Bearing witness and the ethical place of the medical student

Having a medical student present in a consultation is often seen as an imposition on the patient, with the key ethical concerns being around confidentiality and respect for the patient's dignity. The educational benefit for the student is primarily seen as being to enhance their clinical knowledge and experience, such that they develop, through observation and supervised practice, clinical and communication skills. However, through the paradigm of bearing witness, new aspects of this interaction can be explored. A witness is understood as a neutral third-party observer whose role is not based in action but to listen and remember. When applied to the role of a medical student on a clinical placement, two ethical aspects can be drawn out. First, this is of benefit to the patient in providing the time and space for them to be truly seen and heard. In turn, this signifies the possibility of being known. Second, this role enhances the ethical understanding of the student such that it is a form of moral education. Furthermore, this is within a social and political context which invokes a sense of responsibility. Studying the biology of a human is a process of alienation from engagement with humanity, turning a person into a set of biological processes. Through understanding a medical student's role as bearing witness, a clinical placement can be seen as having an ethical purpose in reconnecting them to their moral appreciation of individual human beings.