moral/ethical dilemma essay topic

[YBL]

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Hi guys,

So Upitt and a couple other medical schools asked for an essay about this, and I wasn't sure if the topic I was thinking of is appropriate. Here it is:

- My roommate for the last 2 years of college turned out to be a big alcoholic. I knew her since freshman year and knew that she was a really outgoing, likes to have fun and party kind of girl. I thought it was maybe a phase and she'd get rid of it once she grew a little older, but it just ended up getting worse. She would drink till she would completely black out every single time. Not only was it bad for her health, it was beginning to affect a lot of her friends and her schoolwork. We would hint at it sometimes, telling her that she was an alcoholic, but she'd just laugh it off like it was nothing. I mean we were somewhat reluctant to tell her because she is a really emotional person, we didn't want to be party poopers, and telling someone of a serious problem like this isn't easy. But, in the end, a group of her close friends including me decided to sit down and have a deep conversation about her behaviors.

Any input is really really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[TooMuchResearch]

This doesn't sound like a moral or ethical dilemma.

 

[LHKP0603]

This doesn't sound like a moral or ethical dilemma.

I somewhat agree with this statement. I think you guys are doing the write thing to seriously sit down and talk to her... but what exactly are you struggling with ethically or morally?

It may be difficult to approach her as a group for such a serious talk, but this may not be an "ethical" dilemma...

Good luck though!

 

[Bowl of oranges]

It is slightly ethical but its closer to socially awkward, it will beg the question why was it so hard to for you to say the obvious. Maybe it was not so obvious in the setting of college, but the way it is set out in your paragraph isn't very good.

A patient has right to reject a treatment (autonomy) but a physician has a responsibility to protect the patient from a harmful decision (non-malificence)

http://bioethicsdiscussion.blogspot.com/2005/03/what-is-ethical-dilemma.html

I'm guessing that this is not the final copy, cause i wouldn't use words like party poopers etc.

 

[YBL]

Thanks for the input guys 😀 I really appreciate it. I always get stumped on these kind of questions and am never really sure if it really is a "moral/ethical" dilemma.

How about this situation: I went to the pharmacy cashier to pay for two medications, some $10 lotion and $110 Benzaclin. I guess the lady at the cashier misread the bill and charged me only $20, ten dollars for each item. When she told me the final amount I was really surprised and wasn't sure if I should correct her because Benzaclin is such an expensive medication and I was really tight on money. In the end, I knew I couldn't live with getting away with it and would feel really really guilty later and ended up pointing out her mistake.

 

[greatnt249]

we didn't want to be party poopers

I wouldn't exactly call taking the fifth of booze away from the one-woman party being a "party pooper"...

 

[greatnt249]

.

 

[cardinalsrock]

Thanks for the input guys 😀 I really appreciate it. I always get stumped on these kind of questions and am never really sure if it really is a "moral/ethical" dilemma.

How about this situation: I went to the pharmacy cashier to pay for two medications, some $10 lotion and $110 Benzaclin. I guess the lady at the cashier misread the bill and charged me only $20, ten dollars for each item. When she told me the final amount I was really surprised and wasn't sure if I should correct her because Benzaclin is such an expensive medication and I was really tight on money. In the end, I knew I couldn't live with getting away with it and would feel really really guilty later and ended up pointing out her mistake.

sounds like a much better scenario to write about than your other one

 

[BerlinDude]

Thanks for the input guys 😀 I really appreciate it. I always get stumped on these kind of questions and am never really sure if it really is a "moral/ethical" dilemma.

How about this situation: I went to the pharmacy cashier to pay for two medications, some $10 lotion and $110 Benzaclin. I guess the lady at the cashier misread the bill and charged me only $20, ten dollars for each item. When she told me the final amount I was really surprised and wasn't sure if I should correct her because Benzaclin is such an expensive medication and I was really tight on money. In the end, I knew I couldn't live with getting away with it and would feel really really guilty later and ended up pointing out her mistake.

That's not an ethical/moral dilemma either, since the right thing to do was obvious. That is simply a case where an immoral action was tempting. It is fundamentally no different than saying "I was in the grocery store and didn't have enough money for Cheetos, and I really wanted them and could have shoplifted, but I decided not to".

To be honest, I don't think the majority of med school applicants have experienced a moral dilemma. Those that have often don't want to talk about their experience.

 

[KingstonPre]

next time she passes out, just put spray shaving cream on both her hands and tickle her nose with a feather.

She'll end up giving herself a reality check.

 

[schrizto]

Neither of the situations you listed are good moral/ethical dilemmas. In both situations the right thing to do is obvious.

To make my point on the second situation, a similar situation is, what if a professor gave you points for an incorrect answer on a test, would you tell the professor about the mistake? If you wrote about struggling to decide to get away with it or not, it looks stupid and shows that you have a dishonest side.

I would also say the second situation will look like a minor problem compared to what other applicants will write. Whether to gain a few extra bucks or not on your behalf is not a big moral/ethical dilemma.

 

[kami333]

To be honest, I don't think the majority of med school applicants have experienced a moral dilemma. Those that have often don't want to talk about their experience.

Yup. I recently had a great ethical dilemma but now I have the dilemma of whether to actually talk about it or not. While it's great to be virtuous in a vacumm, reprisals against whistleblowers is a real problem (not to mention the passive loss of connections).

 

[YBL]

This is so hard 😡

How about deciding on whether to take my grandma off life support? She had surgery for cervical cancer but then immediately had another operation for some unrelated problem that they detected. Her liver shut down and the doctors said she might not make it considering her age. So we were faced with decision of telling the doctors to do whatever possible to try to save her life or to let her go without further suffering... In the end, as a family, we decided to let her go..

If this isn't a moral/ethical dilemma, can you guys give me some examples so I can find some inspiration?

Thanks to everyone who replied. 🙂

 

[schrizto]

This is so hard 😡

How about deciding on whether to take my grandma off life support? She had surgery for cervical cancer but then immediately had another operation for some unrelated problem that they detected. Her liver shut down and the doctors said she might not make it considering her age. So we were faced with decision of telling the doctors to do whatever possible to try to save her life or to let her go without further suffering... In the end, as a family, we decided to let her go..

If this isn't a moral/ethical dilemma, can you guys give me some examples so I can find some inspiration?

Thanks to everyone who replied. 🙂

I think that sounds like a moral/ethical dilemma... good work!

 

[TopSecret]

Hi guys,

So Upitt and a couple other medical schools asked for an essay about this, and I wasn't sure if the topic I was thinking of is appropriate. Here it is:

- My roommate for the last 2 years of college turned out to be a big alcoholic. I knew her since freshman year and knew that she was a really outgoing, likes to have fun and party kind of girl. I thought it was maybe a phase and she'd get rid of it once she grew a little older, but it just ended up getting worse. She would drink till she would completely black out every single time. Not only was it bad for her health, it was beginning to affect a lot of her friends and her schoolwork. We would hint at it sometimes, telling her that she was an alcoholic, but she'd just laugh it off like it was nothing. I mean we were somewhat reluctant to tell her because she is a really emotional person, we didn't want to be party poopers, and telling someone of a serious problem like this isn't easy. But, in the end, a group of her close friends including me decided to sit down and have a deep conversation about her behaviors.

Any input is really really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

It's a dilemma only if you are concerned about possible retaliation from this girl. Concerns about being called party poopers do not really make this a dilemma.

 

[BerlinDude]

Yup. I recently had a great ethical dilemma but now I have the dilemma of whether to actually talk about it or not. While it's great to be virtuous in a vacumm, reprisals against whistleblowers is a real problem (not to mention the passive loss of connections).

Absolutely, I'm much more familiar with that than I would like to be.

OP, the last dilemma you mentioned is the best. It's a conflict between your responsibility to prolong her life and ease her suffering. Very relevant for an MD program as well. Why was it that your family was making this decision though, wasn't your grandmother able to express her wishes?