HM 379: Health Care Law

This course is designed to provide students with a general overview and introduction to the American legal system, both procedural and substantive, with an emphasis on civil law as it relates to healthcare professionals. Risk management, tort liability, criminal law, agency, contracts, ethics, civil procedure, privacy, end-of-life decisions, administrative regulation, and basic employment law are among the topics covered. Textbook readings are supplemented with online resources which include a sample professional liability complaint against a hospital, the videotaped deposition of a nurse, the videotaped closing argument in a medical malpractice case against four doctors, the Illinois civil jury instructions used in medical malpractice lawsuits and footage of an appellate argument. At the conclusion of each module, students are expected to apply their knowledge and problem-solving skills to answer questions based upon realistic scenarios, thereby bringing theory to life.