The 2009 EMSS Video Competition
Background
Socrates is reported to have said that ‘‘the shortest and surest way to live with
honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human
virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of
them.’’ If Socrates is correct, and we believe that he is, perhaps the best reason
for physicians to be socially responsible and to take part in activities that
contribute to the happiness, health, and prosperity of their communities is that
their participation in those activities might well reinforce many of the
characteristics most medical educators and citizens alike seem to value in
physicians. The hope would be that by participating in carefully designed,
socially responsible activities medical students would develop or have
reinforced such qualities as reliability, trustworthiness, dependability,
altruism, and compassion. If reinforcing valued personal and professional
characteristics is not an adequate rationale for supporting medical students’
involvement in socially responsible activities, there are also more pragmatic
reasons. Since the cost of medical education is far greater than the tuition
medical students pay it can be argued that they owe a significant debt to
society at the time of their graduation. Participation in socially responsible
activities that contribute to the happiness, health, and prosperity of less
fortunate citizens could be viewed as partial payment of that debt. In addition,
assuming a measure of responsibility for the welfare of their communities also
is consistent with a population-based approach to health care that many
medical educators believe should be a major component of medical school
curricula. Finally, of course, the participation of medical students in socially
responsible activities addresses directly the previously discussed social
contract between medical schools and the larger society.
‘‘Social responsibility’’ and ‘‘socially responsible’’ have become common