Teaching Applied Sociology: Development of a Graduate-Level Seminar in Clinical Medical Sociology

Abstract

Experience in working with older adults in the health care setting shows that collaboration between health care professionals and clinical medical sociologists (CMSs) can increase the quality of care delivered. To date, however, veryfew CMSs exist, in part because of the absence ofrigorous clinical training in traditional doctoral programs in medical sociology. Responding to this void as a CMS-physician team, we developed and implemented a curriculum in clinical medical sociology. Wefocused on teaching medical-sociological theories in an applied sense, supplemented with an introduction to the basic tools of the health care setting and stressing the interdependence between the two disciplines. Lectures were supplemented with hands-on opportunities in both inpatient and outpatient settings to exemplify further the application of sociological theory. Discussions with students revealed that our course ameliorated the often significant lack of applied instruction in traditional medical sociology programs. Therefore, we believe that our proposed curriculum could benefit doctoral students in medical sociology seeking careers in sociological practice, whether at clinical, research, or policy levels.