Sarah Stein on the EthicsLab

I love philosophy because, growing up, I was taught to ask questions. I was taught that the most important thing you can learn is to ask. Now, I find myself 5 years deep into a career path where certainty is valued far higher than curiosity. In medicine, the mould is to memorise. Study the anatomy, the side effects, the complications. One of the most difficult things is that I find medical school makes your brain fuller, but it doesn’t make you wiser.

I think that this is why I have come to love ethics so much.

To me, ethics (particularly bioethics) is the bridge between the human and the scientific. Not only is it the bridge, but the one cannot meaningfully exist without the other. Science without ethics loses sight of its purpose, and ethics without science lacks the tools to act. Without asking why we do what we do and what matters most, medicine very quickly becomes meaningless.

Over the last couple of years, I have become a major fan of the EthicsLab. It is a rare space where healthcare workers are encouraged to think deeply and to ask difficult questions. My first encounter with the team was during my third-year lectures, where we learnt about the foundations of ethics, and were encouraged to ask new types of questions about our future career paths. I very quickly become curious about the world of ethics, and the human side of science. My next involvement was during my special study module in 3rd year – where I was supervised by Dr Heidi Matisonn to complete a research project about the ethics of cognitive enhancement among surgeons.

This led me to think even more deeply about the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ of medicine. Heidi and Prof Jantina de Vries, the Director of the EthicsLab, encouraged me to attend the Clinical Ethics Forums they hold, and I have so enjoyed taking part in and watching this side of healthcare, and learning everything that I can from these intelligent and empathetic mentors. The CEFs offer a time, space and community for healthcare workers to speak openly, and to find guidance and camaraderie.

This year was especially exciting: usually, as soon as I’ve finished a block, Heidi and I have a meeting and unpack everything that I saw during that block. With everything I’ve shared, Heidi has been saying for a while that I need to write about these things and so this year, after I’d recovered from burnout and then gone into my gynaecology block to see exactly the same things happening, I decided to take her more seriously and write about my experiences. I couldn’t believe the responses I received from my piece – the Minister of Finance even quoted me in his Budget Speech!

I feel as if the EthicsLab allows me to think about, and deal with real problems that have real impact. I feel grateful that it has stretched me in ways that medical school never could. And I am proud to be a part of it.