MED 300 Module 5 Module 5 Reflection: Humanistic Health Care and Ethics Example

Reviewed by Emmett Rockwell, MBA Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This MED 300 Module 5 sample is the humanistic-care reflection for MED 300's survey of health history and current issues, a core course in ASU's Medical Studies major. Worth 20 points, the ASU MED 300 piece fits three answers and at least two professional references on a single page. Module 5 covers humanistic health care and the ethics of improving care. The composite student reflects on a study linking physicians' empathy to patients' blood sugar and cholesterol control and on an ethics framework that treats continuous learning from patient care as a shared obligation of clinicians, patients and the institutions that employ them.

CourseMED 300 Historical and Contemporary Issues in Health
ModuleModule 5
Paper typeReflection paper
LengthAbout 281 words, 4 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramBS in Medical Studies
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for MED 300 Module 5

1

Empathy Is a Clinical Skill: A Reflection on Humanistic Health Care and Ethics

Student Name

BS in Medical Studies, Arizona State University

MED 300: Historical and Contemporary Issues in Health

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title states the reflection's main conclusion in five words.
2

Empathy Is a Clinical Skill: A Reflection on Humanistic Health Care and Ethics

A Belief That Shifted

I thought empathy was a personality trait: some clinicians have it and some do not, and it mainly makes patients feel better. A study of diabetic patients in a family medicine practice found that patients of physicians with high empathy scores more often reached target hemoglobin A1c (56% versus 40%) and of LDL cholesterol (59% versus 44%) than patients of physicians with low scores (Hojat et al., 2011). Empathy, it seems, is connected to clinical outcomes, which makes it a skill worth practicing, not a bonus.

Where I Want to Read Further

I want to know whether empathy can be taught and measured over time, and why studies find empathy often declines during clinical training. I also want to understand the ethics framework in this module, which argues that health systems should learn continuously from routine care and that clinicians and patients share obligations in that learning (Faden et al., 2013). I am curious how patients feel about their data being used to improve care.

How This Shapes the Clinician I Want to Be

I plan to treat empathy like a clinical skill: practicing listening, asking about patients' goals and checking understanding. The principles of respect for autonomy and beneficence give me words for why this matters ethically, not only emotionally (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019). In my scribe job, I notice which clinicians sit down and make eye contact; I want to be one of them.

Other Thoughts

Humanistic care and quality improvement can seem like separate worlds, one about feeling and one about data. The readings suggest they meet in the patient's outcomes.

References

Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Faden, R. R., Kass, N. E., Goodman, S. N., Pronovost, P., Tunis, S., & Beauchamp, T. L. (2013). An ethics framework for a learning health care system: A departure from traditional research ethics and clinical ethics. Hastings Center Report, 43(s1), S16-S27. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.134

Hojat, M., Louis, D. Z., Markham, F. W., Wender, R., Rabinowitz, C., & Gonnella, J. S. (2011). Physicians' empathy and clinical outcomes for diabetic patients. Academic Medicine, 86(3), 359-364. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182086fe1

MED 300 Module 5 instructions, in plain terms

Module 5 brings the fourth 20-point MED 300 reflection, responding to the module on humanistic health care and ethics in improving care. As in other weeks, cover the three standing prompts on assumptions, curiosity and your future practice, with at least two professional references. Limit the body to a page; title and reference pages follow APA. This module's readings include a Hastings Center report on the ethics of learning health care systems, which can pair well with a study on empathy or patient-centered care. Choose readings from both halves of the module, humanistic care and the ethics of improving care, so your reflection reflects the full week rather than a single article.

Inside the MED 300 Module 5 example

The sample opens with a belief about empathy and a study that reframed it with specific outcome figures. The second section names two questions for further reading, one about teaching empathy and one about the ethics of learning from patient data. The third uses ethical principles to explain why humanistic care matters and ends with an observed behavior the student will adopt, and a final thought connects humanistic care to quality improvement. Specific outcome figures turn an abstract value into evidence, and the professional section names a concrete habit, sitting down and making eye contact, that the student will practice. A closing thought ties the two halves of the module together. Each section opens with a clear topic sentence.

Where the marks sit in the MED 300 Module 5 rubric

For the full 20 points, instructors expect an honest account of changed thinking, accurate use of readings, specific learning questions, a professional commitment and correct APA format with at least two professional references. Marks drop for vague praise of empathy without evidence, for summaries of the readings and for reflections that miss one of the three questions. Graders also reward reflections that link ethical principles to everyday behavior and that raise thoughtful questions about patients' perspectives on learning health systems. Graders also look for respectful, nonjudgmental language when describing clinicians the student has observed, and for references drawn from both humanistic care and ethics readings. Specific, sourced claims score best.

MED 300 Module 5 help: mistakes that cost marks

Name the belief you held before the module, then the evidence that changed it. Connect ethics readings to a concrete practice, such as consent or communication. Describe one behavior you have observed and want to adopt or avoid. Keep the reflection personal but supported. Watch the one-page limit. If the ethics vocabulary seems remote from practice, ask our desk for an example. Pair one empirical study with one ethics reading for balance. Write the professional commitment as something you could do tomorrow. Check that both references are professional sources, not websites. Read your draft once for tone; reflections on empathy should sound sincere rather than preachy. Proofread both references against APA rules.

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This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

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MED 300 Module 5 questions, answered

Where can I find a free MED 300 Module 5 sample paper?

The full reflection on empathy and humanistic health care is on this page.

Is physician empathy linked to patient outcomes?

One study found patients of high-empathy physicians had better A1c and LDL control.

What is a learning health care system?

A system that continuously learns from routine care to improve it, raising its own ethical questions.

What topics does MED 300 Module 5 cover?

Humanistic health care and ethics in improving care.

How many references does a MED 300 reflection need?

At least two professional references.