Running Head: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Effective Communication
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The Medical Dictionary defines assault and battery differently than the standard

definition. Assault is defined as the unlawful placement of a person in immediate bodily danger

without their express consent (Segen's Medical Dictionary). The same dictionary defines battery

as a person's lack of consent when unlawful touching occurs. Assault is depicted in the 1991 film

The Doctor (1991) when Dr. McKee forces his doctor colleagues to put on hospital gowns and

be admitted as patients. As the resident surgeon, he used his power and authority to take

advantage of his colleagues, making them patients without their consent, much to their surprise

and dismay.

In the medical field, professional conduct is very fundamental. In the movie, both

positive and negative professional behaviors are seen. According to (Samanthika, 2011), Medical

ethics are described as set of moral principles that apply values and judgments the medical field

which assist doctors in determining what is morally correct. Samanthika goes on to say that a

patient's ability to make personal informed decisions is a fundamental principle of medical ethics

(Assault & battery, n.d.). Dr. McKee demonstrated positive professionalism when he instructed

interns not to refer to patients as terminal if they were not dying or had already died. When Dr.

McKee was diagnosed with throat cancer, he had an epiphany. He began treating patients with

more dignity than he had previously. He eventually became friends with another cancer patient

named June Ellis. Dr. McKee's hospitalization allowed him to understand the patients' situations

and realize that he needed to sympathize with them because the hospitalization process is not

easy. Also, as a result of his admission and sharing a room with June, he was able to empathize

with her because he could relate to it. Seeing other people's needs demonstrates how much he

had changed.
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However, the hospital and Dr. McKee cannot escape the scrutiny of negative behaviors.

Dr. McKee was well-known for ignoring patients and treating them as if they were numbers on a

clipboard. One memorable scene was when he made a derogatory remark to a cardiac surgery

patient in his office, saying, "Tell your husband you look like a Playboy centerfold." You have

staple marks to prove it.” This was a very embarrassing and unprofessional comment to a patient

worse off to a woman. Despite the fact that he was diagnosing a fellow doctor, she treated him

like any other patient (Ashley & Watson, n.d).

By watching The Doctor and observing Dr. McKee's behavior at the beginning his

transformation during his hospitalization, I realized that the life we have is borrowed and we

have no control over it. I aspire to achieve the same level of success that Dr. McKee did in his

career, but with more humility and care. I want to be able to care for patients more.

References
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Assault & battery. (n.d.) Segen's Medical Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved July 2 2021

from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/assault&battery

Samanthika R.H (2011). Ethical Review to the movie ‘The Doctor’, 23rd Batch

Ashley D. & Watson R. (n.d). Watson, Film Clips that Illustrate the Patient’s Perspective in a

Medical Interview

The Doctor (1991). Available from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101746