Hospital Workplace: Emergency Room. Physical Setting
Ecological Assessment of a Setting
Chapter 5 presents ecological concepts and research at a number of levels of analysis. In this exercise, you will analyze a setting at the microsystem or organization level.
To begin, choose a behavior setting.
As defined by Barker and associates, a behavior setting must have:
a physical time and place
clear boundaries of space or time to separate it from other settings
a standing pattern of behavior
This may involve a microsystem or organization; choose a behavior setting other than your immediate family. Choose a setting carefully: one that you know well from personal experience, preferably one that you can observe now. You may choose a setting from your past experience if you remember it very well. Choose one that involves at least 10 people (an arbitrary rule of thumb to ensure enough roles and members to analyze). Some examples include a class, student organization, playground, residence hall wing or unit, small workplace, social club, or religious congregation (or group within it such as a choir or class)
Analyze the setting in terms of each section below. Observing the setting again is a good idea. Doing this with a friend is often more fun.
Physical Setting Describe the setting’s natural, architectural, and furnishing features: its location, size, boundaries, arrangement of space, furniture (and whether it is movable), pathways of travel, greenery (if outdoors). At what times is it used? Is it ever crowded, or empty? Can you describe its “atmosphere” as a physical setting? Can you suggest useful changes in the physical features of the setting?
Behavior Setting This part uses concepts drawn from Barker’s theory of behavior settings. Describe the setting’s program or standing pattern(s) of behavior. Be as detailed as you can. How many persons are involved? Is there high turnover of persons (e.g., a retail store, playground) or low turnover (e.g., first-grade class)? Define the goal circuits of the setting. That is, describe the most common goals that a person might pursue in this setting. Another way to think about this: What reinforcements do persons seek in this setting? Finally, consider how this setting is related to other behavior settings. Is it part of a larger organization? Does it relate directly to other behavior settings?
Underpopulated and Optimally Populated Settings Does the setting seem optimally populated or underpopulated? Slightly or very much so? If the setting seems optimally populated, does it exclude a number of persons who would otherwise be likely to participate (vetoing circuits)? Does it tend to involve individuals only in specialized roles? If the setting seems underpopulated, does it involve persons in a variety of roles? Does anyone play two or more roles? Are roles left unfilled? How actively does it recruit participants? Do persons in the setting take time to teach members how to play their roles (deviation-countering circuits)? How strong is the commitment of setting participants to this setting? Can you suggest useful changes in these practices to create more of the benefits of underpopulated settings?
Population/Structural Characteristics Describe setting participants in demographic terms, by gender, race, age, or other categories. How do these demographic characteristics influence how the setting works? For instance, if members of the setting are mainly persons of a certain age, or of one gender, how does that affect the atmosphere of the setting?
Social Regularities Can you identify one social regularity or predictable pattern of behavior to analyze (recall the example of teachers asking questions more than students). What role relationships does the regularity involve? (For instance, consider the interlocking roles of teacher–student, boss–employee, organization officer–member, staff member–patient.) Are there differences in power based on this regularity?Can you suggest changes in social regularities to pursue the setting’s mission or purpose better?
Social Climate If your setting is one for which Moos (1994) and associates have developed a social climate scale (see your instructor about this), complete the scale. If you can, find other setting members to complete it as well, and compute the mean and range of scores for each of the subscales. If a scale is not available, review the discussion in the chapter and decide on social climate concepts that can be used to describe the setting. What changes would you suggest to improve the setting’s social climate?
Ecological Principles This section concerns Kelly’s ecological principles. You may be able to use information from other sections here. How are setting participants interdependent? How frequently do they interact? (See your answers on social climate relationship dimensions above.) How could interdependence be enhanced in this setting? Would that be desirable? What resources, tangible or intangible, exist in the setting? Intangible examples might include knowledge, skills, emotional support, time, energy, commitment, vision for the future, and rituals or traditions of the setting. How are these resources cycled or exchanged in the setting? How could resources be better cultivated or used in the setting? What demands does this setting place on participants (adaptation)? What skills are needed for participants to adapt to this setting? How can these skills be learned? How could the setting promote learning of these skills? How has this setting changed over time (succession)? What characteristics of this setting have remained stable over time? What do you foresee for the future of this setting?
Summary Which of the sections above generates the most interesting information about the setting? Are there important things about the setting that are not covered in these questions and concepts? What are the most important things you have learned through this exercise?
Due electronically September 25, 2019
Document to follow APA formatting guidelines
Community Service Learning
Community service is defined as unpaid work for community betterment. Engaging in community service is a great way to explore much of what we learn in chapters six and seven.
Hospital Workplace: Emergency Room
Your Name
Subject and Section
Date
Physical Setting
The hospital emergency room is where patients brought due to a wide range of illness or injuries, which can pose a serious threat to life and require immediate medical attention. An emergency room is usually busy because of the unpredictable influx of patients that can easily overwhelm the professionals on-duty. When I was younger, I had difficulty in breathing, headache, sore throat and a high fever for several days. I was brought to the hospital emergency room on a Sunday evening about 8 to 9pm since my fever isn't going down. Initially, a nurse assessed my vital signs by checking my temperature, blood pressure, and measuring my height and weight using their equipment while asking my chief complaints and the different symptoms that I’m feeling. Additionally, the nurse asked for any allergies, the medication that I'm taking before I went to the hospital, and any other information that I could add. Then, the nurse directed me to the documentation area where their personnel are checking my past medical records then pointed me to a doctor’s station that is specialized for my complaint. The emergency room contains many hospital beds separated with bluish curtains and also complete with different equipment that may be necessary for the health care professionals to tend to a patient’s needs. The hall ways are large, where many medical professional and patients can easily move, and medical equipment are positioned close to the wall.
Behavioral Setting
Since it’s a Sunday evening, the emergency room is relatively quiet and peaceful compared to other situations where doctors and nurses were having a hard time tending to different patients with body injuries at the same time. While I was waiting for my turn to be consulted by a doctor, one patient was brought in the emergency room because of a hit and run complaint. I immediately felt a sudden stress increase in the emergency room as medical professionals tend to the wounded patient, especially to the patient’s inside. Whenever I go to a hospital to get a check-up, I often head straight to the out-patient department and wait for my turn to be called. The out-patient department usually has a more predictable pattern of patient turnover since the cases of the patients who visit the out-patient department usually doesn't need to be admitted in the hospital. It goes to show how unpredictable the situations inside emergency rooms regardless of time and day.
Underpopulated and Optimally Populated Settings
During that time, Sunday evening, the emergency room seems to be optimally populated since the medical health care professionals can readily accommodate their patients’ needs without rushing into other patients. The emergency room seems to be optimally populated using vetoing circuits by excluding other patients to be admitted inside. The emergency room has individuals specialized in assessing patients that are qualified to be in the emergency room, which is the role of the first nurse in the assessment area. The first nurse that will assess the condition of the patient and the vital signs to check for the medical complaints that only needs immediate medical attention; otherwise, if the nurse assessed that the patients complaint is not an emergency case, the patient will be informed ...
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