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A Student’s Perspective on Medical Ethics Education

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Abstract

Despite many efforts to increase ethics education in US medical schools, barriers continue to arise that impede the production of morally driven physicians who practice medicine with ideal empathy. Research has shown that, particularly during the clinical years, medical students lose the ability both to recognize ethical dilemmas and to approach such situations with compassionate reasoning. This article summarizes the current status of ethics education in US medical schools, described through the eyes of and alongside the story of a graduating medical student.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Terndrup would like to express sincere gratitude to the Reverend Donald P. Owens, Jr., PhD, Chaplain and Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry at the Tulane University School of Medicine, for his support and mentorship.

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Correspondence to Christopher Terndrup.

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Terndrup, C. A Student’s Perspective on Medical Ethics Education. J Relig Health 52, 1073–1078 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9747-5

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