Ethics, Law, and Professionalism
MS-1

August 26, 2009 – December 9, 2009
15 sessions

Course Director
Charissa Pacella, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Emergency Medicine
pacellacb@upmc.edu

Course Director
Melissa McNeil, MD, MPH
Professor and Associate Chief
Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine
mcneilma@upmc.edu

Course Description

Structures in society and in the profession that serve to enhance care and to protect both patients and physicians are the focus of this course.

The goals of the course are for students:

1. to understand the relevance of law and ethics in the practice of medicine.
2. to develop the skills of moral reasoning that are relevant to the care of patients in a professional manner.
3. to recognize the conflicts of interest that may impair the professional behavior of physicians in dealing with their patients.
4. to recognize the potential for conflict between the goals, beliefs, and values of physicians and patients.
5. to develop strategies for reducing these conflicts in order to provide effective, compassionate, ethical and professional care.

The 7 lecturers and 16 small group facilitators are from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Center for Bioethics and Health Law, and School of Law, and from the Duquesne University School of Law and graduate program in Health Care Ethics, making this a truly interdisciplinary course.

Educational Methods

	Problem-based learning		Lectures
	Web-based case vignettes		Class discussion

Evaluation

Evaluation for this course is based on participation in web-based case vignettes, participation in problem-based learning sessions, and a final multiple-choice examination.

Grading: This course comprises 80% of the grade for the Patient, Physician and Society Block, Section 1. The block section is graded Honors, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory.

Faculty Note

Course Director Melissa McNeil, MD, MPH, is a recipient of the Excellence in Education Award for Small Group Facilitator and the Donald S. Fraley Award for Medical Student Mentoring. Rita M. Patel, MD, is a recipient of the Sheldon Adler Award for Innovation in Medical Education. In addition, Dr. McNeil, Dr. Patel, and Robert Arnold, MD, are members of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Master Educators.