Sociology's Role in Enhancing Nursing

This essay examines the crucial role sociology plays in enhancing nursing practices. It argues that sociological knowledge empowers nurses to provide better patient care by understanding individual and family behaviors within a social context. The essay highlights how the sociological imagination fosters a shift from traditional to more holistic and humanizing approaches in nursing. It also explores the benefits of sociology for nurses, including improved communication, understanding of diverse patient populations, and enhanced reflective skills.

Essay

Can sociology enhance nursing practice?
Sociology can enhance nursing practices. Sociological knowledge allows nurses to
enhance the quality of patient care (Cooke 1993). It assists nurses to work in social context rather
than isolation, which aids in development of better understanding of individual patient and their
family behaviour. The purpose of this essay is to describe the role of sociology to enhance the
nursing practices.
Sociological imagination enhances the profession of nursing as a whole. It is considered
as personal education and learning experience that aid in radical shift from traditional nursing
practices to more humanising and holistic practices of nursing. Sociology in nursing refers to
work in social groups, maintain interaction with other colleague and nurses rather than working
alone and isolated (Cockerham, 2014). Sociology of nursing refers to overall transformation of
profession and practice of nursing as whole. The sociological imagination tends to train people
so that they can do specific task effectively and also assists in dealing with aggressive patients
and vulnerable situations. It plays an important role in enhancement of reflective skills within
nursing that aid in development of social and economic relationship within an organisation
(Green and Earle 2005). Sociology not only assists in acquisition of knowledge but also enhance
new ways of looking at world. 1959 General Nurse Council (GNC) introduces specific guide to
teaching social aspects of disease (Bamford, Wong and Laschinger, 2013). It means, nursing
curriculum should be soundly grounded in social and behavioural science. It enhances
humanising approaches in nursing practices and medical students. Sociology of behaviour
science integrates with other discipline such as bio-genetics and neurophysiology to enhance
medical curriculum of nursing.
It has been seen as subject that assists in enhancement of understanding social and
psychological needs of individual patients by providing holistic care to them (Dahlke and et.al.,
2015). Nurses must be concerned with patients physically, socially, psychologically and
spiritually as per Nurses Act 1979. Sociology assists in enhancement of the discovery of unique
functions of nursing with professional contradistinction to practical nurse. It implies that
sociology prevents threats and coercion that prevails the ideology of nursing. Moreover, it
increases the medicine concerned regarding compliance and patient management in an effective
and efficient way (Mill and et.al., 2016). The three dimensions of sociology that enhances the
nursing practice. Firstly, sociology is historical which allows nurses to understand the different
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characteristics and nature of present society by comparing it with past. Second dimension state
that it is anthropological which allows nurses to see reflection of different form of society that
exist in the world and third dimension provides critique of existing form of society.
From above essay, it can be concluded that sociology plays a vital and essential role in
enhancement of nursing practices. It not only enhances surveillance functions of nursing, but
also defines nursing as unique body of knowledge and understanding. Sociology increase
emphasis on holistic care in nursing profession. Sociology helps in appreciating social and
economic relationship and increases the discovery of new and unique ideas that increases the
efficiency of registered nurse in patient care and treatments.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bamford, M., Wong, C. A., & Laschinger, H. (2013). The influence of authentic leadership and
areas of worklife on work engagement of registered nurses. Journal of nursing
management, 21(3), 529-540. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-
2834.2012.01399.x/full
Cockerham, W. C. (2014). Medical sociology. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118410868.wbehibs548/full
Cooke,H. (1993) Why teach sociology? Nurse Education Today, v13: 210-216
Dahlke, S. A. & et.al. (2015). Orchestrating care: nursing practice with hospitalised older
adults. International journal of older people nursing, 10(4), 252-
262.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/opn.12075/full
Green,B. & S. Earle (2005) Why Should Nurses Study Sociology? In Elaine Denny and Sarah
Earle (eds) Sociology for Nurses. Cambridge, UK: Political Press.
Mill, J. E. & et.al. (2016). Critical theory: Critical methodology to disciplinary foundations in
nursing. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research
Archive, 33(2).http://cjnr.archive.mcgill.ca/article/view/1638
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