Medical Ethics Program - Student Resources.
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By the time of graduation form MUSM, students should be able to:
- Recognize common issues in medical ethics and professionalism
- Describe the principles of medical ethics
- Be able to describe and locate useful resources for understanding medical ethics, professionalism, and the legal regulation of medicine
- Describe and apply the process of ethical case analysis
- Analyze an issue in medical ethics or professionalism encountered during training at MUSM
Program Overview
Resources
Faculty
Richard L. Elliott, MD, PhD Professor and Director, Medical Ethics
Martin H. Greenberg, MD, Professor Pediatrics (Savannah)
R. Stephen Williams, MD, MHSA, Associate Professor, Pediatrics (Macon)
- Jonsen: Clinical Ethics: A Practical Approach to Ethical Decisions in Clinical Medicine, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill © 2006
- First Year medical Ethics: Introduction to Medical Ethics and Professionalism Powerpoint
Second Year Community Medicine Powerpoint
- American Medical Assocition's Ethics resources
- Ethics and OG-Gyn - ACOG Opinions and Reports
Preclinical Courses (Requires Login - Get Help)
First Year
The goals for the first year of medical ethics include an understanding of the four principles of medical ethics, an understanding of the ethical and legal basis of informed consent, the importance of confidentiality and exceptions to confidentiality, and an introduction to professionalism. Requirements include attendance at the lectures, participation in a group during which cases are analyzed, and passing the written examination.
Link to First Year Medical Ethics and Professionalism page: Basics of Medical Ethics
Second Year
The goals for the second year in ethics include an introduction to ethics and clinical research, and continuing exposure to issues in professionalism, including relations between medical industry and physicians, abuse of trainees, and the impaired student or physician.
Link to more details for the second year: Ethics of Clinical Research
Clinical Clerkships
Fourth Year
A paper is required of all fourth year students, due January 10 in the senior year. The intent of the paper is to have students research a topic in medical ethics of personal interest, perhaps related to the specialty in which they are applying. Papers should case-based, and should focus on a relatively small area so that it can be discussed in approximately five pages, with references. Grading will be on a pass-fail basis. No prior approval of topics is required, but Dr. Elliott may be contacted for advice.
Papers from previous years have included such topics as tranfusing Jehova's Witnesses, protecting sexual partners of patients infected with HIV, conflicts among surrogate decisionmakers, protecting confidentiality in adolescent patients, and providing access to care among the poor.
Not required, but highly recomended, is a case analysis following the organization of the form used in the first year.
Papers should be emailed to Dr. Elliott at elliott_rl@mercer.edu
Please contact Dr. Elliott if there are any questions.
Fourth Year Requirements and Outstanding Papers
Interesting reading
Sokol. Time to get streetwise: why medical ethics is in need of doctors. BMJ 2006;333:1226 http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7580/1226
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