Tag: medical ethics

Trevor Mooney Trevor Mooney (3 Posts)

Contributing Writer

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Trevor Mooney is a Class of 2018 medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He grew up in the East Bay Area, and attended undergrad at Stanford University, where he majored in Human Biology and somehow found a way to get into medical school. In his free time, he enjoys humor writing, playing basketball, jogging, watching television, and Skyping Luka (his family's German Shepherd).




A Trip to (and at) the Dentist’s: Funny Reality Clashes and their Not-So-Funny Implications for Patient Care

Published by Trevor Mooney

This is one of the more disturbing sequences in a show that is invariably unafraid to tackle uncomfortable topics head-on, such as terrorism and sexual misconduct. The fact that this also happens to be my favorite sequence in television might warrant a discussion with my therapist. But that’s neither here nor there. Notwithstanding the resounding innuendo of the unpeeled banana, Louis CK left nothing for the viewers’ imagination as he dreams of a scenario in which Al Qaeda finally understands the merits of liberal society.

A Call to Physicians for Environmental Awareness

Published by Zoe Feld

We have made it to an era when even fast food restaurants stock biodegradable straws. Corn-derived utensils have been released from the confines of the Whole Foods salad bar and have made their way into a wider range of restaurants and delis. There are pockets in this nation where composting is a city-maintained public service, where green bins enlist each and every home in the neighborhood to move one step closer to a greener lifestyle and to leave a lighter footprint on this earth. But the medical community — perhaps the one institution that has the most potential for enacting change — is lagging in the area of environmental consciousness.

Is it Better to Trust or to Hope?

Published by Robert Ethel

Since the start of my third year as a medical student, I have been quite interested in observing how people interact with me now that I am wearing a white coat. To be more specific, I find it amazing that people do not realize that my white coat is so much shorter than everyone else’s. To me, the length of my coat should act as a warning to those around me; I do not know where things are, and I do not know what’s going on most of the time.

The Talking Cure: Atul Gawande Makes the Case for Humanism in End-of-Life Care

Published by Katelee Barrett Mueller

Many medical students made the choice to pursue their career path in their college years or even in high school, and nearly all doctors have chosen their profession by the end of their third decade. These are exhilarating years for young people. These are years where life can seem rich with freedom, opportunity, and, notably, with length. Dedicating a decade to medical training can seem like a choice that, though not easy, represents a worthy investment of one’s youth.

Reconciling Religious Law of Orthodox Judaism with Medical Practice

Published by Aaron Schweitzer

Sometimes it is difficult to reconcile value systems that pull a person in opposite directions. Specifically in medicine, where the laws and nature of the work are so sensitive, yet also so important, it is within normal daily function to default to the ethics and American system of law. However, for Orthodox Jews, it is not that simple. Certain laws, such as the laws pertaining to the Sabbath, can make practicing medicine quite tricky.

Humane Medicine

Published by Kevin Dueck, MD

“What can you do here that we can’t do at home?” This question angered my resident. How dare a patient admitted to the hospital ask for justification of their plan? The progress note had already been written and orders entered; assent to the plan was assumed and having to walk the patient through the options would extend rounds considerably. What an inconvenience.

Legislative Scope of Practice: Patients Lose When We Let Politicians Play Doctor

Published by Rachel Solnick

Author’s note: This article was originally published on TexasMedicine. In Texas, as in all other states, a person who is unable to make his or her own medical decisions has the right to an advance directive (AD) for restricting medical treatment; that is, unless that person is pregnant. If a woman is pregnant in Texas, she loses her right to an AD; that is true regardless of the stage of her pregnancy and without regard for …

Limitless: The Physician as Human

Published by Alexa Lean

My entire life’s work has culminated in medical school. Every volunteer organization, every organic molecule I drew, every sacrifice I made in the name of studying has led to being here in Washington, D.C. Why? To join the ranks of the people I held with the highest esteem: doctors. Doctors were the embodiment of justice, beneficence and non-maleficence in my mind: flawless humans. Something I overlooked in that belief was that doctors are, in fact, …

Alexa Lean (2 Posts)

Contributing Writer

George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Alexa is in the Class of 2018 at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.