#Journal of Nursing & Health Care

[cojnursinghealthcarecrimson]

Assertiveness in Nursing _Crimson Publishers

Assertiveness in Nursing by Bushra Mushtaq in COJ Nursing & Healthcare

Introduction Assertiveness is essential to nursing profession in many ways. Nursing profession is the respectful profession which demands and shows respect for others. Assertive ways of communicating and putting one’s own concerns, ideas in front of others which help to the clients care as well as for nursing profession itself. Assertive nurse defends client in every aspects. It enhances honesty and dedication in nursing profession. Assertiveness is a broad term associated with the individual from hierarchical development of life. It adds to the quality of life by adding meaning and support to ones behaviour. It adds to the quality by adding meaning and support to ones behaviour .It is not only being confident about ones words but also about ones actions, doing and behaviour exhibited in every situation of life.

It is learned behaviour behaviour or mode of communicating feelings, ideas in a confident way without being aggressive on others. It depicts the confident behaviour in an individual within under estimating the others. Being assertive is beneficial to everyone. It can be defined simply, to convey one’s own point of view which affirms the right of the individual without violating the rights of the other person.

Assertiveness and Nursing are very closely related to each other. Nursing practise cannot be declared good if a nurse is not assertive. The assertiveness can be visualized in nursing care given by the nurse. Nurse has to be assertive enough in order to preserve rights of nurse as well as for clients who is seeking the nursing care.

Assertiveness by a nurse shows a behaviour that is based on certain principles like; equality, respect, responsibility, accountability. Being assertive, nurse is not being selfish rather it promotes the rights of the client, fairness and equality in job description and most important efficiency and effectiveness of nursing practice is being attained.

Nursing is a collaborative effort and teamwork with other nurses and that can be achieved ironically by assertiveness. Nurse play different roles in health care setting:

A. Individual to group member

B. Advocate to lawyer

C. Collaborator to team builder.

D. Leader to manager.

To perform all these roles effectively nurse has to be assertive.

The main aim of nursing care is to develop the effective nurseclient relationship, in order to achieve the client’s progress and nurse-client relationship, assertiveness is necessary. Assertive nurse is always confident, listens to others, always is clear to other, not confused with any issue and more over nurse is always assertive while hand-overing charge or duties to other health professionals.

Assertiveness in nursing is the important footstep in the ladder of professional progress. Assertiveness is a healthy behaviour and valuable component in nursing profession which are beneficial to nurse, client, other workers and community in large. Being assertive will also increase the visibility in nursing.

Conclusion From the very beginning the assertiveness training should be imparted to nurse students . A full assertive training programme should be included in the activity during nursing coarse. Being assertive from student period will increase truthfulness , confidence which are important during working as staff.

For more articles in Nursing Healthcare Open Access Journal,

Please click on below link: https://crimsonpublishers.com/cojnh/

[kp777]

Both Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman are known for their courageous struggles against slavery, their humanitarian work, and their support of suffrage. They are not known as much as they should be, however, for their role as nurses. (Editor’s note: this is the third in a series about important Black nurses of the past that we are publishing during Nurses Month 2023. Previous posts are here and here.)

[totallyhussein-blog]

AS STRIKES BUCKLE BRITAIN, WHICH WAY NOW FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM?

THE proposed anti-strike law is a “symbol” that ministers are losing the argument, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said after they vowed press ahead with the imposition of “minimum safety levels.”

Amid increasing industrial action in the transport, education and health sectors, the government announced on Thursday that it would introduce new legislation to minimise disruption during strikes.

Under the proposed legislation, there would be minimum safety levels for fire, ambulance and rail services, with the government promising to consult on the “adequate level of coverage.”

Mr Lynch said the Bill, which will be introduced in Parliament in the coming weeks, amounts to a threat to sack union members if they refuse to go to work. “They are going to conscript our members,” he said.

A government source confirmed to the Times that striking workers who defied the rules could face dismissal for breach of contract.

NURSES DEMAND BETTER, SAFER NHS

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen argued that safe staffing levels were something that her union was calling for all year round, not just in “extreme circumstances.”

On 21 of December, in the cold and busy period leading up to Christmas, 1,600 Unite ambulance workers went out on strike. Pay is a key question when it comes to the future of the NHS. One Unite member in the West Midlands highlighted the NHS is in crisis partly because the pay is so low, meaning recruitment and retention is falling.

Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, highlighted this as well when commenting on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s New Year’s speech: “He knows that the suppression of pay has led to the unsafe and unsustainable staffing levels at the heart of the NHS crisis.”

According to Socialist Appeal, the situation is so dire that in some ambulance stations they have resorted to opening food banks for the staff. Graham has elsewhere described these strikes as “the fight of our lives for the very NHS itself”.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A study conducted by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control has found that prescribing medical-grade opioids dramatically reduced the rates of deaths and overdoses for drug users living in B.C. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, is described as "the first known instance of a North American province or state providing clinical guidance to physicians and nurse practitioners for prescribing pharmaceutical alternatives to patients at risk of death from the toxic drug supply." Researchers looked at anonymized health-care data of 5,882 people between March 2020 and August 2021, all of whom had opioid or stimulant use disorder. Those individuals filled a prescription under the B.C. Risk Mitigation Guide — clinical guidance developed in March 2020 to allow for physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to reduce deaths through harm reduction.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada

[medstudentblues]

Happy saturday!

It’s our last weekend break (the last golden period). I worked out this morning which was gorgeous, then I went to a cafe to have breakfast, read a book, and journal. I also bought flowers for my kitchen because they looked and smelled so good this may be a weekly thing now.

An update recently.

ER was just a waste of time because there wasn't much responsibility put on us. They just thought, "Hey, let's make the kids go in," but our roles in the ER has been unclear so basically we did nothing other than saved (we did CPR and such) and monitored some of the patients.

Now we are in Psychiatry, where we take care of our mental health. Our duty is only from 8am-4pm, everyone's nice -- the residents and nurses, and we see some interesting cases (Schizophrenic patients, bipolar people in their manic phase, and so on). I'm actually a little sad that the rotation is ending next week and we'll start our Surgery rotation because in Psychiatry, there's life-work balance. People are good at listening. People know that mental health is important, and Doctors can sometimes feel things too and go through some difficulty in life. It's still not challenging for me like IM (internal medicine), but my rotation in Psychiatry has made me insightful without realizing it. The past few months had been a roller coaster because we were in IM. Our adrenaline was always on peak, but we were also mostly tired and we took the toxicness as a challenge and therefore, we enjoyed the past rotation. It is only in Psychiatry that we are finally slowing down. We are finally able to process our emotions, our mental and emotional state, where we stand, etc. Even if we didn't have our break in ER rotation, perhaps this slowness in Psychiatry rotation is just what we needed.

[cherubispunk]

NEPHILIM - Jackson-era!Joel Miller x AFAB!Reader

summary: the disturbing comforts the disturbed.

a note from Lucy: I swear there is fluff! I swear, I swear, I swear! You just have to squint *reeeeaaaalllly* hard. Yes, I read the book of genesis and the book numbers along with some extensive Wikipedia deep diving for like…a paragraph of lore. But is it really ever enough?

playlist | moodboard

wc: 2498

Warnings: 18+ MDNI DARK CONTENT! no use of y/n, I tried to keep her body type as generic as possible but he might be slightly skinny coded so please let me know and I’ll change it in edits, reader is referred to as ‘Bambi’, verbally constipated Joel Miller, brief gore descriptions, heavy religious imagery and references to the bible, biblical lore, bombastic age gap!!! yahhhhh! (reader is in her 20’s/ Joel is in his late 50’s), smut, p in v sex, creampie, fingering, rough sex, possessive!joel, dom!joel/sub!reader dynamic, you know the drill with my writing, there’s probably some form of cannibalism as a metaphor, or brutal violence as a metaphor, religious imagery as a metaphor, etc. (aka, fancy word vomit)

series masterlist | m.list

Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.

The reality of it was, you and Joel were two people who lived in the same small town. Who’s paths crossed once to save your life, and the others when coincidence would grant you that small pleasure. He carried you to the care of an old man with blue eyes now milky in cataracts. Jude. Who nursed you to health in a metal framed bed of an old family home— now the town clinic. The knife that sliced open your side had been dirty, and sepsis soon spread in the bloody gash. Only with Joel finding you in the snow, and Jude delivering you antibiotics, did you recover back to health.

He wouldn’t visit you directly. He would visit Jude and glance at you through the doorway as he passed the hall to the elderly Man’s office. To distract from the man you read stories when bedridden. Parts of biblical scripture; Read the book of Genesis; Read the book of Numbers. Jude being a religious man who had the fortune of holding God in his heart, kept them among his medical journals and books. And the former was far more interesting than the later in your opinion. For in them were mentions of anthropomorphic creatures born of flesh, blood and divinity. Towering tall over common trees and temples built in the name of Lord God. You were no religious woman, but you found comfort in the fables of the Old Testament. And likened Joel to the Nephilim in all ways.

Joel Miller was something of a biblical figure to you. A small glimpse into the past of something archaic, untold, and harbouring on the dangerous. You liked to imagine him as one of the Nephilim. A son of god, offspring borne of a fallen angel and man. A giant of misunderstood nature. Who’s soul had been cast down on earth in punishment. His large hands had bloodshed on them, or so people had said. They whispered it quietly in the spaces between. The places he didn’t occupy often. But he was always on your mind…so there was no place for those whispers there. If he was all that bad…why did he save you? You saw his need to care, protect, understand. Not be understood. But just understand. You would let yourself dream of taking his rough edges to the smooth plane of a whetstone. People claimed you cannot buff brass into gold. That it will only be as such in your head. That it was a fools game, but the fool is rich in content, and poor in sorrow. For the fool has little to worry about while they live in ignorant bliss.

What wasn’t written in any of the books of the holy scripture was this; ‘The disturbing comforts the disturbed.’ But it might as well have been. It was practically the way god intended life to be. You are shaken, and you are weaned on being shaken, until stillness is a discomfort and your body begs to be rattled again. But harder.

—

You took a while to find your feet. Joel took it upon himself to wordlessly help you with any medial or manual task. You were given a house on the edge of town, up a hill in some remote street that was always quiet. It seemed the less social souls resided there. Not that you minded. It was jarring to say the least. Being cast out into the hostile wild. And then brought back into the warmth. Here you had clothes, food, a roof over your head, and community. It stung in the same way it does to run your hands under a scalding tap after labouring out in the cold. It made your fingers numb before they regained feeling. Stiff. And a trouble to flex them back and forth, closed fist, open palm; Closed fist, open palm.

It’s how you earned ‘Bambi’. A name only Joel would ever call you. Dear doe on her wobbly, spindly legs. He’d keep you upright. Despite being a good thirty year sicker than you. Dirty old man. Ditsy little girl.

Your time together was silent. And while he never said he cared, he showed it. By waiting for you each time you were in the stables. And he would walk through town with you a safe distance from his side, up to the top of the hill your house was on. The snow would crunch under his heavy boots and he wished he was lighter on his feet like you. Not a large bulk of a man with heavy feet and even heavier hand. Maybe Joel wasn't large by the world's standards, but he was still a giant to you- muscular, and broad shoulders. With hands that could engulf yours, or cradle the entire crown of your head with a single palm. His arms were strong, and large from manual labour, and tightly knotted with tendons and grizzly muscle like thick twisted ropes that held up sails. What you liked most, however, was his softer belly. Perhaps the only soft thing about him from what little you had seen, or heard, or assumed. You felt an intrinsic satisfaction in knowing he was well fed. And Joel didn't mind it either. It was a reminder to himself what he was in fact as safe as he could be. Anything to not go hungry again. He still kept his brawns either way. Kept his hands and mind busy with patrols and the odd job around town. Fixing roofs, garden sheds, building tables with spare lumber from the woodhouse, and chopping firewood for the colder months. At the beginning of winter he would spend most of his free time ensuring you had enough. He spent hours out in his backyard, swinging that axe down on log, after log of wood. Then carry it up the hill in a wheelbarrow to your front door. He did it for nothing. Nothing but the peace of mind that grew from the seed of knowing you were warm. But he was greeted with something you had baked, or sewn, or knitted, or grown in your empty hours alone. Apple and rhubarb pie, thick woollen gloves, sourdough bread with crunchy, thick crusts that crunched when he broke his bread.

“It’s nothin’.” He would say, and shrug, hands on his hips while he looked back at the finished product of whatever work he’d slaved over that entire afternoon. Be it a pile of firewood, raised garden beds, or a fixed gutter. “Just…do me a favour?” He asked.

“Yeah?”

“Keep that smile on y’face, Bambi. Don’t let anyone take it away from ya.” His face was stern. As if he was telling you, not asking you. But if you were to ever stop smiling he thought he’d keel over and die a little bit inside. Or part of him would anyway. The part of him you now had in your chest unwittingly.

You watched the mountain of a man, Big Bad Joel Miller, warm up. Day by slow day. He was on the threshold of it. Right there. But the toe of his thick winter boots never ventured onto floorboards. He stayed out in the cold. After a while you dared Joel to touch you. Tired of him only meeting halfway. He was a man of few words, but a man of so much action. And when you challenged him with your tongue, he countered with his touch. That night was hell under the guise of heaven for his restraint.

“Y’so bad for me, Bambi.” Joel grunted, his entire weight smothering you against the mattress of his bed. His cock dragging in and out of you slowly. “Old sinner like me ain’t made for you.” So slowly the anticipation ached in the joints of your toes that curled. His grip on your hips casting his handprint in a watercolour bloom. “That’s it, fuck– takin’ me so well.”

You whimpered, eyes fluttering shut, back arching in a deep curve off the bed while his hips altered their pace. Just a tad quicker as you bucked up into him. The two of you climbing in tandem to the high. “That's it,” He repeated in a hiss, followed by a growl into your neck, “Keep archin’ that back for me.” You did just that, holding onto his forearms for leverage as you curled your spine a little deeper. A word came to mind. One you’d heard once before. Only once. But I held such a comfort to be able to label it. Hiraeth. He was that. And what you felt was that. A longing for a home. He treated you like you wouldn't break. But spoke as if words would lacerate you. One punctuated thrust, aided by your own slick was all it took, a moan for him deeper. A tear slipped from your eye and you let gravity do its work, pulling it from you. It slipped from the corner of your eye, and down your temple. “Good girl, Bambi.” He crooned, splaying both of his palms over your hairline and sweeping the hair that stuck to your forehead in the sheen of sweat atop your skin. His large hands dragged over the top of your skull to the crown of your head, down the back of your neck, and gripped. That soft fleshy part at the base of your skull and the top of your still curved spine.

It hurt. It deeply hurt. His calloused fingers, textured by the trigger of a gun, or the handle of an axe, pressing into your malleable skin. But you’d let Joel drag you to hell if it meant he would hold your hand. You didn't care how he touched you– how he was inside you. He could be buried to hilt in your cunt, or knuckle deep in an open wound. As long as he was there. You'd give the heavens, and the earth, and rot in hell if it meant he stayed. Joel swore you had the space for his heart next to yours. But you didn't have the stomach.

You gripped the skin of Joel’s back. Searching for a part of him to hold that would turn off the cynic in him. Or at least try. You gave up on that idea. Because the man that fucked you— the man that loved you in action and not words— was not kind. He was not gentle. He was bold, and sharp as broken glass, and blunt all in the same being. You knew the crease of his brow. You had it memorised.

He hooked a leg over his shoulder, opened you up to his greedy eyes. They misted into dark hickory at the sight of you taking him so well inside of you. Messy little cunt for him to play with whenever he pleased. His nostrils flared as he pressed deeper. And your reaction was as he planned. A cry of his name. Your sex drenched and accommodating every inch. “A cunt made for me.” He gritted through his teeth, leaning forward to sink his teeth into your bottom lip and lick into the wet cavern of your mouth; Take the taste of you back with him when he retreated again; Righting his hips and the angle he fucked you in.

“Made for you.” You agreed in a garble and a slur. As if drunk off the last dregs of his kindness that lay at the bottom of the bottle. Licking it dry for all it was still worth.

“Say it again.” Joel grunted, demanded.

“Made for you.” You repeated.

“Good little Bambi.”

From there it was the crescendo. And it came broken in two halves of two separate waves. The first wave was one of numbing pleasure. The one that fizzled through your legs until you were nothing but a mere speck for a second. And the second was the one that broke you. Had you shattering. It tightened in your womb, behind the mouth of your cervix, and then released in slow flutter; Your walls relaxing and then contracting. And he came after with a groan and spilled inside of you.

He was no gentle lover. In fact, he wasn’t a lover at all. When he fucked you that night…it felt like he was trying to love you— but couldn’t. He was too conditioned to violence. It showed the ache he left behind. Nevertheless, you would take more than he was willing to offer. But what he dropped in your palm you stored away and hoarded like a greedy magpie with shiny little trinkets. He was warm. But not warm like a campfire. He was warm like hellflame. And you were okay with that. You would take your time with him, and slowly pry open a gap in his ribs to slip past. To love him to the marrow. Even the mangled parts. Find him at his very worst — The part humanity suffocated in. And love him there. Silently.

Joel ran a hand over the flank of your ribs and then curled around your navel to pull your back to his chest. Then kissed the crook of your neck in a silent apology to your skin for each mark or tender bruise he may have left. One that wasn't really needed, but you accepted it by reaching behind you and running your fingers through his thick greying curls. In times like these after it all, in the clot and space in between, you came to realise loving him was like loving being hungry. It felt good to want things. To feed yourself you swallowed your fear instead. You lay there, exhaustion heavy in your bones, a hand of his slipping between your legs to feel the evidence of him being there inside you. His spend sticky and thick and warm between your legs. You couldn't fight the impulsive twitch that jolted your spine when he pressed on your swollen, slick clit and drew lazy circles. “Mine now, Bambi.” He murmured into the skin of your shoulder. He didn't kiss the skin there, but rather trailed his chapped lips over your flesh in such a light touch it felt like it was hardly there. More a trick of the sex hazed, lust crazed mind. “Understand that?” And you nodded in silence with a small smile, watching out the frosted up window pane as the dawn stained the sky a burnt orange and angry red. It refracted and smeared in the crystallised ice. A thin sheet that obscured the image of the sycamore tree outside his bedroom window. The bare branches looked far more like the bones of skeletal fingers than a tree bare of leaves. Its bleach white bark only emphasised your image of it. Your vision. Nevertheless; The blackbird would sing, once again on its branch, a morning song you knew by heart.

[spacexseven]

I'm going BATSHIT for ur demon au omfg imagine poor little reader with a health condition like pots which can cause fainting! I'm curious to see how they would react, I think chuuya would always send his little minions to watch you if he couldn't. Dazai on the other hand wouldn't be hidden about watching you like chuuya he would probs be trailing right be hind you like a guard dog making sure it's poor owner is alright! They're poor little darling is so fragile after all </3

you're so right!!! im just gonna generalize w darling who gets sick often

cw: yandere characters, stalking, invasion of privacy

dazai gets it in his head that you need to be constantly watched, and by him (aka the best guard dog you can ask for), so he follows you around everywhere, sits awkwardly close to you even at home, and watches you at every moment he can (it was a huge struggle to convince him you don't need watching over while showering). going out also means he'll have your hand in his in a tight grip, and never leaves your side. if you do happen to fall in, he takes to the position of nurse with shockingly natural ease. it's annoying when he's constantly coddling you, but there's no escaping nurse dazai once he starts. spoonfeeds you all his very nutritious homemade meals (just...don't ask what's inside), tucks you in before you sleep, insists on reading to you—except the book in question is your journal, and even offers to sing you to sleep. he also makes the most annoying comments about how fragile you are and how much he needs to take care of you and aren't you just grateful that you have such a reliable demon by your side?

chuuya pretends like he could care less. what's new about humans falling ill every five minutes? why should he care? you can take care of yourself; except without you knowing, he's worrying to the extreme. has his followers find him the best medicine to relieve your symptoms, does all the research he can about your illness, and ahs them watch over you when you're out and about. chuuya leaves all the things he's bought for you, including medicine and food and drinks (a giant, expensive care package, essentially) at your doorstep and refuses to admit it was from him. makes you your favorite meals if you're able to eat it and refuses to leave your side when you're resting, just in case. of course, all the while he's making some snarky comment about how you're always sick and dependent on his help :>

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could I request brothers of Obey Me with an s/o who's a medical expert?

Obey me Brothers + medical expert s/o

Lucifer

Finds it interesting.

He doesn’t know much about human anatomy or medicine, so it’s always interesting when someone knows more about a topic than he does.

Really has no interest in the physicality of humans or healing. Just interested in their knowledge and hobby.

Provides them with as many resources as possible if they wish to learn demon medicine as well. But only if they want to.

Mammon

Probably says a lot about him that he finds it so hot….

Hearing them talk about medicine, and take authority in an emergency, gets his blood going.

He has no idea what they are talking about, as he’s pretty think with anything biology or health related, but it sounds impressive.

Makes jokes about wanting to play doctor, but gets too flustered & embarrassed if they take him up on it to follow through.

Levi

Finds it interesting, but only for fact checking games or his otome fanfic needs.

He got really into medical information when Hataraku Saibō came out. However he quickly lost interest when he had to actually learn stuff and look at pictures of blood.

Levi has a slight Hemophobia complex.

Will go ask them things like “how quickly does the human body drain of blood?” “what’s the difference between a laceration and a hematoma?” “could someone live if they were stabbed in the stomach 13 times?” For literary purposes only.

Satan

Of course loves anything to do with knowledge, and the amount of reading required to become a medical expert is just a bonus.

Satan also has an interest in medicine and medical information due to his love of mystery drama, which are his favorite type.

Forensic knowledge has a great crossover. So he spends a lot of time speculating with s/o on the cause of death or suspects in a book before it reaches the end.

Finds a lot of obscure medical books & journals to share with them, should they cross his path.

Asmo

Says he’s interested, but only to play doctor.

A lot of it really goes over his head as Asmo is only interested in figures. Not literal anatomy.

He does like to listen to them though, as they always get so passionate when they talk about some medical marvel of obscure fact. He’s always found passion to be a person’s sexiest quality.

Dresses up like a nurse a lot to surprise them. Thinks it’s helpful.

Beel

A lot of it is too technical for Beel too, but he tries to pay more attention than Asmo.

He is actually really interested in anatomy. Particularly as it relates to kinesis and physicality.

He asks a lot of questions on how to move his body better to improve his results. Or avoid injury.

Injuries do happen though, as it’s inevitable with sports or the high intensity work outs, he’s doing. Goes to s/o to have them bandage him up and take care of him. They always have to ask if he’s running a fever as well with how much he blushes.

Belphie

Belphie is a bit of the medical expert too. He had a lot of time to read when he was locked up in that attic, and anatomy was actually always an interest of his before s/o.

He plays dumb though and acts like he doesn’t understand things, so they’ll reteach him. Mostly just to hear them talk.

He also plays sick a lot so they’ll take care of him. Not necessarily a Munchausen, just needy.

It usually works. However there are sometimes when the treatments get a little….intense, and more than he bargained for. At least they haven’t tried surgery on him yet.

[mysumeow]

My ears! Why won't you pet them? 2/2❜

PREVIOUS PART

Summary: Tighnari is used to the attention his fox features bring to him. Your apparent indifference to them makes him wonder: why's that?

Warnings: Once again, Tighnari calls reader a lummox. That's like his catchphrase. Non-graphic descriptions of violence. Pretty sfw all-over, but gets mildly suggestive towards the end with nudity.

a/n: asks and requests are open ^^

Tighnari awoke with a severe headache that prevented him from even sitting up in bed. Next to him, you were sitting on a chair as you jotted down some notes. You noticed that, despite his eyes being open, he still had a dazed expression.

"How are you feeling? You received a strong hit to your head," you closed your report journal and left it on the desk. "If I hadn’t disobeyed your request, who knows if you would’ve made it out alive,"

"Ah, right. Now I remember," once again, he attempted to sit and rest his back against the headboard. "We were…cleansing a withering zone?"

"And then a pack of rifthounds attacked us."

His hand brushed against his bandaged abdomen, the memory of how it got there coming in as fresh as the wound.

"You’re not harmed, are you?" he took a quick look at your body in search of any telltale sign that you were also hurt.

"How would I be harmed if you told me to flee as soon as those rifthounds appeared," you crossed your arms. "I did come back not even a minute later and drag your body out of there,"

"I was too reckless," he recognized, ashamed. "I had already cleansed a withering zone earlier in the morning and didn’t regard proper rest before going to the next one,"

"Don’t overthink about it," you told him before he could apologize. "We made it out of there alive; that’s all that matters,"

Despite your assurance, the need to apologize gnawed at him in the back of his mind.

"Look at you. You’re always complaining about adventurers being reckless and having to nurse them back to health," you teased.

"Very funny," he rolled his eyes.

"I know," you said as you rose from your seat. "You look thirsty. I’ll go look for a glass of water. Don’t go anywhere,"

"Do I have a choice."

Tighnari, ever the stubborn one, managed to get out of bed and scan his own appearance, just to get a better idea of the injuries on his body. You weren’t trained on how to approach these types of damages, unlike all forest rangers, so he figured Collei gave you a hand on how to treat his wounds.

His eyes fixed on the square band-aid patch at the base of his left ear and what that meant.

"I’m back—And of course you wouldn’t stay in bed," you said, leaving the glass of water on his bedside table and gathering your belongings, such as the report journal. "Because you need to rest, let's put research on hold for today... or until you feel better."

"No need. We can continue right away."

"Don't be silly; go back to bed," you said gently. "Remember to update your own journal,"

Maybe you didn’t care about it or didn’t notice, but Tighnari was too aware of your proximity. His heartbeat spiked up and didn’t calm down, even after you left his room.

Late at night was when he decided it was a good time to finish documenting recent finds.

Tighnari yawned and opened the journal to the page he recalls being the latest he wrote on.

Not only was the pencil on a different page, but the texture of the notebook was also different. With a confused frown, he checked the front cover.

You took his journal by accident.

It wouldn’t be bad if it were the one dedicated to academic endeavors.

You took his personal one.

He shivered as a cold bead of sweat ran down his neck.

He almost had a heart attack when he opened his door to run to your temporary home, and he was met with your just as startled expression. Tighnari heeded the familiar cover of his personal journal clutched against your chest.

"You read it, didn't you?" he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "…Listen, let’s pretend this didn’t happen—"

He recalled that the last paragraph he wrote was about how much he wanted you to touch his ears and how frustrated he was that you were being oblivious about his feelings for you ever since you both were students at the Akademiya.

He wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight.

"Why didn’t you tell me sooner," you interrupted and stepped closer to him. "I always thought you were the one too entranced in your work to notice my feelings,"

He gawked at you. "You can’t be serious. Tell me you’re joking,"

"I’m not."

"Your visits are work-driven, and most of the letters we exchange are focused on that too! How would I guess you feel the same for me if the idea you give me is that we’re mere workmates,"

You sighed and averted your gaze from him.

"I’m sort of familiar with your kin. They tend to pursue knowledge and appreciate educational accomplishments over anything else. I didn’t want to feel like a burden?"

"…Wow, you really are a lummox in all senses of the word."

"Gee, thanks."

"Your information regarding my kin is not wrong. However, I must address the fact that you’re overlooking that not only are you not a burden to me, but I’m also capable of still pursuing knowledge and be with you,"

"So, in other words, you mean…"

Cautiously, he reached out to you and observed your reactions for any sign of rejection. With sheer tenderness, his hand grasped yours and pulled you inside his home.

The first graze of lips was sweet, his arms circled around your waist, and you pressed your bodies together. You pulled away to relish the feeling, which Tighnari granted you a second to do, and he was pulling you again for another kiss.

Tighnari jolted when you decided it was a good moment to rub his ear, and not being able to control it, he began to purr.

"You can do that?" it was a welcomed discovery.

"I—Yes—" his cheeks flared pink with embarrassment. "Don’t exploit it!"

"Hm. You're lucky I'm exhausted," you let go of his ear and preferred to nuzzle yourself onto his neck, the vibration from his purr all too soothing.  "Let's just rest, yes?"

He didn't bother to move an inch, content with holding you closer and relaxing his cheek on your head. 

The chirping from the birds outside awoke you from sleep, and the embrace you both dozed in was now pretty much over. Tighnari's leg is over yours, and your arm is tucked under his back.

Your arm was so numb that the pain shot right through it when you tugged it from under Tighnari, waking him up.

"Ah, my whole body hurts."

"I might as well lose an arm because of you," you groaned. "How about your wounds? Do you think you can continue today?"

He shook his head no, viridescent eyes staring back at you. 

"If you want to carry on with your duties, don't let me hold you back. I can manage on my own."

"No need. I'll stay with you. And won't receive a no for an answer," you grasped his arms and led him to the bathroom. 

"You're too kind. You could just scrub my back with a rag and I'll take care of the rest."

"You don't... want to take a bath together?"

"Oh," his eyes widened and processed the information. "...Oh. Uhm—if it's okay with you...?"

"I wouldn't have offered to in the first place," you laughed as you turned on the bathtub's faucet.

You were humming to yourself as you got the bath ready. 

Self-conscious now, even though he wanted to go in with you, Tighnari began disrobing himself as slowly as possible. 

By the time he was moving on to undo the sash around his hip, you had already removed most of your clothes. His eyes trailed from your face to your neck, and lower...

"Need help with that?" you volunteered to give him a hand, startling him and he forced himself to look away bashfully. "Your arms must hurt, after all,"

You directed him a teasing smile. If his ears could turn red, they would do so now.

Once bare, Tighnari followed behind you and sat on the corner opposite of you. He lowered himself enough so the bubbles would hide his face up to his mouth, not sure where to focus his eyes.

You weren't helping matters by sitting on his lap and running your shampoo-slathered hands through his hair, your chest right at his eye level. Perhaps you were having too much fun with the fact that he starts purring as soon as your hands touched his ears; you spent most of the time with your fingers there. 

His delight was cut short when your fingers came across the deep cut those monsters released, and pain shot up at that instant.

"It stings," he hissed, scrunching his nose.

"If someone wasn’t reckless yesterday…"

"You’re not going to forget about it, will you?"

"Never.”

[fantastic0fairy]

The Benefits of Cats for Individuals with Autism

In a nutshell, cats offer unique and profound benefits for individuals with autism, providing companionship and emotional support that can significantly enhance their quality of life. That is to say, the presence of a feline friend can make a world of difference in managing the daily challenges faced by those on the autism spectrum.

To cut a long story short, cats can help improve social skills and reduce anxiety in autistic individuals. What I meant by that was, the unconditional love and low-maintenance nature of cats create a calming environment, helping individuals feel more at ease.

Or, to put it another way, the quiet and consistent companionship of cats offers a stabilizing effect for those who might feel overwhelmed by the unpredictability of human interactions. All things considered, cats can be an outright beneficial addition to the lives of autistic individuals, providing complete and utter emotional support and contributing to a more stable and fulfilling life.

A home lined with soft purrs and interspersed with playful antics of a cat is often buzzing with a gentle energy that is comforting to those on the autism spectrum. Unlike environments overrun with loud noises and rapid changes, the presence of a cat can create a serene atmosphere conducive to emotional well-being.

Individuals with autism, whether they come from affluent or deprived backgrounds, can experience varying levels of hardship. However, the means to afford the companionship of a cat often leads to increased prosperity in terms of emotional health. Those well off can appreciate the disposable income that allows them to care for a pet, while those facing destitute conditions might find solace in the unwavering presence of a cat during times of hardship.

In conclusion, the relationship between cats and individuals with autism is a testament to the profound impact pets can have on human lives. Cats offer not only companionship but also a sense of stability and emotional support that can make a significant difference in the daily lives of those on the autism spectrum.

References

Carlisle, G. K. (2020). Pet Dog Ownership Decisions for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 50, 29-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2019.09.008

Grandgeorge, M., & Hausberger, M. (2011). Human-animal relationships: From daily life to animal-assisted therapies. Annales Médico-Psychologiques, Revue Psychiatrique, 169(1), 41-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amp.2010.09.003

Sofronoff, K., Dark, E., & Stone, V. (2011). Social stories to improve social understanding of children with Asperger's syndrome. Autism, 15(2), 169-186. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361309355644

[cojnursinghealthcarecrimson]

Ascorbate Deficiency among Childrens of African Descent with Protein Energy Malnutrition in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria_Crimson Publishers

Ascorbate Deficiency among Childrens of African Descent with Protein Energy Malnutrition in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria by Osaro Erhabor in COJ Nursing & Healthcare

Abstract Protein energy malnutrition is the most widespread nutritional deficiency disorder of mankind and continues to be a major public health burden particularly in developing countries. The aim of this case-control study was to determine the changes in the ascorbic acid levels among children with PEM in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria. The study included a total of 90 children (47 subjects with Protein Energy Malnutrition and 43 apparently healthy controls) aged 6 months-5 years, admitted to the Paediatric units of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital and Specialist Hospital, Sokoto. Ascorbic acid levels were assayed by a standard chemical method. Nutritional status was determined using the Welcome Trust Classification. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 statistical package. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant in all statistical comparisons. The mean value of ascorbic acid was significantly lower among subjects (0.82±0.04mg/dl) compared to controls (1.06±0.02 mg/dl) (p=0.0001). Underweight subjects had lower ascorbic acid levels when compared with other types of protein energy malnutrition (p=0.0001). Protein energy malnutrition was more prevalent among children from low socioeconomic class whose mothers have no formal education. Marasmus was the most common type of protein energy malnutrition. Finding from this study seems a justification to monitor the ascorbic acid levels in children with PEM and to possibly offer ascorbic acid supplementation for those that are deficient. There is need for infant feeding practice to be strengthened by promoting exclusive breast feeding. There is also the need for increased enrollment of women in schools, enlightenment on nutritional education and empowerment of women to improve their socioeconomic status.

For more articles in Nursing Healthcare Open Access Journal,

Please click on below link: https://crimsonpublishers.com/cojnh/

[mixelation]

Once again I am Posting to give you all a friendly reminder that most popular Covid-19 posts on this site contain some level of misinfo. Common types of misinfo include:

"heard from a friend of a friend" medical advice, including "twitter thread of things a nurse told me" or "opinion of a random unverified doctor on social media"-- NEVER follow this type of health advice without checking with proper sources first

anecdotal data provided as fact

misunderstandings or misrepresentations of what disease agencies like the CDC are doing, should be doing, or what it would even be possible for them to do

assigning numbers and statistics to things OP just made up. this ranges from saying something like "only 2% of people mask" to mean "anecdotally i see only a very small number of people masking in my community"* but the actual number is misleading to seem to seem like a real statistic.... leading all the way to people just making numbers up

overly dramatic language**

assigning moral values to things which have no moral weight (e.g., "I haven't gotten covid because I'm a good person who....")

misrepresenting the conclusions of current research. this one is tricky because you'd think linking a study in a high-tier medical journal would be a good source, but I frequently see the following mistakes: overly definitive language, including asserting causation when causation has not been established, or claiming a single study definitively has definitely proven something; not understanding appropriate extrapolations from a study's design (something that happens to cell in a petri dish is NOT definitive of what happens in a body); incorrect biological conclusions/assumptions, or else oversimplification that loses nuance; cherrypicking studies. Remember that Covid-19 is still a very new disease and the research is still evolving. A study that seems extremely important in one year might turn out to be bunk later, not because the study was poorly designed, but because we were missing key info. There is a lot we simply do not know and cannot know and we need to careful of our language when reporting on it.

just straight up made-up facts

Please keep this in mind if you choose to interact with a covid-19 post. Remember to click through on any sources to verify them, to be wary of a lack of verifiable information, and that a post making you feel overly emotional is a sign to double-check the facts and message.

*Clarification: assigning an estimated number to things you see is an innocent rhetorical device in terms of informal communication, which is what tumblr is for. I say things like this in casual conversation too. It only becomes an issue when whatever post is mass reblogged. I'm not saying don't post like this..... I'm saying know to recognize this in things you choose to interact with.

**Again, emotive language is fine for blogging. It's a natural part of human communication, and I do it too. I'm not criticizing that. I'm warning you to be aware of it as a potentially misleading rhetorical device before you hit reblog.

[crippleprophet]

Hey Mac! Do you have any crip books or resource recs for crip sex/sexuality?

Feel free to delete if you're uncomfortable answering :]

do i ever! i actually did an essay for my master’s in disability studies on the topic of disabled people’s access to sex so a lot of these are sources from that (feel free to dm me for my paper!) & others are things i’ve collected for leisure (hah)

i’m bolding my favorites and italicizing ones i haven’t read but have been recommended / have on my list; as with everything, having read a piece + recommending it is not an uncritical endorsement, & i have various contentions with all of these pieces ranging from minor nitpicking to outright disagreement.

feel free to send an ask or dm if you want my thoughts on a particular work or need help obtaining a pdf!

books

Sex and Disability ed. Robert McRuer & Anna Mollow

The Sexual Politics of Disability: Untold Desires by Tom Shakespeare, Kath Gillespie-Sells and Dominic Davies

Unbreaking Our Hearts: Cultures of Un/Desirability and the Transformative Potential of Queercrip Porn by Loree Erickson. York University, dissertation submitted 2015.

McRuer, R. 2006. Crip theory: Cultural signs of queerness and disability. New York: New York University Press.

Kinked and Crippled: Disabled BDSM Practitioners’ Experiences and Embodiments of Pain. Emma Sheppard. Edge Hill University, dissertation submitted 2017.

Love, Sex, and Disability: The Pleasures of Care by Sarah Smith Rainey

intellectually disabled people / people with learning difficulties’ right to sex

Hamilton, C. A. 2009. ‘Now I’d like to sleep with Rachael’ – researching sexuality support in a service agency group home. Disability & Society. 24(3), pp.303-315.

Hollomotz, A. 2008. ‘May we please have sex tonight?’ – people with learning difficulties pursuing privacy in residential group settings. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. 37, pp.91–97.

Vehmas, S. 2019. Persons with profound intellectual disability and their right to sex. Disability & Society. 34(4), pp.519-539.

Significance of the attitudes of police and care staff toward sex and people who have a learning disability by A. Bailey & D. Sines. Journal of Learning Disabilities for Nursing Health and Social Care (1998), 2(3), pp.168-174.

sexual facilitation & making sex accessible

Bahner, J. 2016. Risky business? Organizing sexual facilitation in Swedish personal assistance services. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 18(2), pp.164-175.

Linda R. Mona (2003) Sexual Options for People with Disabilities, Women & Therapy, 26:3-4, pp.211-221.

No Pity Fucks Please: A critique of Scarlet Road’s campaign to improve disabled people’s access to paid sex services by Tova Rozengarten and Heather Brook. Outskirts vol. 34, 2016, pp.1-21.

Julia Bahner (2013) The power of discretion and the discretion of power: personal assistants and sexual facilitation in disability services, Vulnerable Groups & Inclusion, 4:1, 20673.

BDSM, paraphilias, & alternative sex

Goldberg, C. E. 2018. Fucking with Notions of Disability (In)Justice: Exploring BDSM, Sexuality, Consent, and Canadian Law

Hollomotz, A. 2013. Exploiting the Fifty Shades of Grey craze for the disability and sexual rights agenda. Disability & Society. 28(3), pp.418-422.

Reynolds, D. 2007. Disability and BDSM: Bob Flanagan and the case for sexual rights. Sexuality Research & Social Policy. 4(1), pp.40-52.

Tellier, S. 2017. Advancing the discourse: Disability and BDSM. Sex & Disability. 35, pp.485-493.

Sheppard, E. 2018. Using pain, living with pain. Feminist Review. 120, pp.54-69.

Tyburczy, J. 2014. Leather anatomy: Cripping homonormativity at International Mr. Leather. Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies. 8(3), pp.275-293.

Sheppard, E 2019, 'Chronic Pain as Fluid, BDSM as Control' Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 2.

other articles

Finger, A. 1992. Forbidden Fruit

Fritsch, K., Heynen, R., Ross, A. N., and van der Meulen, E. 2016. Disability and sex work: developing affinities through decriminalization. Disability & Society. 31(1), pp.84-99.

McKenzie, J. 2012. Disabled people in rural South Africa talk about sexuality. Culture Health & Sexuality. pp.1-15.

Shakespeare, T. 2000. Disabled sexuality: Toward rights and recognition. Sexuality and Disability. 18(3), pp.159-166.

Shildrick, M. 2007. Contested pleasures: The sociopolitical economy of disability and sexuality. Sexuality Research & Social Policy. 4(1), pp.53-66.

Wentzell, E. 2006. Bad bedfellows: Disability sex rights and Viagra. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society. 26(5), pp.370-377.

“‘Like, pissing yourself is not a particularly attractive quality, let’s be honest’: Learning to contain through youth, adulthood, disability and sexuality” by Kirsty Liddiard and Jenny Slater. Sexualities 2018, Vol. 21(3), pp.319–333.

non-academic texts

Andrew Gurza’s blog - andrewgurza dot com / blog

Disability After Dark podcast

A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability by A. Andrews

Cripping Up Sex with Eva

my cripsex tag, which i’ll add to this post, has other relevant content, & i welcome any additions from folks! all the best to you 💓

[feminist-space]

December 27th, 2023

Hospitals owned by private equity firms riskier for patients, study says

"(CNN) - Health care is more hazardous for patients at hospitals purchased by private equity firms, financing models designed to make money for investors.

That conclusion comes from a new study published Tuesday in the journal Jama.

The study looked at the rates of 10 serious adverse events associated with medical care at 51 hospitals, before and after they were purchased by private equity firms.

Researchers then compared those results with the rates of the same complications at more than 250 hospitals that were not owned by those entities.

The study revealed that, in those private equity firm-purchased hospitals, there was a 25% increase in patient complications.

The rates of patient falls inside the facility, central line infections and surgical site infections all increased.

The study author said treating fewer patients eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits is one trend the research found.

Previous research has shown cuts to staffing and replacing more highly paid workers with those paid less Is often tied to private equity firm acquisitions.

Those firms have been acquiring large chunks of the U.S. health care delivery system in recent years, including hospitals, nursing homes, behavioral health systems and private physician practices.

Earlier this month, the Senate Budget Committee announced its bipartisan investigation of the impact of private equity purchases on health care facilities.

Copyright 2023 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved."

[snailygoon]

spread 4: ✨Aiden and the Birth of a Crann✨

TEXT: “It's only right that the first Crann I introduce you to is Aiden. He was the one who formally introduced me to the world of Faerie after all, and he's nothing short of magnificent. Throughout this journal I will be talking about the different species of Crann I’ve met mostly in general terms (if I were to describe them all individually this journal might never end), but in the case of Aiden that isn’t really possible. To understant what I mean I must first tell you about the birth of a Crann, as explained to me by the Fae themselves. Although they are not immortal beings, their lives can span centuries, making it unnecessary for them to reproduce often. But when it does come time for a new Crann to be brought into this world, it's quite the ceremonious event. Every hundred years or so the elder Crann of the forest are gathered together and a tree sapling is selected by a group of elemental Fae to be nutured with magic. This jovial ceremony full of dancing and singing can span for days, Faeries of all kinds gathering together to witness the birth of a new guardian. Although the Crann live in harmony amongst each other, they each have abilities unique to their species and certain ecosystems in which they thrive. This means the newborn Crann are then given to whichever group they belong to, whether it be Yew, Hazel, Ash, etc., in order to learn the ways of their kind. This was not the case for Aiden.”

"Many years ago a botanist facinated by the idea of bending nature to his will was experimenting with tree grafting. He was attempting to create a chimera that embodied as many of Irelands native trees as he could, testing the limits in which nature could be manipulated by his hand. His attempts proved fruitless and he abandoned his failed experiment in the forest, neglected and dying. There it was found by some garden Faeries who were very intrigued by this curious little sapling. Unable to resist caring for the peculiar sprout, the Faeries began nursing it back to health, unintentionally imbuing the sapling with the same magic that would normally be reserved for the birth of a Crann. By the time they noticed their mistake it was too late. They shuttered at the thought of having to summon the Elder Crann to see what they had done, but not more than they reveled in the idea of causing a bit of trouble for them as well. The newborn was then plucked from the earth and presented to the Crann who had been summoned from every reach of the forest, much to their confusion. To say they were bewildered by this sickly sapling's appearance would be an understatement. Deformed, pale, and incredibly skinny, he was far smaller than any newborn Crann before him. He displayed a confusing mishmash of almost all the forest's trees combined, the likes of which the Crann had never seen, nor fathomed. His one large eye glistened with wonder, mushrooms and tree bark twisting over where the other eye was never able to fully grow. Even his mouth was nowhere to be found, rendering him mute."

< (previous spread) (next spread)> <<(beginning)

[darkmaga-retard]

LawyerLisa

Aug 30, 2024

“Two in five healthcare workers fear Covid-19 vaccine will have serious side-effects, study finds

Some 44 percent of doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff also believe the jab offers them no protection against the virusNearly 42 percent of healthcare workers are worried that Covid-19 vaccines will cause serious side-effects (Image: Getty)

Nearly 42 percent of health

Upgrade to paid

care workers are worried that Covid-19 vaccines will cause serious side-effects, while 44 percent don’t believe the jab offers them protection against the virus, a new study has found.

A total of 595 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals employed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Dublin and the northeast responded to a survey of attitudes in relation to Covid and influenza vaccines.

The research found that 56 percent of respondents believed it should not be mandatory for healthcare staff to be vaccinated against coronavirus, while nearly one-in-three believed the jab would make them unwell.

Just over one-third of the respondents were nurses (36 percent), while 10 percent were doctors and dentists. Nearly 48 percent worked in hospital settings, while 40 percent were employed in long-term care facilities.

Some 232 of the respondents were based in North Dublin, while the remainder were distributed throughout Cavan, Louth, Meath, and Monaghan. The research was carried out by staff at the HSE and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), and the questionnaire was circulated last September.

The study also found that 89 percent of the workers surveyed believed that healthcare professionals getting the Covid-19 vaccine set a good example for patients, and 69 percent were confident advising people about the jab.

The authors of the research, which was published in the latest issue of the Irish Medical Journal, said the responses showed great awareness and support for vaccination among healthcare workers.