As I reflect on the past semester of this class, I can think of multiple things I learned, as well as a few topics I wish we had touched on more. I took this class because I want to be a social worker in a hospital setting and thought it would be to my advantage to learn about the sociology of health. Even though I am not going to become a doctor or a nurse, I learned several things that will help me in the setting of my future job, as well as a better understanding of terms and processes from the patient side of things. I have come up with five reasons why this course is relevant for students thinking about health related careers. The first reason why this course is relevant is there was a lot of learning about medical terms and what they
I also did not know the meanings of different insurance terms, like PPO and HMO. Another reason this course is relevant is that it gives a better understanding of the role of providers. Coming into this class I did not know there were different models of physician-patient relationships, nor did I consciously think about how providers may treat certain groups of people differently. The third reason I came up with was the knowledge gained about the Affordable Care Act. Although it is in the news all the time, I personally did not know many details about it. I found the history behind it extremely interesting, and I think it is important to be knowledgeable about since it is a huge topic in our government today. Being able to know how insurance works is also a reason why this course is good for students going into health related careers. This also blends in with my first reason, understanding medical terms. I knew Blue Cross and Blue Shield, but never knew where the names came from. My understanding of
I am a strong advocate for mental health awareness, so the more discussion of that in the realm of health care the better. Mental health is just as important as physical health, so it should be discussed with more focus. I know we touched on it a little, but not enough to really make anything stick. Some patients feel fear when discussing mental health with their doctors, because they are afraid they might judge them or tell them they are making it up. By educating those wanting to go into health care early about this, it will eliminate the fear when doctors are viewed as approachable and patients know their providers are not going to judge them. Dealing with incurable illness is the second topic I think could be touched on more in a health sociology class. Dr. Yiee talked about working with terminally ill patients, but I think it would be beneficial to make a strong point that a cancer diagnosis is not the only time you would be working with a potentially incurable illness. Going back to the mental illness suggestion, sometimes mental illness can be incurable as well, and that could end up affecting a person’s physical well being. Bedside manners with incurable illness would be a good thing to discuss also. Everyone would feel bad for those who are unable to be treated, but knowing the importance of separating yourself from it without
First, the sociological model of health provides more value on the social, economic and environmental causes of disease such as cancer for example, rather than only focusing on the biological aspect such as the medical model. Therefore, health and disease prevention is a key aspect, instead of relying on the treatment alone. Although medicine is frequently still required for treatment, the focus however is still primarily on self help and community activity. Furthermore, by finding the source of the issue and solving the cause, the problem is less likely to return or resurface. In other words, the sociological model of health is the preferred model for studying and examining diseases issues such as cancer as it relates to most important working
In relation to health and social, social realism would create more an understanding for service providers. It would help service providers understand that all service users will have their own perceptions of reality, whether they have a mental issue, different culture, disability and so on. Service providers will provide a service with the influence of this theory, ensuring that when they are providing their service, varied perceptions and behaviours are being taken into consideration. An example of this could involve an individual with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is mental health issue which changes the way an individual sees the natural world, and alters the way they perceive and behave. Their sense of reality becomes false, as well as their
Through out this course I have learned to understand why there is a need to educate my peers. Taking part in this can help increase awareness and knowledge about various health topics that relate to fellow students around me. The Health Fair helped me take part in advocating better health. From the taking part in the Health Fair I learned many things about how to educate my peers by breaking down barriers that I once had.
My view on social work has changed dramatically because of what I’ve learned so far in this course. I now realize social work is a global profession, and can take many forms. I was unaware that social work has become a global awareness across countries. Learning this has really interested me in
When I first decided to take the Introduction to Sociology class I wasn’t quite sure what to expect or even what to think. I had never taken any classes on sociology so I was quite sure that this would be an adventure. Well, as things turned out it was an adventure, this class was fun and very insightful. This class taught me a lot about what the rest of the world is like and how the American culture is different from the cultures around the world. What america accepts as the norm is different than say what Germany accepts as the norm.
Sociology of Health and Illness The sociological approaches focus on identifying the two sociological theories. We critically analysed the biomedical model and doctor-patient relationship. We also evaluated how the medical professionals exercise social control and the medical professional’s contribution to ill health. The difference between society and health is studied by sociologists in relation to health and illness.
When I First signed up for this class I can honestly say I had no idea what sociology was this was just one of those classes I had to take to get into Saint Martin’s. The first day of class I wasn’t sure what to except but as Carlos introduced the class to sociology I was excited to learn some new things but I had no idea what was in store. The information in this class has opened my eyes to so many different ideas of what today’s society truly is and how we are trained not to see it. I feel like a blindfold was removed from my eyes in the duration of this class and the events of this year have been perfect modern examples of what we were learning in class. I can’t imagine going through the past couple of months without being in this class
I came into this class not really knowing any more then people can get insurance and money for food from the human service department. My eyes were definitely opened those first couple weeks of class. I have realized that there is so much more that a human services worker can do. I also learned that most people who use the services are truly desperate and need help. I have learned a lot about seeing the big picture and not just what’s in front of me.
Reflecting back on the all the information learned this semester, I am amazed at how much I learned. Working in healthcare makes you aware of a lot of the topics that were covered, however, when you apply it to yourself, in a personal relationship, it becomes much more powerful what the impact of each topic is.
Over the course of this class I have pieced together many things about my own life that before went unnoticed. I am now able to see things in a bit of a different light. Now that I have been introduced to the realm of psychology I understand some of the reasons for behavior around me. I have learned that there is a reason for most everything and a lot of our behaviors and mental processes can be explained through psychology. Studies have been conducted for many years to try and pinpoint the source of our behavior and it is not something that most people think about every day. Having a better understanding of why we operate the way we do will help me to better understand myself and the others around me.
My first class in my link was sociology, initially I wanted to take psychology, but I still wanted to learn the sociological aspect to define people’s actions. I passionately enjoyed taking sociology, because it helped me study people and understand who they are by observing their actions. I enjoyed learning from Professor Parker, sociology is a hard subject to learn, however Professor Parker had the patience to explain all his lessons slowly and carefully for his students. As well as providing extra help by continuously responding back to e-mails students have sent him over the semester with meaningful help. The hardest lesson I had in Sociology is writing a clear thesis. Professor Parker has continuously helped me develop clear thesis statements, and I believe without his help I wouldn’t have been able to write many of my essays. I do still need extra practice until I’m a professional at writing thesis statements. Howeve...
According to the World Health Organisation health is “A state of well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (WHO,1946)
The course also prepared me to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. While attending clinicals, I practiced procedures and proper care for the elderly. My experiences in the nursing home helped me realize that there was more to nursing than just giving proper care to those in need. During my clinicals, I was able to sit down with the residents assigned to me and hear their childhood stories. They shared many old pictures and possessions with me that made it worth the visit. It really touched my heart to know that my residents looked forward to seeing me and providing them with my care and compassion made a difference in their stay at the nursing home. When I reflect on my experiences, I begin to look forward to my career in nursing. I know the appreciation I feel when I have others caring for me, so that is a feeling that I would like to give in return to reassure every single one of my patients that they are cared for and their health and well-being is my primary
The journal article Reflections on Fifty Years of Medical Sociology highlights the knowledge and improvements in the area of medical sociology, while posing questions for future consideration. Heavy consideration is put into life expectancy, educating of warnings, and who can and cannot access the funds necessary to receive adequate health care. For example, in the past fifty years, the elderly had no medical coverage available specifically for them, and there were no warnings for alcohol and tobacco. Now, Medicare helps cover the elderly in the United States, and warning labels are printed on all alcohol and tobacco products. Without a social aspect involved, which could be expressing a desire to live longer or acknowledging the fact that
After taking this course, I see a bigger picture of the world and how it operates. Studying sociology has changed my attitudes towards other people and societies. I also see the importance of sociology in solving social problems of all magnitude. The knowledge will be useful for future decisions, because I understand there is much more to our world than what meets our eye.