Skip to main content
Journal of Medical Ethics logoLink to Journal of Medical Ethics
. 1994 Dec;20(4):239–243. doi: 10.1136/jme.20.4.239

The teaching of medical ethics to medical students.

S M Glick 1
PMCID: PMC1376563  PMID: 7861430

Abstract

Teaching medical ethics to medical students in a pluralistic society is a challenging task. Teachers of ethics have obligations not just to teach the subject matter but to help create an academic environment in which well motivated students have reinforcement of their inherent good qualities. Emphasis should be placed on the ethical aspects of daily medical practice and not just on the dramatic dilemmas raised by modern technology. Interdisciplinary teaching should be encouraged and teaching should span the entire duration of medical studies. Attention should be paid particularly to ethical problems faced by the students themselves, preferably at the time when the problems are most on the students' minds. A high level of academic demands, including critical examination of students' progress is recommended. Finally, personal humility on the part of teachers can help set a good example for students to follow.

Full text

PDF
239

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Benor D. E., Notzer N., Sheehan T. J., Norman G. R. Moral reasoning as a criterion for admission to medical school. Med Educ. 1984 Nov;18(6):423–428. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1984.tb01297.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brewin T. B. How much ethics is needed to make a good doctor? Lancet. 1993 Jan 16;341(8838):161–163. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(93)90019-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Culver C. M., Clouser K. D., Gert B., Brody H., Fletcher J., Jonsen A., Kopelman L., Lynn J., Siegler M., Wikler D. Basic curricular goals in medical ethics. N Engl J Med. 1985 Jan 24;312(4):253–256. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198501243120430. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Freedman B. Offering truth. One ethical approach to the uninformed cancer patient. Arch Intern Med. 1993 Mar 8;153(5):572–576. doi: 10.1001/archinte.153.5.572. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Mitchell K. R., Lovat T. J., Myser C. M. Teaching bioethics to medical students: the Newcastle experience. Med Educ. 1992 Jul;26(4):290–300. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1992.tb00172.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Pellegrino E. D. Is truth telling to the patient a cultural artifact? JAMA. 1992 Oct 7;268(13):1734–1735. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Medical Ethics are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES