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World-renowned linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky, who has been a regular guest speaker and teacher at the University of Arizona over the past five years, is joining the campus as a faculty member.

Chomsky has been hired by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences as a laureate professor in the Department of Linguistics. He will also hold the title of Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice. As part of his part-time faculty appointment, Chomsky will teach, give public lectures and be available to meet with students. Chomsky starts this month and will begin teaching in spring 2018.

Considered the founder of modern linguistics, Chomsky is one of the most cited scholars in modern history and has written more than 100 books, including the groundbreaking “Syntactic Structures,” “Language and Mind,” “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax” and “The Minimalist Program,” each of which has made distinct contributions to the development of the field. He has received numerous awards, including the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the Helmholtz Medal and the Ben Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science.

Chomsky’s work also has influenced the fields of cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, computer science, mathematics, childhood education and anthropology. Applications of his work can be found in everyday life. He formulated the algorithm “context-free grammar,” which is part of most computer programming languages, as well as programs that appear to understand language, such as Siri. He also has challenged traditional notions of learning, emphasizing how much knowledge and behavior is “built in” to the child’s brain.

One of the most influential public intellectuals in the world, Chomsky has been the subject of seven biographies, has been interviewed countless times in popular media, and has appeared in over 20 films and documentaries.

“That Noam Chomsky would choose to come to the University of Arizona to write, teach and engage us in discussions of global importance speaks volumes of our campus, and we look forward to benefiting from his unmatched expertise and perspective,” said John Paul Jones III, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

“Whether leading an advanced graduate seminar on theories of language — most of which bear his name — or by engaging undergraduates in discussions of contemporary economic inequalities, Noam’s keen intellect, gentle presence and unwavering commitment to the wider social good is always in evidence,” Jones said. “I’m delighted to be able to announce his arrival this fall.”

Mary Grier — a trustee of the estate of Agnes Nelms Haury, for whom the UA’s Haury Program is named — also expressed her excitement over Chomsky’s appointment.

“The Haury Trust is thrilled that students, faculty and Tucsonans generally will have the opportunity to interact with one of the most influential scholars and thought leaders of the past 75 years. This is a rare privilege that may prove transformational in ways that we cannot presently imagine,” she said.

Chomsky’s previous visits to the UA with his wife, Valeria Wasserman Chomsky, set the stage for his decision to join the faculty.

“We’ve very much come to appreciate the intellectual environment and the lifestyle,” Chomsky said. “The linguistics department, which is excellent, happens to be full of former students of mine. In general, we felt that that the UA would be a good place to work and think and interact with people we like and can work with.”

The charms of Tucson made the decision to relocate even easier.

“We fell in love with Tucson — the mountains, the desert,” Chomsky said. “Tucson has an atmosphere that is peaceful and manageable.”

UA Connections

Chomsky’s connections to UA linguistics faculty are deep and long-standing. Several UA linguists were his students or departmental fellows at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Chomsky worked since 1955 as a professor of linguistics, then professor emeritus.

Chomsky says he is looking forward to regularly teaching undergraduate students again, which he hadn’t done for about 10 years until this past spring when he co-taught, with geography professor emeritus Marv Waterstone, a large UA elective course on politics and global issues that attracted 250 students. Nearly 250 community members also enrolled in that course, through the UA’s Humanities Seminars Program.

Natasha Warner, head of the Department of Linguistics, is thrilled to have Chomsky join the faculty.

“Chomsky established modern linguistics. He’s an awe-inspiring thinker,” she said. “The opportunity for UA linguistics students to learn from him on a regular basis is simply astounding. I am especially excited about the opportunity for undergraduates to learn about language and linguistics from him.”

Yan Chen, a graduate student in the Department of Linguistics, called Chomsky an inspiration.

“Professor Chomsky’s insights into and analysis of language has inspired so many of us, and in fact he is the one who got me interested in linguistics in the first place when I was an undergraduate student,” Chen said.

The Chomsky Effect

Chomsky is credited with revolutionizing the linguistics field by introducing the Chomsky hierarchy, generative grammar and the concept of a universal grammar, which underlies all human speech and is based in the innate structure of the mind/brain.

“The importance of Chomsky’s work cannot be overstated,” said Ryan Smith, a linguistics graduate student. “I am extremely excited that he will be joining our department not only because of his work in establishing our discipline, but also because of his continued important research into the nature of language and the human mind.”

An ardent free speech advocate, Chomsky is famous for his political commentary and has published and lectured widely on U.S. foreign policy, Mideast politics, terrorism, democratic society and war. His media criticism includes the 1988 book “Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media.”

Chomsky also has addressed issues such as political engagement, environmental destruction, and the rights of Indigenous populations.

Chomsky’s fame has extended into popular culture, leading such fans as Bono of U2 to describe him as the “Elvis of academia.” The Noam Chomsky Facebook page has more than 1.2 million followers.

NEW BEDFORD — It was early in 2016 when tranexamic acid, referred to as TXA, was first administered in the SouthCoast.

A New Bedford paramedic responded to a bar fight in the city that spiraled out of control. The male victim suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Dr. Matthew Bivens, an emergency room physician and EMS director at St. Luke’s Hospital, recalled the man was subsequently involved in another fight — this time fighting to hang on to his life. The New Bedford paramedic administered a vial of TXA mixed with saline intravenously over a 10-minute period en route to the nearly 30-minute ride to Rhode Island Hospital, where South Coast trauma patients go for treatment.

Despite his critical condition, Bivens said the man survived. The man may have lost his first fight, but it was his victory in the second fight that has helped kick open the door having TXA available to trauma patients across the state.

“TXA is lifesaving,” he said. “It’s been proven on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan and showed positive results in huge randomized trials.”

Tranexamic acid is a cheap, generic drug that’s been available since 1950s, according to Bivens. Simply put, the drug slows bleeding and reduces the need for blood transfusions.

Military surgeons have used it to save American lives in the battlefield. In Crash-2, a 2010 randomized control trial involving 20,127 patients from Europe, Africa and Asia, getting the drug within three hours reduced the risk of fatal hemorrhage by 30 percent. The Crash-2 study included 274 hospitals and 40 countries. Furthermore the study found patients suffering near-death vital signs have a one in 22 chance of survival with the use of TXA.

“It was a monumental study,” Bivens said. “One of the best studies ever done in my opinion.”

According to Bivens, in those randomized trials there were no reported side effects. Additionally, there have been no reported side effects for pregnant women or children, he said.

British ambulances have had TXA available to paramedics for years. A follow-up study, called Matters, looked at the fate of 896 British patients and found that severely wounded patients who got the drug had survival rates twice as high as those who didn’t.

Yet, amid all the positive results, the United States has been slow to catch up to those across the Atlantic.

Bivens said one reason is a lack of marketing behind the product. At $10 a dose, this generic drug isn’t currently owned by any pharmaceutical companies. Low profit drugs, such as TXA, simply do not receive big advertising budgets.

“That’s kind of aggravating,” Bivens said.

In an attempt to promote and educate the public about TXA, it was featured in the popular British medical drama, Holby City, in an episode in 1999 and subsequently mentioned in the BBC premiere showing of An Hour to Save Your Live in March of 2014. Here in the states, ABC aired an episode of the Catalyst called “Thin Blood” that focused on TXA in 2012.

“The low cost of TXA is why we had to pick it up and champion it,” Bivens said. “There was no marketing behind it. If it was a thousand dollar drug we would’ve all heard about it.”

In February of 2016, three local municipal EMS departments — New Bedford, Fairhaven and Acushnet, as well as Eascare and Alert private ambulance services — were granted access to use TXA by the state’s Department of Public Health under a special project waiver obtained by Bivens. The drug has been used in trauma incidents ranging from shootings and stabbings to car accidents.

“We’re giving it to major trauma patients,” Mike Thomas, a New Bedford paramedic, said. “It clots blood faster so patients don’t bleed out. Basically, if their blood pressure is low and their heart rate is high and they’re in some sort of trauma we’re using it.”

Acushnet EMS administered TXA roughly a dozen times during the trial period. One of the first instances they used it involved a woman falling down about 14 steps and suffering a basal skull fracture and a wrist fracture.

“TXA is a great thing because you can just mix it in an IV bag and let it run for 10 minutes,” said Brian Donohoe, an EMT in the SouthCoast for nearly 30 years. “It’s kind of a set it and forget it type of thing. You don’t need to worry about internal bleeding as much and you can focus your attention on other areas as needed.”

Now, nearly a year and half after getting approval for the special project waiver, Bivens is knocking on the door of statewide use. Having already been approved, Bivens met with Sophia Dyer, Boston’s medical director, and Mark Miller, the state director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services, on July 31 to discuss how to get the information out to the public.

“Now it’s just a logistical issue,” Bivens said. “You don’t want to just declare something without rules on how to administer it and guidelines.”

The state of Rhode Island has already adopted statewide use for TXA this year, Bivens said. Local trauma patients are transferred there and they received roughly 40 cases of people who had received TXA on SouthCoast. He added that Rhode Island nearly rewrote all of their emergency protocols across the board.

“(The special waiver project) was done in cooperation with Rhode Island trauma service, who’ve been hugely supportive,” he said.

He is still collecting data on the exact number of lives TXA could save in Massachusetts, Bivens said, but of the 3,000 trauma deaths per year in the state, he estimates it could save roughly 40 to 50 lives annually.

“For a $10 drug with no side effects that nobody owns, that’s a pretty incredible number,” he said.

Here are the average hourly wage and salary for Plumbers in all 50 states, based on BLS data gathered in May 2017, listed in alphabetical order.

As front door to healthcare, emergency rooms receive almost all kinds of patients. Most of us will have to visit the ER at least once in our lives. Oftentimes, we see it as it is depicted on movies and TV shows—a chaotic battlefield.

However, there’s more to the ER than the action-packed environment we see. Many of us are unaware of what really happens beyond those glass walls, and how patients are really treated. Here are some of the most important myth-dispelling facts that we ought to know.

Myth: Patient satisfaction comes above all else.

While everyone is entitled to customer satisfaction in any service offered, customer satisfaction does not necessarily equate to patient satisfaction. Physicians are bound by their ethical and legal role to do no harm, which means they can’t just administer something that a given patient requests. The ER’s role is to identify and treat conditions that are time-sensitive. The nurse may wrap an NIBP cuff around your arm to take your blood pressure and check your vital signs to assess your condition and the urgency of the treatment required.

Myth: The ER works on a first-come, first-served basis.

A lot of patients resent the ER when they find out that they do not use a first-come, first-served system for prioritizing which patients to treat next. The truth is, emergency departments implement an effective triage system, wherein physicians see the sicker patients first. Reasonably, a bleeding patient requires more attention than a person who still needs a lead EKG to assess a certain condition.

Myth: The ER is often crowded because of “unnecessary” visits.

A common misconception most people have on ERs is that they are filled with patients seeking only minor care. However, the American College of Emergency Physicians stated that only less than 8 percent of ER patients are classified as non-urgent by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, these visits are also not considered as “unnecessary” as most people think. “Non-urgent” conditions may include serious health concerns like bronchitis or bone fractures.

Myth: The ER is inefficient and disorganized.

Emergency departments are designed to diagnose and administer treatment to urgent cases in what takes other healthcare facilities days to treat. These areas are usually graced with a full staff of qualified physicians and nurses—available 24/7—who are experts in the field of emergency care. Part of the department’s job is to transfer patients to partner hospitals when need be and to ensure a quick, direct admission.

Myth: Most ER patients are uninsured.

The ER is obligated to never turn anyone away, regardless of a person’s ability to pay for treatment. A JAMA study indicates that it is a common misconception that ER rooms are often full of uninsured patients. In fact, patients who are uninsured try their best to avoid ending up in emergency departments to avoid healthcare bills. However, the fact that many patients have some type of health insurance does not mean they are given constant access to medical care. With the increasing demand for care, more people are signing up for health insurance, so more healthcare needs are going unmet because of the limited supply of primary care doctors. Fortunately, most ERs offer various payment plans after you receive the specific care that you need.

At the end of the day, patients who need immediate care should not be stalled the care they need. Many of common concerns regarding emergency rooms are just myths and misconceptions. As patients, we also need to extend our patience when visiting the ER and to better understand the nature of emergency departments. Rest assured, you are treated by professionals who know what they are doing.

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In a country where about half of all marriages result in divorce, marriage can end for a variety of reasons. Career site Zippia investigated how likely people’s occupations contributed to their decision to divorce. According to the new study, researchers compiled data from the U.S. Census Bureau to find out the careers with the highest and lowest divorce rates.

Researchers looked at specific divorce rates based on individual positions by age 30, finding that three different military jobs land spots in the the top 10 worst careers for your marriage, where the number one ranked job was First-Line Enlisted Military Supervisors at a 30% divorce rate. Several other engineers and technicians make up the rest of the list.

Worst:

• First-Line Enlisted Military Supervisors
• Logisticians
• Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
• Military Enlisted Tactical Operations and Air Weapons
• Chemical Technicians
• Military, Rank Not Specified
• Non-farm Animal Caretakers
• Library Assistants, Clerical
• Ironworkers
• Polysomnograph Tech, Electroneurodiagnostic Tech
• Medical Assistants
• Carpenters
• Diesel Service Technicians and Mechanics
• Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment
• Machinists and Tool and Die Makers

On the other end of the study, researchers also found a list of jobs that are less likely for couples to end their marriages. While most of the jobs in the above list rank with an 8-30% likelihood of divorce, the following careers turned out to only have an approximately 5% likelihood of ending in divorce.

Best:

• Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators
• Religious Workers
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Dental hygienist
• Management Analysts
• Architectural and Engineering Managers
• Chief Executives and Legislators
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
• Miscellaneous Legal Support Workers
• Special Education Teachers
• Sales and Related Workers
• Military Officer Special and Tactical Operations Leaders
• Radiation Therapist
• Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers
• Personal Care and Service Workers

The good new is: Every marriage is different. So even if you or your spouse have a career in the “worst” category, don’t take it too much to heart.

TAKE ACTION TO PASS FEDERAL AND STATE RATIOS LEGISLATION:

The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act – S. 1063 (Brown)

Send a Letter to Congress Urging their Support for this legislation!

This bill establishes requirements for acute-care facilities to provide registered nurse staff based on the acuity of patients provided that minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for each unit are met at all times. Registered nurses shall also have the obligation to act in the exclusive interest of their patients, and the right to be patient advocates.

TAKE ACTION ON THIS BILL

The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act – HR 2392 (Schakowsky)

Send a Letter to Congress Urging their Support for this legislation!

Nurses are increasingly put into impossible situations by hospital managers who demand they care for more patients than is safe. There is a proven method to save patient lives and save hospital money — mandated minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. In Congress, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) introduced her The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act to improve patient quality of care by establishing a requirement for nurse-to-patient ratios that put patient safety first.

TAKE ACTION ON THIS BILL

Amarillo VA nurse practitioner is first in Texas to get full practice authority

A Friona native who started her education at Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University is now the first nurse practitioner in the state who can perform a set of functions that previously required supervision.

Charlene Seale, a certified family nurse practitioner at the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center in Amarillo, is the first nurse practitioner to be granted full practice authority, meaning she can now do things such as make a diagnosis.

According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Texas and 11 other states still hold restrictions on nurse practitioners, requiring “supervision, delegation, or team-management by an outside health discipline in order for the NP to provide patient care.”

Though the private sector in Texas is not eligible to grant full practice authority to NPs, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs gave its health care systems the ability to do so in December 2016. The Amarillo VA Healthcare System was the first to take this step, with Seale being the first NP to be granted the authority.

“It allows nurse practitioners to individually authorize the testing of medications and make the diagnosis of the veteran’s condition and sometimes we would see it took a little bit longer when we had to go through another layer of approval and so now the nurse practitioners can make those decisions and proceed,” Seale said.

Each NP must apply for full practice authority. The Amarillo VA’s medical staff analyzes each candidate’s competence and previous experience.

“I felt very fortunate,” Seale said about being chosen as the first NP with full practice authority.

“So now we are working with the other 31 nurse practitioners to put them through that same application process and hope to have them through the process by the end of the summer.”

For the approximately 23,000 veterans served by the Amarillo VA, privileging NPs will also open more slots for veterans to receive care, Seale said.

“Now, nurse practitioners are not physicians, we don’t have all of the knowledge and expertise that they have so when we encounter something we’re unfamiliar with, we still work as a team with our physicians here in the facility to make sure our veterans get the best care. But it basically streamlines the care process,” said Seale. “The thing that we hear from veterans is they are very excited because — and it seems like a simple thing but to them it’s a big thing — ‘I can get my medications filled much easier now.’”

Seale’s been busy at the medical center, exercising her new independence but still leaving time to clasp hands with a patient to offer encouragement. She said she’s become much more aware of her decision-making process.

“When you know you’re the one, you’re independently making that decision, it makes you be even more aware of the impact of that decision,” she said.

Seale began 36 years of nursing experience after graduating from Amarillo College’s licensed vocational nursing program.

She received her master’s degree in nursing from West Texas A&M University in 2006 and graduated from Chamberlain University in 2016 with a doctorate in family practice nursing.

Seale, who has relatives who are veterans, said she joined the Amarillo VA staff five years ago to give back to that community.

“Even though they (my family members) are much younger than I am and I won’t ever provide care for them or for their families, I wanted to give something back because I see what they’re doing for our country and I wanted to give something back to this generation that I can serve,” said Seale.

Nurses take a great deal of satisfaction in graduating from nursing school, and you may want to help them out by buying a gift to make their transition easier.

Some items you won’t be able to buy because they’re dependent on the facility the nurse ends up working in. However, there are some great gifts ideas out there that will help the new nurse in your life. Take some time and think about these things if you want to get a gift that means something to a nurse.

1. A Littman stethoscope
2. A good pair of bandage scissors
3. A pill splitter
4. A gift card to a scrubs shop
5. A gift card to a good shoe store
6. A book about passing NCLEX
7. A book about your first year in nursing
8. Multiple packages of good pens, preferably sharp point gel pens, black
9. A pen that has several types of ink you can select
10. A yellow highlighter
11. A pocket notebook
12. An up to date drug handbook for nurses
13. Gift card to the app store to download nursing apps
14. Homemade coupons for child care to be redeemed as necessary
15. A trip to a spa for the day
16. Professional clothes for interviews
17. A book on resume writing

18. A book on the most common interview questions
19. Offer to run through interview questions out loud
20. Have a “I passed NCLEX” party
21. Fund an RN tattoo to celebrate the occasion
22. Take them on a day trip away from all the stress
23. Compression stockings for sore legs
24. A tote to carry items back and forth to work
25. A pocket photo album of family that can be taken to work
26. One year subscription to a nursing journal of their choice
27. A book of NCLEX questions for studying
28. A book about the specialty your new grad is interested in
29. A month’s subscription to LinkedIn
30. School SWAG celebrating the college they graduated from
31. Homemade coupons good for venting sessions
32. Wine, wine coolers, beer . . . any alcohol, really
33. High end chocolates
34. Offer a bonfire to burn old textbooks, pictures of professors, and student nurse uniforms
35. A total make over with portrait pictures to follow

These are some of the many items perfect for a new nurse. Sure, some nurses would prefer money, but you can give money in addition to a number of these gifts. You could even make a gift basket with some of the items, depending on how much you are able to spend.

In the end, graduating from nursing school is a big deal and offering gifts is a great way to show how proud you are of your new grad.

Here are the average hourly wage and salary for Elementary School Teacher’s in all 50 states, based on BLS data gathered in May 2017, listed in alphabetical order.