Film Database

[sedagrrl]

Elderberries Podcast Link

https://soundcloud.com/user-101406347

@gittastuff, @evanwlove, @gr00k

[gittastuff-blog]

Susie Coleman from Wit (2001)

My character is a nurse named Susie from the movie “Wit”. I am charged with the care of a woman who has a untreatable case of ovarian cancer and have to tell her family that she has ordered a DNR, or “Do Not Resuscitate” order as if her heart stops beating, she does not want to be revived. I chose this character as I aspire to be a nurse practitioner and will have to experience these disheartening challenges.

                                         Clades Hospital

                                           53643 Washington St

                                            Fairfax, VA 22032

                                            (823)-533-5365

June 20, 2018

Jane Metter

123 Love St

Burke, VA 22015

Dear Family and Loved Ones to Ms. Metter,

With this letter, I regretfully enclose the details on your family member’s, Ms. Katherine Metter, wishes for her remaining treatment at Clades Hospital.

I would like to first inform you that the medical team of Clades Hospital has tirelessly exhausted all possible care plans as well as treatments for Katherine. She herself has been strong in her efforts with the multiple chemotherapy sessions, as well as every possible mixture of drug and treatment combination. Though we have been able to severely shrink the tumor in her left ovary, the cancer has began to spread to other places in her body. Upon us informing Ms. Metter on her condition she asked us to give her a DNR, or a “Do Not Resuscitate” order so that when her heart fails, we are legally unable to resuscitate her. She has asked me to write this letter to you to inform of her decision, and wishes for your understanding and support.

If you would like to visit Katherine to discuss this, she is available for visitation during 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day.

Thank you for your constant support for Katherine in her fight and your cooperation with the medical care team of Clades Hospital. If you have any questions regarding anything please feel free to contact me at 563-636-5245 or email me at [email protected]. I wish you all well.

Sincerely,                                                                                                         Susie Coleman

Susie Coleman, ADNP

Nurse Practitioner

Clades Hospital

[sedagrrl]

Awesome job at the creative email and it was nice to see a connection between you and the character you chose. It is a very disheartening case to see, and the email captured it well; it seemed telling of the character, even though I haven’t seen the film. There were some minor grammatical or formatting errors in the beginning and end, but overall a great creative work!

[barco96-blog]

Farm Supervisor

There really isn’t to many movies about the agriculture industry that demonstrates the prospective of a farm supervisor or ranch hand which is the position I am pursuing. So one show that represents my field is The Ranch and the character I see myself as is Colt Bennet which is played by Ashton Kutcher. Colt Bennet is the youngest sibling in the family as I am in mine and he does not get the recognition he deserves from his dad which is also his boss and I as well don’t when I work for my family on the farm. I am writing a memo of resignation as Colt to his father which demonstrates course themes of communication in the workplace when rhetorical situations are present such as being overlooked in the workplace. I look forward to the day where I can do this to my family and potentially be there boss one day.

Date: June 20, 2018

To: Beau Bennet

From: Colt Bennet, Ranch hand

Subject: Resignation

Today is a sad day because I am writing to inform you my resignation with Iron River Ranch as your ranch hand. It breaks my heart having to do this because this is our family ranch and it has been passed down from generation to generation. You have taught me everything I know and I could not be more thankful for the knowledge you have provided me over the years working under you.

It is in my best interest to part ways with the family business and start my own because I have

not been given the respect or recognition for the amount of work I have done. I just wanted to take the time and thank you for raising me the way you did because you made me the man I am today. Without you I would not be the rancher I am today and I am forever grateful for everything you have done for me.

Thank you for everything you have done for me, but it is in my best interest to part ways.

[sedagrrl]

It is nice to see the connections between you and the character and why you decided to choose him. Perhaps you could have included some parts of analysis or connections from what we learned in the course. There are also punctuation and spelling errors here and there, the last paragraphs seem to be oddly split in half at “have....not been given the respect”. Overall, nice character choice

[sedagrrl]

Russell, Pharmacist Two and a Half Men

From the comical sitcom, Two and a Half Men, Russell is the problematic pharmacist friend of main character, Charlie. Russell has a series of short but memorable appearances in the show, portraying him as a corrupt pharmacist that both sells and uses illegal drugs. He proceeds with “what are you, a cop?” every time someone asks if a prescription is needed, or advertising new forms of drugs, usually containing codeine, such as the codeine popsicle. He owns a pharmacy that Charlie visits whenever he has trouble sleeping, or for advice on ailments that his friends may have. It is continually mentioned that he is struggling to pay his massive alimony to his three ex-wives, as well as child support for his children. This is most likely the reason for his frequent medication abuse and advertisement of illegal items; in order to support his families, he acts more like an entrepreneur/businessman than a health care professional. Since he usually promotes his business through advertisements, here are the lyrics for a promotional song/ jingle for a commercial set to sponsor Russell’s pharmacy:

If you're here to purchase Vicks

But you don’t want the conflicts

Move along to my shop

and obtain your quick fix

The first sample is free 

if the resident plug is me.

Are you looking for cough syrup?

Is it general or codeine?

When my service is desired

No prescription is required

Do not try to get me fired

I’m not a phoney

But I’ve been divorced three times

So I need money for the alimony

There’s only benefits to gain, do not involve the feds

And be sure to stop by Russell’s Meds!

As is shown above, these lyrics are descriptive of Russell’s comedic personality and his personal life. I chose this character, not only because he is in my field, but because it is highly impressionable due to place a pharmacist into a comedy sitcom with a parodied sense of morality. The above lyrics highlight an ethical dilemma between Russell’s personal ethics and the justice and well-being of the consumers that buy the medications from his pharmacy. Russell’s right to pursue happiness in supporting his family and promoting his business does not outweigh the absence of justice in selling potentially unsafe medications to customers without prescriptions . The illegal drug misuse could lead to his demise, but also jeopardize the health of many consumers, putting them at risk of addiction or allergic reactions, as Russell does not make them show a prescription. It also conflicts with the law itself (justice), that the selling of drugs is illegal. It does not appeal to utility either because utilitarianism is the greatest good for the greatest number of people; if the patients get sick, only Russell will benefit, not the majority. 

[gittastuff-blog]

MRIs Scamming the Not-so Sick

How many times have you been referred to receive an MRI in your life? You may have been in a mild car accident once and went to the doctor for some slight neck pain and they immediately tell you to get an MRI scan, even though you most likely just have slight ship lash. Though the invention of the MRI has saved thousands of lives, it has also filled the pockets of doctors who prescribe their patients to use it. This can easily lead to a bias in doctors who want to make a little cash with patients that have nothing wrong with them. 

 Back in 1990, the Government Accountability Office found that Florida doctors ordered 3x as many MRIs, 2x as many CTs and 5x as many ultrasounds if they owed a piece of imaging service. Even though Congress has been attempting to cut down on these self-refferals, claiming they promote doctors to order unnecessary test and inflate health care costs, yet there are loopholes. Doctors are still able to refer patients to scanners/MRIs in their own building, and since time-shares are allowed, doctors are able to send patients during hours they own the machine.

 Looking at doctors who do not have any skin in the game, patients who they prescribe for an MRI only have 23% outcomes with no abnormalities compared to doctors who do receive profit have 42% patients with no abnormalities. This is an issues that must be made aware to the public as these costs are driving up the cost of healthcare and the bills of patients who may not

[sedagrrl]

This is a really great point to make, I agree that there is a general overuse of MRIs by doctors. When I was in the backseat of a car accident, I was barely touched by the air bags, and doctors only said I had bruised muscles, but suggested an MRI just in case. Many patients may not need MRIs, but doctors and other health care professionals may misrepresent issues in order to make more profit. Good analysis.

[barco96-blog]

Florida Panther Population Misreported

For years now people still believe that the Florida panther population is still an endangered species. When people think of the Florida Panther they think of this beautiful puma because it is has been our state animal since 1981. The fact is, that this large cat is becoming a problem to Southwest Florida as the population keeps rising. Just last week on June 5th, a panther was caught on a security camera killing a family’s pet cat from Naples, Florida where I am from. This could have been someone’s child being mauled by this beast. Now neighbors are terrified and on the alert because of their kids and pets that play outside. Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission needs to do a better job of controlling the panther population to designated wildlife areas such as Big Cypress National Preserve or Everglades National Park.

If FWC wants to save the panther population they need to keep track of the panthers to make sure they stay away from rural areas that cause fatalities to cats by vehicles hitting them. Last year in 2017, twenty-eight panthers died while 23 where by road kill and in 2016 the record was set with 42 overall deaths with 34 being vehicle kills. These deaths just prove that the panther population is thriving and eventually will get out of control because the Florida Panther has no predator to control its population. Panther crossings could also benefit the panther population and the problem of the interaction with people and their pets. Designated wildlife crossings could save panthers from being hit by cars and family pets being killed. I myself have seen two panthers in one day on my friends farm in Labelle, Florida.

The Florida Panther is thriving and needs to be controlled to wildlife conservation areas. Panthers also attack farmers livestock such as baby calves which is how most farmers make their living by raising cattle. Panthers are not endangered and if you’re from South Florida you can see the significance drop in population to other wildlife such as hogs and deer. I myself have seen two adult panthers in one day on the farm.

[sedagrrl]

While I cannot be sure that they are thriving, I do not doubt that the Florida panther populations were often misreported as endangered. I agree that this could be a dangerous issue if the panthers are not moved to wildlife areas and kept away from areas with people and families. The FWC should make a count of how many there are and work to secure their habitats. 

[sedagrrl]

The Polypharmacy Epidemic and Elderly Americans

As you may have seen on television news or within your families, as people age, the amount of medications they take normally increases. The media advertises this occurrence as a commonplace phenomenon, when really it is the continuation of a polypharmacy drug crisis. Doctors and pharmacists, presumably those interested in doing business, dismisses the hazards of over-prescribing drugs to the elderly, maintaining that is normal to take more than 20 drugs to treat acid reflux, heart disease, insomnia, or other ailments. Research shows that 25 percent people from ages 65 to 69 take five or more prescription drugs at a time, and 46% of 70 to 79 year-olds take five or more to treat their chronic health conditions. While opioid prescription abuse is highly publicized, the over medication of the elderly is often overlooked or dismissed. The issue of the health hazards that result from elderly citizens and the polypharmacy approach (multiple medications used simultaneously) is high underreported; the media and doctors have tried to cover it up for years, despite documented evidence against it.

In order to solve the polypharmacy dilemma, many doctors have started the “de-prescribing movement,” a plan that involves the encouragement of a healthy diet and exercise, as well as decreasing the number of necessary prescriptions for elderly patients. The physicians leading this movement compiled a list of overused or potentially unsafe drugs for senior citizens. One concern prevailed in the polypharmacy epidemic with the elderly – the fact that older patients have more difficulty digesting and metabolizing medicines. As a consequence, dizziness, choking, stomach pain, and overall health hazards came from the simultaneous consumption of multiple medications.

Overall, the Senior citizen and Polypharmacy dilemma is highly underreported, but it can easily be solved by blocking the prescribing cascade. An example of this is misinterpreting the effects linked to polypharmacy (dizziness, falling, choking, and so forth) as mere side effects from one prescription, causing doctors to prescribe more medicine. In order to block this movement, my news story of the De-prescribing movement will spread among physicians nationwide. They must discontinue prescription medications that are inappropriate, duplicative in effects, or unnecessary to elderly patients. As a whole, we must implement healthy diet and exercise on patients, so that they will turn to pills less often.

[alianasblogposts]

Horticulture and the plants people buy

I chose this image for my meme because it shows how I feel every time I see someone throw away a perfectly good plant. The field of horticulture doesn’t really make many ads that talk about their products just a general statement of where to find them to get plants at. But one of the most common misconceptions that so many customers go through is the idea that their plant has died after the flowers fall off and so they throw the plant away and buy a new one. A lot of people when buying a plant often do not know how to properly take care of it or know much about plants in general to know what to expect.  They most commonly get information by asking the seller or employee from the store on what to do.

So when the pretty flowering plant that they bough a few weeks ago starts losing its flowers as normal when its flowering season may be ending, may simply discard the plant into the trash and replace it with a new blooming one. Growers specifically go through a lot to make your plant flower so it looks pretty when you buy it at the store, eventually though those flowers will go away until the next time its to bloom. I went to a convention for growers and other industry professionals and many said they felt hurt when the plants they grew end up wasted or trashed. One lady gave a speech about how even though customers buying more plants brings in more revenue it still is sad that the plant you spent months growing got wasted when it could have lived.

Not to mention that buying plants is typically not a cheap hobby. All the work and time that goes into making the pretty flowers we all see make the price a pretty penny on your wallet. Apart from just flowers the misconception that plants are dead happen a lot with almost anything some freak when leaves die, others when they somehow mess up a little and the plant gets slightly injured they panic and feel they became a plant murder. Plants are more hardy then you think please don’t throw them away when they loss their flowers.

[sedagrrl]

This was an eye-opening post to read; more appreciation should be shown for this industry, and those who simply want to decorate their houses with flowers or plants may not understand that plants are more than their superficial value. The meme reflected the fact that you do not have to trash your plants if the flowers are dying, unlike what many are doing now. Plants should be cared for, and those that own them should research more on how to properly take care of them.  

[bribinion-blog]

Expensive Pharmaceuticals

I choose to comment on the fact that adults and elders pay a large amount of money for their prescriptions and over-the-counter pills because it is monopolistic and inhumane. The meme shows how pharmaceutical companies overprice prescriptions that are beneficial for many people. Many adults and elders believe that their insurance will cover most, if not all of their cost for their prescriptions. However, they get blind-sided by how much they have to pay. This has been a steadily growing issue within the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Many people take prescriptions for their pain and health problems. They have been prescribed the pills because it can help improve their health conditions, but the price limits many people can afford it. In the recent years, the costs of the prescriptions have increased tremendously. For example, Sovaldi which cures Hepatitis C is currently priced at $1,000 per 400- mg pill, despite its 90% cure rate. The expensive pricing helps the pharmaceutical company but it drastically hurts the elderly who need the pills to help improve their health conditions. It has been found that people over sixty- five years old spend more than three percent of their income on prescription drugs. The percent is even higher even considering over- the- counter prescriptions. Countless adults and elderly people have been put in predicaments where they have to decide if they really need the medication because they can’t afford it. When people can’t afford life- saving medication, they do not get to express their important unalienable rights- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

[sedagrrl]

Very good post, it sheds light on many shocking parts of pharmaceuticals as a business. Pills are very overpriced, even with insurance, and many who would prefer not to pay $1000 per pill can agree that this is unethical; nice reference to the unalienable right of life for human beings. If prescriptions are created to help and cure people, they should make prices more reasonable for those who need it.

[sedagrrl]

Opioids in the Pharmaceutical Industry

In the pharmacy industry, one of the most controversial issues is the ongoing opioid crisis, leaving many at loss for what advances are to be made in the direction of painkillers. Many painkillers are advertised, such as Aleve, Midol, or Advil, which are seen as harmless advertising; however, oxycontin was also advertised as a chewable tablet. The happy advertising for oxycontin used so freely could be an ethical issue in the era of the opioid crisis. This meme is reflective of this issue in a satirical manner, showing oxycontin as a drug that is now available in chewable tablet form. 

Oxycontin is an opioid (oxycodone hydrochloride) used for pain relief, but it has detrimental side effects such as high dependence and addiction, clearly exacerbating the opioid crisis in pharmaceuticals. Upon seeing this meme, I laughed internally, assuming that although Oxycontin may be sold as a tablet, it  would probably not be encouraged or prescribed for children. Surprisingly, I was wrong; the FDA just recently approved Oxycontin to be sold to children ages as young as 11 years old, taking child cancer patients into consideration.  Obviously, this is a strong narcotic that was not originally designed for chidlren because of its addictive properties; chewable tablets are easier for children to handle than large pills and patches. 

I chose this meme for its satire and criticism of pharmacies that advertise the tablet form of oxycontin, because children often watch TV and this could lead to ethical issues within the industry. The FDA even acknowledged that young children might abuse this drug for non-medical purposes due to its easy accessibility. Evidently, when I searched for memes in the pharmacy advertising industry, a meme with the caption that read,“remember coming home from school and popping these in your mouth?,” featuring pictures of hot pockets, bagel bites, pop tarts, and oxycontin under the caption. I agree with the issue that these memes reflect; putting an opioid tablet next to commonplace snacks for young adults is a very desensitizing way to present opioids. 

.

[sedagrrl]

The iPad Pro

After the releases of countless portable Apple tablet computers, we now have the iPad Pro – the newest line of iPad tablet computers with the functional capacity to replace any PC computer or laptop. Its name is a combination of the original iPad (‘i’ stands for Internet), a lightweight, low-power tablet computer from Apple Inc., and the word “Pro” for professional (references its newest smart capabilities). I would like to reveal and explain the unique features of the iPad Pro. This tablet retains the portability of all the previous tablets with an enhanced appearance, larger storage space, smartphone/computer capabilities, and unique accessories that the recent iPad Air 2 does not have. The lower price and increased mobility of the iPad Pro benefits consumers that seek to replace their laptops or computers with this grand tablet.

Appearance

This new smart tablet stretches diagonally at 12.9 inches – larger than the iPad Air 2, but thinner in width. The thinness of the iPad and its flexible cases make this model more portable, but the major differences between the iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2 lie beneath the glass. The iPad Pro has an ultra-responsive, full screen keyboard, compatible with the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pen accessory gadgets. While the iPad Air 2 has only two speakers at the bottom display, the iPad Pro has four – an improved speaker system with auto-adjustable sound, no matter the location.

PC/ Smart Capabilities

Aspects of personal computers and smartphones have been implemented in the iPad Pro to fully create a tablet with all of the functions of a laptop. The first aspect is its higher speed internet with refreshing rates as fast as lightning – a 120 Hertz refresh rate to be exact. Every facet of the Internet is capable of exploring in the iPad Pro and its high speed Internet; in the past, some Adobe Flash Player content were not compatible with any iPads. It is also the first tablet to feature True Tone and Retina Flash camera resolutions, the highest resolution for a tablet thus far. The camera is a huge part of iPad’s interior set-up, promising the best video and selfies for users. True Tone is new technology that adapts the color and intensity of the camera to match the light of the surrounding environment, while Retina Flash provides the greatest level of brightness. The key smart factor of the Pro is its responsive touchscreen, which uses fingerprints to unlock the tablet and a hands-free option to call Siri without having to navigate to the home screen. The iPad Air 2’s operating system only upgrades to IOS 10, while the iPad Pro is IOS 11, another lacking aspect of the iPad Air 2.

Storage

Obviously, portable tablets are smaller than laptops; therefore, it is expected for them to have less storage space. Laptops average between a storage capacity of 100 GB to 2 TB, and the iPad Pro was designed to rival that (and rival the iPad Air 2 – 64 GB maximum) with a maximum storage capacity of 512 GB. As a result, the Pro has an increase in data limit, allowing for 4,000 videos and improved version of the Cloud back up application.

Unique Features

The qualities that set apart the iPad Pro from any other Apple products are the Apple Pen, the Smart Keyboard, and the Multi-Touch display. The Smart Keyboard and Apple Pen are accessories sold separately, compatible with USB attachment with the iPad Pro; these gadgets are not compatible to function with other iPad models. The Apple Pen is the pencil to the tablet’s paper; it works to mimic the handwriting of the user perfectly. The sensors inside the pen adjust to pressure and tilt of the hand, creating the feeling of using actual pencil and paper. It is incredibly useful for taking notes and for sketching artwork; it is far more accurate to use than a mushy stylus pen for the iPad Air 2. The Smart Keyboard tool is beneficial for writing documents or papers that must be type-written; it is fast and equipped with autocorrect. The Multi-Touch display is the most responsive to our fingers than ever seen before in technology. You can swipe with both hands to magnify, minimize, twist, and turn images at the same time, with the ability of having multiple apps open at once.

Although the iPad Pro is an exceptional product, there are some misconceptions to clarify. For example, there have been worries on the size of the product; it comes in two versions, the 12.9” model and the 9.7” model. The 9.7” is more comfortable to use and take pictures with, but the 12.9” model is large and can be physically awkward to shoot videos with. However, the 9.7” iPad Pro has less storage space and not as usable with IOS 11 support. Another issue could be that the batteries of this particular tablet are glued in place; they are not designed to be replaced easily. There is also no SD card slot to transfer data easily, which could be a disadvantage.  

Overall, the iPad Pro is the best tablet computer on the market, with its full screen keyboard, multi-touch responsive touch screen, highest available storage capacity, and best camera resolutions. In the future, this smart computer will be rewarding to travelers, students, and those in the technical workplace. It is smaller than a laptop, but with all of its benefits.

[adamhochberger-deactivated20210]

Facebook: UF ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) 

Main website: ufacm.xyz/

The University of Florida chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery provides a meaningful outlet for resources that allow people of all backgrounds to learn about and practice programming in a friendly environment.

An environment like the UF ACM club is something that is not often portrayed in the computer science field; a friendly and social space that is accommodating of new learners and willing to answer questions that they have. On their website, there is a tab for special interest groups, or SIGS, that houses different fields that people might have interest in like artificial intelligence or virtual reality, however, most notably, there is a group for first-time programmers at the University of Florida. All of the group links on this section redirect back to corresponding open Facebook groups within the University of Florida page which allows integration between events on Facebook and resources from the website. In tandem, these pages offer a great tool for informing people interested in this field of study that it can be accessible to anyone and that the community is active.

Without the proper integration of Facebook events, the website would be the only location to keep information about upcoming events in the club, which would likely prevent outsiders from knowing any details. The proper usage of Facebook events provides a more friendly means of promoting club information and getting many kinds of people interested in occasions like hack-a-thons, guest speaker presentations, or even learning sessions. This interaction emphasizes the social nature of the club and how important it is for anyone visiting to feel welcome in the atmosphere they provide.

The Association of Computing Machinery chapter is a great example of how social media can emphasize a message through both the words on a page and in the actions they take to provide a welcoming atmosphere to anyone that visits. They offer the perfect balance between having resources for experience people already in the club and information from newcomers who are curious about the computer science field could have for them.

[sedagrrl]

Great job of analyzing the website! I agree with the implementation of Facebook events as a user-friendly way to remind members of upcoming events. The website had lots of images present and was easy to scan in a short amount of time. 

[gittastuff-blog]

Name: University of Florida College of Nursing

Social Media Platform: Facebook

Groups Handle: @ufcon

For my subculture analysis, I followed the University of Florida College of Nursing Facebook page in order to analyze the college’s showcasing of the many achievement’s of it’s students and alumna. The UF College of Nursing Facebook page is primarily used for things such as new fundraisers and charities the college is participating in, information of upcoming meetings for it’s primary outlet club, UFSNA, or other things like announcing new soon-to-be graduates of the program. Yet, one main characteristic of their page is posts stating the accomplishments made by their alumni. One accomplishment that stood out was the recent study published by an alumna working at Shands Hospital on the nutrition for premature infants.

When viewing the page you are easily able to find certain topics you are looking for. On the left hand side there are links that will direct you to events coming up, photos recently posted and anything else you need to learn about the college. If you have any other questions you are able to immediately direct message them with a “send message” link on top of the page as well as “other related pages” to the right hand side of the page. The page keeps their posts very concise and to the point with many graphics and simple instructions if the reader were to follow a link to another website. A reader can easily scan through the page to find out various amounts of information, or conveivcntly click on the link on the right side to go to the specific information or section they were looking for.

By keeping their posts short, to the point and filled with visually appealing graphics UF College of Nursing is able to give the reader all the information they need, while still keeping their attention. This is important as these techniques could help the page give out vital information such as due dates for applications or any other important matter.

[sedagrrl]

I have visited the facebook page, and this is a very accurate analysis of it. The page highlights the achievements of alumni and studies published; it is very descriptive of its layout, with few grammatical errors. 

[sedagrrl]

University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Gainesville, Florida. 4,295 likes · 117 talking about this · 3,447 were here. Welcome to the official Facebook page for the University of Florida College of...

Platform: Facebook , Handle: UFPharmacy

The UF College of Pharmacy’s facebook page is designed to celebrate students, graduates, and the community while keeping followers up to date with news of pharmaceutical discoveries, promotional videos, campaigns for health, upcoming events, and graduation ceremony photos from students. The page stays active every week, with new posts from faculty and graduate students. 

In the left corner of the page, there are sidebars that help to navigate followers looking for events, related pages, videos, photos, and community posts. Some of the events include the Annual Healthcare Summit and social events in cafes or restaurants. The 4th Annual Healthcare Summit was hosted by the University of Central Florida, and many researchers and pharmacists from UF attended, posting promotional videos with research on cyanobacteria, red algae and its impacts on sunscreen, and pharmacogenomics.

Among all of the page’s video postings, there are mostly videos highlighting students’ experiences and commemorating their journeys. These videos seek to show followers or any incoming students the beauty of the College of Pharmacy and their motto of “Putting families first”. One of the impact videos showed a third-year student, Emilie Bergsma, who was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was in high school. Her story credits her medical diagnosis as the first time she became interested in a career in pharmacy. Her struggles motivated her to study in the UF Gainesville campus College of Pharmacy (there is another campus in Jacksonville) to support herself to work in a children’s research hospital and specialize in oncology pharmacy. 

Overall, this colorful facebook page shares the experiences of the College of Pharmacy’s community in a way that informs followers of what they are investing themselves in and its potential global impacts.

[gittastuff-blog]

Grey’s Anatomy: Sympathy for the Devil (5x02)

In this post I will review the ethical dilemma Dr. Meredith Grey, Dr. Bailey Young and Dr. Derek Grey had to face while proceeding with the decision whether or not to take a life to save one. In this episode, a convicted serial killer, William Dunn, scheduled to be executed in 5 days was brought into the hospital due to bleeding in his brain. At the same time there is a 10 year old boy in the pediatric unit in need of organs or else he will die within a week. Shockingly, both William Dunn and the boy are a match for organs and Dunn, wanting to save a life before he dies, asking the doctors not to operate on him so that he can give his organs to the boy. Yet, at the last second while he starts to hemorrhage, Dunn, in a sickly haze, changes his mind. This episode present a dilemma regarding patient capacity as well as organ transplant and the rights of prisoners on death row to make decisions about their healthcare.

In this case, the doctors are faced with the dilemma of assessing the patients capacity as he has a brain bleed and seems indecisive versus him asking them not to operate while he was coherent and aware. There is also a bioethical dilemma regarding justice, patient autonomy. At first, the patient is exerting his autonomy by asking the doctors not to operate and let him die, but then changes his mind. As doctors who took an oath of non-maleficence, they must respect his wishes and cause him no harm. This then leads into the issue of justice, as the doctors must question if it is fair to save a serial killer that will die in 5 days anyways over an innocent child. As doctors they must remind themselves of the Hippocratic Oath they took to become doctors, and that they must do everything under legal law to treat their patients, cause no harm, and to follow all patient request given while coherent.

[sedagrrl]

This ethical dilemma is highly distressing for both the doctors and the 10 year olds’ family, yet the doctors could not force Dunn to donate his organs, as it is against their oath. It is questionable whether sick patients with brain damage can give consent to this, but the pain of hemorrhaging caused him to change his mind, complicating things further and taking all hope away for the child. It is difficult to say whether the doctors should have held his initial offer as it was or to honor the wishes of the patient.

[megstechwritingblog]

Dr K’s Exotic Animal ER - S5E11

The episode of Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER that I have chosen to analyze is season 5 episode 11 – “Call of Doodie!”  This episode follows the care of four different exotic animals: the first is a sulcata tortoise that was attacked by a dog, the second is a green-winged macaw that was thought to have a mass in its abdomen, the third is a rabbit with an infected cheek/jaw, and the last is a small pig that needs to get neutered.  

I believe that the show does both reinforce and challenge the concepts of professional ethics.  The clients put a lot of trust into Dr. K’s animal hospital to take care of their pets.  Dr. K and the other veterinarians at the hospital do a very great job explaining everything to their clients.  They are very honest about each animal’s condition.  It does not look like they exaggerate an animal’s poor condition and they don’t sugarcoat a situation if it is bad.  In the case of the rabbit, they made sure to show the radiographs of its skull and explain that the condition of the bone was not good.  In the case of the macaw, the mass was actually a hernia and not a tumor, so the surgery was much quicker than expected.  The staff also gets very personal with their clients to make them feel like they are in good hands.  Dr. K owns a macaw herself and used its healthy gut bacteria to help treat her client’s macaw.  

However, they do challenge the concept of professional ethics as well.  Many people may not agree with how they film surgeries.  This could get the animal hospital in trouble if they do something wrong and may cost the show viewership.  In addition, some people may not like seeing their pet under the knife.  This episode showed close-up clips of the pig getting neutered, the macaw’s intestines, and the inside of the rabbit’s cheek.  These examples show how the episode “Call of Doodie” both reinforces and challenges the concepts of professional ethics.

[sedagrrl]

This shed light on an interesting ethical issue I hadn’t thought of - the close-ups are usually shown to help visualize the severity of the procedure or show progress in the episode, but it is possible that the hospital could face consequences for making a mistake on camera, and it is normally unpleasant for viewers to watch procedures, so I agree that it is challenging. 

[sedagrrl]

Mad Men, Season 1, Episode 1 “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”

Although the first season of Madmen contains many office dilemmas overall, they happened most frequently in this episode. It all begins in 1960, at the prominent advertising firm, Sterling Cooper in Manhattan, New York. The term “mad men” itself was inspired by the advertising executives on Madison Avenue, due to their money-hungry, corrupt, and unethical advances.

Don Draper, the chief advertising executive of Sterling Cooper is faced with the task of advertising a cigarette brand, Lucky Strike, despite new medical research showing tobacco’s correlation with lung cancer. He goes to a bar and observes the lives of everyone around him - everyone is seen to be smoking with their companions. He attempted to convince the bartender to switch to his smoking his brand and asking him what he thinks of the new medical research. The bartender maintains that it is a silly article posted in a magazine that only women read (as women were unethically treated as inferior), and that everyone loves smoking too much to care. 

There is a central ethical dilemma between utility and the right to live. Although all executives wish to ignore it, there are medical risks that endanger the lives of the consumers they target, while utilitarianism would argue that the majority of Americans would prefer to keep smoking and enjoy the tobacco company’s cigarettes. Rights of life and health take precedence over utility, but since the executives are corrupt, they are more inclined to look for a new slogan that will distract consumers and motivate them to buy Lucky Strike. The implication that Americans secretly have a death wish, was changed to make a new tagline “It’s toasted!” which was very successful for the brand at the end, the breach in ethics continued.