STUDENT PROFILE Dr. Felicity Fishman
Becoming a Better Advocate
Dr. Felicity Fishman is earning her MJ in Health Law
As an orthopedic surgeon with a specialty in hands and upper extremities, Dr. Felicity Fishman holds many degrees. But her educational journey isn鈥檛 over. In December, Dr. Fishman will graduate with a Master of Jurisprudence (MJ) in Health Law. This online degree program prepares health professionals to better understand the intersections among health care, law, regulation, and policy.
Fishman, who is on staff at and Shriners Children鈥檚, shared her thoughts on the program.
Why did you decide to pursue the MJ in Health Law degree?
In medical training, you are hyper-focused on the medical aspects. You鈥檙e learning your craft, how to be a safe surgeon and how to make good decisions for your patients. You鈥檙e not really learning about the larger environment in which you practice.
As I got further along in my career, I kept encountering issues that I didn鈥檛 have much knowledge about鈥攁nd a lot of it was health law-based. For example, are we truly getting informed consent with pediatric patients? For patients who don鈥檛 have insurance or aren鈥檛 citizens, what are the legal implications when they seek health care? These are the kinds of health law issues I wanted to understand so I could be a better advocate for my patients.
How has the program informed your medical career so far?
It鈥檚 given me a wider lens to look at my day-to-day and long-term activities. I find myself thinking about problems a bit differently. Some of the law learning is very analytical and it鈥檚 a different approach for me.
I took a class on leadership that was extremely useful. I didn鈥檛 receive any formal leadership training in medical school; you just kind of wing it. In the 黑料门course, I learned techniques for leading a meeting, organizing around a goal, and how to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
Given your dual perspective as a student and an employee, what do you think makes 黑料门special?
The 黑料门community truly tries to follow an ethical model. At the hospital, we have a patient-centered approach. 黑料门Medicine is really dedicated to caring for every person that walks in the door. There鈥檚 an emphasis on maintaining a high standard of ethics and care. And the graduate programs have the same vibe鈥攁 pervasive theme of 鈥渄o the right thing鈥� that you鈥檙e not necessarily going to find elsewhere. 鈥�Kelsey Schagemann (September 2022)
