Giving Voice to Values as a Professional Physician: An Introduction to Medical Ethics 2018

This book provides students with the theoretical basis and practical applications to act in accordance with their values in situations of ethical conflict. It is the first book on medical ethics to use the Giving Voice to Values methodology to instruct students in medical ethics and professionalism. In doing so, it shifts the focus of ethics education from an intellectual examination of ethical theories and conflicts to an emphasis on moral action. Each section of the book explains how moral decision-making and action can be implemented in the healthcare arena. Issues in medical ethics are addressed throughout to help students express their values and develop the skills necessary for professional action. The Giving Voice to Values methodology and cases discussed in this book do not focus on the big questions of academic ethics, but rather on the ethics of everyday life, even if the challenges presented are difficult. In other words, the ethical questions that students will face in this book and in medical education and practice are about how to interact with others, whether they are patients or colleagues.