How does the study of sociology relate to Nursing?

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I'm taking a sociology class right now and our teacher decided to replace the final exam with a group project. This group project is more of a contest. The group with the best project will get a perfect 100. The next 96, the next, 92, the next 88, the next 84, 80, 76, 72, and 68. So no matter what, a group of people in the class will get a 68. The teacher separated the whole class into groups by their majors. Our teacher combined the majors Nursing, Pre-med, and Pre-Dentistry for our group. Most of the groups have 3 to 7 people in their group. Our group has thirty! :eek:You think that having such a large group will be an advantage. It was hard to talk to everyone at once and try to grasp ideas from everyone. We have to make up an 8 by 11 sheet paper, that states how the study of sociology is mandatory for our fields of study. The sheet has to be full of information, pictures, symbols, and has to tell a cohesive and comprehensive story. We decided to use some of the main points that we focused in class this semester which is: Understanding Culture, Deviance, Race and Ethnicity, Gender, Families, Education and Religion. So I wanted to know if any nurses :nurse: will mind sharing some of their experiences with these topics.

All experiences and opinions are appreciated :)

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

So how would you know that they're a Jehovah's Witness if they can't communicate? Just wondering.....

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you're right I changed it.

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Your groups are microcosms of society...any patient you take care of will be part of some group, or groups.... while everyone is an individual, some of their "groups" will effect their thoughts, behavior, etc.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Sociology is intermingled with nursing, yet many people do not realize it.

Patients come from a wide variety of social classes and this affects how they view the healthcare system, the manner in which they respond to patient education, and so forth. What I'm about to say might offend some people or challenge their beliefs, but I'm going to say it anyway.

Some nurses complain that their poorer patients tend to be more noncompliant, harder to teach, and more prone to attitude problems. However, the lower-class patient might not have reliable transportation to and from appointments, which affects the degree to which they can follow up. They might be functionally illiterate and cannot comprehend the educational pamphlets that healthcare workers give them. They might not be able to afford the nutritious foods for their prescribed diabetic diet. After all, top ramen noodles, rice, prepackaged macaroni with cheese, and other starchy meals are cheaper than lean meats and low glycemic fruits and veggies. The bad attitude might be a defense mechanism built up due to a life filled with constraints.

The patient from the professional middle class (lawyer, teacher, engineer, etc.) can easily drive to and from doctors' appointments, afford healthy meals without going broke, understand what is being taught to them, and take ownership of their care with much more ease than some of the patients who hail from the working poor (day laborers, short order cooks, house cleaners).

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I'm taking a sociology class right now and our teacher decided to replace the final exam with a group project. This group project is more of a contest. The group with the best project will get a perfect 100. The next 96, the next, 92, the next 88, the next 84, 80, 76, 72, and 68. So no matter what, a group of people in the class will get a 68. The teacher separated the whole class into groups by their majors. Our teacher combined the majors Nursing, Pre-med, and Pre-Dentistry for our group. Most of the groups have 3 to 7 people in their group. Our group has thirty! :eek:You think that having such a large group will be an advantage. It was hard to talk to everyone at once and try to grasp ideas from everyone. We have to make up an 8 by 11 sheet paper, that states how the study of sociology is mandatory for our fields of study. The sheet has to be full of information, pictures, symbols, and has to tell a cohesive and comprehensive story. We decided to use some of the main points that we focused in class this semester which is: Understanding Culture, Deviance, Race and Ethnicity, Gender, Families, Education and Religion. So I wanted to know if any nurses :nurse: will mind sharing some of their experiences with these topics.

All experiences and opinions are appreciated :)

Sociology, hmmm? The grading system almost sounds like a sociological experiment.

I say you organize the class in to one group and rebel against the grading structure.

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That is an excellent answer. It is imperative that healthcare workers understand that people are individuals while at the same time can be part of a group inside a group etc. Understanding a patients' cultural and ethnic background is important but never forget that everyone is different as well. Sociology helps the healthcare worker to recognize common traits among certain groups of people but also teaches to never stereotype. As you go thru your nursing classes it will become more evident just how important this subject is in nursing.

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Well that's sound good that The group with the best project will get a perfect 100 and than the next goes on..From it they will get maximum participation which is very necessary for improvement..Group interaction develops communication skill ans improve your mental power..

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

I'm laying bets this is an exercise in sociology and nobody gets a 68.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

Had a engineering prof some years back who gave us individual assignments for our capstone project. Turned out he was doing some consulting on the side and we were his unpaid research assistants. Sounds like this instructor is running an experimental study and the students are the guinea pigs.

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.
Sociology, hmmm? The grading system almost sounds like a sociological experiment.

I say you organize the class in to one group and rebel against the grading structure.

I totally agree with this!

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Had a engineering prof some years back who gave us individual assignments for our capstone project. Turned out he was doing some consulting on the side and we were his unpaid research assistants. Sounds like this instructor is running an experimental study and the students are the guinea pigs.

Lol thats exactly what I feel like, a guinea pig. I don't know what's up with my professor. I had three friends that took her, three different semesters, and they said she never did this lol. We also did other things like disrupting someone's reality? lol We had to do something that would make someone feel uncomfortable or weird them out. Like randomly taking a picture of someone, screaming loudly in the hall way, getting really close to someone's face when you started to talk to them, lol idk just crazy things.

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