awilson120 - Tumblr blog

[awilson120]

Reflection Post

    The biggest thing that this Sociology course helped me with was my unconscious bias.  I really feel that I connected to the Gender and Race sections of our studies.  I have been working in the medical field for 25 years and gender and race are highly influential matters.  I have help providers treat and I help staff interview candidates all the time.  I never gave much thought to the struggles of people who identify has something other than the gender they were born.  I also did not realize how the interview process is impactful to non-white individuals.  It made me very aware of my unconscious bias and I have learned that I need to be conscious of this each day.  We live in a time where people need to be happy, continued equality for all.  Transgender, gay, blacks, etc… deserve to live a life of happiness just as anyone else. Just because we may not understand what they are going through does not mean we have any right to judge each other.  We need to get to understand others needs and really pay attention to the world around us and not just live in our bubbles.  Another big eye opener for me was the hiring process in the race section of our work.  I still cannot believe that 50% of people with black sounding names do not get called back for an interview.  I interview candidates all the time and this has heightened my awareness and my own possible bias.  I will ensure that I slow down while reading an application and ensure I am not stopping at the individuals name.  As I stated in my Advice for Future Students post, this course was difficult for me.  It really challenged my thinking processes and was eye opening.  Professor Jacobson was very information and explained all matters in a way that I was able to understand them.

[awilson120]

Advice for Future Students

HACC Sociology 201

  I found my Introduction to Sociology course at Harrisburg Area Community College to be somewhat difficult for me in the beginning.   I started college courses Jan. 2017 and have only taken my two English courses and a speech class so this, I feel, was my first challenge. It made me really think about racism, stereotypes, and gender a lot differently than I use to.  It exposed me to terminology that I had never honestly needed to use before.  I recommend to future student to stay on top of your workload.  Complete pieces of the assignments each night, that way the information stays fresh in your brain.  Really pay attention to the videos, they are very eye opening.  Keep notes, I find that very helpful for quick references instead of having to dig through the book for the answers.  Do not procrastinate, it is a lot of reading but it is manageable.  I would also recommend that you keep up with the tumblr project throughout the entire semester, this eliminates having to go back through each assignment to ensure you are finding and entering the correct information for each post.  It was helpful to look at other tumblr sites for information to share.  I would recommend Professor Jacobson.  Her videos were easy to understand and informative.

[awilson120]

Social movement of 1963

Dr. Martin Luther King tried to get the movement for equal right of black people started in 1963 by having the blacks march in Birmingham but the adults would not get involved.  His emergence part of the social movement was slow to start. But once the children decided it was time for them to do something to fight for equal rights. King did not support their plans to go to jail. The children organized with the local reverend and DJ on how they were going to plan their movement.  The coalescence, or popular stage, was created and the kids knew what to be watching for the day they would march.  May 2nd 1963 the children began to march.  It was very organized, they knew when they were leave the schools, where they to report and that they would be arrested.  What a powerful moment that had to be, I felt energized just watching the video.  You could feel the energy in the now adults telling about their experiences.  I cannot imagine how strong those children had to be to know they would be going to jail and have no idea when they would be getting out.  More and more children were arrested each day.  As they continued to show up each and more and more were arrested each day they finally go the attention of the President of the United States.  He did not support the children being arrested but King knw the movement would not be stopped at this point.  The only option was to begin negotiations on how to resolve the issue of equal rights in Birmingham. Finally after 72 hours of negotiations King announced that there would be integration in Birmingham and Bull Conner was removed from office.  The would be considered a successful decline of the movement.  The movement was so successful that on June 11, 1963 President Kennedy announced an official end to segregation in the United States

[awilson120]

Racism is Real: The Hiring Process 

  The video, Racism is Real, depicts the differences between and whites and blacks in many areas   but the interview selection process from the video really stuck out to me as an example of Institutional Racism.  The video shows one women reviewing identical job applications, there is no difference in the applications except one has a white sounding name, David, and the other a black sounding name, Dante.  It goes on to show the statistic that black sounding names were 50% less likely to be called for an interview (Jacobson, 2018).  Working in management, as I do, I often times have to select candidates to interview and I have never given much thought to the name of the individual or at least I never thought I did but I can say I have not interviewed to many black people in my 20 plus years.  I do feel that this is an example of Institutional Racism because I can how this can be unintended yet have great effects on employment opportunities for blacks.  Policies are in place by employers to prevent discrimination but the hiring process has little oversight so the unconscious bias can occur quite easily, even among well intended employers.  I researched a little further into how this has become acceptable to the black community and according to the article, “Here’s how minority job seekers battle bias in the hiring process”, the perceptions or experiences with racial discrimination causes them to widen their job search and apply to a broader range of job opportunities (Pedulla and Pager, 2015

Pedulla, D., Pager, D. (2015, July 21). Here’s how minority job seekers battle bias in the hiring process. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/heres-how-minority-job-seekers-battle-bias-in-the-hiring-pocess-43897

Jacobson, S. (2018). Harrisburg Area Community College. Racism is real. (Video)

[awilson120]

George Ritzer (1993), describes McDonaldization as a term when society adopts the characteristics of a fast -food restaurant (p. 371). McDonaldization can be seen in all aspects of life including healthcare.

            Urgent Care facilities began popping up several years ago.  They were strategically placed in areas of high visibility and high-traffic areas.  They offer walk-in appointments with 12-hour days, typically from 8am to 8pm 7 days a week.

            Providers working in the Urgent Care facilities are typically Advanced Practitioners which carry a lower salary than a physician.  The staff is also kept to a minimum of approx. 3-4 employees, including a Receptionist, Nurse, MA and Radiology Technician.  The overhead is less than a Primary Care Facility.

            Urgent Care clinic have many ways to be efficient.  The providers are only caring for sick and quick type patients.  They do not have to get bogged down with the patient’s chronic health conditions such as hypertension, COPD, diabetes, etc.  However, they do have to keep these conditions in mind when treating the patient but they have the luxury, if you will, of referring the patient to their Primary Care Provider or the Emergency Room if the problem is to extensive.  They do not have to follow-up on the patient’s conditions, again referring back to the Primary Care Provider. 

            Their visits are more predictable and have a control factor based on what they can treat at the clinic, examples such as: colds, flu, sprains and minor fractures to school and driver physicals.

            The calculability of an urgent care facility is that that they can see many patients in a 12-hour day, again due to the predictability of the appointment types.  The employees are robotic to a degree, they know if someone is coming in with ankle pain, they will be ordering a x-ray immediately just as if someone comes in complaining of a sore throat, they will complete a strep test.  Most of these studies are completed by the nursing and radiology staff even before the provider sees the patient.  This allows for the provider to come into the exam room only one time which allows for efficient of patient flow.

            The problem with urgent care is that the provides do not really know and get to know the patients as well as they would in a primary care setting. The patient may not be sharing everything in regards to their health and they do not benefit from the provider-patient relationship that is developed by going to a primary care office.  Another concern is that the staff can be become complacent, meaning a patient present with shortness of breath and has a history of asthma; the staff treats as if it is the asthma causing the problems but could be missing a presentation of a serious heart condition.  Urgent Care clinics have a purpose but just as an Emergency Room it should not be used as patients go-to means of care each time.

  Ritzer, George. (1993). Visions of Society: The Bureaucratization of Society, The McDonaldization of Society, 371-379. Retrieved from: http://fasnafan.tripod.com/mcdonaldization.pdf

[awilson120]

Honestly, all my life, I have never put much thought into inequality, politics or the rich.  I guess you could say I lived my world with the mindset of Equality of Opportunity, as Conley (2017) defined as the “idea that everyone has an equal chance to achieve wealth, social prestige and power” (p. 245).  I was raised in what I would call the working middle class and was taught that you could achieve anything you wanted through hard work.  However, listening to Robert Reich’s film it had made many things come to light for me.  I can’t pick just one section that really stood out to me because the whole was very moving for me.

I am shocked to know at the time of this filming that 42% of children born into poverty the US would not get out.  This number was astonishing to me.  Potirim Sorokin stated “we should be looking at not just the individual mobility but to examine the group mobility” (Conley, 2017, p. 267).  We need to understand why our poverty level is so high.  Is it that the parents were born into poverty and do not understand or have the means to improve their status?  Is it that those at poverty level just cannot afford college tuition to improve their lives, which has been on the rise for the past 50 plus years? 

Many of our low and middle-income population work in manufacturing jobs which are not unionized so the employer often times is able to control wages, number of employees and benefit costs.  I always perceived unions as something bad but he really makes the point as to why they can be so important. The employer wants to maintain their profit level even during the weak years and that comes at the cost of the workers.  Unions would fight the rich employers for the monies and benefits the middle class needs in order to keep the economy prosperous.  The rich cannot spend enough of their money to affect growth in the economy.  They get many tax breaks, which is amazing to me that they would only have to pay for example 11% while the middle class pays around 33%.  The rich are also able to give unlimited amounts of money to the politicians during their campaigns and then want something in return, like more tax breaks.

I have to say that watching this film has really opened my eyes.  I am a glass half full, work hard and you can accomplish anything kind of person but I was quite angry by the end of the film.  I can sense how frustrated Robert Reich was trying to get the government to understand and take true action on what could make America better.  It is so frustrating to see and hear how the rich use their means to get richer and everyone else suffer the inequality affects.

  Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction in Thinking Like a Sociologist (Core 5th ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Watch the trailer for Inequality For All, a documentary that “examines the crisis of widening income inequality in the US through the eyes & the influential work of Robert Reich." 

[awilson120]

This artifact shows how media pressure and tragedy can cause social conformity.  I do not disagree with gun control but I am amazed how quickly people conform to what they feel society is expecting when terrible things happen, as in the Florida school shooting.  Walmart and Dicks both made major changes yesterday in regards to gun sales, limiting the sale on assault rifles and guns with high capacity magazines.  They do not want to lose the overall sale of guns so they need to conform to what society is expecting.  Conley (2017) would define them as Conformists, as they accept both the goals and strategies that are considered socially acceptable to achieve those goals.  The CEO's of Walmart and Dicks appear to not want it on their conscious to have sold a gun of that magnitude to someone who would do such a terrible crime.  The media is pushing so the Florida children's voices are heard and it is working.  They are making an impact across the country.  I believe that there will never be 100% gun control across the country but I do believe that the steps that are being taken to limit the sales of assault rifles and guns with high powered magazines can have some impact.

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction in Thinking Like a Sociologist (Core 5th ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

[awilson120]

I cannot begin to image this life these poor children and young adults have had and the struggles yet to come. We have to believe that the re-socialization of these individuals will have to be better than the life they have endured to this point. According to White (2018), the 17 year old girl escaped from the house and used a deactivated cell phone to call 911, what a brave young girl. She knew that their life would change forever.  I have to ask how do you re-socialize 13 children who have been chained to their beds most of their life, only bathed once per year, and were lucky if they ate one meal a day.  They were truly apart of a "total institution" locked in their home, their lives were controlled strictly by their parents and the majority of their life was kept in their home.

Deborah Daro, Chapen Hill senior research fellow and former director of National Center on Child Abuse Prevention Research, stated that she "has never seen a case like this" in her 40 yr history with dealing with child abuse cases. Daro adds that these children could not begin the therapy that they need yet because they have to learn the things many of use take for granted; that it is normal to sleep in a bed, eat three meals a day and they can move around freely and not be bound (White 2018).

It will take time and trust for these children and young adults to be socialized to the world.  The therapist will have to work with them to see if they are able to learn or do they learning disabilities.  The will need a lot nurture from their care givers over the many years to come.

White, Lauren L. (1/18/2018). What happens next to the 13 ‘tortured’ California kids who escaped their parents?. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ev57dm/what-happen-next-to-the-13- tortured-California-kids-who-escaped-their-parents.

[awilson120]

Conspicuous Consumption...

Conspicuous Consumption: Spending money on or acquiring luxury goods and services to publicly display ones economic purchasing power.

Material Culture: Everything that is a part of our constructed, physical environment, including technology. (Conley, 2017, p. 82)

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction in Thinking Like a Sociologist (Core 5th ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

This photo is an example of conspicuous consumption and material culture. Our society is programed that to be the best you have to wear the best, which in turn places many Americans in debt because they feel that they have to keep up with everyone else.  Society places the pressure to want what we may not really be able to afford so we can be accepted.  Parents often times want their children to be wearing the best brand name clothing so the child will fit in no matter the expense and female adults feel like their social status is improved based on the type of purse they are carrying.  I wish there was a way to stop this, it sets the vulnerable up for things like bullying and depression.  

How can we take society back to simpler times, when the label on the clothing or they type of purse you were carrying didn’t matter?  Marketing would have to change, commercialization would need an overhaul on a major scale and I don’t see that happening. Our society is programmed that we must have the best in order to be accepted.

[awilson120]

Good News for Parents: Teens are delaying having sex.

 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-01-good-parents-teens-sex.html#nRlv 

The proportion of high school students who’ve ever had sex decreased to 41 percent in 2015, continuing a downward trend from 47 percent in 2005 and 53 percent in 1995, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The significance of these findings are important for today’s youth,” said Dr. Victor Fornari, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, in Glen Oaks, N.Y. “This is very positive and promising. "The decrease is mainly driven by a decline in the number of 9th and 10th graders having sex, according to the report by Kathleen Ethier and colleagues at the CDC. Sexually active 9th graders decreased from 34 percent to 24 percent between 2005 and 2015, while 10th graders having sex declined from 43 percent to 36 percent during the same time period. By comparison, significant declines in sexual activity were not found among 11th and 12th graders, the researchers added. Matthew Oransky is director of the psychology training program at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center in New York City. He said, "What seems really promising about this is that the older you get, the better ability you have to make decisions and communicate and plan. The older you are when you initiate sex, the better able you will be to make healthy and responsible decisions. "The percentage of black and Hispanic teens experimenting with sex also went down, contributing to the overall decline in sexually active kids. About 48 percent of black teens and 42 percent of Hispanic teens said they were sexually active in 2015, down from nearly 68 percent and 51 percent, respectively, in 2005.On the other hand, sexual activity among white teens did not change significantly, the investigators found. The decrease in sexual activity involved both boys and girls. Among 9th graders, about 27 percent of boys and 21 percent of girls said they had become sexually active in 2015, down from 39 percent and 29 percent, respectively, in 2005.Health experts suggested that  sex education is the most likely explanation for the trend. "Much of this decrease can be tied to increased sex education, which includes sexually transmitted disease and contraception information,” said Dr. Jennifer Wu. She is an obstetrician/gynecologist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Fornari agreed. “Young people have learned that sexually transmitted infections are serious and are to be prevented,” he said. And, Fornari added, “Young women recognize that unwanted infants during adolescence is not desirable. From my perspective, education about sexually transmitted infections

and the challenges of having a baby when a teenager have had an impact on adolescent behavior."Wu is concerned the trend will not continue if educators aren’t allowed to keep spreading the word about the consequences of teen sex."Ongoing educational efforts should continue,” Wu said. “If funding stops or if there is a decline in sex education, we may then see a resurgence in teenage

sexual activity and its accompanying consequences." Oransky added that a cultural shift also might be at play, where adults are more comfortable having frank discussions with teenagers about sex. "It’s a big focus at our center, recognizing that—whether or not we like it—adolescents are making these decisions,” Oransky said. “We have to arm them with the knowledge to make the decision that’s most comfortable for them and best for their future. "The findings were published in the Jan. 5 issue of the CDC’s

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Explore further:

Most U.S. teens aren't 'doing it'

More information:

Victor Fornari, M.D., director, child and adolescent psychiatry, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, N.Y., and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; Matthew Oransky, Ph.D., director, psychology training program, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, New York City; Jennifer Wu, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Jan. 5, 2018,

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

  I enjoyed this article because it was of great concern to me a few years ago while my kids were going through those dreaded teenage years.  It appears they used a Quantitative method to gather the information regarding the decrease in teens have sex from 2005 to 2015.  The independent variables were improved sex education, explaining the sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and the availability of contraception.  Another independent variable was a cultural shift as parents were having more open and frank conversations with their teenagers.  By succeeding with these measures, they were able to decrease the teen sex rate to 41 percent in 2015, continuing a downward trend from 47 percent in 2005 and 53 percent in 1995.  The decrease is largely due to the decrease in high school students having sex in 9th and 10th grade and was noted more among the black and Hispanics.  There was no decline among the 11th and 12th graders. 

As a parent, these conversations can be difficult but if you keep an open relationship with your child it can make it easier.  It helped to have this type an open dialog with my kids through their teen years in order to discuss topics such as teenage sex.  If we can’t decrease the statistics of teenage sex then we need to find a way to talk and help prevent the unwanted pregnancies and spreading of STD’s.  As the article states, these teenagers are making the decision on whether or not to have sex, all we can do is continue to educate them and hope the make smart choices.

[awilson120]

Double Consciousness

W. E. B. Du Bois(1903) developed the concept of double consciousness; Du Bois described that “the two behavioral scripts, one for moving through the world and the other incorporating the external opinions of prejudiced onlookers, which are constantly maintained by African Americans” (p. 30).  The double consciousness is a “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (1903, p.2).  Du Bois explained how a person could take their time shopping a store, remembering items on their grocery list, they could linger in the aisles and even sample food without a care in the world.  However, he explains that with the double consciousness an African American could not do this.  They feel like they are being watched at every corner, they would not dare to linger in an aisle for to long or try the samples that may be available throughout the store.  They live on the fear that they are being watched at every turn.  This reminds me of Symbolic Interactionism, they feel they are being judged based on their social signal of skin color.

This also relates to me in Conflict Theory for those that feel that they have and those that have not.  Based on the described double consciousness, some African American people go through life feeling like they “have not” because they feel that their behaviors are predicted by others again based on their skin color.  While non-African American individuals going through the life do not have think twice about making their actions.

Oh, how I wish we can stop the hate in our world.  We get one life on this earth, everyone should be able to go through that life without fear. 

References:   Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction in Thinking Like a Sociologist (Core 5th ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

                       Du Bois, W.E.B. (1903).The Souls of Black Folk (p.2).

[awilson120]

Intro...

I am a Sociology Student at HACC.  This is my fourth course with HACC as I work towards my Associates Degree in Health Science.  I work full-time as a Primary Care Practice Manager, overseeing 5 clinical practices include two primary care offices, two internal medicine offices and one urgent care clinic.  I love what I do.  I have been an LPN since 1992.  I began my career working at a local nursing home and then transitioned into family medicine.  I have now worked for the same hospital system for almost 25 years.  I have been very fortunate and have had many opportunities to work my way through management positions over the years.  I feel that there should be more clinical people in administration to really understand the needs of a clinical office and that is why I have decided to further my degree.  I do plan to go on for my Bachelors degree after I complete my program at HACC.  I knew that attending a community college would be a great way to get back into the swing of things with school since I am starting again so late in life.  I have been married for 27, almost 28 years, to my high school sweetheart.  We have two adult children, one son-in-law and 3 grandchildren.  We enjoy spending time with family, going to Lake Raystown and Wildwood, NJ.  My husband is a runner and has completed 3 marathons as well as many half marathons.  We have traveled to many towns and cities due to his running, going as far as Las Vegas for him to run a half marathon.  I feel we live a pretty simple and clam life.  Any free time we have is dedicated to family and helping others.