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Interdisciplinary Studies IST Advising |
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Sample Rationale Applied Sciences |
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I enrolled at the University of South Alabama (USA) in 1992 after having attained my Associate of Science Degree from Orange County Community College. Within the next two years, I fulfilled all the prerequisites needed for multiple Allied Health programs. Due to financial constraints, I found it necessary to suspend my academic pursuits and to work full-time. After my daughter was born, I was inspired to return to college. I reentered USA as a nursing major. While in this program, I came to the realization that nursing would not be the best choice of careers for me. Both in the program and as a nurse, I would be required to spend long hours away from my family. The standing and lifting could exacerbate a bulging disc in my back. At this point, I evaluated my interests and aptitudes. I found that these lie in the health sciences and statistics. A co-worker suggested that I inquire about the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. I learned that the Interdisciplinary Degree Program will enable me to obtain a Bachelor of Science that will combine the four areas of interest to me. My educational goals can be reached through the Interdisciplinary Degree Program. With a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies, I plan to do research in the health field. I aspire to use my aptitude for statistics and inquisitive nature to describe and evaluate health care practices. To be a proficient researcher, I will need an understanding of health care practices, knowledge of the human body and its relation to health and illness, the mathematical skills necessary to organize data and make statistical computations, and an understanding of social dynamics and how they influence health issues. I have chosen the concentration Applied Sciences. My disciplines are nursing, biology/biomedical sciences, statistics, and sociology. These will provide the related, interdisciplinary knowledge and skills needed to thrive in health care research. The study of nursing has given me an understanding of health care practices. I have knowledge of how nurses assess patients, promote health through education, provide medical interventions, dispense medications as ordered, and document events. While understanding how medical care strengthens and heals the body, I also comprehend the reasons poor health care practices may contribute to and even cause illness. I have acquired the skills of listening to and communicating with patients, family members, and health care team members. I have seen the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects that illness may have upon patients. The skills and the knowledge I have attained while studying nursing will assist me in my research as I gather information, conduct surveys, and interpret medical charts and other medical documentation. Courses in biology and biomedical sciences have laid the foundation for my understanding of the human body, its anatomy and physiology, health and clinical manifestations of illnesses, and the transmission of infectious diseases. I understand the human body’s normal structure and function and its compensation mechanisms when introduced to injury or disease. I have learned about modes of disease transmission, the mechanisms, viability, and resistance of infectious agents, and the best preventive measures. This knowledge will enable me to gather and interpret health data on disease processes in terms of incidence, spread, control, and prevention. It will also help me to gain a better understanding of the implications of that data and its statistical interpretation. Courses in statistics have provided me with the knowledge and skills necessary to gather and organize data, describe and interpret large amounts of data, and formulate predictions. Using descriptive statistics, I can organize, display, and describe data using tables, graphs, and other summary measures. Descriptive statistics will allow me to describe a sample or population distribution in terms of its mean, median, modes, range, quartiles, variance, standard deviation, and outliers. Inferential statistics will permit me to take samples and make inferences about the entire population. I can estimate population parameters and test research hypotheses utilizing statistical methods. Regression analysis can be used to evaluate the relationship between variables in a study. Time-series forecasting can be carried out to predict future events. These skills will be useful in producing meaningful evaluations and predictions of health data. Studying sociology has given me insight into the dynamics of social interactions and relationships. Environment, culture, economics, and social interactions of populations influence choices regarding health issues as well as access to health care. Social processes affect the diagnosis, treatment, and transmission of communicable diseases. Our health is impacted by stress, high-risk behavior, nutrition, sleep patterns, and our occupations. Religious practices and cultural traditions influence health care choices. Compliance to treatments is often related to family economics, access to prescribed treatments, and accepted traditions and perceptions. My understanding of the social factors involved in health and illness will enable me to more effectively research health issues. After I graduate, I will look for a position as a researcher in the health field. The knowledge and skills I will have gained from my four disciplines all interrelate and contribute to my preparation for this field. I will be headed towards a fulfilling career utilizing all of the areas I have studied, as well as my interests and talents. |
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