On March 23rd 2022 and March 25th 2022, we hosted discussions with grad students and staff and faculty to gain insight on their experiences and opinions about field safety. The purpose of these meetings was to summarize the experiences of department members while in the field and to collect ideas for how the department can better support field safety moving forward.
We asked department members to read 3 articles related to human dimensions in field safety (Nelson et al. 2017, John and Khan 2018, Demery and Pipkin 2021) and discuss ideas with co-workers, lab mates and friends prior to attending the discussion. We held the first discussion for graduate students and staff serving in technician roles, and the second discussion was for faculty and staff serving in supervisory roles. We had a total of 4 participants at each facilitated discussion.
Participants then had a few additional days to reflect on the materials presented in the papers as well as in their respective group discussions. They came back a week later to have a more focused brainstorming session to guide departmental action items.
After having a few days to reflect, participants were asked to create a word cloud that outlined the necessary parts of positive experiences in the field. Based on the word clouds generated at the department-wide discussion, I created a department word cloud, loosely based from the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid (Fig. 1) used in the provided readings (John and Khan 2018).
Building our own hierarchy of needs
The group then combined their individual word clouds and we deliberated on how to best summarize individual needs (Fig. 2). Some needs had a clear hierarchical pattern, while others are consistent needs throughout the different levels of the pyramid. During discussion, some themes and a few key points emerged. Participants felt that safety, whether physical or psychological, was a necessary base in which to build upon. Participants also agreed that perceived and actual safety risks operated in similar manners when talking about establishing foundations for student achievement. When asked what “self-actualization” looked like for fieldwork, participants frequently used the word “empowerment” and defined empowerment as the culmination of all the other needs within the pyramid. There was a lot of discussion about the need for access to supportive advocates and strong communication to facilitate trust and support between team members. Participants also discussed the importance of feeling valued and opportunities for contribution and felt that these were associated with team dynamics but were more impactful to professional development and retention than simply being a part of a team. Participants identified that increased confidence, self-esteem, and identity as a scientist often accompanied opportunities for contribution and to demonstrate leadership. A strong foundation of safety, access to resources, and strong communication in the field reinforces professional development and self-sufficiency in a consistently safe and supportive environment. Whether it be access to safety resources, supportive mentors, or opportunities for contribution, students need consistent access throughout their field experiences. We also identified a need for consistent lines of communication to build safe foundations for safety and for open communication within a team as well as for self-reflection. Therefore, I have added the words “perceived and actual safety”, “access” and “communication” to the axes of the triangle. These outcomes lead to empowerment, which we have defined as self-actualization in the field.
What needs and responsibilities do we have for building empowering experiences in the field?
Participants discussed the needs and responsibilities of technicians, supervisors, and the department. From these discussions, we were able to identify specific outcomes that are the result of needs and responsibilities being met. These specific outcomes were also crucial components of the hierarchical pyramid for empowering field experiences. I, therefore, took the needs and desired outcomes and modified the previous triangle. These needs combine those listed in the word cloud and brainstorming activities to identify specific goals or outcomes, which are all necessary components of student empowerment.
The “Right to Know” document can be an important tool for supporting technicians and supervisors in the field!
I then built my right to know document and each of its sections. Each section was informed by the literature, my own experiences in the field and the needs of my field technicians and department members. I overlaid each element of my right to know document within the structure of the word cloud that my discussion participants and I built to demonstrate that each part of this document addresses needs that are outlined by my and others’ experiences in the field.
Copyright 2023 Maisie MacKnight