2021 marks the fourth year that Susanne Raab and Brenda Osmond will be teaching the course in Medical Negligence Law as adjunct professors at the University of British Columbia. Representing patients who have been injured as a result of medical negligence is the only work we do at Pacific Medical Law and we are excited to share our knowledge and experience with the students.
This year, the class is filled to above capacity with 32 second and third-year law students registered in the course. Over the term, Susanne and Brenda walk students through issues of professional negligence concerning physicians, other health care professionals, and hospitals. The classes focus on helping students develop an understanding of the components of a medical malpractice action. The course considers issues of the doctor-patient relationship, consent, standard of care and causation, and explores practical issues that arise in medical malpractice actions, including the nature and function of expert witnesses, the use of documentation and difficulties of proof. At the end of the course, students write a comprehensive exam to demonstrate their ability to identify and analyze legal issues relating to physicians, other health care professionals, and hospitals.
Although some of the students in the class have a background in health care, most enroll to broaden their exposure to different areas of the law. Given we are one of the very few law firms in Canada that practice exclusively in the field of plaintiff medical malpractice and birth injury, Susanne and Brenda are happy to share their expertise with law students. Our goal in teaching the course is to provide students with insight into this unique and specialized area of practice, and maybe even inspire future medical negligence lawyers!
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