• Weight: 10% of course grade
• Grading Rubric

Instructions

Creating Your Personal Budget

For this assignment, you will apply what you have learned in this unit to a small business. To get the business’s finances under control, you need to prepare a budget. You may consider items from your personal finances and cash flow to help you identify possible expense items for the small business budget. Research the CSU Online Library or the Internet for steps to creating a personal budget. 

Monthly expenses might include rent, utility costs, personal loans, car loans, credit cards, groceries, childcare, vehicle maintenance costs and insurance, phone charges, and cable or streaming costs. Cash flow considerations might include monthly salaries, commissions, and allowances. 

You can use any budget format that you are comfortable with, or you may select a free template. Your budget should be completed using Excel. Once you have completed your budget, in a separate Word document, address the information below. 

• How can the use of the budget be used in the planning process? 
• How can this financial information influence short-term and long-term decisions? 
• Based on your personal budget, what are your static expenses? What are your flexible expenses? 
• As an accountant, reflect on how you can use what you have learned in this activity in the workplace. 

Your submission should include one Excel document, which contains your budget, and a one-page Word document, which contains your responses to the prompts above. You should include at least two resources to support your responses. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. 

Resources

The following resource(s) may help you with this assignment.

• Submit Math Center Request
• Submit Writing Center Request

Reply 1

4 postsRe: Topic 4 DQ 2

Advocacy is a very significant pillar of nursing. Nurses have a responsibility to advocate for their fellow nurses and their patients, both in their workplaces and in their communities at large. Advocacy at the legislative and political level is also crucial to improve national health care delivery and develop a safe work environment for health workers (Brent, 2018). Nurses’ input contributes significantly to how policy is introduced, interpreted, and finally implemented. In 2018, The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2018 (S. 292), also referred to as the STAR Act, was signed into law by the President of the United States, Donald Trump on June 5, 2018. The act created new authorities, expanded and upgraded existing ones relating to childhood and adolescent cancer research, testing, tracking, treatment, and survivorship. It was a piece of bipartisan legislation that was introduced by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Jack Reed (D-RI) with the help of patients, care providers, and the whole cancer community (Stone, 2018).

The legislation helped to fill specific gaps that were prevalent in the treatment of cancer among children and adolescents. Due to the advancements made in cancer treatment, more than eighty percent of children survive more than the projected five years. The enactment of this bill was a step in the right direction; however, additional effort needs to be put to ensure every individual child affected by cancer can access medical treatment. There needs to be legislation that promotes the prevention of this disease and more rigorous ways to manage it.

References

Brent, N. J. (2018). The American Nurses Association declared 2018 the Year of Advocacy. Advocacy is defined as pleading for or actively supporting a cause or proposal, but what does it mean to nurses and their patients? Nurse.com.

Stone, A. (2018). Key Federal Health Policy Legislation Updates for 2018. ONS Voice.
Reply 2

The Nurse Staffing Standards for patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017 is a bill that amends the public Health Service Act, and requires hospitals to implement and submit a staffing plan that complies with specified minimum nurse-to-patient ratios by unit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The bill states that nurses have a duty and right to act based on their professional judgement and provide care in the exclusive interest of patients (Congress.gov, 2018). In addition, the bill recognizes the fact that nurses are often put into difficult situations where they are pressured to care for too many patients, which results in poorer care overall. The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act, also seeks to empower nurses by obligating RNs to act in the best interest of the patient and advocate for patients without regard to bureaucratic and budgetary concerns of fear of being reprimanded for putting the patient first. In addition, the bill is designed to clearly dictate that nurses should always put the well-being of the patient above all other concerns (Nurse.org, 2018).

Research has shown that “adding RNs to unit staffing decisions can reduce the length of stay for hospital patients as well as the risk of adverse events, such as falls, injuries, infections and bleeding. Increasing the number of RNs can yield a cost savings of nearly $3 billion – the result of more than 4 million avoided extra hospital stays for adverse events – and lower costs from hospital readmissions” (ANA, 2018). To date, seven states have enacted safe staffing legislation using the committee approach: Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. In addition to advocating for legislation at state and federal levels, numerous initiatives have been created in order to achieve safe and appropriate nurse-to-patient staffing in all health care settings. Furthermore, evidence-based research is constantly being conducted in order to achieve optimal results as well as utilizing the results as a driving force in advocating for The Nurse Staffing Standards for patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017.

Reference:

American Nurses Association. (2018). ANA Applauds Nurse Staffing Legislation. https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2018/ana-applauds-nurse-staffing-legislation/

Congress.gov. (2018). Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1063

Nurse.org. (2018). Proposed Federal RN Ratios- What You Can Do About It. https://nurse.org/articles/federal-staffing-ratios/

400 words per question
-can you deliver

1. The Role of Financial Statements

 Understanding
basic accounting principles is imperative to the health care manager role.
Reading a balance sheet and recognizing the importance of cash flow are skills
that are compulsory to this function. With this in mind, discuss the following:

·  Discuss the most important headings in a
balance sheet and what the summary numbers mean.

·  Explain 4-5 reasons why cash flow is important
to a healthcare organization.

Use 2 references to
validate your response

2. Understand How Reimbursement Contributes to the
Need for Cost Containment

 You are the
manager in a healthcare organization, and you have been directed to come up
with a plan to cut your budget by 5%. Discuss the following:

·  What expenses will you cut? Justify the cuts
you choose.

·  Describe how these cuts will affect
patient-centered care.

o   Include both positive and negative effects.

Provide at least 1
reference for this discussion.

3. Analyze the Basics of Financial Principles

You are the chief
financial officer (CFO) for an organization and need to discuss with fellow
C-suite executives that cost cutting is not the only answer to profitability.
Prepare for the next manager’s meeting by responding to the following prompts:

·  Explain how a capital budget and a return on
investment contribute to sustainable growth.

·  Clarify the role that risk analysis plays
during capital investment decision making.

Provide 1 reference
that discusses cost containment and patient care.

 

Option #1: Develop an Equality and Diversity Policy Paper

In his book, “Equality of Opportunity,” author John Roemer posits there are two views of equality of opportunity. The first is the nondiscrimination principle.  The nondiscrimination principle states that in the competition for positions in society, individuals should be judged only on attributes relevant to the performance of the duties. Characteristics such as race or sex should not be taken into account. The second states that society should do what it can to level the playing field among persons who compete for positions, especially during their formative years, so that all those who have the relevant potential attributes can be considered.

What is common to both situations is that at some point, the principle of equal opportunity holds individuals accountable for the achievements of particular objectives, whether they be education, employment, health, or income. As a leader, you must understand these two viewpoints. Using the organization you created in Module 1, develop your organization’s Equality and Diversity Policy. Your policy will explain your attitudes and values towards equality and diversity in the workplace. It will outline what your primary aims are for removing prejudice and inequality, and how you will improve your workplace in terms of fair treatment, i.e., by:

• Creating a positive and supportive working environment for all staff and customers.
• Protecting employees from being discriminated against because of one or more of the protected characteristics that apply to them.
• Providing equal opportunity for everyone in the workforce, no matter their background or characteristics.
• Promoting the diversity of the workforce.
• Responding to changing demographics and working patterns, e.g., employers being flexible with work to retain valuable employees who have specific needs and meet customer demands.

Recommended Steps on How to Write an Equality Diversity Policy:

1. To begin the policy, write a statement that outlines your organization’s commitment to equality; that explains, you aim to create a diverse workforce, promote positivity, and instills a can-do attitude in everyone, no matter their background or characteristics.
2. Following this paragraph, identify that your employment will not discriminate on the grounds of any protected characteristics. This demonstrates your understanding of the protected characteristics; that you can identify them; that you will not be biased, or have reservations based on them. Explicitly state that you oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.
3. Then, outline the type of work environment your establishment aims to create, i.e., free of discrimination and prejudice. Make it clear that everyone will be treated fairly, with respect, and given equal opportunity in every aspect of their functional role.
4. State that, when selecting for employment, promotion, training, or anything of this nature, it will be based on the individual’s own merits. Their aptitude and ability will determine their suitability for the role; it will not be affected by any of the protected characteristics.
5. You could then give a list of bullet points that sum up your principal attitudes, values, and aims where equality and diversity is concerned, such as one stating that you desire to create an environment in which individual differences and how everyone contributes are recognized and valued.
6. Reinforce your sentiments and your intolerance towards discrimination – including the fact that disciplinary action will be taken against those that breach your policy.
7. And lastly, state that the policy is active; that it will be monitored and reviewed annually.

Submission Requirements:

1. Your submission should be 4 pages in length (not including title or reference pages) and be formatted according to the CSU Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements (Links to an external site.).
2. Be sure to discuss and reference concepts taken from the course reading material and relevant research.
3. You must include a minimum of 6 credible, academic, or professional references beyond the text or other course materials (at least two scholarly/peer-reviewed from the CSU Global Library).
4. You may wish to review the Template Paper (Links to an external site.) for help formatting your essay according to the requirements.
5. If you need assistance with your writing style or you need writing tips or tutorials, visit the CSU Global Writing Center (Links to an external site.).
6. Review the grading rubric to see how you will be graded for this assignment.

 1 DQ 2

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening of children for general development using validated standard tools at 9,18,24 and 30 months (“Early childhood development,” n.d.). This helps in early identification of any delay in development. Nurses have an important role to play in checking whether the children have attained expected milestones. Physical characteristics of the infant such as weight, length and head circumference are the basic developmental markers. Motor skills in a nine-month-old infant like being able to crawl and reach for objects while sitting among many others are also assessed. Cognitive skills such as moving objects smoothly from one hand to another and picking up things between the thumb and index fingers should be assessed too. In language and communication skills, the infant should be able to do things like make babbling sounds and imitate speech sounds. The infant should have developed social and emotional skills like having favorite toys and being afraid of strangers by this age (“Important Milestones: Your Baby By Nine Months,” 2019)

Adequately breastfeeding as often as the baby wants is one of the recommendations I will give the mother. Although complementary foods can be added from the age of six months, breastfeeding should continue up to the age of two years to improve the infant’s health. Feeding the baby with enough quantities of proteins, nutrient dense fluids such as milk and energy giving foods is another recommendation. It will also be advantageous to feed the infant a wide variety of foods so that she can obtain other essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. These types of foods will help enhance synthesis of muscle and fat tissue (Ridley, 2013).

Evidence based practice recommendations are the best to use because they combine the current best evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. This has become a standard of practice in health care institutions. The guidelines in EBP allow nurses to base their recommendations on research that has been collected, analyzed and condensed by experts in the health care field.

References

Early childhood development. (n.d.). AAP.org. https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Screening/Pages/Early-Childhood-Development.aspx

Important Milestones: Your Baby By Nine Months. (2019, January 29

Respond using 200-300APA format supporting the above in discussion using references