major in sociology | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

Health and Sociology

When we talk about health, we may only consider the biological or the physical aspect of a certain human being. However, health is a social issue and it may affect not just a single person, but as well as the community. That means sociology has an impact on health. The health of any individual may be affected by any social issue. The World Health Organization defines “health” as a ‘condition of complete physical, mental and social well-being’. As we can see, the WHO link health to the status of any society, culture as well as traditions and religious beliefs.

We all know the fact that the wealthy in most communities have more access to quality healthcare, medicines and services. The poorest in the society have the least access to healthcare; depending only on government support or NGOs. They also have the highest infant mortality because of inaccessibility to hospitals and medicines starting from pregnancy. The poor countries’ health is compromised by insufficient food and poor sanitation. This affects also the average life expectancy which is generally below 50 years. Roughly half the children born in poor nations generally don’t reach adulthood.

Standards of health within the Western nations such as the USA have greatly enhanced starting the nineteenth century. This is mainly because of better standards of living when industrialization advances the medicine and healthcare system. It was able to control infectious illnesses. Today, ill health in western communities can be indicated largely by chronic degenerative illnesses for example cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancers. Individual health-affecting actions like smoking cigarettes and drinking also have impact on the society’s health.

Promoting health in any society may be hard to achieve if the support is less, financially and legally. Improving the status of the society will also improve the health. The primary objective of any program should be to reduce inequities in health. Ever since then, health promotion has turned into a primary feature of health policy in any country. Giving importance on the study of sociology in relation to health will make a difference not just on the health of the individuals but on their status and way of living as well.

Sociology in Nursing

Nursing doesn’t just require skills, education or experience to be successful in the healthcare industry. It also comprises of other things like how the nurse deals and interacts with his patients. Sociology will enable the nurse to know the proper approach to different types of patients. There are patients who are moody and unapproachable because of their illnesses. Understanding how to deal with them will make the medication easier and effective. Through sociology, you as the nurse will be able to be sympathetic, compassionate and kind to your patient.

Nursing today takes more than just expertise in medical procedures but also by incorporating methods to the different approach on a certain type of patient. It is part of the responsibility of the nurse to give purpose to life, death and illness. Sociology has a bigger role in this process. Through sociology, the nurses are taught to engage in the studies in human societies. Understanding people in general is extremely important. If you are a nurse, you need specific information, some are very confidential, and that could be the basis of the medication. For an instance, if the patient is using any illegal drugs, you need to know how to approach without getting him offended. Getting that information will greatly change the prescription that the doctor will give to the patient.

Sociology has done so many things in improving the approach and the system of the healthcare system. Sociological theories have brought great light to the many features of illness and health. It has also brought valuable theories which leads to the creation of clinical tools. To become an effective nurse, you need to have the skills and expertise, but you need the proper approach and understanding of all your patients. Having all of this, you will be fully equipped and provide the most efficient services.

Why Get a Sociology Degree?

If you are like many learners who enjoy sociology classes, you might be considering specializing in sociology. There are many learners considering including sociology as a major who want to know what kind of job they might get with a major in sociology. The better question might be: what cannot you do with a major in sociology? Sociology gives itself particularly well to a dual major, or as a skill set to acquire along your preferred profession.

Want to be a doctor? Knowing the public side of medicine is essential. For example, how socio-economic position affects wellness results, gender and wellness and how office stress can create health issues are just a few things you might learn in a sociology course. Thinking about counseling or public work? Besides studying about individual psychopathology, understanding the significance of public communications and the wider perspective of directing the world based on gender, competition, and class are essential to understand clients’ facts. Going into law? Knowing changes in family structure, wedding, and divorce are essential in the practice of family law. Civil rights attorneys, immigration law attorneys and those concentrating on the office will benefit from related sociology programs.

For people not planning to go on to earn a high level degree, sociology sets perfectly with many other degrees. Education degrees will reap from programs on how inequality may affect university student accomplishment, as well as studying more about professional connections in groups. Business degrees benefit from studying more about numbers and handling employees in different settings; sociologists also study classes and companies, as well as the sociology of work. Sociology on its own provides several abilities that graduates report using on the job skills like knowing numbers, critical understanding of social problems and basic report composition. Being able to seriously evaluate data, numbers and words is a primary expertise that results in many different higher-level management roles.