What is a “good death?”
It’s one of the questions that students must consider in their biomedical ethics class taught by Eli Shupe, assistant professor of philosophy and humanities and program coordinator for the Medical Humanities and Bioethics program. The course includes a service-learning component in which UTA students volunteer with Hospice Plus, a hospice provider that delivers home health, palliative, and hospice care services to sick and dying patients in Arlington.
“Students are learning so much more by having direct interaction with patients in hospice—things you can’t teach through a textbook,” says Dr. Shupe. “They can also see firsthand how the readings and theories that we’re talking about actually shape patient care and patient experiences in real life.”
In this partnership, students do not administer medication or offer medical advice but instead provide friendly company at a patient’s bedside.
Manar Naser Babaa, a senior studying biology, says that before taking Shupe’s class, it never occurred to her to volunteer with hospice patients.
“I was nervous about how the experience would unfold,” Babaa says. “Now, I am grateful I got to see this side of health care. I learned how meaningful it is to simply be there for patients and offer them companionship and relief.”
