Seminar: Ethics in Healthcare
Ethics in Healthcare is a course that is designed to teach and prepare students on how to deal with ethical situations any healthcare provider could face. The class is built on Problem Based Learning rather than lecture style, where students have more control and voice over the topics and discussion. First, we discussed the steps necessary to adequately address a situation including checking personal values at the door, identifying the type of problem, identifying those involved and their ways of life, and finding a sound solution. We were split into small groups and were given a handful of situations to present to the class throughout the semester. One of our most eye-opening prompts dealt with physician assisted suicide in end of life care. Although everyone in our group had similar views on patient autonomy, learning the legal side of the matter was very interesting. There was also a volunteer component to the course where we helped at a local food pantry, Saint Vincent dePaul's, to help underprivileged families get the food they need.
Seminar: Intermediate Composition
Intermediate Composition is a required course for most majors at UC. Students in the Honors Program, however, can opt to take the honors section of the course, which has higher expectations and moves at a faster pace. Being historically bad in English courses, I was not too excited about this class. However, it was not as bad as expected. We had open prompts for each of our three main essays, which allowed us to write about any topic as long as it fit the assignment. Because the Medical Sciences curriculum is so science-heavy, this course allowed me to explore pieces of myself that I had to put aside to focus on my grades. Opening up about my love of carpentry, my experiences hot-air ballooning, and my passion for Kangaroo Mother Care, took some of the ritual out of my schedule and I was able to refresh myself after a grueling year.