Nurse Aides In The Workplace: Functional Analysis

A nurse aide is just one of the many positions within a nursing home setting. We are responsible for aiding the nurses and doctors and helping the residents with activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, dressing, toileting, walking, etc. This paper will address this specific health care setting and the ways these sociological perspectives are witnessed on an everyday basis.

The main idea of the sociological perspective called functional analysis, otherwise known as functionalism, is that society is a single unit comprised of smaller components that work together to create a whole. An example of this within my workplace would be the nurse aides working alongside the nurses, doctors, cooks, and dietary aides to promote the health of

They are struggling to prove themselves to their superiors and essentially earn something whether it is a higher salary, wage, or even position. An example of a workplace inequality would be nurse aides within the assisted living side receiving only eight dollars and fifteen cents an hour in contrast to the long-term care side where we receive ten dollars and fifty cents an hour. On the other hand, nurse aides on the long-term side often have inequalities as well. Other than the occasional drama, some nurse aides receive higher pay than others due to better training in the workplace or even being there longer than others. This is extremely unfair because we do not get to control who gets to train us nor the quality of the training that is received from this person. An example of competing interests that might arise within the workplace is, again, the amount of pay we receive. If one nurse aide receives less pay than another, they may decide to not give one-hundred percent into their job, which can essentially jeopardize a resident’s care.

The essential idea of the final sociological perspective known as symbolic interactionism is that without symbols, a workplace, let alone society, would not be able to function. These symbols such as mother, father, brother, sister, etc., have been given meaning because we have

If I were to be talking to another nurse aide or to a nurse, I would probably use abbreviations or some medical words. An example of this would be if one resident had a bowel movement, I wouldn’t tell a nurse aide that a resident had pooped. This is primarily for privacy as well as professionalism. On the other hand, if I were talking to a resident or their family, I can only say so much without the consent of the resident. If they asked about a hospital visit while I am walking in the hallway, I would politely say I cannot tell them any information without the consent of the individual. Once I have received consent form the resident, I would either let the resident explain themselves or I would do the best I can do relay the information.

When discussing the dramaturgical analysis of my job, we can refer to the symbols such as uniforms or badges that every employee wears. On a normal day, I wear dark blue scrub tops and bottoms to promote the sense of professionalism within the workplace. However, there is not a required uniform color or style that we have to wear. Instead, there is a name tag that includes our name and position within the facility. Residents can identify our name and understand that I am an “STNA”, while a nurse would have a name tag that shows “LPN” or