Introduction:This paper describes a classroom exercise that integrates the sociological concept of role theory into a traditional approach to instruction in health administration, the case study. Health administration is by nature interdisciplinary. This is especially true at the undergraduate level, where heath administration curriculum is often rooted in a comprehensive liberal arts environment (Arnold & Schneider, 2010). Health service organizations are complex and embedded within larger social structures (Denis, Langley, & Rouleau, 2007). It is necessary for health administration students to understand the social processes surrounding health services delivery. Familiarity with sociological concepts such as bureaucracy, power, gender, stratification, inequality, authority, and role, among others, is needed for future administrators to emerge from our educational establishments understanding how to interact with clinicians, colleagues, communities, and customers in a manner that benefits both organizations and individuals. Enhancing a case study exercise with sociological theory provides students with the conceptual structure to analyze complex situations and think critically about behavior and decisions within health organizations.
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