One Model of Collaborative Learning for Medical and Law Students at the University of Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Medicine, like law, is sometimes referred to as a "conservative" profession, as both can change slowly, stifling innovation [1].While the art of medicine has produced important advances, there is at least one part of medicine that has not changed much in more than 100 years.Nearly all American medical schools have followed much the same educational model since Abraham Flexner published his famous report on the state of American medical education in 1910 [2].The educational model promoted by that report emphasizes teaching students the science of medicine, but it is not well equipped for teaching students about the practicalities of medicine or for helping trainees adapt to circumstances that are radically different than those faced by physicians 100 years ago.This essay discusses one feature of modern medical practice that deserves more attention in medical educational curricula: the legal framework that situates and influences medical practice for all physicians and physicians-in-training. The Current Place of the Law in Medical EducationMedical practice today is subject to a multitude of legal rules, both state and federal.Yet, medical students may have next to no knowledge about the existence of these rules, much less their scope or application.Indeed, when medical students hear the word "lawyer," their train of thought might start and stop with medical malpractice.Rarely, in our experience, are issues such as compliance or insurance fraud and abuse presented to medical students.Nor are students exposed to legal problems that might be the underlying causes of the maladies that their patients suffer, such as when "a child's chronic asthma is exacerbated by mold or other toxins in his apartment" [3].Law students and medical students rarely interact, even within universities that have both law and medical schools [4].Even when medical schools, such as Johns Hopkins University or Stony Brook University, offer courses introducing students to selected legal concepts, these courses can be regarded by some students as superfluous.This is not to blame medical students or their educational institutions.Understandably, when securing a career in a chosen medical specialty does not depend on a student's knowledge of the intersections between medicine and law, that knowledge will be given short(er) shrift by students.At the same time, judging by reactions we have observed while teaching legal issues to medical students, these students are very interested in learning more about the legal system and the effect it has on their personal and professional lives.Students
Source: The AMA Journal of Ethic
Authors: Gregory Dolin, Natalie Ram
Institution: University of Baltimore
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2291355845