More Than Medicine - (Culture and Politics of Health Care Work) by Latonya J Trotter (Paperback)

About the Book

"Shows how a group of nurse practitioners expand the medical encounter to include a mix of health, social, and coordination problems--illustrating the ways in which these providers are not just filling-in for absent physicians, but are filling in for the absence of the state in attending to the problems of poverty and unequal access to health care"--

Book Synopsis

In More Than Medicine, LaTonya J. Trotter chronicles the everyday work of a group of nurse practitioners (NPs) working on the front lines of the American health care crisis as they cared for four hundred African American older adults living with poor health and limited means. Trotter describes how these NPs practiced an inclusive form of care work that addressed medical, social, and organizational problems that often accompany poverty. In solving this expanded terrain of problems from inside the clinic, these NPs were not only solving a broader set of concerns for their patients; they became a professional solution for managing "difficult people" for both their employer and the state. Through More Than Medicine, we discover that the problems found in the NP's exam room are as much a product of our nation's disinvestment in social problems as of physician scarcity or rising costs.

Review Quotes

The book's important contributions are unscored by Trotter's rich prose and her exceptional ability to weave intricate stories into a compelling, nuanced portrait of 21st-century health care. She brings her research subjects to life with steady-handed critique, avoiding both unnecessarily harsh criticism and uncritical adulation.

-- "American Journal of Sociology"

About the Author

LaTonya J. Trotter is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Vanderbilt University. Follow her on X @phdlt.