I have always found the health care field very interesting as well as ever changing! The fact that new technologies and new medications are continuously evolving, makes health care an exciting place to work. Nursing is a career that I can imagine myself working in as well as flourishing in as an individual of this society.
At Planned Parenthood (PPH) there are several different aspects that compose this health organization. The medical portion of the facility is what people generally think of first, when hearing about PPH. This is the actual clinic portion of the facility where certified physicians and nurses preform screenings or procedures. However, there is much more to PPH than just the medical side; public policy, communication and marketing also play very important roles in the success of PPH. Working at PPH in the "near" future is not something I imagine myself doing but I could envision PPH as a career choice later on in my life. Once I have gained the hands on experience of being a nurse in the hospital setting, PPH might be a great place to consider working or even volunteering to maintain that public policy "hands-on" influence within the community. Being able to go out into the public and educate people on which candidates PPH is endorsing in the up coming elections, is something that I would never have been able to be apart of through just a nursing career. The skills I am learning while interning at PPH have been very community oriented and the values that are placed on the 'right to choose' is something that I will carry with me as a nurse and human being in this world of suffering. I think that working in the educational system as an instructor of new nursing students would be very inspiring and I know that with all the amazing concepts I am learning in various disciplines, I will have a lot to share with others.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
4 Concepts/Theories
Throughout my college experience within the interdisciplinary school, I have learned many theories and concepts that have aided in my own understanding of this process. Since I have started my internship at Planned Parenthood (PPH) I have already been able to gain insight into how the interdisciplinary process is reflected within this organization.
When I first learned about the meaning of interdisciplinary studies the more basic concepts are what hit home the most. For example, there are three clusters or categories of disciplines; sciences, social sciences and humanities. At PPH all three of these categories of disciplines play a major role within the operation of this organization. The Sciences work hard to perform the most current and safest medical procedures and the social sciences work to maintain ethical standards for their patients and staff, as well as taking into account the major social differences that are found between each individual. Finally, the humanities aspect of PPH relies on the philosophy that has been established since the birth of this public health organization; the right to choice and support of women's' reproductive rights. These disciplines work interdisciplinary together by using their fields of studies "between or among" one another in order to solve complex problems.
Another concept that is important to the interdisciplinary process is the theory pertaining to what constitutes interdisciplinary "studies". Studies are defined as new and emerging disciplines that do not have all the characteristics of an established discipline, therefore studies expand on disciplinary knowledge's but also transcend them at the same time. PPH can be viewed as in interdisciplinary study within itself through many ways but one of the most prominent being that this organization seeks to integrate knowledge and reveal gaps that may exist. I saw this in live action when I attended a meeting with the top three 'disciplines' of PPH; communications, marketing and public policy. The meeting was held to discuss internal versus external methods that can be used to better unite PPH as one living organism. This was very interesting to me because there was a well known public health facility that was using the very process of integrating knowledge from various disciplines to solve an "issue".
Another concept that is easily seen within PPH is the idea of interdisciplinary studies being used to describe 'work' or more specifically the work of recognizing and confronting differences found among disciplines. Without the differences that exist within each field of knowledge there would be nothing to learn and nothing to integrate because everything would be the same. PPH has spent it's entire historical lifespan readily recognizing the continual differences that arise between various areas of the organization and this has made it possible for them to collectively work towards the same goal.
Finally, that leads into how interdisciplinarity is used to describe a process, a "process" that has a similar particular end in view. The goal of the organization is to be completely aware of all similarities and differences that exist thus having a more comprehensive understanding of a specific problem through the use of integration.
When I first learned about the meaning of interdisciplinary studies the more basic concepts are what hit home the most. For example, there are three clusters or categories of disciplines; sciences, social sciences and humanities. At PPH all three of these categories of disciplines play a major role within the operation of this organization. The Sciences work hard to perform the most current and safest medical procedures and the social sciences work to maintain ethical standards for their patients and staff, as well as taking into account the major social differences that are found between each individual. Finally, the humanities aspect of PPH relies on the philosophy that has been established since the birth of this public health organization; the right to choice and support of women's' reproductive rights. These disciplines work interdisciplinary together by using their fields of studies "between or among" one another in order to solve complex problems.
Another concept that is important to the interdisciplinary process is the theory pertaining to what constitutes interdisciplinary "studies". Studies are defined as new and emerging disciplines that do not have all the characteristics of an established discipline, therefore studies expand on disciplinary knowledge's but also transcend them at the same time. PPH can be viewed as in interdisciplinary study within itself through many ways but one of the most prominent being that this organization seeks to integrate knowledge and reveal gaps that may exist. I saw this in live action when I attended a meeting with the top three 'disciplines' of PPH; communications, marketing and public policy. The meeting was held to discuss internal versus external methods that can be used to better unite PPH as one living organism. This was very interesting to me because there was a well known public health facility that was using the very process of integrating knowledge from various disciplines to solve an "issue".
Another concept that is easily seen within PPH is the idea of interdisciplinary studies being used to describe 'work' or more specifically the work of recognizing and confronting differences found among disciplines. Without the differences that exist within each field of knowledge there would be nothing to learn and nothing to integrate because everything would be the same. PPH has spent it's entire historical lifespan readily recognizing the continual differences that arise between various areas of the organization and this has made it possible for them to collectively work towards the same goal.
Finally, that leads into how interdisciplinarity is used to describe a process, a "process" that has a similar particular end in view. The goal of the organization is to be completely aware of all similarities and differences that exist thus having a more comprehensive understanding of a specific problem through the use of integration.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Multidisciplinary Versus Interdisciplinary
As a major public health organization here in Arizona, Planned Parenthood has continued work through an interdisciplinary approach. The past 90 years of history have aided in the development of planned parenthood's solid foundation within the community. Over the past few weeks it has become clear to me that this organization would not be nearly as successful in providing women with accurate knowledge and services pertaining to their health, without interdisciplinary ideals. More specifically, socially every single person who seeks care from planned parenthood is treated on an individual basis and because everyone is extremely different with different needs, the patent's 'problem/issue' must be resolved through the awareness of the numerous disciplines that can be used in each situation. If Planned Parenthood approached their patent's and their health problems in a multidisciplinary way, other health issues would get looked over and the best care possible would not be provided. Here in Arizona, there is such a diverse mixture of cultures around the valley that to ignore the need of integrating more than one approach when providing health services is imperative. Within Planned Parenthood the structure also aids in how integration is taking place. For example, I am working with the grassroots organizer and we're working among the public policy side of planned parenthood however there are still the physicians themselves who are seeing the patients and making diagnosis. In addition, there is the receptionists who answer phone calls all day giving information about health concerns in general and they book appointments. This entire organization works as a team collectively, but they all come from different backgrounds and hold different opinions however they're working toward a similar goal (just through different means) SUPPORTING A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO MAKE her own REPRODUCTIVE CHOICES!
Everyone has they're own voice, but to exercise that collectively with knowledge that one can contribute to the "problem" by integrating this discipline with that discipline is where the magic happens!
Everyone has they're own voice, but to exercise that collectively with knowledge that one can contribute to the "problem" by integrating this discipline with that discipline is where the magic happens!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Self Introduction (week 1)
Hello all;
My name is Taylor Headlough and my chosen concentration areas are sociology and health care. I chose these two concentrations because originally I had started my college career on the path of nursing. I completed the first two years of prerequisites for the nursing program at ASU but in the end I was not able to compete with the high GPA that was setting the bar. After I was denied entrance I began looking into other degrees offered at ASU that I would find interesting and also one that would fit with some of the classes that I had already taken.
These concentrations are reflective of my identity because my passion for medicine and people is what has motivated me throughout my education experience. Health care is a broad subject with many positives and negatives however it is essential for all people and the environment itself therefore sociology plays an equal role in understanding the issue(s) as a bigger whole.
The site of my applied study is Planned Parenthood. I hope to learn more about what Planned Parenthood (PPH) is doing within the community especially regarding public policy within the state of Arizona. It will be very interesting to see how my two areas of concentration will take an active affect within a place of business as well as within the community itself.
Some of the responsibilites that I have been involved in so far have been meeting with volunteers of PPH who I will be leading in public policy events, brainstorming ideas for events that would be good to get the voice of PPH out there and I participated in my very first phone bank for PPH. These responsibilities reflect different areas of knowledge that I have learned specifically pertaining to socially how an organization is building itself from the ground up to work for a similar cause AND medically how this organization is aiding in the health of women all over the state.
My future goals after graduation are unclear at this point in time but I feel like PPH is showing me another piece to the puzzle that will in the end help direct me in the kind of career I want to continue.
My name is Taylor Headlough and my chosen concentration areas are sociology and health care. I chose these two concentrations because originally I had started my college career on the path of nursing. I completed the first two years of prerequisites for the nursing program at ASU but in the end I was not able to compete with the high GPA that was setting the bar. After I was denied entrance I began looking into other degrees offered at ASU that I would find interesting and also one that would fit with some of the classes that I had already taken.
These concentrations are reflective of my identity because my passion for medicine and people is what has motivated me throughout my education experience. Health care is a broad subject with many positives and negatives however it is essential for all people and the environment itself therefore sociology plays an equal role in understanding the issue(s) as a bigger whole.
The site of my applied study is Planned Parenthood. I hope to learn more about what Planned Parenthood (PPH) is doing within the community especially regarding public policy within the state of Arizona. It will be very interesting to see how my two areas of concentration will take an active affect within a place of business as well as within the community itself.
Some of the responsibilites that I have been involved in so far have been meeting with volunteers of PPH who I will be leading in public policy events, brainstorming ideas for events that would be good to get the voice of PPH out there and I participated in my very first phone bank for PPH. These responsibilities reflect different areas of knowledge that I have learned specifically pertaining to socially how an organization is building itself from the ground up to work for a similar cause AND medically how this organization is aiding in the health of women all over the state.
My future goals after graduation are unclear at this point in time but I feel like PPH is showing me another piece to the puzzle that will in the end help direct me in the kind of career I want to continue.
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