In our jargon, I'm taking field notes - observations - of communication between doctor/doctor; reports of doctor/patient and doctor/specialist and sometimes doctor/family. The doctors are also slowly accepting me. While there has never been any hostility, at first I was invisible. Now, some are coming by my area and talking, asking questions, explaining statements made. In short, I'm not having to ask them for their time, they're giving me short segments of time (30-60 sec) that have been invaluable. (I'm not timing them - just want you to know that the discussion isn't lengthly by any means.)
My challenge is:
- until I pull out the right info from the notes, the info isn't valuable - what that information is at this point is still unknown
- medical terms are difficult and they share them so quickly that I don't want to miss the point of their stories because I don't "get" the medical connection
- tying in what I've gathered to a create/write a paper - I'm still see fragments of information
Last--I took Spinuzzi's advice and started transcribing after our session last week. I had let three 45 minute sessions accumulate, so it was time to transcribe. I've had some humorous moments while transcribing. The medical director has a very soft, quiet voice. I kept pushing the recorder closer and closer to him during the interview. So, I usually don't transcribe using earphones, but I've had to with his tape. I have it turned up so loud to hear his voice that when I transcribed my question I was so loud that it may have caused hearing loss :) The really funny moment was when his pager went off during the interview - on the tape, it was so loud that my dog started barking (keep in mind that I was listening with earphones and he heard it that loud.) Oh my - where's my grant money so that someone else can do this fun job?
Debra
2 comments:
Debra-
Do you find it faster to type than hand write? I noted that my writing skills have dropped while my typing skills have decreased. However, I still write faster than I type, probably because I keep going back to correct misspelled words.
Your comments about doctors, that some are animated while others are soft spoken, are reflective of the different personalities of people in general.
You comment that you are being accepted into the group. This is great. This is what I hope will happen to all of us (improved interactions with people I don’t know) when we start researching our dissertation subject.
You list three challenges. Your first challenge is finding the right information out of a bunch of facts. Are you trying to create a pattern? Are you still gathering data, or are you in data analysis, or a combination of the two?
Your second challenge is technical jargon. That is a problem for any observer in a field that they are unfamiliar with. I would be lost in a world of botany or microbiology. I would not understand the language. If you immersed yourself into the world, such as part of a dissertation, you will learn the language, of course. It takes time, however.
Finally, in response to your third bullet, are you using the data to look for patterns, or do you have a theory you are trying to prove/disprove?
Rob
I wonder if we shouldn't require everyone to take grants/proposals BEFORE field methods for this very reason, Debra...!!
I love your reflections re: your challenges. I think you're spot on. And the "technical" information about turning things up/getting good quality/using earphones is vital, and will likely help someone else in the future....including YOU!
I like that you are becoming less an observer and more participant. That's vital in field work. Good job!
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