Drug abuse among health care professionals - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2313 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Health Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Drug Abuse among Health Care Professionals Healthcare workers are among the top population for drug abuse. According to the American Medical Association, â€Å"The term ‘impaired is used to identify those members of the medical profession whose performance is adversely affected by drug abuse.†(AMA) Having an impaired heath care worker causes harm to not only them, but puts the client at a higher risk for death. Drug impaired health care workers jeopardize lives every day by working under the influence. This paper will discuss the following topics among health care professionals with drug abuse, the underlying factors, instances of harm related to drug abuse, the statistics of who abuses, and what to do if someone suspects abuse. This paper will in hope give a better view of how to lookout for substance abusers and how to help them admit they have a problem. Drug abuse in health care professionals is an ever growing epidemic. Healthcare workers are just as likely as any other human to use substances in a mann er not legal. There are many factors that persuade them into taking drugs. Drug abuse can be summarized into taking a medication without a prescription, taking more than the recommended prescribed dose, or the abuse of over the counter medications to the point of impairment. Due to the shortage of medical professionals such as nurses, the nurse to patient ratios are growing more and more as the baby boomers retire out. This is putting a substantial amount of work load on to the nurse and causing mistakes to increase. The shortage of nurses also has an increase in stress due to the amount of hours worked. Instead of the normal nurse working a 12 hour shift, it might be necessary to work a 24 hour shift to cover the shift of the night nurse that didnt come in. This increases the risk for abuse to try and stay awake or deal with the depression of not being able to go home. More nurses today are taking stimulants to stay awake to provide patient care. These stimulants put the nurse and patient at risk because of the unwanted side effects such as nervousness, being jittery or dizzy and causing seizures or respiratory depression if too much is consumed. â€Å"Substance abuse is the number one reason named by state boards of nursing for disciplinary action.†(Hrobak) In the state of Oklahoma, if a nurse is suspected of abuse, they must go before the state board in a court appearance, more than likely to have they license revoked, until otherwise proven efficient to work. Other factors to include are, a history of family drug abuse, history of domestic violence, and peer abuse, with many other factors. There a many instances when an impaired health care worker causes harm to the patient and themselves. They can put an entire hospital at risk without even realizing what they are doing. â€Å"A string of mysterious infections at a hospital from 1998 to 1999 were traced to a most unexpected source, doctors are reporting today: a respiratory therapist who is sus pected of having used a needle and syringe to steal a narcotic from the bags of intravenous medicine that were hanging by the bedsides of critically ill patients. The therapist is believed to have contaminated the medications while tapping into them.† (Grady) Bringing in an infection to a hospital can cause everyone grief and patients a higher hospital bill for trying to rid the infection if it doesnt overtake them first. When a health care worker is under the influence many different accidents can happen. Major threats to all healthcare workers are the risk of needle stick injuries. They can inflict a disease of the patient to themselves or pass it on to other patients if not careful with â€Å"dirty† needles they use. A major risk disease that is cautiously monitored in hospitals is AIDS, HIV, and Hepatitis. Without careful monitoring of used patient supplies, more infections can be passed throughout an entire hospital without even realizing. When someone is workin g under the influence, they lose control of the full power of the brain and accidents are more likely to occur. Drug abuse can happen to many other people other than nurses as well. Doctors are just as likely to do the same thing. The following is a medical malpractice case against a doctor. â€Å"A former doctor who admitted he was abusing prescription drugs agreed to settle the medical malpractice lawsuit against him in St. Louis County court this week. The patient, John W. Campbell, accused Michael Impey of putting a hole in his colon during a medical procedure in 2006. About a foot of Campbells colon was removed as a result of the injury. Impey, who lost his medical license soon after the incident because he was abusing pain pills, agreed to settle Tuesday for an undisclosed amount.† (Malik) Without thinking of the consequences of a little abuse, it can cause professionals to lose their license and perhaps never be able to practice again. This doctor might have not bee n aware of the harm he was causing until it was too late to do anything. By that time, most abusers try to cover up mistakes so attention is not brought to them. There are many different statistics used today to describe the amount of professionals relying on drugs to get through an average day of work. There are four major types of drug abuse, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, and inhalants. They can be broadened out into a bigger scope of legal and illegal drugs. Drugs are often times noted as illegal due to the fact that when the abuser deviates away from the proper use of the medication and takes it how they feel will get a better high. Herbal medicines are sometimes considered to be a drug, such as marijuana, but it has not been FDA approved so therefore takes on the name as an herb. This following is a study conducted using physicians, According to addictionsearch.com â€Å"In a study conducted by Cicala (2003) 8% to 12% of physicians were estimated to develop a substance abuse problem.†(Cicala) This could easily be described as they have a license to dispense almost any type of medication and the readily availability of drugs. Anesthesiologists, well known for putting patients under during surgical procedures, are among the top physicians that abuse drugs. They have access to some of the most powerful narcotics and gases that are available and legal to use. Some Dentists are also considered abusers do to the fact that they use nitrous oxide, laughing gas, during procedures, and often times huff it while alone to relax. Nitrous oxide is still considered a prescription because it has to have an order to use it and a license to buy or dispense it. The stress of taking care of another human being and being responsible for life or death choices is not a career for everyone, and they believe can be fixed by getting a high off of narcotics and other drugs. Occasional use of drugs in small dozes can eventually lead to the addiction of large quantities o f drugs several times a day to get the euphoria one is seeking. Nurses are an ever growing field with more than 2.9 million in todays society. The underlying factors associated with work stress and burn out are increasing with nurses. According to addictionsearch.com â€Å"Trinkoff and Storr (1998) conducted an investigation where substance use was studied among nurses. Thirty two percent of 4,438 respondents indicated some substance abuse.†(Tinkoff and Storr) Nurses are constantly working around narcotic and non-narcotic prescriptions on a daily basis. They are the ones who pass out routine medications to their clients and are responsible for the administration of those medications. Often times it has been noted that those sometimes prn (as needed) medications rarely make it to the clients mouth, but to the nurses. With easy access to medication rooms on the floor the nurse is working, it is easy for some nurses to be tempted to take a few extra pills or capsules and n ot note it otherwise. Since many healthcare workers take on the term as a professional, it is never expected for one to abuse substances. Society views health care workers as the ones that know everything about health and how to stay healthy, so it puts that extra stress of societys view onto their daily lives. According to The Journal of Oncology Nurses â€Å"One study reported that the prevalence of use for all substances among nurses was 32%. Compared with nurses in womens health, pediatrics, and general practice, emergency nurses were 3.5 times as likely to use marijuana or cocaine, oncology and administration nurses were twice as likely to engage in binge drinking, and psychiatric nurses were most likely to smoke.† (Tariman) Emergency nurses rate so high in abuse due to the substantial amount of stress that experience with trauma and death in the emergency room. When someone suspects drug abuse, the worst thing one could do is not report it to the administrator or charge nurse, following the chain of command. Most healthcare workers will first go through a series of denial, not wanting to admit they have a problem until they are convinced they need help. Sometimes it is hard to recognize an impaired healthcare worker because they know how to hide the signs and symptoms, although many professionals can still detect the signs of substance abuse. Some signs of drug abuse could be volunteering extra time to work, staying late, volunteering to pass out medications to a patient not belonging to the professional, wasting more drugs than previous workers, orders to the pharmacy for large quantities of narcotics, and isolation to a confines area just to name a few of more than hundred signs available. In todays society there are many programs available to help health professionals not abuse substances. According to an article by Straight Talk, â€Å"Many states have developed alternative treatment programs for nurses rather than immediately taking their license. Thirty-nine states developed programs to channel nurses into treatment and recovery, monitor their return to work, and protect their license.† (Tariman) Oklahoma is one of those thirty-nine states enrolled to help nurses. The Oklahoma Board of Nursing has recently started a new program entitled Peer Assistance. â€Å"The Oklahoma Peer Assistance Program (OPAP) is a voluntary, confidential program, which assists licensed nurses whose competency may be impaired due to substance abuse and/or chemical dependency. We provide a structured, voluntary program that facilitates a recovering nurses return to safe practice, thereby protecting the public.†(Oklahoma Peer Assistance Program) The Peer Assistance program directs individualized care focused to each participant as well as encouragement and support in hopes of persuading them into the right direction. The Oklahoma State Department of health has incorporated a program directed towards assistance as wel l. The program is entitled The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS). â€Å"Among these programs offerings are assessment and referral, detoxification, outpatient counseling, residential treatment, substance abuse education, transitional living, and aftercare services.† (Substance Abuse Services). They have a main target of prevention of drug abuse by giving classes to at risk abusers but can also help in the treatment of it. With all the help available to healthcare workers, substance abuse shouldnt be hid, it needs to be reported and brought to the abusers attention before things can add up and take a turn for the worse. Healthcare professionals are among the top population for drug abuse. Frequent drug screening and accurate drug counts are just two of the many ways to help control this rising problem. No one wants an impaired practitioner helping in there healing process. It is harmful for the professional and also the patient. Dru g impaired health care workers jeopardize lives every day by working under the influence. This major problem can be stopped by having someone speak up when they notice signs of abuse. Now days many programs are available if the abuser wishes to seek help in stopping the problem before it goes too far. This paper has discussed the following topics among health care professionals with drug abuse, the underlying factors, instances of harm related to drug abuse, the statistics of who abuses, and what to do if someone suspects abuse. In describing the signs to look for, different types of treatment available, and factors leading to substance abuse, it can be up to the everyday population to help recognize these people and help them get help before it puts loved ones lives and self lives at risk. Cicala, R.S. (2003). Substance abuse among physicians: What you need to know. Hospital Physician, 39(7), 39–46. https://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/substance -abuse-among-healthcare-professionals_49.html Denise, Grady. Outbreak of Hospital Infection Is Tied to Workers Drug Abuse. New York Times 16 May 2002, New York.: 16. Print. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/us/outbreak-of-hospital-infection-is-tied-to-worker-s-drug-abuse.html Hrobak, Mandy. Narcotic Use and Diversion in Nursing. University of Arizona College of Nursing. 06 January 2009. University of Arizona College of Nursing, Web. 3 Nov 2009. https://www.juns.nursing.arizona.edu/articles/Fall%202002/hrobak.htm. Malik, Shezad. Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog. Medical Malpractice Trial Over Addicted Doctor Begins . Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog , 27 July 2009. Web. 4 Nov 2009. https://www.dallasfortworthinjurylawyer.com/2009/07/medical_malpractice_trial_over.html. Oklahoma Peer Assistance Program. Oklahoma Board of Nursing. 2008. OBN, Web. 28 Oct 2009. https://www.ok.gov/nursing/peer.html. Substance Abuse Services. ODMHSAS. 20008. Oklahoma, Web. 28 Oct 2009. https://www.odmhsas.org/subab.htm. Tariman, Joseph. Understand Substance Abuse in Nurses. 22.8 (2007): 18.EBSCOHOST TCHP, . Substance Abuse in Health Care Professionals. TCHP Education Consortium. 2006. TCHP Education Consortium, Web. 8 Nov 2009. https://www.tchpeducation.com/homestudies/generalinterest/substance_abuse/substanceabuse_webbook2009.pdf. Trinkoff, A.M., Storr, C.L. (1998). Substance use among nurses: Differences between specialties. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 581–585. https://www.addictionsearch.com/ treatment_articles/article/ substance-abuse-among-healthcare-professionals_49.html Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Drug abuse among health care professionals" essay for you Create order

The War Of The World War II - 1810 Words

On August 2nd, 1914, Germany’s military began moving troops through neutral Belgium in an indirect attempt to weaken the French Army. Ultimately the plan, first penned in 1905 by German Field Marshall, Alfred Von Schlieffen, involved a swift invasion of France, complete debilitation of its military, followed by a defensive operation on the Empire’s lengthy shared border with Russia. Although the assassination of Austro-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand did not occur for nearly 9 years after the formation of the plan, tensions had been rising within continental Europe for the past two decades. Tensions were especially heavy along the western coast of the continent, where land disputes over the Alsace-Lorraine territories had strained†¦show more content†¦German militia understood that geographically, they had an advantage on the Eastern Front; as their own border with Russia extended downward, it merged with the border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to which t hey were closely allied with. In other words, they knew that if Russia launched an offensive attack, the neighboring Empire would be able to help hold off troops. Along the other side of Europe however, Germany was at a disadvantage. Although they shared a short border with France, Britain was an island which could not easily be invaded. Moreover, much of the French border was strictly guarded by military, leaving the only feasible invasion strategy through the neutral countries of Holland and Belgium, then eventually down into France. Because they understood that France and Russia were closely allied, and if an offensive attack was launched on France that Russia would mobilize troops, the German Army then set a six-week period to invade France, through its neutral border, before returning men to fight Russia on the other side of the country. This plan operated under the assumption that Russia would take at least two months before they could organize any substantial army force, and in that time, the western members of the Entente could be led to a quick surrender. The result was an elaborate and bold battle strategy prepared specifically for total European

Radical Thinking- Illuminati (part 1) free essay sample

â€Å"I know youre out there. I can feel you now. I know that youre afraid. Youre afraid of us. Youre afraid of change†¦Im going to hang up this phone, and then Im going to show these people what you dont want them to see. Im going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries; a world where anything is possible.† These are the final words of Keanu Reeve’s role as Neo from the 1999 blockbuster hit, â€Å"The Matrix.† The film, directed by Andy and Lana (formerly Larry) Wachowski, is an action sci-fi feature that depicts a dystopian future in which reality, as perceived by most humans, is actually a simulated reality known as â€Å"the Matrix,† created by evil machines to subdue the human population. While the concept of this movie seems prominently fake and unlikely, millions of individuals across the world believe in a realistic concept that isn’t too far from what is depicted in â€Å"The Matrix. We will write a custom essay sample on Radical Thinking- Illuminati (part 1) or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † Many ideas about end-time prophecies, conspiracy theories, and anti-government theologies are quickly tossed out and deemed as silly or foolish. However, there is substantial evidence to prove that something much larger than what we can see is happening behind the scenes in our own matrix. If a child is born into slavery, but is told his entire life that he is free, would he not believe that he is free? We live in a country with many freedoms, such as the right to bear arms, the ability to live where we want, be what we want, and for the most part, marry who we want. Does this really mean that we are free though? We spend the most detrimental years of our lives in school, sitting there and listening to whatever we are told. Even though we have teachers and thick textbooks, we aren’t provided with other tools that show us that what we are taught is the real truth. We then graduate and are forced to either spend a ton of money going to college to further our education (because evidently thirteen years isn’t enough to prepare the youth for a successful future) or to start working immediately, because work = money = freedom. This logic doesn’t line up. Many individuals around the world have come to believe that those in power don’t really care at all about what’s best for the citizens that those in power are governing. To take this even further, millions of people believe that the government is plotting against us, and that the disasters we’ve experienced- such as terrorist attacks like 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing, as well as the incline in obesity and the economic troubles we are dealing with is not at all an accident, but planned out and deliberate. Along with this, it is believed that behind the government is an evil elite made up of thirteen wealthy families that have their hands in 95% of global industry. This idea a conspiracy theory known as the Illuminati, or the New World Order.

The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution reveals a history of development of science that has gradually transformed the views of people on nature and society. Traditionally, the scientific revolution dates back to the eighteenth century, the advent of the Renaissance epoch.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Scientific Revolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, ancient Greece was the pioneer in developing science. In particular, the emergence of philosophy as a progenitor of other sciences emerged in Green has given rise to many other disciplines. In general, scientific revolution can be presented through three historic views on science, including classical, medieval, and modern. All these periods involve significant contradictions, frictions and challenges that contributed to the modern image of science. The supporters of humanistic theory agree with the ideas of great influence of people on the development of scien ce. Therefore, all the identified periods represent important historical figures that invested into the scientific progress. Specific attention should be given to considering such great minds as Plato, the brightest representative of the Hellenic world, Augustine and Aquinas, Copernicus, Kepler, and Cicero. The representatives of this period is distinguished by logic character of thought that is engaged intensely in deliberations such important questions as life and death, as well as by negligence of conventional virtues.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The medieval period was the hardest for the development of science because of the strict restriction imposed on developing humanitarian disciplines. The Church marked the decline of secular thought that was confined to recognizing Jesus and divine rule. Therefore, science was highly neglected in society because of increased domin ance of religious scriptures. Moreover, religion denied scientific advances because of the threat of increased attention to scientific documents and discoveries that withdraw divine doctrine. According to Tarnas, â€Å"the resurrection Christ brought to mankind was present in the Church† and, therefore, each human being should be attached to the divine doctrines (148). Dependence on the church had created a serious obstacle science because of recognition of biblical history and knowledge only. Spiritual authority of the church dominated significantly and required full obedience from Church members. The necessity to follow religious tradition was explained by the formalization of rules and established of strict norms in educational and social spheres. In other words, those people who indulge into studies science were regarded as the one withdrawing divine laws. The emergence of the Western culture has given rise to the development of new directions of scientific development th at differ substantially from the doctrines and rituals previously established in the Church. Medieval thinkers became obsessed with new options for the evolution of human civilizations. At the end of eighteen century, the era of Renaissance marked the continuation of the philosophical thought of Greek period.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Scientific Revolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In particular, the Aristotelian natural philosophy received further progress in the advances introduced by Copernicus, the scientific thought related to heliocentric theory of astronomical model of the Solar system, as well as the position of Earth in it. Heliocentrism opposed significantly to medieval thought about the geocentric theory of Earth system. Limited vision on science, therefore, prevented the medieval thinker to introduce new concepts and frameworks. The period of revival of Greek philosophy dates back to the sixteenth century, which is also marked by Copernican Revolution. Further scientific progress was introduced through the work of Johannes Kepler who presented the model of elliptical orbits. The given period is represented as the second revival of the Scientific revolution after the period of educational â€Å"darkness†. In general, the Copernicus Revolution was both the contributor to the development of the era of Enlightenment, as well as the mark of the scientific evolution in various academic fields. The era of Renaissance had a potent impact on the shifts in religious views on the world. At the same time, religion itself made significant contributions to the development of science and education. In particular, classical knowledge transmission was due to the contributions made by Byzantine science that transferred their experience to the Renaissance Italy and Islamic countries. Arabic knowledge also spread over the European countries.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, the Christian world has left rich heritage to the Islamic world and provided a foundation for the development of new sciences. Tarnas writes, â€Å"†¦classical civilization had been snuffed out in the West, its great works and ideas left to the Byzantines and later the Moslems to be preserved as in museum† (90). In this respect, the religion served as a driving force to spread of scientific knowledge and experience all over the world. Interaction between Islamic and Byzantine culture also gave rise to the emergence of various discipline and formation of secular thought. In conclusion, the Scientific Revolution is a sophisticated ongoing process that underwent several complex stages. Its beginning takes root in the Greek philosophy, faces challenges in the medieval period, and experiences rise in the era of Enlightenment. All of these periods contributed greatly to the development of new scientific theories and concepts. Although religion reflects antagonistic vi sion on science, it still provided scientific world with a solid foundation for further evolution, as well as introduced basic for revival of classical thought. Works Cited Tarnas, Richard, The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View. New York: Ballantine Books, 1993 Print. This essay on The Scientific Revolution was written and submitted by user Ahmad Q. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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buy custom Play essay

buy custom Play essay Host: Hello, this is me, Name and Last Name with you, and you are listening to Get Smart. Today, I am going to talk about the online classes. They are becoming extremely popular with time, and they provide people with an opportunity not only to learn, but also to socialize. Many researchers have spoken about the effects of the online classes on students stating that such classes had a positive influence on interaction with others. I would like to introduce Lin Muilenburg to you who spoke about online classes being a powerful socialization tool. For example, in one of her works she stated that overcoming the lack of social interaction in online courses is major contributor to the decision to continue with online learning (Muilenburg Berge, 2005, p. 44). Is that right, Lin? Guest: Hello, yes, it is right! Hi, guys, my name is Lin Muilenburg. The quote you mentioned actually comes from the article I wrote in cooperation with another expert, Zane Berge. Together, we were working on analysis of online classes and their effects on students. As you know, students nowadays like to take new approaches to learning because they feel there is so much more they can get with technologies being implemented in education. Tht is why they enroll in online classes. Nevertheless, many students fear that with online education, they will be able to learn more, but socialize less. Overcoming the lack of social interaction, as I and my co-author described in the article, was a major issue for success of online courses. Still, I would like to add that institutions have already done a lot in this direction providing students with the possibility to communicate more. We have to understand that remote and online classes do not mean the absence of interaction or socialization; wh at is meant by them is that socialization is going to be performed in a different way. Host: I cannot agree with you more. We should not forget that online classes are just a different type of classes, but they are still classes in a general sense. We have another expert in the studio who may expand on this topic a little bit more. It is Kimberly Hardy who came up with interesting numbers stating that there was an 8.2 percent increase for distance education enrollmentssubstantially higher than the overall increase in national campus enrollments (Hardy Meyer-Griffith, 2012, p. 7). Hi, Kimberly! Guest: Hello, it is a pleasure to be here. I am very pleased to talk to you as well as meet you, Lin. Yes, there has been an increase in the number of students enrolled in online classes, and, as Lin has mentioned, there have been some worries about socialization in this situation; but online classes are very good for socialization in fact. I did a research with my colleague Katie Meyer-Griffith, and we came to the conclusion that online classes provide students with the possibility to socialize effectively because they have a chance to interact online. Even more, they are given an amazing opportunity to communicate with people from various territories and areas, which is not possible with typical classes. As a result, they can make more friends and get a greater perspective on the world around them. They are also able to learn more about accepting new people into their circle because online classes show them the importance of being able to communicate with people effectively without actually seeing them. Online classes are great for socialization because they provide students with the possibility to test their social skills and measure them with more challenging tasks. Host: Thank you, Kimberly. Thank you, Lin. Surely, it was an interesting conversation. Hopefully, our listeners liked it, and we will be right back with you after a short ad. Buy custom Play essay

Doing History Response Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Doing History Response - Research Paper Example By looking at the historical account that is advocated by Foucault there are some similarities in the secrecy and opacity of a sovereign archaic regime. The criminal procedures of these states were secretive, and opaque, to the public and the person who was accused. Furthermore, these procedures used to take place without the knowledge of the accused, or the production of evidence that was able to make an accused to be guilty of a crime. The proposed anti-terrorism laws by the United Kingdom are therefore a reflection of these assertions that Foucault, in his book is able to bring about (Bennett, 56). Another law that similar to the justice system of the medieval Europe, as advocated by Foucault is the Patriots Act of the United States. This law is controversial in the sense that it allows the government to conduct surveillance activities on suspected terrorists, without their knowledge. This aspect of secrecy closely resembles what Foucault described, in the methods that the medieval Europe sovereign states of Europe were using to punish criminals. That is, investigating them without their knowledge. This is an aspect of power that a state was exercising towards an individual (Bennett, 62). Furthermore, the power of the state is depicted in its absolute role as a prosecuting agency. The state has the power of determining whether to prosecute an individual or not. Prosecutors in the medieval times were very powerful people, and they could decide on whom to prosecute, and on whom not to prosecute. This situation also happens in the current times, where prosecutors have a complete discretion on the kind of crimes to prosecute, and the ones not to prosecute. However, in the modern times, prosecutors are also answerable to elective officials and institutions such the legislature. This is for purposes of preventing prosecutors from abusing their power and authority. During the period that Foucault is able to describe, the production of

Discription Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Discription - Essay Example The pumping of the heart is controlled by the Sino atrial (SA) node that is located in the posterior wall of the right atrium(Heart 1995). 2. The valves: there are two types of valves the Atrioventricular valves (located in the middle of the heart between the ventricle and the atria) of two types the tricuspid on the right and mitral/cuspid on the left and the Semilunar valves of two types pulmonary and the aortic valve. The functions of the valve is too prevent the backflow of blood to the chambers. 3. The vessels: There are four main vessels in the heart; the vena cava divided into superior and inferior, the pulmonary artery, the pulmonary vein and the aorta. The functions of veins is to covey blood from and to the heart. The heart is divided into four chambers: the top two chambers are known as the atriums and the bottom two chambers are called ventricles. Importantly, the atriums both contract at the same time same as the two ventricles(Heart 1995). First and foremost, deoxygenated blood enters the heart via the superior and the inferior vena cava into the right atrium. The right atrium contracts and forces the blood to rush into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve. Consequently, when the right ventricle contracts, the deoxygenated blood is pumped into both lungs through the pulmonary arterypast the semi lunar valves(Heart 1995). The process continuesas the blood is returned from the lungs via the pulmonary veins wherethe oxygenated blood is delivered to the left atrium. When the atrium contracts the blood is rushed through the valves into the left ventricle, thestrongest and most muscular portion of the heart.When the left ventricle contracts, blood is rushed through the aort a: he aorta is the main artery leaving the heart (Lewis 1925). Through this process, oxygenated blood is now taken throughout