FRS 001P (2 units) CRN 72652 W 7:10 - 9:00 pm 25 Wellman
Medical Ethics: Lessons From the Emergency Department

Instructor: John R. Richards, Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine

Description: This seminar will explore the broad subject of ethics from the emergency medicine perspective. Often in the Emergency Department there is little time to debate the finer points of difficult ethical issues. How are decisions made rapidly? To what extent do they reflect the Emergency Physician’s own personal beliefs? What are the pitfalls in such a situation? We will discuss legal considerations, philosophy, and actual difficult cases concerning - minors, autonomy, consent, competence, do-not-resuscitate orders, organ donation, euthanasia, psychiatric issues, drug and alcohol abuse, and managed care. This seminar should be of interest to students considering careers in medicine, law, psychology, philosophy, or business involving the economics of health care.

Format: There will be a syllabus (free) distributed at the first meeting with reading assignments. There is no required textbook. Students will be assigned a case to analyze and present to the group for open discussion. The student will also write a short paper on their case analysis. Students will also have the option of working a shift with me in the Emergency Department. Grading: Grades will be determined by written case analysis (1/3), quality of seminar participation (1/3), and an oral report (1/3).

About the Instructor: Professor Richards is a product of the UC system - Berkeley for undergraduate, Davis for medical school and UCD Medical Center for residency. Besides ethics, his research interests include trauma, methamphetamine and alcohol abuse, managed care issues, and international emergency medicine. He has traveled extensively and is planning trips to India and Indonesia for the upcoming year.