Healthcare Professions, Organizations, and Markets

When we are sick and seek treatment, we encounter a complex system of healthcare. This course explores variations in who provides care, how the care is delivered, and how it’s paid for, and whether it has consequential impacts on patient outcomes. It also considers the important role of state regulations and patient driven social movements in shaping care. To untangle this system and understand the actors and structures that shape our healthcare experiences, both locally here in the United States as well as abroad, this course engages in a sociological analysis of healthcare professions, organizations, and markets.