I’m writing a piece for Medscape about the top ethical issues medical students should be taught, based on recent guidance from the American Medical Association. I’m looking for medical educators, ethicists, or physicians involved in training to share their perspectives. Please include full name, title, affiliation, and preferred attribution.

Please answer any of the following questions that resonate with your expertise:
1. In your experience, what is the most important ethical issue that often gets overlooked in medical school curricula—and why does it matter in practice?
2. How do you approach teaching informed consent to medical students beyond the legal definition? Can you share a key concept or example you use?
3. Boundary issues in the physician-patient relationship can be subtle. What’s a situation you teach to help students understand this ethically and emotionally?
4. How do you help students navigate conflicts of interest—especially those involving the pharmaceutical or device industries?
5. What role should ethics play in preparing future physicians to address health disparities and systemic injustice?
6. What’s one ethical gray area that students are often surprised by in clinical training? How do you guide them through it?
7. Are there specific cases or real-world examples you use to help students understand the ethics of end-of-life care, autonomy, or medical futility?
8. How do you evaluate whether a student has developed good ethical reasoning—not just memorized principles?
9. How has the teaching of medical ethics changed in recent years (e.g., due to COVID-19, telehealth, or AI)?
10. If you could add one ethical topic to every med school curriculum that’s currently underrepresented, what would it be and why?

Response Instructions:

Please include the following in your reply (U.S.-based sources only):
• Full name
• Title and credentials
• Institutional or organizational affiliation
• City and state
• Preferred email and/or phone number (for fact-checking only, not for publication)
• A sentence confirming that Medscape has permission to quote and attribute you

Question

I’m writing a piece for Medscape about the top ethical issues medical students should be taught, based on recent guidance from the American Medical Association. I’m looking for medical educators, ethicists, or physicians involved in training to share their perspectives. Please include full name, title, affiliation, and preferred attribution.

Please answer any of the following questions that resonate with your expertise:
	1.	In your experience, what is the most important ethical issue that often gets overlooked in medical school curricula—and why does it matter in practice?
	2.	How do you approach teaching informed consent to medical students beyond the legal definition? Can you share a key concept or example you use?
	3.	Boundary issues in the physician-patient relationship can be subtle. What’s a situation you teach to help students understand this ethically and emotionally?
	4.	How do you help students navigate conflicts of interest—especially those involving the pharmaceutical or device industries?
	5.	What role should ethics play in preparing future physicians to address health disparities and systemic injustice?
	6.	What’s one ethical gray area that students are often surprised by in clinical training? How do you guide them through it?
	7.	Are there specific cases or real-world examples you use to help students understand the ethics of end-of-life care, autonomy, or medical futility?
	8.	How do you evaluate whether a student has developed good ethical reasoning—not just memorized principles?
	9.	How has the teaching of medical ethics changed in recent years (e.g., due to COVID-19, telehealth, or AI)?
	10.	If you could add one ethical topic to every med school curriculum that’s currently underrepresented, what would it be and why?

Response Instructions:

Please include the following in your reply (U.S.-based sources only):
	•	Full name
	•	Title and credentials
	•	Institutional or organizational affiliation
	•	City and state
	•	Preferred email and/or phone number (for fact-checking only, not for publication)
	•	A sentence confirming that Medscape has permission to quote and attribute you

Tonie Reincke · Accepted Answer

Tonie Reincke
Medical Director/Associate Professor-MD
Reincke Vein Center
dr.reincke@reinckeveincenter.com
Medscape has permission to quote and attribute me

One of the most important ethical considerations for students and resident physicians that I teach/rotate in my practice is to consider how they will address insurance denials for healthcare that is medically necessary. I use concrete examples of denials I have received and ask them how they would approach the situation.

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Tonie Reincke

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