Survey of Medical Law & Ethics

The Survey of Medical Law & Ethics course provides a brief overview of legal and ethical issues found in the Healthcare setting. It outlines some of the laws and professional requirements that regulate the delivery of Healthcare such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Patient’s Bill of Rights, and standard of care. This course also highlights information about common ethical issues that Healthcare professionals may encounter.

For those new to the healthcare sector, the Introduction to Medical Law & Ethics course provides students with a broad understanding of the fundamental aspects of contemporary healthcare and law required to assist in overall patient care. This course provides an overview of the law and ethics a student should understand to help them provide competent and compassionate care to patients and their families, also touching on the ethical considerations and boundaries of life science related research. The course will provide guidance for students to help resolve many of the legal and ethical questions they might encounter as they enter the healthcare field as professionals. Designed as a fundamental and basic introduction to medical law and ethics, this course will introduce various issues that students can reasonably expect to deal with in a medical setting with an emphasis on implications and decision making for patients, physicians, medical assistants and other health professionals.

The Survey of Medical Law & Ethics course will address the following primary course objectives:

• Analyze issues of law and ethics as related to Healthcare
• Determine the similarities and differences among legal, ethical, and moral issues in Healthcare
• Analyze the impact that local, state, and federal legislation have on practices found in Healthcare
• Compare the rights and responsibilities of various parties of the Healthcare system
• Analyze the importance of complying with laws that regulate the practice of Healthcare