home Health Care Management Practice, 2003 15 (5), 423-428 Commission on Nursing. Report of the Commoission on Nursing: A blueprint fro the future. Stationery Office. 1998. p. 8. Gough P. Churchill Livingstones Guide to Professional Healthcare. Elsevier Health Sciences. 2002. p. 36. Graves P. Quantifying Quality in Primary Care. Radcliffe Publishing. 2002. p. 246 Irish Health Services Accreditation Board. Mission, Vision and Values. http://www.ihsab.ie/mission_statement.html Accessed: 20th January 2007. Lawton S Cantrell J and Harris J. District Nursing.: Providing Care in a Supportive Context. Elsevire Health Sciences. 2000. p. 109. Lupton D. The Imperative of Health: public health and the regulated body. Sage Publications. 1995. p. 111. Martin and Whiteley. Leading Change in Health and Social Care. Routledge. 2003. pp. 160-162 NHS Modernisation Agency. Essence of Care: patient- focused benchmarks for clinical governance. 2001. Department of Health. Parsley K and Corrigan P. Quality Improvement in Health Care: putting evidence into practice Nelson Thornes. 1999. p. 2. Pickering S and Thompson J. Clinical Governance and Best Value: Meeting the Modernisation Agenda. Elsevier Health Sciences. 2003. p. 164. Richmond J and Whiteley R Nursing Documentation: writing what we do. Ausmed publications. 1999. pp. 2,3. Taylor C. Lillis C and LeMone P Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care Stanley Thornes and Lippincott 1997 Titchen A and Higgs J. Professional Practice in Health, Education and the Creative Arts. Blackwell publishing. 2001. pp. 186-7 UK Healthcare. Magnet Status Fact sheet. http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/publications/healthfocus/fact_sheets/magnetfst.htm . Accessed: 20th January 2007. Wheeler N and Grice D. Management in Health Care. Nelson Thornes. 2000. p. 136.

Ashcan School :: essays research papers

ASHCAN SCHOOL The Ashcan School was a movement which was integral and in a way 1 inevitable with the infancy of the twentieth century. This movement in art was brought about by a handful of artists who converged on New York City around the turn of the century.2 The major Ashcan artists who will be discussed later are Robert Henry ( 1865- 1929), George Luks (1866- 1933), Everett Shinn (1876- 1953), George Bellows (1882- 1925), John Sloan (1871- 1951), and William Glackens ( 1870- 1938).3 These were the major members of the Ashcan School. This is a group of artists who are credited with documenting the ordinary life on a human level in New York City during this incredible time of transformation. Because of these artists we have a picture of New York not based on the monuments or buildings but based on the interaction and the coexistence of the people who shaped the society which was emerging. The island of Manhattan was consolidated into the greater New York City in 1898. Because of this the city was transformed from a nineteenth century seaport with cobblestone streets into a twentieth century metropolis of skyscrapers and subways. The artists of the Ashcan movement saw this changing society in human terms. They saw this in a light which depicted the interaction of so many different cultures which were being thrust together. They documented these changes on a level which the ordinary person could understand. Because of the Ashcan School we have a picture of society which one really cannot understand amidst the overpowering spectacle of overpowering buildings and increasing technology.4 To understand the Ashcan movement it is necessary to look more closely at some of the major artists who were involved. George Bellows moved to New York in 1904 after he dropped out of Ohio State University following his junior year. Once in New York he enrolled in classes at The New York School of Art. He quickly became Robert Henri's star pupil and valued friend. Bellows was fascinated by New York City. He attempted to capture in his art the social change which he noticed in the city. By the time he was twenty four his art had the attention of the cities leading critics, and his work was shown regularly at exhibitions at the national academy of design. Bellows became the youngest artist ever to elected an associate of the National Academy of Design in 1909.