Speaking calendar/National Doctor's Day
March 30th · Cultural Insight

National Doctor's Day

The god complex under pressure. This is a debate on the ethics of the healer. We explore the 1842 discovery of anesthesia and how the role of the doctor has shifted from wise healer to high-Pressure technician. Is a doctor responsible for saving a life at any cost, even if that life is no longer worth living?

SPEAKING LESSONB1 / B2Discussion · Vocabulary · Activities
01 / LET’S TALK

Speaking Discussion

  1. Does a doctor have a god complex? Is it necessary to be slightly arrogant to make life-and-death decisions?
  2. Should doctors be allowed to assist in end of life choices? When does care become control?
  3. How has the internet (Dr. Google) destroyed the authority of the medical profession? Is that a good thing?
  4. Why do we pay doctors so much less than footballers or cEOs? What does that say about our values?
  5. If a robot could perform surgery with 100% accuracy but 0% empathy, would you choose it over a human?
02 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Activity 1: The Bio-Ethics Board

The Task: You are a hospital board. A patient wants to turn off their machine. Their family says no. You have 3 minutes to decide. Use medical logic vs moral rights. Explain the weight of the decision.

Activity 2: Rapid Fire Debate

Justify in 30 seconds: 1. 'Doctors should be selected for empathy, not for grades.' 2. 'Death is a failure of medicine, not a part of life.' 3. 'The pharmaceutical industry is the biggest enemy of the honest doctor.'