What is Physician Empathy?
The word empathy, as we understand it today, is a relatively recent creation of only the past 60 years or so. It came into…
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Prescribing Placebos in Non Life Threatening Disease: Is it Ethical?
The placebo effect is widely known amongst medical professionals and patients and has been shown to be powerful. Though unable to cure disease, studies…
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Death, Ethics, and History
Working in a medical profession almost invariably means having to confront human mortality. Though death is ultimately inevitable, in many situations physicians can experience…
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The Importance of Medical Ethics: A Short Anecdote
During one of our medical ethics lectures, Dr. David Beyda posed a question: Should convicted prisoners be eligible to receive organ transplants, even if…
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The Physician-Patient Relationship: A Personal Reflection
The physician-patient relationship is the bedrock of medical practice and humanity. Humanity is “compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition.” It includes the idea…
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Applying Air Force Values to the Practice of Medicine
I’m writing this article as I finish up Commissioned Officer Training for the U.S. Air Force. This five-week long training course has represented a…
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When Is Patient Discomfort Acceptable?
During one of my first days shadowing my Community Clinical Experience (CCE) preceptor, I had the opportunity to observe a pelvic exam. This was…
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Lies of Omission
As Match Day approaches, thousands of medical students eagerly wait for news of what their future entails. What program? What city? What familiar faces?…
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Medical Ethics: January Response and March Question
January Response: Last issue, we investigated the the case of an overweight woman who feels she is unable to complete the medically advisable weight…
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How can I help and should I?: A perspective on emergency situations as a future physician
Two Saturdays ago, my wife and I were driving home from an event in Scottsdale at 1 pm. I had bent down to pick…
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