Medical Student Experiences with Ethical and Legal Cases

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Author: David Fine, Medical Student Council President

Originally published: Common Sense
May/June 2020

The purpose of medical education is to train future providers to be prepared for the multitude of patients, presentations, and complications that they might face in their future careers. Ethical and legal dilemmas are incredibly complicated and vary based on where you practice, so they are often less discussed than our essential medical fundamentals. Being somewhat familiar with common problems, however, is relevant not only to your future career but your rotations as well. I aim to share a few of the complex situations that I faced, which may apply to your rotations in the emergency department or on the floors.

Dilemma 1: A patient who was frustrated with long wait times starts the patient interview by stating that they are recording the conversation. 

Five Pearls for Using Interpreters Ethically

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Author: Sara Urquhart, RN MA
Medical Student
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
AAEM/RSA Publications and Social Media Committee

Imagine an unconscious 15-year-old male arrives at a downtown Miami trauma center. Paramedics say that before passing out, he told his Spanish-speaking girlfriend he felt “intoxicado.” “Intoxicated,” they say. The boy is stabilized and admitted to intensive care with a diagnosis of drug overdose. No one called an interpreter to interview his girlfriend. If they had, they would have learned that in Cuban Spanish, intoxicado is a word for nausea and that the boy did not take an overdose. Over 36 hours later, imaging shows a ruptured subarachnoid aneurism on the now paraplegic boy, who survives and later wins a $71 million malpractice lawsuit.[1]

Legal Implications of Responding to In-flight Medical Emergencies

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Author: Ali Bacharouch, MSIII
University of Michigan
AAEM/RSA Education Committee

Imagine boarding your flight to Fort Lauderdale after a hectic few months at the hospital. As the plane takes off you begin to think about how relaxing your trip is going to be. As you are trying to sleep, you hear some sounds coming from the back of the plane that give you flashbacks of the emergency department. You then hear an announcement the intercom system: “A fellow passenger needs medical attention; if you are a medical professional please identify yourself to a cabin crew member.” You quickly spring into action and attend to an elderly woman who reports new-onset lightheadedness. After ruling out life threatening conditions, you provide reassurance and head back to your seat as the woman expresses her gratitude.