From the Editor
Jan 2005
This special issue of Virtual Mentor consists entirely of clinical cases for exploring the challenges to professionalism that confront internal medicine residents and fellows in internal medicine sub-specialty programs.
The cases cover 7 general areas:
- Patient-Physician Relationship
- Informed Consent
- Privacy and Confidentiality
- Medical Student Participation In Patient Care
- End-of-Life Care
- Conflicts of Interest
- Access to Care
The cases pose challenges common to residents and fellows. In each case, the reader is presented with several alternative courses. Selecting an option will link the reader to an explanation of whether that option is preferred, acceptable, or to be avoided. These determinations are grounded in the AMA Code of Medical Ethics, a starting point for physician understanding of appropriate professional conduct.
The AMA was founded, in large part, to develop a code of ethical conduct for the profession. Today, this core responsibility lies with the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs.
The educational modules in this month's Virtual Mentor were developed by Ethics staff members Abraham P. Schwab, MA, Jeanne Sokolec, EdD, MSW, Karine Morin, LLM, Faith Lagay, PhD, and Jennifer Reenan, MD.
