Teaching ethics, human rights and medical law to undergraduate diagnostic radiography students

Abstract

Members of society are fast becoming aware of their rights and many practitioners are at risk of losing their licence to practise due to unethical practices. The growing human rights violations commonly seen in vulnerable groups also pose challenges to healthcare workers, such as diagnostic radiographers, who often find themselves in situations where they have to disobey the laws to uphold ethical standards. This paper is a presentation of how ethics, human rights and medical law has been integrated into the undergraduate diagnostic radiography curriculum, and can be applied to other healthcare professions. To alleviate resistance to human rights teachings, I recommend the use of real life examples that are less sensitive 'politically' but true in order to gain the attention and cooperation of the diverse culture of the students.