Student Loan Debt And High Cost Of Education - 1190 Words

AMERICAN INNOVATION, TOO EXPENSIVE TO EARN Although millions of college students graduate each year, many of them are not successful after their education. Many jump in without knowing what they want to do and at the end once they have their degree they realize that it wasn’t what they wanted. Now they have thousands of dollars in debt and a degree they dislike or a degree so common it earns them but a dollar or two more than a high school diploma would. Some can’t even find job, yet they have the burden to pay back student loans, but what if we as students did not have the burden of debt? Would that make a difference? Could pursing a second degree be more feasible without the burden of expanding your debt? Student loan debt and high cost of education has become a huge issue in this country, they are deterring individuals from pursuing a degree, at times prolongs their education time frame and more often than not we are left with a huge debt to pay. I believe thi s deterrent is gradually affecting the number of innovators in our country. How can we fix this? With interest rates as high as 9.37% through SallieMae one of the leaders in financing education, student loan debt has become a big business at the expense of the American people that want to better themselves. The national student loan debt surpassed 1 trillion dollars with the average individual debt being thirty thousand dollars. It is obvious why giving an education is more a business than a service.Show MoreRelatedHow The Student Loan Debt Crisis Is Undermining Economic And Social Progress Of American Graduates1635 Words   |  7 PagesHow the Student Loan Debt Crisis Is Undermining the Economic and Social progress of American Graduates Currently, higher education is highly valued as a step in achieving success and earnings potential, but attaining a degree comes at a high cost. Although a very valued asset, the cost to attain a college degree for most students includes getting loans, grants from the government, and sometimes even private loans. Most of these loans come at a high price for students as the interest structure forRead MoreStudent Loan Debt: Is it worth it?1364 Words   |  6 PagesStudent Loan Debt: Is it worth it?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many high school students are beginning their senior year and have already started to stress about how they will pay for their higher education. Although many students will have scholarships and financial aid, a lot more will struggle to pay for schooling and will have to take out multiple student loans. Many people wonder if higher education is worth the debt the country and the students are in and it is, however, there are alternatives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Read MoreThe Rising Cost of Education1737 Words   |  7 PagesThe cost of higher education in the United States has skyrocketed over the past decade or so, leading to a number of social problems including deep debts among graduates. As a result, the value of higher education is being increasingly called into question. Earnings and job outlooks for graduates has grown grimmer over the past decade or two, while those same graduates are more in debt than their parents would have been for the same educational program. Greater debt plus fewer options for payingRead MoreThe Rising Costs Of Formal Education1649 Words   |  7 Pagespressure to get a good education than ever before, but at what price? The cost of education is at an all time high and rising every year. Many Americans are struggling with a large amount of student loan debt weather they graduated with a degree or not. The only way to secure the future of students today is to inves t in the students themselves rather than investing their money into the corporate market. By preparing students for higher education and providing financial resources students will have the knowledgeRead MoreHow The Rising Student Loan Debt1318 Words   |  6 PagesHow to Control The Rising Student Loan Debt The American Dream teaches us that if we work hard, earn a good living, and do our best that we will be able to live comfortably and happily with the fruits of our labors. In today’s society to achieve the American dream, one must first obtain a higher education. In order to do that though many students are taking out student loans and putting themselves further in debt. Having an education has now become highly sought after, yet increasingly harderRead MoreHigh Tuition And Higher Education1200 Words   |  5 PagesHigh Tuition Costs in Colleges In the past, college education was not important to get jobs, but at present, it’s necessary to have college education, since, employers are demanding employees with higher education to work in their place (Bidwell). However, tuition costs of the colleges are increasing every year. Therefore, tuition of college is so high and many students cannot afford to pay, even after receiving some scholarships from their institution. Consequently, they have to take out loansRead MoreThe Role Of Federal Loans Became Dependent On American Families1455 Words   |  6 Pagesfurther education for a high school graduate, attending a university is very costly. The use of federal loans became dependent on most American families that try to provide such an education to their child. Before World War II, academically advanced students from families that were unable to finance college could apply for competitive scholarships; Scholarships mutated into â€Å"financial aid† when the GI Bill o f Rights financed college for the discharged veterans (Toby, 2010). Since then, student loanRead MoreThe Terribly High Cost of Education928 Words   |  4 PagesThe cost of college has been on the rise recently making it extremely difficult for the low income or average American to afford an education after high school. This puts tons of stress on graduating high school students. Students are dropping out rapidly because they do not have the appropriate funding. Other financial resources such as grandparents are helping out students more than ever now. Financial aid is supposed to provide money to students who cannot afford tuition, but unfortunately theyRead MoreHigh School Vs. The Federal Government1327 Words   |  6 Pagesgraduate high school. Aging through the years, the common perspective was to attend college unlike the viewpoint from the 80’s and earlier where not as many high school graduates attended college. This standard view for many families, like my own, is t o put their son or daughter into college so that they may graduate with a degree and seek a career in the tough world as of late. In order to make this goal happen, many families sought the help of financial aid as a lifeline to avoid debt themselvesRead More University Tuition Costs are Too High Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesThe cost of tuition for higher education is quickly rising. Over half of college freshmen show some concern with how to pay for college. This is the highest this number has been since 1971 (Marill and O’Leary 64-66, 93). The amount of college graduate debt has been rapidly increasing also. With limited jobs available because of the high unemployment rate, college graduates find themselves staying in debt even longer. Although grants and financial aid are available to students, students still

A Report On Pulmonary Embolism- Symptoms - Diagnosis and Treatments

Question: Write a Report On Pulmonary Embolism- Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments? Answer: Introduction The condition of pulmonary embolism is one such process where one or more than one of the pulmonary arteries in a persons lungs get blocked. Under most circumstances it has been observed that this condition of pulmonary embolism is fundamentally caused by the clots in the bloods which travel generally from the legs and other parts of the body to the lungs(Barker, 2012). The condition of pulmonary embolism occurs when it is combined with a deep vein thrombosis and in most of the cases doctors state that such a condition may lead to a state known as venous thromboembolism (StansbyBerridge, 2013). While any person has the chance to develop the deep vein thrombosis as well as the pulmonary embolism, some of the factors that are dangerous in this regard are immobility, surgery and cancer (PiovellaIosub, 2015). The condition of pulmonary embolism can in most cases be very life threatening. However, if prompt treatment is done it can help to reduce the risks leading to death. An extremely easy method to prevent this condition is to take appropriate measures for preventing the blood clots that might be taking place in the legs and hence protect against pulmonary embolism. Further there exist some special types of pulmonary embolism which are generally not caused as a result of blood clots. These types of pulmonary embolism are on the contrary caused due to some other body materials. However, such occurrences are comparatively very rare. These conditions might be due to the fat emboli arising from a broken thigh bone or femur or an amniotic fluid embolus that occurs during pregnancy and in some cases it also occurs from the tumor tissue in case of cancer. Risk Factors Some of the most common sources that lead to pulmonary embolism are pelvic vein embolus or proximal leg deep venous thrombi (Goodacre et al., 2014). Any of the risk factors of proximal leg deep venous thrombosis tend to increase the risk of the dislodging of the venous clot and migration to the lung circulations. Thrombosis usually develops because of a group of clauses that is known as Virchow's triad(Kahler, Moss Beam Kline, 2014). The classical risk factors associated with embolic diseases. The people with advanced age, obesity, prolonged immobility, post-infarction periods, heart failure and pregnancy are predisposing for embolismic disease through venous stasis. The event such as local trauma , vasculitis, and previous thrombosis causes critical damage to the endothelium layer of the venous wall. Contraceptive pills Polycythemia and cancers, especially adeno-carcinomas, are associated with thrombosis disorders with an increased risk of pulmonary embolism. The absence or presenc e of risk factors for embolic disease is sparingly essential information for the diagnosis and evaluation of the likelihood of pulmonary embolism. Diagnosis Although early treatment is highly effective, PE is underdiagnosed and, therefore, the disease remains a major health problem.(Lavorini et al., 2013) This condition is primarily considered to be under diagnosed since in most of the cases the symptoms are not specified and the results of the treatment are significant (Sanjeevi, 2012). One of the standard cares is the objective tests which generally either establishes or refutes the PE diagnosis have become a standard of care. This plan of care must be based on the clinical manifestation and evaluation of the chances of pulmonary embolism. The accuracy of these tests is very high when the results are in accordance with the overall assessment. It is difficult to diagnose clinical symptom of pulmonary embolism. It is often asymptomatic which further add on to the level of difficulty. If the symptoms are present then it is found to be sparingly non- specific sometimes. Trachycardia, cough, loss of consciousness, chest pain and haemoptysis are some of the initial symptom of pulmonary embolism. Pain which is of pleurisy type are often because of PE which causes heavy irritation of pleura and are associated with pulmonary infiltration. It is associated with alveolar hemorrhage as per histopathology and with haemoptysis as a symptom. The chest X-ray scan is one of the major sources of help in ruling out other conditions (e.g. pulmonary edema, pneumonia, pneumothorax) and that have sparingly clear radiological findings and are of less use in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. In about 25% of cases of pulmonary embolism, the chests X-ray are found to be normal. In fact, this is of great assistance, as the coexistence of severe dyspnoea, with a ventilation-perfusion lung scan of even intermediate probability, is practically diagnostic for pulmonary embolism. The only diagnosis available is the haematological examination which is quite advance for of diagnosis that helps in the diagnosis of PE is the measurement and quantification of D-dimers with the ELISA (Enzyme linked immune sorbent assay) method. Although this method is extremely sensitive (i.e.90%) but it is very non-specific. Since there is a presence of elevated levels of D-dimers in various other disease conditions that are clinically similar to pulmonary embolism, such as pneumonia, post-surgery trauma , cancer, myocardial infarction and heart failure, etc. In view of this, the most important contribution of D-dimers quantification is in ruling out pulmonary embolism when their levels are normal (i.e. high negative predictive values). Pulmonary angiography is one of the widely accepted techniques for the detection of pulmonary embolus within the circulation. It is basically performed whenever some noninvasive techniques and clinical data failed to diagnose the disease. It is an appropriate test to detect the patient with unstable hemodynamics. Therefore, it can be observed that the diagnosis of this condition is based on the valid clinical criteria and selective tests (Bergrem et al., 2013). This is primarily because the clinical presentations could not be distinguished from the other causes that arise from chest pain and breathe shortage. Treatment One of the known treatments of this condition is Anticoagulant therapy and this is one treatment that would definitely prevail. Intensely, there are also other supporting treatments that are available such as analgesia along with this treatment(Kabrhel, 2013). Mostly the people are admitted in the hospitals during the early stages of the disease and they usually remain under the care unless the INR has reached the appropriate therapeutic levels(Tapson, 2012). Nonetheless, the lower level risks can be managed in the homes itself and such a home treatment is common for this condition. The major cornerstone therapy for pulmonary embolism is to prevent the recurrence of new embolism by regular dosage of anticoagulants or a filter in the inferior vena cava, since it has been seen that the majority of the patients die due to continue deterioration in health because of formation of new emboli again and again. It is necessary to attempt the primary lysis of the embolus when the person is in haemodynamic condition or in shock. Supportive Therapy- The patients present with Hypoxaemia responds to oxygen administration since main patho-physiological mechanism is due to oxygen supply disturbances. Bed rest is often recommended and it helps in two ways. Firstly, it lessens the oxygen consumption which ultimately decreases the requirement of high cardiac output. Secondly, less movement will not allow the embolus to get detached from its peripheral location. Anticoagulant Therapy- The basic treatment of pulmonary embolus is heparin treatment which prevents the formation of thrombi and facilitates the physiological endogenous fibrinolysis to dissolve the older ones. It is recommended to start the heparin treatment even before the diagnosis of the pulmonary embolism. Low molecular weight heparin has been found safer and effective which is now being used for the dissolving hemodynamic stable pulmonary embolus. Filter placement - The use of filters in the inferior vena cava is indicated in the case of pulmonary embolus where there are problems and contraindications for use of anticoagulants or when there is formation of thrombi even after anticoagulant therapy. A filter doesnt appear to facilitate out in case of proximal DVT with freely floating thrombus. Thrombolysis- This therapy must be applied to the patient with circulatory shock and hemodynamic instability immediately. The patient with stable blood pressure, there is no objection in applying thrombolytic therapy. Thrombolytic therapy directly improves the heart function while at the same time significantly reduces the recurrence of new thrombi. Embolectomy- The patients with hemodynamic instability and in which the thromolytic treatment has failed, transvenous catheter embolectomy is done. Due to the advancement in technology, various tools has been developed which can aspire out the emboli from the pulmonary circulation. Surgical thrombus removal is suggested if such a therapy fails to suck out the thrombus from the circulation. Although the success rate is still not accepted for embolectomy as the patients in whom it is done are already in very critical condition. Some reports suggested that 58% of the patient death occur during emergency embolectomy due to heart attack. Cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest are the major two risk factors in case of this treatment. Hemodynamic stabilization and rapid diagnosis plays a major role in result improvement. Pulmonary endarterectomy with hypertension in the patients and evidence of embolism on pulmonary angiography has been reported in various literatures. Pulmonary hypertension and hemorrhage are the two main causes of mortality in case of pulmonary embolism. Conclusion Pulmonary embolism is among the top three biggest cause of death from cardiovascular diseases after cerebro-vascular stroke and myocardial infarction in todays world. After the diagnosis the mortality rate of pulmonary embolism is reached up to 15% within in 3 months. Since pulmonary embolism symptoms occur only in the 30% patients so it is very important to diagnose this disease at an early stage. The risk factor is associated to the people taking contraceptive pills, having cancer, pregnancy, undergoing hormonal therapy etc. Various methods are available for the diagnosis but it is really difficult to detect PE at an early stage so most of the diagnostics method fails. Treatment like anticoagulant therapy is widely accepted and shown promising results for dissolving and inhibiting the recurrence of new embolus. Therefore it is very important to detect this disease at early stage in order to save the patient from life threatening experience. References Barker, J. (2012).Current Approach to the Diagnosis of Acute Nonmassive Pulmonary Embolism.Yearbook Of Pulmonary Disease,2012, 227-228.doi:10.1016/j.ypdi.2012.01.078 Bergrem, A., Dahm, A., Jacobsen, A., Sandvik, L., Sandset, P. (2013). OC-16 Differential risk factors for pregnancy-related deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism Results from a population-based case-control study.Thrombosis Research,131, S75.doi:10.1016/s0049-3848(13)70042-2 Goodacre, S., Nelson-Piercy, C., Hunt, B., Chan, W. (2014). When should we use diagnostic imaging to investigate for pulmonary embolism in pregnant and postpartum women?.Emergency Medicine Journal,32(1), 78-82.doi:10.1136/emermed-2014-203871 Kabrhel, C. (2013). A Multidisciplinary Pulmonary Embolism Response Team.Chest,144(5), 1738.doi:10.1378/chest.13-1562 Kahler, Z., Moss Beam, D., Kline, J. (2014). 91 Physician Attitudes Toward Immediate Discharge of Low-Risk Pulmonary Embolism Patients from the Emergency Department.Annals Of Emergency Medicine,64(4), S33.doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.07.116 Lavorini, F., Di Bello, V., De Rimini, M., Lucignani, G., Marconi, L., Palareti, G. et al. (2013). Diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism: a multidisciplinary approach.Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine,8(1), 75.doi:10.1186/2049-6958-8-75 Piovella, F., Iosub, D. (2015). Acute pulmonary embolism: risk assessment, risk stratification and treatment options.The Clinical Respiratory Journal, n/a-n/a. doi:10.1111/crj.12264 Sanjeevi, C. (2012). Autoimmune diseases and risk of pulmonary embolism.The Lancet,379(9812), 200-201.doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(11)61510-9 Stansby, G., Berridge, D. (2013). Venous thromboembolism.British Journal Of Surgery,100(8), 989-990. doi:10.1002/bjs.9187 Tapson, V. (2012).Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism.F1000 Med Rep,4.doi:10.3410/m4-9

A Man For All Seasons essays

A Man For All Seasons essays The definition of humanism is A philosophy centered on the values, interests and potential of human beings (Websters Dictionary 1984, p. 340). In the play, A Man for all Seasons by Robert Bolt, Thomas More is a humanist as he knows his own values, interests and potential, and observes those of other people. Thomas More was a man who held onto his values no matter what. Thomas More believed in what the church said greatly. The king had a dispensation so that he would be able to marry Catherine. When the king wanted a divorce without a true reason, Thomas More wouldnt throw his beliefs away and refused to say that he agreed with the divorce. When Thomas More refused to swear to the act he was put in prison. He was charged with high treason and was beheaded. Thomas More saw that the people in his country held no value on being true to their religion, but he did. Hear me out. You and your class have given in-as you rightly call it-because the religion of this country means nothing to you one way or the other. (p. 122). Thomas More knew that the people had given up something they once had claimed to believe in. He knew that they gave up on what their religion said because they didnt want to stand up for it. They didnt have a high enough value on it to stand up for it. Thomas More on the other hand refuses to drop what his religion says because he believed it. I will not give in because I oppose it-I do-not my pride, not my spleen, nor any other of my appetites but I do-I! (p. 123). Thomas More was against the king getting a divorce because it was a value he held. The values that Thomas More had he held onto dearly and he wouldnt change them for convenience. He did not hold a value for popularity, he held a value because it is what he truly believed to be the right thing to hold onto. Thomas More believed that a person...

Drive-By-Wire Cars are the Future essays

Drive-By-Wire Cars are the Future essays Concomitant cars have large pedals, steering wheels, and dashboards. Enter such a car and one will immediately become circumscribed. Ones feet must go on the pedals and ones hands must be placed on the steering wheel (Bertone). Likewise, true comfort can never be plenary until one is able to shift positions. Nevertheless, drive-by-wire technology is anon going to change all that by replacing clunky and inaccurate mechanical systems with highly advanced and precise electronic sensors (Brauer). Accordingly, car manufactures are developing state of the art drive-by-wire systems to ameliorate vehicle safety and comfort while simplifying car design and production. Despite this, there are huge logistical, cultural, and legal hurdles. Society will have to build smarter roads, perhaps including such features as fine-tuned global positioning system transmitters (Wylie). Moreover, people will have to give up control of their cars. Additionally, current drive-by-wire prototypes typically cost m illions and are not even legal to drive on most streets. Consequently, What well see more of in the next 10 years is driver-assistance features, such as lane keeping and spinout control (Wylie). Every year automobiles become just a little bit more refined as new technology replaces old ones. It started with luxuries like electric start and hydraulic brakes and continues today with direct injection, yaw control, and, of course, drive-by-wire technology (Brauer). In retrospect, the 1921 Duesenberg was the first production car to have hydraulic brakes, considered revolutionary then. Using hydraulic fluid pressurized by a master cylinder, the system exerted extreme pressure to activate and expand the drums in traditional drum brake systems and the piston calipers on modern disc brakes (Time Warner Cable). However, over 80 years later even with advent of anti-l...

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Research Proposal

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) - Research Proposal Example This society is a privately funded 501 (c) (3) non- profit corporation and could boast of more than a million supporters around the country. The noble visions of the ASPCA have spread its tentacles far and wide all around the world and have over the past years been battling with the government and other organizations to pass more humane laws where animals are concerned. Their main aim is to strive hard towards the day when each and every animal would live in peace, without any pain or fear. ASPCA’s Activities - Rescuing animals from dangerous situations and saving their lives is the prime activity of the ASPCA. Most of these animals are pets who have accidentally got into problems such as poisoning, caught in a fire, fallen into well or pit, or climbed so high and are unable to get down. They also rescue poor animals who are brutally abused and neglected. The Mission of the ASPCA as put down by Henry Bergh in 1866 was â€Å"to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.† The Society has a rich history of challenges as well as victories from the time of its inception. Some of these challenges are providing not only protection but care to the working horses in the city and also transforming the many dog pounds into adoption facilities that are professionally undertaken and run. Another of its victories was the founding of an animal hospital which is still in existence even today. Specially trained staff is on call duty round the clock at the ASPCA Animal Poison and Control center. Highly trained staff and veterinarians dedicate themselves to providing good quality medical care. The ASPCA Animal Behavior Center render free training and advice by animal experts and pet loss support services. The organization also renders services throughout New York City for all the low- income

How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization Essay

How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization - Essay Example Layout for all new stores is developed on computer with software for cost estimating. This not only reduces costs for development, but also helps regional managers to keep costs of new locations below target figures. Planning of new Starbucks spaces down to the last square foot, including layout of cases and brewing equipment allows managers and company representatives to work more efficiently. Starbucks is continuously looking for new ways to offer its products and expand its product lines. Developing partnerships with other food companies such as Kraft, PepsiCo and Dryer’s Grand Ice Cream has allowed the company to reach more customers with more channels for product sales. Starbucks also has established licensing agreements with United Airlines, Marriott Host International, Aramark, Nordstroms and Barnes and Noble to offer products in Hotels, airports, book stores, department stores and college campuses. Strategies for global expansion include choosing â€Å"a reputable and capable local company with retailing know-how in the target host country to develop and operate new stores† (Thomson & Gamble, 1999). Starbucks seeks talent within its organizational structure, so that executives can continue to focus on specific tasks such as buying and planning. Once a hub is established in a major city, managers known as zone vice presidents are relied upon for regional development.

HIV- Infected Surgeon and a Duty to Disclose Essay Example for Free

HIV- Infected Surgeon and a Duty to Disclose Essay In Case 12 a doctor, Dr. M, has learned he is infected with HIV, should he disclose to his patients that he has HIV or even discontinue his practice of performing surgery on patients? In a study that was taken 2.5 times for every one hundred surgeries performed about one-third of those procedures the patient is touched with the surgeons’ blood. In the same study they have found that for every one hundred surgeries that a surgeon performs with HIV only three patients will contract HIV from the surgeon. Dr. M does not have an obligation to refrain from performing surgery due to the low risk of contracting HIV from him and with any surgery there are risks, such as death that have to be taken into consideration. While Dr. M doesn’t have the obligation to terminate his profession of a surgeon he does hold the obligation to disclose to his patents he is HIV positive. If he discloses this to them this allows for the patent to decide whether or not to continue the procedure with him. When he discloses this information to them he will also need to provide the facts and information to them of the low risk they have of contracting the virus from him. Just as Dr. M is obligated to disclose his information of the virus he carries to his patients so does this patents hold the same responsibility to provide that information to him. The patient providing this information to their surgeon is more critical then the surgeon providing it to them for the simply fact a surgeon has more exposure to blood than a patient does. For most patients the fear of the unknown is the worst disease of all but at times information is hard to attain. As a health care provider you should never allow the fear of not knowing what disease you have that could be passed along to your patients be in their minds. With the chosen profession of being a physician imposes a set of duties and obligations, which raise additional questions and concerns. As a physician you have accepted the obligation of do no avoidable harm, be as skilled and knowledgeable as possible, recommend and do what is best for the patient, and be honest with them. Along with these duties they also assume the responsibility and challenge of providing the facts that the patient needs in order to give a voluntary informed consent for the surgeon to perform surgery on them. As a surgeon they need to know whether it will impair their ability to perform their tasks safely and competently. They also need to know if it will pose any significant risk to their patients now or in the future. If the surgeon is or will become impaired they need to resolve the impairment. If this is not possible they may need to limit or change the kind of surgery they perform. The risk of HIV acquisition from an infected surgeon appears much lower than the risk bacterial infections, even those with deadly potential. These rates vary by surgeon and institution. It is not in the practice for surgeons to disclose their personal health information to potential patients. Similarly, most surgeons don’t openly disclose the number of similar cases they do annually, another factor associated with complication rates. Given this practice, it seems inappropriate to require disclosure of a lower-risk condition. That may change as risk-adjusted institutional and even surgeon-specific data become publicly available. Until then disclosure of HIV status seems inappropriate. It may arouse anxiety unnecessarily and have no practical effect on risk reduction. It may be that some patients would be more fearful of a low risk of HIV infection than of a serious adverse drug reaction, postoperative hemorrhage, or sepsis, but that is not a strong argument for routine disclosure. It is a reason to answer a direct question truthfully. While there may be an understandable hesitation to answer a patient’s pointed question about their surgeon’s HIV status, medical ethics and respect for persons demand an honest answer, just as they would to a question about training, experience, or complication rates. Therefore, surgeons should pose to patients the risks real and potential in a generic way and how they should be managed. Obtaining fully informed consent is morally necessary in order to acknowledge and respect an individual patients autonomy. Truth disclosure is an integral part of this acknowledgement. Accusations of paternalism may arise from decisions to restrict information to patients. The caring professions require patients trust in order to deliver care effectively. Being seen to care for a culture of openness may enhance patients trust in the professions while the appearance of concealment would certainly diminish it. In a society with an increasing culture of openness, and where the right to information from governments and official bodies is receiving attention, it would seem desirable to provide comprehensive information about risks. Patients have a right not to be harmed by their medical practitioner. This right is cherished in the concept of non-maleficence. While it is the duty of a doctor to do good to patients (benevolence), a particular treatment may not help all individuals. Thus, the least that a doctor should do is to do no harm. By not informing patients of their exposure, transmission might not be recognized, thus patients would be harmed by the denial of appropriate treatment. Moreover, if patients are infected, they constitute a transmission risk to those around them. Health care providers should not adopt the paternalistic approach of deciding for their patients what level of risk is acceptable, but should consider patients views. Autonomy and truth disclosure are important influences on this decision. In deciding whether to inform patients, a balance must be struck between their desires to know of past exposure to risks, and the professional view that when risks are negligible, patients need not be informed. It is strongly suggested that patients needs should be given greater weight.