A model for teaching health care professionals the components of the family

With the inclusion of the behavioral sciences component in the National Board Examination (1972), many medical schools have revised their curricula to include sociology in the training of the future physician. In dentistry, the behavioral sciences group of the International Association for Dental Research has increased in membership over the past years. In nursing, courses such as sociology, psychology, and anthropology have already been included in the curricula of various schools. However, the tremendous shortage of qualified social scientists who are capable of relating the behavioral sciences to the health care institution makes it difficult to meet the needs of graduate and professional schools everywhere. In view of this problem, this article will present a simple conceptual model that can be used as an organizational device for teaching the components of the family in relation to the health care institution.