AEM081 Advanced English in Medical Ethics Cases

Faculty of Medicine
spring 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Veronika Dvořáčková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jana Klapilová (assistant)
PhDr. Jana Vyorálková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Veronika Dvořáčková, Ph.D.
Language Centre, Faculty of Medicine Division – Language Centre
Supplier department: Language Centre, Faculty of Medicine Division – Language Centre
Timetable
Wed 18:00–19:40 C15/308
Prerequisites
VLAJ0222 English 1 II -p || VSAJ0222 English 1 II -p
For students in their four year of study or higher with B2 (Upper intermediate) CEFR level. Must have taken the Medical English exam within the VLAJ or VSAJ course.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 16 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/16, only registered: 0/16
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course objective is to develop students' language skills of reading and speaking in English, including the selected grammar chapters at C1 (Advanced) CEFR level. The competences will be developed through reading about and discussing ethical questions of contemporary medicine and on the basis of interactive presentations of case studies (delivered individually or in groups). Simulated communication scenarios with doctors, patients and relatives in case-based situations will be an integral part of the course.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course the student will be able to discuss, argue and defend his opinion on the ethical dimension of specific topics in medicine; master the genre of case study presentation, including its selected components (case description, creation of a hypothesis, explanation of treatment procedures, consideration of advantages and disadvantages of the chosen procedures, presentation of results, drawing conclusions, explanation of treatment outcomes and prognosis); become familiar with communication patterns used in communication with doctors, nursing staff, patients and their relatives. The student will also be able to actively use the covered grammar chapters at C1 CEFR level (third and mixed type of conditional sentence, modal verbs with past infinitive, etc.) as well as as actively use advanced vocabulary for presentation and discussion in medical practice.
Syllabus
  • 1 Course introduction. The old and new Hippocratic oath in terms of doctor-patient communication. The role of communication guidelines in medical profession. Communication models (biomedical vs. patient centered). General principles of communication. Law, ethics and communication (four bioetical principles).
  • 2 Doctors and patients (respect and equal treatment, communication and consent, decision-making for incompetent patients, confidentiality, begining and end of life issues). Patient typology. Patient advocacy organizations.
  • 3 Doctors and colleagues (medical authority, reporting unsafe or unethical practices, cooperation, conflict resolution.
  • ) 4 Death and dying: decisions at the end of life.
  • 5 Reproduction: decisions at the start of life.
  • 6 Genetics: information, access, and ownership.
  • 7 Medical research: participation and protection.
  • 8 Mental health: consent, competence and caring.
  • 9 Long-term care: autonomy, ageing and dependence.
  • 10 Children and young people: conflicting responsibilities.
  • 11 Resource allocation: justice, markets and rationing.
  • 12 Thinking about ethics: autonomy and patient choice.
  • 13 Revision.
Literature
  • Dickenson, D., Huxtable, R., & Parker, M. (2010). The Cambridge Medical Ethics Workbook. Second edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Burns, E. A, Korn, K., & Whyte, J., IV (2011). Oxford American Handbook of Clinical Examination and Practical Skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Longmore, M., Wilkinson, I. B., Baldwin, & Wallin, E. (2014). Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. Ninth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Williams, J. R. (2015). Medical Ethics Manual World Medical Association/WMA. 3rd edition. Available on: https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/education/medical-ethics-manual/
Teaching methods
Seminars, discussions, pair work, group work, home assignments, reading, presentations.
Assessment methods
The above-mentioned topics will be practised primarily through reading and speaking. Materials used in the seminars (hard copies, electronic documents etc.) will be provided by the lecturer. The course takes the form of seminars. Attendance is compulsory. Two absences are tolerated provided a letter of excuse is handed in at the Office of Studies. Credits for the course awarded if the following criteria are met: attendance, active participation, presentation during the term.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
General note: Jednosemestrální kurz.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 30.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/med/spring2019/AEM081