The Do This, Get That Guide On Research Essay Topics Police

The Do This, Get That Guide On Research Essay Topics Police The Benefits of Research Essay Topics Police The author discusses the value of information and the way it's used in analysis. Fantastic topics of interest will appear into reasons on the other side of the controversy and supply potential solutions to help others understand people's position on the issue. You are going to have the chance to present the reader with new and exciting details. There are invariably a vast range of opinions on the field of technology, and here are our favourite things to consider on the subject. If you're confused with a selection of interesting topics to research online, it's much better to determine what interests you the most. Advertising and the media are now nearly inseparable from society for a whole. Your research ought to be organised so the transition from doing your research to writing your essay is straightforward. Researching the topic permits you to find out more about what fascinates you, and should you pick something you really like, writing the essay will be more enjoyable. In case the received essay isn't written according to the provided instructions, the student will obtain a refund, and we will likewise earn a refund in the event the essay was not downloaded. Argumentative essays are given by instructors to comprehend how well the student has done their homework together with how well they've conducted their researc h. Not all research paper topics are made equal, and you would like to be sure you opt for an amazing topic before you commence writing. It's also vital that you mention the reason the paper you're writing is crucial. Such a paper should get an introduction, the principal body, and a conclusion. Writing such a paper expects that you've got a high degree of tact. The Key to Successful Research Essay Topics Police It's also wise to review the literature on the problem of police brutality. Why folks feel police brutality is rising. As it is well known that police abuse control procedures aren't effective enough, many victims of excessive violence don't even attempt to complain. In the recent decades, the issue of police brutality and excessive use of force has been increasing particularly in the United States of america. Things You Won't Like About Research Essay Topics Police and Things You Will Most importantly, you need to be specific about choosing your topic. Quite frequen tly, the very best topic is one which you truly care about, but you also will need to get ready to research it. An amazing essay topic is one which explores ways to truly feel proud of yourself. Argumentative essay topics are so important since they are debatableand it's vital to at all times be critically considering the world around us. Facts, in the long run, will always win out against how folks are feeling at a specific moment. Say something which you believe has to be said in the context in which you're writing. You are not going to make the error of writing something in your essay that you believe you have thought of yourself, but is in reality something you're remembering from a book word-for-word. One very poor topic you are able to write about is the death of someone. For instance, you might find there are 3 sub-topics under the very first principal topic that you want to discuss, and that means you will create sub-headings for them. The issue is that everybody's interpretation of what makes a great society differs. The fundamental step is to pick a topic that interests you. When you own a topic and a list of references, you might want to write down all of the essential points you must include, developing a plan for your justice paper that could be developed into the very first draft just by describing each point.

Short Story - 1566 Words

Keeping my emotions detached, I retrieve his credit card from my purse and return it to him. As soon as he accepts it, I turn to leave. He grabs my wrist, ceasing my retreat. The warmth of his body radiates onto the length of my back, his lips caress my ear. Once again he deepens his voice and whispers, â€Å"I told you, you cant leave.† I twist my head just enough to stare into his once, beautiful eyes. Who is this man standing behind me? Though the colour of his eyes remains an ocean-blue with white caps, the love and charm that once inhabited there have dispersed, leaving something ominous in its place. My eyes narrow as I channel all the hate I can muster into him. Once again, his lips caress my ear as he whispers, â€Å"You already†¦show more content†¦I twist my body to find him standing by the office door. Though he wears a forlorn expression, it doesnt suppress the warmth within his honey-brown eyes. I know he means well, but what can he do? He cant rescue me if someone decides to pull a gun on me. Id be dead before he realises Im shot. Nevertheless, I force one corner of my mouth to rise before I climb the stairs to the stage. The unlit spotlight allows me to observe six pairs of eyes scrutinising me, waiting for their entertainment. Whatever little pride I had in my singing ability disperses. Maybe Don Bellini will end my life for my lack of talent. I abandon their gaze and scan the room until I find Alice, wearing a melancholy stare. However, she channels her strength towards me nonetheless. With a slight nod of her head, I open my mouth and allow the melody to flow. It wasnt my greatest performance, I had succumbed to my nerves and quivers, but somehow, I managed to fulfil the Dons demand. I held so tightly to the microphone my knuckles turned white and had I not stood firmly on my feet, they would witness the violent shake in my legs. Halfway through my first song, the men resumed their game and pleasant banter as if the fight never transpired. From that moment, I couldnt comprehend the continuance of my singing for the Don if he had no intention of listening. But the invisible hands held me in place until the music faded nonetheless. â€Å"Thank you,† I whisper into theShow MoreRelatedshort story1018 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Short Stories:  Ã‚  Characteristics †¢Short  - Can usually be read in one sitting. †¢Concise:  Ã‚  Information offered in the story is relevant to the tale being told.  Ã‚  This is unlike a novel, where the story can diverge from the main plot †¢Usually tries to leave behind a  single impression  or effect.  Ã‚  Usually, though not always built around one character, place, idea, or act. †¢Because they are concise, writers depend on the reader bringing  personal experiences  and  prior knowledge  to the story. Four MajorRead MoreThe Short Stories Ideas For Writing A Short Story Essay1097 Words   |  5 Pageswriting a short story. Many a time, writers run out of these short story ideas upon exhausting their sources of short story ideas. If you are one of these writers, who have run out of short story ideas, and the deadline you have for coming up with a short story is running out, the short story writing prompts below will surely help you. Additionally, if you are being tormented by the blank Microsoft Word document staring at you because you are not able to come up with the best short story idea, youRead MoreShort Story1804 Words   |  8 PagesShort story: Definition and History. A  short story  like any other term does not have only one definition, it has many definitions, but all of them are similar in a general idea. According to The World Book Encyclopedia (1994, Vol. 12, L-354), â€Å"the short story is a short work of fiction that usually centers around a single incident. Because of its shorter length, the characters and situations are fewer and less complicated than those of a novel.† In the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s DictionaryRead MoreShort Stories648 Words   |  3 Pageswhat the title to the short story is. The short story theme I am going conduct on is â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber (1973). In this short story the literary elements being used is plot and symbols and the theme being full of distractions and disruption. The narrator is giving a third person point of view in sharing the thoughts of the characters. Walter Mitty the daydreamer is very humorous in the different plots of his dr ifting off. In the start of the story the plot, symbols,Read MoreShort Stories1125 Words   |  5 PagesThe themes of short stories are often relevant to real life? To what extent do you agree with this view? In the short stories â€Å"Miss Brill† and â€Å"Frau Brechenmacher attends a wedding† written by Katherine Mansfield, the themes which are relevant to real life in Miss Brill are isolation and appearance versus reality. Likewise Frau Brechenmacher suffers through isolation throughout the story and also male dominance is one of the major themes that are highlighted in the story. These themes areRead MoreShort Story and People1473 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Title: Story Of An Hour Author: Kate Chopin I. On The Elements / Literary Concepts The short story Story Of An Hour is all about the series of emotions that the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard showed to the readers. With the kind of plot of this short story, it actually refers to the moments that Mrs. Mallard knew that all this time, her husband was alive. For the symbol, I like the title of this short story because it actually symbolizes the time where Mrs. Mallard died with joy. And with thatRead MoreShort Story Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesA short story concentrates on creating a single dynamic effect and is limited in character and situation. It is a language of maximum yet economical effect. Every word must do a job, sometimes several jobs. Short stories are filled with numerous language and sound devices. These language and sound devices create a stronger image of the scenario or the characters within the text, which contribute to the overall pre-designed effect.As it is shown in the metaphor lipstick bleeding gently in CinnamonRead MoreRacism in the Short Stor ies1837 Words   |  7 PagesOften we read stories that tell stories of mixing the grouping may not always be what is legal or what people consider moral at the time. The things that you can learn from someone who is not like you is amazing if people took the time to consider this before judging someone the world as we know it would be a completely different place. The notion to overlook someone because they are not the same race, gender, creed, religion seems to be the way of the world for a long time. Racism is so prevalentRead MoreThe Idol Short Story1728 Words   |  7 PagesThe short stories â€Å"The Idol† by Adolfo Bioy Casares and â€Å"Axolotl† by Julio Cortà ¡zar address the notion of obsession, and the resulting harm that can come from it. Like all addictions, obsession makes one feel overwhelmed, as a single thought comes to continuously intruding our mind, causing the individual to not be able to ignore these thoughts. In â€Å"Axolotl†, the narr ator is drawn upon the axolotls at the Jardin des Plantes aquarium and his fascination towards the axolotls becomes an obsession. InRead MoreGothic Short Story1447 Words   |  6 Pages The End. In the short story, â€Å"Emma Barrett,† the reader follows a search party group searching for a missing girl named Emma deep in a forest in Oregon. The story follows through first person narration by a group member named Holden. This story would be considered a gothic short story because of its use of setting, theme, symbolism, and literary devices used to portray the horror of a missing six-year-old girl. Plot is the literal chronological development of the story, the sequence of events

Business Statistics Economics

Question: Write about theBusiness Statisticsfor Economics. Answer: Introduction It can be noticed that there are numerous ways by which either grow or else de grow. However, there are diverse elements that are accountable for the same and the two majorly effecting components are essentially the exports as well as imports. In essence, exports essentially refers to the process of delivering our products to the purchasers and imports refers to reception of the products. However, to put it in simple words, export reflects independence as well as profits of any nation or else business. Nevertheless, imports dont reflect losses or else dependency and they portray the interests of the entire base of customers and inspire to develop different novel possibilities of particularly in house production of the specific product or else category of products (Newbold et al., 2012). Statistics Statistics are fundamentally in favour and there are several reasons of the same that influences the market and helps in earning the surplus of around 1.3 billion. As per the statistical information, exports have decreased by around 3% and the imports have increased by approximately 4% during January that led to the significant average reduction of 2.1 billion in a month of the Australian trade. This also reflects the fact that there are several products in Australian trading sector for which demand does not equalise with the supply. Again, there exists one additional side of the coin, by itself, there are corporations that cannot provide different in house substitutes of various imported products (Siegel, 2016). Furthermore, there are also certain concealed aspects and taxation on generated revenues also differs from one category to another. There are several in house corporations that can share the overall gains by means of pay outs of dividends. This can be considered to be huge w indfall for the corporations as well as the governing bodies. Nevertheless, if an extremely taxed group is generating revenue despite making high profits, it might possibly not generate growth in a way a low taxed category might have done (Freed et al., 2014). Decrease in Exports The most important items of any trade industry are the coal, iron ore, silver as well as metals. In essence, there is undeniably nothing in the entire world that might perhaps remain unaffected at the time when these sectors alter the behaviour (Anderson et al., 2016). As such, January can be regarded to be a month of surprises for specifically non-monetary gold as it reflected a de growth of around 39%. This result can be considered to be a decisive component of the Australian market. Again, exports of iron ore were also low and the ill effects were also slightly neutralized by necessarily the goods industry of the rural areas (Rhodes, 2014). Essentially, the rural goods industry was also generating high numbers for over the period of three months that helped in balancing the trading market growth chart. Again, service exports also performed well during the month of January and this was backed by a descent growth of around 1%. Essentially, there are also numerous factors that are be hind these striking numbers. As such, the iron ore along with the gold industries can be considered to be the ones that can contribute towards the enhanced numbers in case of apposite production as well as purification of metals. However, there are losses that reflects that the coal business lacks when considered from the perspective of quality or else rate of utilization of production units, manpower, extraction of resources and many others. Increase in Imports In particular, analysis of the graph reveals the fact that there are different wide categories that can reflect an inflating import (DAVID, 2014). However, category of consumer goods replicates a percentage increase of around 7%. Again, capital goods were increased by approximately 3.2% during the month of particularly January and approximately 13.6% over the entire period. In addition to this, intermediate goods also increased roughly 3.8%. Essentially, these can be regarded as the goods that industries can utilize as a production components. This is the way the entire trade market statistics are and there are numerous productions that are essentially performing well. Significance of Commodities Investments It can be hereby mentioned that nowadays the world concentrates more on banking as well as monetary investment. Nevertheless, amount of financial investment necessarily relies upon the overall production of different bugs as well small businesses. It is important remember in this case that investment in commodities points out towards investment in production. In itself, it is the production that functions well with the investment in different commodities. Analysis reveals the fact that production that generates revenue to make it certain that banking sector receives finances for making investment. In particular, this can be considered to be how profitable investment in commodities can be made (Fuller, 2014). In addition to this, there are also several categories as well as available investment alternatives that can be taken into consideration. This alternative investment avenues if explained properly can help in attraction of several financiers. However, investment in commodities can also encourage corporations to go for further business expansions. This in turn can lead to augmented profits as well as higher production than the amount of imports. Probable Solutions In particular, there is no established pace of growth of the market as well as any predetermined formula for attainment of the growth (Anderson et al., 2014). However, there are ways to correct the rate of the growth. Firstly, in case when a particular corporation imports certain basic consumer goods, this necessarily replicates two different optimistic market factors. One of the factors is that the nation has adequate financial soundness to afford the same. In addition to this, there is also escalating demand of the identical products. However, since these are essentially basic consumer goods, these can be manufactured easily within a particular nation. Again, there are certain basic consumer goods that can manufacture within a particular nation. This can also increase the overall production ratio in the nation and provide new ways of augmented employment that leads to higher percentage of disposal income in essentially market of trading (Carter, 2016). This is a way in which a spec ific secure market can be organized. Evaluating the trends in the market and augmenting the production percentage can be regarded to be important. Essentially, import of capital goods at certain points of time can be considered to be a necessity. Necessarily, this fact rationalises the genuine imports by different corporations. Especially, iron ore as well as coal mining can be considered to be linked. Again, inadequate export of products also represents the fact that there are several issues concerning the resource utilization. However, proper utilization of commodity trade can be carried out by augmenting marketing of different investment plans of commodities (Yau, 2013). Essentially, this can assist in making residents more conscious concerning investment. This in turn can help in encouraging investors to make investments in commodity trade. However, there are several ways in which a professional can gain by investing in the commodity trade. Essentially, inclusion of certain nove l schemes in the commodity investment can prove to be very inspiring. Conclusion In conclusion, it can said that there are several positive symbols presented in the figures. As such, increase in imports clearly replicates the fact that the market is ready for expansion. In addition to this, there are also several ways in which trading in commodity can help in making contributions. Nevertheless, the investment market also needs to make it certain that they are working with the right clientele. In addition to this, it is important to carry out a detailed analysis of different import goods for particularly basic consumer goods and establishment of different in-house businesses. References Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D. J., Williams, T. A., Camm, J. D., Cochran, J. J. (2016). Statistics for business economics. Nelson Education. Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D. J., Williams, T. A., Camm, J. D., Cochran, J. J. (2014). Essentials of statistics for business and economics. Cengage Learning. Carter, P. (2016). Data Analysis in Business: Statistics for a Brave New World. Tilde University Press. DAVID, F. G. (2014). Business Statistics: a decision-making approach. PEARSON. Freed, N., Bergquist, T., Jones, S. (2014). Understanding business statistics. John Wiley Sons. Fuller, J. E. (2014). Understanding the Quantitative Skill Base on Introductory Statistics: A Case Study from Business Statistics. In Topics from Australian Conferences on Teaching Statistics (pp. 211-222). Springer New York. Jaggia, S., Kelly, A., Beg, A. B. M., Leighton, C., Olaru, D., Salzman, S., Sriananthakumar, S. (2016). Essentials of business statistics: communicating with numbers. McGraw-Hill Education. Newbold, P., Carlson, W., Thorne, B. (2012). Statistics for business and economics. Pearson. Rhodes, C. (2014). Business StatisticsEconomic Policy Statistics. SN/EP/6152, House of Commons Library. Accessed December 15, 2014. https://www. parliament. uk/briefing-papers/sn06152. pdf. Siegel, A., (2016). Practical business statistics. Academic Press. Yau, N. (2013). Data points: Visualization that means something. John Wiley Sons.

Self Directed And Life Long Learning free essay sample

The purpose of this essay is to explore and evaluate an aspect of teaching and learning and the following topic of; ‘self-directed/lifelong learning’ is the authors chosen subject. This essay will determine knowledge of this chosen aspect of teaching and learning, critically evaluate the concept of self directed and lifelong learning from the authors own perspective an a nurse educator. The essay will also identify and consider challenges that arise in the application of self-directed and lifelong learning, identify areas where this chosen topic will assist in bridging the theory practice gap, as well as identifying outcomes for patient/client care. The central question of how adults learn has occupied the attention of scholars and practitioners since the founding of adult education as a professional field of practice in the 1920’s. Some eighty years later, we have no single answer, no one theory or model of adult learning that explains all that we know about adult learners, the various contexts where learning takes place, and the process of learning itself. We will write a custom essay sample on Self Directed And Life Long Learning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What we do have is a mosaic of theories, models, sets of principles, and explanations that, combined, compose the knowledge base of adult learning. Two important pieces of that mosaic are andragogy and self directed learning (Merriam, 2001). Knowles (1980, p. 47) proposed a programme planning model for designing, implementing, and evaluating educational experiences with adults. Knowles suggested that the adult classroom climate should be one of â€Å"adultness,† both physically and psychologically. In an â€Å"adult† classroom, adults â€Å"feel accepted, respected and supported†; further, there exists â€Å"a spirit of mutuality between students and teachers as joint enquirers†. And because adults manage other aspects of their lives then they are also capable of directing, or at least assisting in planning their own learning. Knowles himself came to concur that andragogy is less a theory of adult learning than â€Å"a model of assumptions about learning or a conceptual framework that serves as a basis for an emergent theory† (1989, p. 12). This acknowledgement by Knowles resulted in andragogy being defined more by the learning situation than by the learner. About the same time as Knowles introduced andragogy to North American adult educators, self-directed learning appeared as another model that helped define adult learners as different from children. Based on the pioneering work of Houle, Tough, and Knowles, early research on self-directed learning was descriptive, verifying the widespread presence of self-directed learning among adults and documenting the process as it occurred (Merriam, 2001). Houle, 1996, p. 29) stated that what is significant is that andragogy has alerted educators to the fact that they â€Å"should involve learners in as many aspects of their education as possible and in the creation of a climate in which they can most fruitfully learn†. What Merriam and Caffarella (1999) term â€Å"instructional â€Å" models of the process focus on what instructors can do in the formal classroom setting to foster self-direction and student control of learning. Historically, in relation to nursing education, the term learner-centred education did not appear frequently. This may have been attributed to the previous accepted nursing curriculum and prejudice against higher education, as evidenced by stereotyped cliches such as ‘nurses are born not made’. Advocates of the ‘hidden curriculum’ in nursing education (Clinton 1982, Crout, 1980) extended the argument to reason that nurse educators ‘de-emphasise’ the theoretical basis of nursing since they seek to train learners to become conformist, non-critical and obedient employees. (Sweeney, 1986). However nurse training did move into higher education, a move born of a desire to increase the ‘professionalism’ of nursing. As the author is a nurse educator within the mental health service area of a district health board, and there is a specific need and desire to both explore and evaluate self-directed/lifelong learning from a mental health educational viewpoint. The author also trained in Scotland in the 1980’s and was trained the traditional hospital apprentice model. Therefore the concept of self-directed /lifelong learning will be explored from my own experiences of learning, both in a pre-registration environment and over the span of my 20 year post qualifying period. In charting the development of lifelong learning as a concept and taking stock of its current location in nursing, one of the prominent elements noticed has been the proliferation of documents in the 1990’s emphasizing the value and the modes of implementation of lifelong learning in general as well as in nursing (Gopee, 2001). In the UK, the government’s nursing strategy document, Making a Difference (DoH, 1999) notes that ‘Lifelong learning is more than a slogan, and access to education, training and development is no longer an aspiration for the few but a necessary part of jobs and careers in most sectors’. The UK nurses’ professional body the Royal College of Nursing (1997) asserts that continuing professional development (CPD) should be seen ‘as a way of life’. Knapper and Cropley (2000) suggest that the term lifelong learning may be no more than a ‘unifying principle’ that links existing trends and tendencies in education. In other words lifelong learning takes a more holistic perspective, and should be a normal and realistic expectation throughout life. Certainly from the authors’ perspective, much has changed since the pre-registration days of my nurse training, whereby the UK was on the precipice of moving from an institutionalised model of care to a community based model and all that this entailed. The nature of mental health nursing delivery in the Western world, like all areas of health care, continues to undergo profound changes (Barling and Brown, 2001; Ryan-Nicholls, 2003). These changes – shifting client populations, case management, changing loci of care (e. g. , from hospital to community) and competing models of care – have impacted upon the practice of mental health nursing. In addition, educational provision for mental health nurses has had to address issues of change in recruitment, retention, career opportunities and practice development (Happell, 2001; Hannigan 2004). Additionally in Australia and New Zealand direct entry to mental health nursing was phased out by the mid 1990s. Despite the passage of time, there remains concern that mental health nursing has not been well served by this change in educational preparation (Happell, 2008a,b). Along with the reported shortage of mental health nurses, there has also been a decline in the number of graduates choosing a career in mental health nursing (Curtis, 2007) with relatively small numbers undertaking postgraduate study in this specialist area (Happell and Gough, 2009). Unlike Australia and New Zealand, the UK continues an undergraduate mental health nursing programme and anecdotal evidence would suggest that the problems of recruitment and retention in mental health nursing are more problematic on this side of the globe. Happell’s (2001) Australian study of almost 300 students showed that initially mental health was not a popular choice amongst undergraduate nursing students but, nevertheless, suggests that clinical experience in mental health settings modifies such erceptions. Educational provision beyond initial registration demonstrates the potential for, as well as the challenges, of continuing professional development for this group of nurses (Robinson and Tingle, 2003). One educational provision is to enhance the practice of particular mental health nursing skills. The use of particular psycho-social interventions, via such initiatives as the Thorn programme, has been highlighted in caring for clients with enduring mental health proble ms (Gamble, 1997). The author of this essay is a strong advocate for such programmes being introduced into a New Zealand post graduate mental health nursing programme, as she herself completed this programme over a 12 month period at the Maudsley Hospital in London. This programme recognised that whilst the UK has maintained an undergraduate mental health nursing programme, gaps continued to remain in nursing and other disciplines in the provision of adequate care for clients with enduring mental illness and their families. The Thorn programme aimed to minimise those gaps in the UK mental health service provision by ensuring that nurses and other disciplines had the necessary skills to meet those needs. As a nurse educator within the mental health services of a District Health Board in New Zealand, the role includes mandatory educational responsibilities for both nursing and allied health staff, within the provider arm and non-government organisations. The role extends to providing non-mandatory education to colleagues and this includes; enduring mental illness, clinical supervision, preceptor training, to name but a few. Also included is involvement in our New Graduate Mental Health Nursing Programme. This variety within my role can and does present both opportunities and challenges when attempting to foster and encourage new learning’s, and influence change. The challenge therefore is acknowledging the wide ranging experience and qualifications that learners have and creating an environment in which the participants and my role support both as being joint enquirers. Therefore whilst I believe my role as educator is not from a hierarchal model, rather one based on being learner centred and inclusive, I am also aware that at times my style of teaching can be more of a didactic model, however I encourage class participants to also share their own learning’s and experiences. I do however find myself wanting to impart as much knowledge as I can, and I believe some of this is fuelled by my own training and experiences and my on-going concerns that New Zealand does not have an ndergraduate mental health nursing programme. Having reviewed the many studies by Brenda Happell on the similar Australian comprehensive undergraduate nursing programme and the recruitment and retention issues within mental health nursing, I find myself concerned, especially for the future of mental health nursing and the ability to attract and retain our mental health colleagues. This however may serve to promote a more didactic teaching style and this is one of the challenges for me to remedy as a nurse educator. The educator role also includes our regular work-force, both registered and unregistered staff, therefore another challenge is to both promote and maintain good clinical understanding of mental health issues that impact our client group and their families, and keeping staff abreast of changes and national strategies and directives. Another challenge is that some attendees at mandatory training and continual professional development training are not there through choice, but rather because their managers have told them to attend and/or they require additional educational and professional development hours for their annual registration. A UK study by Gould et al. , (2007) on nurses’ experiences of continual professional development (CPD), five main themes emerged from the data: Who and what is CPD for? Accessing CPD; One size does not fit all; Managing work, life and doing CPD; and Making the best of CPD. The respondents in this research thought that CPD played an important role in enhancing service provision and maintaining safety for patients and nurses, and made links between CPD and clinical governance as well as bridging the theory practice gap. The importance of maintaining skills, remaining professionally updated and CPD was also considered to play a key role in both career and personal development. A fewer number of respondents expressed a view that ‘nursing had lost its way’ by becoming overly academic. They called for a return to traditional values, when much greater importance was placed on clinical experience. On the subject of managing work, life and CPD, some respondents complained of the expectation that they would invest personal time in CPD intended to primarily improve service delivery. This resulted in considerable resentment, especially when individuals were already feeling the effects of heavy clinical workloads, poor staffing and the rapid pace of change within the health system. Many of the opinions expressed corroborate the findings of other studies. Poor staffing levels and the absence of colleagues to provide ‘backfill’ was the same problem as in earlier reports (Shields, 2002) and as in the study by Gould et al. , 2004b, there was a feeling from some respondents’ that longer courses with academic emphasis were being promoted at the expense of those intended primarily to attain competency in clinical skills. From the authors own experience both as a clinician and as an educator, I would concur with the study findings and therefore, ongoing evaluation of my role and the content of the education being delivered, and how it is delivered is of paramount importance. One of the main objectives of the educator role is to identify the theory practice gap and how this can be reduced, in order to enhance the clinical outcomes for our clients and families, as well as creating job satisfaction, confidence and competence within our staff who deliver our mental health services. In general terms, the theory- practice gap can be defined as the discrepancy between what student nurses are taught in a classroom setting – the theoretical aspects of nursing – and what they experience on clinical placement – the practice of nursing (Jones, 1997). In the late 1980s, as a result of recommendations made in Project 2000’ (UKCC, 1986), nurse education in the UK moved from hospital-based schools of nursing into universities. Exposure of nursing students to the research-based education of universities was perceived as a way of fostering critical, analytical practitioners, capable of applying research to practice. However, there is contention that degree programmes focus on theory and research to the detriment of practice experience. Thus graduate nurses are accused of lack of competence when they first qualify (Roberts and Johnson, 2009). This is an accusation seldom if ever targeted at any of the other graduate professions within healthcare. For nurse education then, it is crucial that graduate programmes combine theoretical and practical learning and develop strategies to ensure that the competency of newly qualified nurses is assured (Taylor et al. , 2010). However changes to competence assessment in nursing have not been without its critics. Following a systematic review of the literature, Watson et al. , (2002) argued that there was no evidence to support the use of competency-based nurse education. Moreover, they asserted that while not wrong in itself, competence driven nurse education may be misguided because it encapsulates an ‘anti-education’ mentality’. Such is the complexity of competence assessment, that not even involvement of mentors in the process is unproblematic. Mosely and Davies (2008) reported that mentors often struggle with the cognitive demands of the role. Moreover, there are a number of organisational and contextual constraints that make assessment difficult. Lack of time is identified as a major constraint (Myall et al. , 2008; Wilkes, 2006). The problem is compounded by increased student numbers that impinge on placement provision and put mentors under pressure (Murray and Williamson, 2009). Additionally, there is lack of recognition for mentors (Bray and Nettleton, 2007; Kilcullen, 2007) and the inherent role confusion inherent in simultaneously acting as mentor and assessor (Bray and Nettleton, 2007; Wilkes, 2006). A UK study conducted by Corlett (2000), attempted to explore and identify the perceptions of nurse teachers, student nurses and preceptors of the theory-practice gap in nurse education. This study identified that without exception, interviewees felt a theory-practice gap does exist, with students saying it was huge, whilst teachers thought it was probably fairly narrow. Some teachers felt the gap was a beneficial phenomenon, encouraging students to develop problem-based learning and reflective skills to overcome the gap. Students viewed the differences as frustrating and gave more credence to what they saw and learned on placement. Whilst the study identified that preceptors played an important role in helping students relate theory to practice, interviewees felt there was little time to facilitate this process due to the shortness of placements – a finding supported by several other studies (Richards, 1993, White Riley, 1993, Philips et al. 1996). Several studies have also identified that nurse teachers are seen to teach an idealized version of nursing, which often did not fit with the realities of practice. Nurse teachers’ credibility is also lessened when students report what they had seen in the clinical area was different to what they had been taught. Sequencing theory and practice appears particularly worrying for students with the academic model and the role of nurse educators being far removed from reality, therefore a collaborative relationship between nurse educators, students and preceptors appears to be a potential way forward. Within the mental health services it is hoped that the nurse educator role, whilst based within the hospital setting, allows for some of the theory practice gap to be addressed and reduced, and that our staff who support and preceptor our students and newer staff also feel supported. In a study conducted by Hallin and Danielson (2010), preceptors who are supported and informed of the university’s expectations of what nursing students ought to achieve and how they should perform are significantly more likely to report and manage students with insufficiencies. However reasons given as to why nursing students with difficulties pass clinical education are primarily RNs’ feelings of guilt, lack of preceptor experience, insufficient time to observe the student, but also feelings of pity for students (Luhanga et al. , 2008b). Critical decisions on student performance are easier to handle when guidance and teacher support are insured, the structured three-way (tripartite) meetings between teacher, student and personal preceptor described in Hallin and Danielson (2010) model would improve evaluation quality. There is therefore no doubt that there is a need for improved communication, information sharing and collaboration between the tertiary institutions and clinical areas, this would enhance the integration of theory to clinical practice for nursing students , whilst supporting the preceptor in the understanding of the nursing programme. Other studies report that with high staff turnover and retention issues concerning RNs, lack of time and opportunity to be supported to take a preceptor-preparation course and other educational opportunities to increase RNs own knowledge, high student numbers and preceptors not being given adequate time and resources to spend with students, could increase RNs resentments of feeling overworked and therefore less eager to work with students. Undoubtedly, efforts must be made that ensure being a preceptor is considered an honour and results in benefits and rewards (Hyrkas and Shoemaker, 2007). In the role as a nurse educator within the District Health Board, preceptors attend a two day training course and there is ongoing education for them to access within our mental health training programme, it is hoped that this therefore minimises some of the negative impacts the research has found. As previously discussed, self-directed/lifelong learning is very much a part of being in the health and specifically the nursing profession, the authors own experience is that to keep abreast of our ever changing health system and how we deliver care now and in the future, nurses have to accept that this is a necessary part of our roles. There are many advantages to lifelong learning, including enhancement of knowledge of skills, promoting the best quality health services that we can deliver and ultimately improving outcomes for the people we deliver our services to. Life long learning within nursing also gives us the opportunity to bridge the transition from initial training to continuing education, especially important in health and from the author’s perspective in mental health. In the past 20 + years, we have moved to having hospital based care, to community care, this has had a profound impact for both clients and families within the mental health services. Whilst we acknowledge this has been an advantaged way of delivering care for those clients, it has also meant a huge reliance on families becoming care-givers, therefore to up skill our families; we must understand and up skill ourselves. Our society continues to evolve, just as how we deliver healthcare services continues to evolve, therefore the challenge may not only be the concept of self-directed/ life long learning, but how we ensure that we have robust supports and services in place to meet the needs of our health profession and the needs of nursing, both now and in the future.