A Confession
Hello, dear reader. Before getting into it, I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of this project.
I must confess, this project has taken many forms. Originally, I was going to explore the role of authority in society. I wanted to answer questions like "When are traditional hierarchies more effective than flat hierarchies?" and "How is autonomy affected in relationships with an imbalance in power?" To do this, I was going to look at three conventional relationships in society and dig into the power dynamics behind each of them. The relationships I was interested in were doctor-patient, teacher-student, and parent-child. Additionally, I initially set out for this project to be in the form of a podcast. The plan was to do at least three episodes total, interviewing a doctor, teacher, and parent.
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However, the more I refined my thoughts about the project and how I wanted to spend my final semester of college, I decided to focus on the power dynamics of the healthcare provider-patient relationship (mostly, because I have access to many healthcare providers that I could easily interview). This journey evolved furthermore to include an investigation of the organizational structure of hospitals when I realized the complexity of the dynamics between hospital employees. Finally, it was not until I conducted my first interview that I realized I would not be able to do a podcast. The content I got from my interviews was less conversational and more of a space for my interviewees to share their experiences.
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After all of that, I was left with three interviews and some key takeaways/areas of interest I'd like to continue exploring in the future. Whether it's something you've thought about before or not, welcome aboard my journey of questioning why the organizational structure of a hospital so closely resembles that of a corporate office.
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Down with the hierarchy!!