Medical Ethics and First Aid Syllabus

ME 191: Medical Ethics and First Aid

This course introduces the issues of law and ethics that the rapid advances in technology and increased specializations demand in the medical profession. This course also provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary in an emergency to help sustain life, reduce pain, and minimize the consequences of injury or sudden illness until professional help arrives.
Credits 4
Course Objectives

Based on 2022 MAERB standards.  Students should be able to complete the following competencies: 

Cognitive (Knowledge) :

I.C.12. Identify basic principles of first aid.

V.C.13. Identify the basic concepts of the following theories of:

a. Maslow

b. Erikson

c. Kubler-Ross

X.C.1. Identify scope of practice and standards of care for medical

assistants.

X.C.2. Identify the provider role in terms of standard of care.

X.C.3. Identify components of the Health Insurance Portability &

Accountability Act (HIPAA).

X.C.4. Identify the standards outlined in The Patient Care Partnership

X.C.5. Identify licensure and certification as they apply to healthcare

Providers.

X.C.6. Identify criminal and civil law as they apply to the practicing

medical assistant.

X.C.7. Define:

a. negligence

b. malpractice

c. statute of limitations

d. Good Samaritan Act(s)

e. Uniform Anatomical Gift Act

f. living will/advanced directives

g. medical durable power of attorney

h. Patient Self Determination Act (PSDA)

i. risk management

X.C.9. Identify legal and illegal applicant interview questions.

X.C.10. Identify:

a. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical

Health (HITECH) Act

b. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008

(GINA)

c. Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act

(ADAAA)

X.C.11. Identify the process in compliance reporting:

a. unsafe activities

b. errors in patient care

c. conflicts of interest

d. incident reports

X.C.12. Identify compliance with public health statutes related to:

a. communicable diseases

b. abuse, neglect, and exploitation

c. wounds of violence

X.C.13. Define the following medical legal terms:

a. informed consent

b. implied consent

c. expressed consent

d. patient incompetence

e. emancipated minor

f. mature minor

g. subpoena duces tecum

h. respondeat superior

i. res ipsa loquitur

j. locum tenens

XI.C.1. Define:

a. ethics

b. morals

XI.C.2. Identify personal and professional ethics.

XI.C.3. Identify potential effects of personal morals on professional

performance.

XI.C.4. Identify professional behaviors of a medical assistant.

XII.C.3. Identify fire safety issues in an ambulatory healthcare environment

XII.C.4. Identify emergency practices for evacuation of a healthcare setting.

XII.C.8. Identify critical elements of an emergency plan for response to a natural disaster or other emergency.

XII.C.9. Identify the physical manifestations and emotional behaviors of persons involved in an emergency.

Psychomotor (Skills) 

I.P.12 Provide up-to-date documentation of provider/professional-level CPR. 

X.P.1   Locate a state's legal scope of practice for medical assistants. 

X.P.2     Apply HIPAA rules in regard to: 

             a.  privacy 

             b. release of information 

X.P.4 Complete compliance reporting based on public health statutes. 

X.P.5 Report an illegal activity following the protocol established by the healthcare setting. 

X.P.6 Complete an incident report related to an error in patient care. 

XI.P.1 Demonstrate professional response(s) to ethical issues. 

Affective 

A.1 Demonstrate critical thinking skills.  

A.3 Demonstrate empathy for patients' concerns.  

Instructional Materials

Pearson’s Comprehensive Medical Assisting 4th Edition

Course Policies

Student Evaluations:  Student's grades will be determined by their average grades in each of the following areas:

HOMEWORK                                          100 points per chapter                       

IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTS                      100 points per assignment

UNIT TESTS                                            100 points per chapter

FINAL EXAM                                          100 points

ETHICAL PRESENTATION                    100 points

Grading Scales:

A = 90% - 100%

B = 80% - 89%

C = 70% - 79%

D = 60% - 69%

F = below 60%

For medical assistant students in order for he/she to pass the class must receive an average of 70% or above in the given course AND obtain an average score on all competency evaluations within the given course. CAAHEP accreditation requires 100% of all medical assisting graduates pass 100% of all competencies.

Course Outline

WEEKS 1 - 2

Chapter 1 Professionalism: self-evaluation, personal/professional separation plan, determine possible outcomes of professional vs. unprofessional behavior, workbook assignment and test

WEEKS 3- 4

Chapter 2 Medical Science / History & Diversity:  differentiate between licensed and certified personnel, apply ethical decisions and discretion to victim / criminal situations, workbook assignment**, test.

WEEKS 5- 6

Chapter 3 Medical Law and Ethics:  student demos HIPAA knowledge based on scenarios throughout chapter, complete Living will, Durable power of attorney, Incident report, select a state to research legal scope of practice, use critical thinking skills to differentiate between nonfeasance / misfeasance / malfeasance, worksheets practice to differentiate various laws.

WEEK 7

Chapter 42 First Aid / Assisting with Medical Emergencies:  group exercise identifying various medical emergencies and treating within scope of practice, students recognize types of blood flow and demo how to stop it, student conducts mock evacuation, student demo knowledge of protocol for act of terrorism and list supplies to have for disaster.

WEEK 8

Continuing Chapter 42

WEEK 9

Dilemma Week:  students select an Ethical or Bioethical issue to research and relate to the healthcare field.  They present their information to the class. (PowerPoint)

Week 10

Final Exam Review/Make-up week.

Week 11

Final Exam

Communication

Emails will be responded to no later than 48 hours or by the end of business on Monday for mail received over the weekend.

College Policies

Academic Honesty Policy
The college has a firm policy against academic dishonesty, including cheating or plagiarism. Students guilty of academic dishonesty will be administratively dropped from the course with a grade of ‘F’ and subject to disciplinary action, which may include suspension and dismissal. 

Please refer to the Academic Honesty Policy for detailed information.

Late Assignment Policy

Meeting deadlines, being dependable, and applying appropriate time management are all foundational elements of professional behavior. These same attributes are also required while participating in college courses because the skills, knowledge, and student learning outcomes must be obtained in a specific order and within a certain amount of time.

We at HJC understand that sometimes students encounter circumstances that make it difficult to always meet the required course deadlines. This Late Work Policy is in place to accommodate that. In all circumstances, whenever possible, contact your instructor when you anticipate that you will be submitting work late.

The deadlines for most courses typically follow the pattern below, but it is your responsibility to confirm this and be aware if there are any assignments that may have different deadlines for one reason or another.

The first post in each Discussion Board is usually due on the Wednesday night of each module/week.

Most other assignments are due by 11:59 pm on Sunday evening of each module/week.

  • All assignments must be submitted by the required due date.
  • Missing assignments due to absence must be submitted within 1 week of return.
  • Late submissions of assignments will result in a reduction of 10% of the total points possible per day (e.g., 1 day late = -10%, 2 days late = 20%, etc.) up to one week. Anything over 1 week late will result in a grade of 0.
  • To receive full credit for late work, students must provide documentation for an excused absence, or it will be subject to the same treatment as any other late work. Documentation examples include court documents, hospitalization, etc.

Instructors may also choose to deduct less points at their discretion.

If for some reason a student temporarily loses the ability to connect to Canvas due to technical issues it is the student’s obligation to submit assignments by the original due dates. Temporary remedies can be connecting via a public WiFi spot, using school facilities to connect, or use of private networks through friends and family.

In extreme cases, when none of these solutions are available, the student may contact their instructors through other means and ask permission to submit their work directly, in a method that can be received by the instructor. Under no circumstances can methods of delivery outside of Canvas be used without explicit instructor permission. (If this ever happens the instructor should somehow note it).

Minimum Technology Requirements

Having access to a reliable desktop or laptop is required for HJC online courses. This requirement ensures students have the essential technologies to complete online courses successfully. Mobile devices, such as mobile phones and tablets may be utilized as additional tools to assist with completing online courses.

Online video conferences and calls are often the best way for instructors to assist students in many situations. A web camera and microphone are necessary for successful online conferences. 

Safari and Chrome: Office 365 is designed to work with the current version of the Safari and Chrome browsers. Microsoft Edge: Office 365 is designed to work with the latest version of the Microsoft Edge browser.

Internet Explorer: Office 365 is designed to work with Internet Explorer 11. We recommend that you upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 if you are using an earlier version. Office might continue to work with versions of Internet Explorer other than Internet Explorer 11, but Office can’t provide any guarantees.

Firefox: Most Office 365 apps are designed to work with the current version of Firefox.

Some courses may have additional technology requirements beyond those listed here. Additional requirements will be listed in your Canvas course room.

Basic Office 365 apps are free and available to students with their HJC Outlook account. For additional questions and help with the required technologies, please contact help@hjc.edu

Minimum Technical Skills Requirements

 To complete online courses successfully, you must be able to perform the following basic technical skills before starting the class

  • Use the learning management system, Canvas
  • Use HJC email with attachments
  • Download, save, and upload files in Canvas

For additional questions regarding the required technologies, please contact help@hjc.edu

Technology Support
To be a successful online learner, certain technologies are necessary.  Please keep in mind that certain classes may have additional technical requirements. You should be able to find additional technical requirements in your syllabus or your canvas course room. If you have any questions about the technology requirement, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 304-697-7550 or support@hjc.edu

Accessibility Information
Huntington Junior College is committed to full compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. For additional information, please access accessibility policy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 304-697-7550 or pjustice@hjc.edu if you have any additional questions.

Copyright Policy
As an institution of higher education, Huntington Junior College strongly believes in intellectual property. As such, Huntington Junior College respects intellectual property and has made it a priority to ensure all employees and students respect the copyrights of others. If you have any questions about our copyright policy, please access the copyright policy

Privacy Policy
The college understands the importance of protecting your information and privacy. Our Privacy Policy provides additional information on the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act. 

Third party privacy policies:

Zoom

VitalSource

Labyrinth Learning

Canvas

McGraw-Hill

Cengage

Pearson

Poptential

YouTube

Canva

Archive.org

Quizizz

Other Student Success Services
Please access Student Success page for other student success services information, such as financial aid, lab hours, parking, library, transcripts, and career services on the college

If you need to speak with a person regarding any college policies and guidelines, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the college at 304-697-7550 

This information is standard for each course but specifics may vary based on the delivery method of the course you are taking. Please follow the information provided by your instructor.

This syllabus is subject to change.