In this assignment, you will discuss your experiences with ethics, including your ethical values, ethical theories, and an ethical decision you made. Remember, as you share your ethical experiences with your faculty member, do not discuss information and details regarding a company or individual by name that is not public information.
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Introduction:
As a medical professor, ethics is a crucial part of our curriculum, and it shapes the foundation of our students’ future practice. In this assignment, we will discuss the ethical values that drive our decisions, ethical theories that guide our thought processes, and an ethical decision that students have made during their practice.
Answer to the Content:
Ethics is the cornerstone of modern-day medicine, and it drives every decision a medical professional makes. As a medical professor, I have always emphasized the importance of ethical values to my students. Ethical values such as compassion, honesty, integrity, and fairness should always guide medical practice. These values are essential in maintaining the trust that patients have in medical professionals.
Ethical theories provide a framework for ethical decision-making. Utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and care ethics are some of the most commonly used ethical theories in medicine. Through my lectures and coursework, I encourage students to understand the underlying principles of these theories and how they can apply them when making ethical decisions.
During their practice, medical students are often faced with ethical dilemmas that require swift decision-making. One such ethical decision that a student once made involved a patient who had been his friend for over five years. The patient had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had asked the student to help him end his life. The student was torn between his ethical obligation to preserve life and his desire to relieve the patient’s pain and suffering. The student’s clinical training taught him that euthanasia is illegal and violates the principles of medical ethics. However, his relationship with the patient made it difficult for him to remain neutral. After much deliberation, the student decided not to participate in euthanasia but agreed to provide pain relief medication to alleviate the patient’s suffering.
In conclusion, students must recognize, understand and apply ethical values and theories in their daily decisions, ensuring that they uphold the highest standards of medical practice. Their ability to make informed and ethical decisions will have a significant impact on patients, their families, and the healthcare system.