Health Administration and Policy Metaphors Wei Wang English 393 6/24/2009

What is a Metaphor? a rhetorical trope where a comparison is made between two seemingly unrelated subjects. Typically, a first object is described as being a second object. Examples of metaphors: Mortgage Meltdown, Troop Surge, and Graveyard Shift Source: projects.com/science_fair_project s_encyclopedia/Metaphor

3 Common Metaphors

Rule of Thumb Definition: estimation made according to a rough and ready practical rule, not based on science or exact measurement. Derive from the belief that English law allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick so long as it is was no thicker than his thumb. Source: k/meanings/rule-of- thumb.html

A Skeleton in the Closet Definition: A secret source of shame, potentially ruinous if exposed, which a person or family makes efforts to conceal. The phrase 'a skeleton in the closet' was coined in England in the 19th century. The English now usually use 'a skeleton in the cupboard', with 'skeleton in the closet' more common in the USA. Source: anings/skeleton-in-the- closet.html

Double Cross Definition: An act of treachery, perpetrated on a previous partner in a deceit. The term 'double-cross' has been used in various contexts for many centuries, usually as a straightforward reference to the shape of two crosses, as in the architectural design of cathedrals for example. Source: ings/double-cross.html

Health Administration and Policy A statement of a decision regarding a goal in health care and a plan for achieving that goal. For example, to prevent an epidemic, a program for inoculating a population is developed and implemented. Source: dictionary.thefreedictionary.co m/health+policy

Health Care Gatekeeper Definition: Gatekeepers don't determine what routes patients travel or how quickly they move, just whether they can enter the system and how much they pay when they exit. A gatekeeper's role is exclusively commercial Example: “Health care gatekeepers are hard to find these days.” Source: om/albany/stories/1999/0 5/24/smallb4.html?page=2

Sank into a Coma Definition: slowly started to go into an unconscious state of mind and go into a coma. The metaphor is constructed rounded the idea that health is up and illness is down. Source: al.nih.gov/pagerender.fcg i?artid= &pageind ex=1

Medicine is war Definition: encourages the virtues required to survive the long hours and intense hierarchies of hospital life discriminates against feeling and reflection and makes it harder to strike the right balance between work and personal life Source: al.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi ?artid= &pageinde x=1

The End Any Questions?