Role of Sociology in Nursing

The Sociology of Nursing

In the past, it was unheard of for sociology to be a subject for nursing students. Now, nursing students are often required take the subject because it is widely viewed as essential knowledge to their daily work as nurses. Sociology is the study of human behavior. From its definition, any nursing student can construe sociology as their calling card when it comes to handling patients.

Nurses get a lot of human interaction and that is one way of determining human behavior. Any nurse who is serious about a nursing profession should consider sociology as an important subject to learn.

Treating sociology as a core part of your nursing education is a key to become a successful nurse. You will be able to provide genuine care and perform appropriate diagnoses if you have an understanding of human behavior and reactions. Sociology enables nurses to understand their social responsibility as agents of change. When you have the capacity to heal or make your patients feel better, you are not only treating their illnesses; you are also improving the quality of their lives.

Nurses will also gain insight into the minds and hearts of their patients. That may not be manifested on initial diagnosis, but with sociology, you begin to understand that the healing of a person is a process and more than just the giving of medicine. This is why science sociology is already part and parcel of a nursing profession. Without it, nurses are incapable of understanding the intricacies of providing diagnosis to people what with their different backgrounds and ideologies. Sociology is the ticket to a more effective diagnosis.

The Future for Sociology Majors

Sociology is a study under the social sciences that looks on the behavior, history, growth, structure, and groups that encompass society. It looks at the things that make up and mechanizes the society. It is not to be confused with Psychology as Sociology looks at people as a whole and not as an individual.

Most of the students who took up the course were probably interested or intrigued by what the study offered and thus signed up for it. But after everything, when it is time to choose for a career path, where will these sociology majors go? Will they end up becoming sociologists simply because they took up sociology? Are there other opportunities lying in wait somewhere out there?

The answer to these questions actually lies in almost anything. Graduates of sociology majors are equipped with general knowledge as their education focused on studying the world as a whole. Thus, they can actually do anything. However, to specify the point, here are some examples of careers where their acquired skills and abilities can be applied:

As part of a social studies course, Sociology is mainly a people-course. Sociology majors can be invested in community work, wherein they could become employees or members of non-profit or non-government agencies, environmental groups and more. They could also go into the profession of law as attorneys and paralegals. Or they could help share their knowledge by going back to the schools as teachers, administrators and the like. Other career paths for sociology majors include being in businesses as public relations officers and human resource personnel, health care particularly in family planning, rehabilitation counselors, and insurance providers, and of course they are great researchers of many kinds.

This then just goes to show how Sociology offers a mass of opportunities for career and even self-development.

Methods of Testing Theories in Sociology

Sociology is the study of the human society. Before a theory in such field is considered to be reliable and true, different tests must be in place. Sociologists use three main methods to test theories: (1) surveys, (2) controlled experiments, and (3) filed observation.

Surveys, sometimes referred to public opinion poll, is the widely accepted ways of studying human behavior. Using variables, surveys measure people’s attitude towards different matters. Sociology often studies the relationship between a viewpoint and a subject while considering elements like education, age, and gender.

Questionnaires are usually given to a controlled group where they will answer either worded or objective type questions. The survey questions also ask about their background and demographic information. Through this method of data gathering, information such as consumer habits, racial discrimination, and other human behavior and activity are provided. In addition, surveys answer issues in the society to have a clear understanding concerning the problems involved.

Experiments. Some of the experiments are conducted in a laboratory and in small groups. In some cases, a two groups are studied for contrasting and comparing. They want to know the significant difference in the attitudes and behavior of certain groups.

Field Observation. Information is primarily gathered through observations and talk within the community. During th period of study, the sociologist will participate in societal activities such as political activities, networks, and functions.

Field observation gives first-hand information about a group of people, but is least reliable method of testing theories. A fact can be true to community A, but cannot be applied to community B. Additionally, there are also outside factors that may influence the the conclusions made.

The study sociology is a group of indisputable conclusions that are diverse. The information is well gathered. Unlike biology and physical sciences, sociology is less precise due to changing human behavior.

The Relevance of Sociology in the Nursing Profession

Sociology is defined as a study of human behavior inside the societal context. Despite its huge importance in politics, organizations, and other statistical fields, nursing students struggle to see its relevance in their chosen career.

Basically, there exist two kinds of sociological knowledge in the nursing course: sociology in nursing and sociology of nursing. Both these knowledge give nursing a different light. It’s like students are given a new pair of glasses, and look at everyday occurrences in a whole different way. But how?

The practical relevance of sociology in the profession depends on how an individual perceive what nursing is all about. If they want to find ways to cater the needs of their patients, nursing students need to understand their experiences with health and illnesses, what’s their basis of health, what is it like to live with similar disorder, and how society views of these people. In short, if one thinks nursing involves critical thinking and patient experience, then sociology has a lot to give.

Most students are intimidated with this subject matter and find it difficult. At a glance, one cannot easily connect sociology to the current practical context of the nursing practice. However, when students engage in wider social issues, they develop reflecting skills. Having these skills let a nurse become a care provider rather than just being too technical with their job.

The remainder relevance of sociology lies on focusing on contemporary research especially in patients with learning difficulties. The significance of this research lie on changing the stereotypical perception of people with learning disabilities that they are incompetent, inadequately capable of speaking for themselves, and thus needs to be given care. It also gives students valuable insight to what these people are going under to have a better understanding of their needs. Sociological research continues to expand and has become useful in the nursing profession.

Nursing is more than just taking blood samples, recording patient data or assisting the physician. Nurses are well-educated and prepared to handle sophisticated tasks and procedures to best assist the patients towards recovery. Additionally, learning the medical terms as well as the procedures is not their only job. Nurses, to be more effective, must be able to learn the proper way of approaching their patients. They must also be able to understand how people think, feel and react. This may seem like a job for a psychologist, but it is very important to be able to provide quality and effective health care services.

As a nurse, you will be able to experience different types of patients with different health issues and from different social backgrounds. Patients react differently on a particular condition or medication which will have a direct impact on their recovery. Through the knowledge of sociology, nurses will be able to look past what is obvious. It will give them another perspective of the situation which will give an idea on what approach or medication to take.

Incorporating sociology in nursing helps develop skills that will make nurses provide nursing care to patients in a more effective way by considering many other factors and forces that directly affect recovery and care. Determining the factors that may hinder recovery or promote it may help avoid malpractice and fast track recovery.

The fast recoveries of the patients don’t just depend on the quality of the medicines the patient took or the use of the advanced medical facilities, it also depends on how well the nurses determine the true needs of the patient.