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Unit of study_
LAWS5152: Medical Law
2025 unit information
This unit of study provides an introduction to some of the legal issues that arise in modern health care. Key topics covered in the unit include: consent to medical treatment, professional liability of health professionals and health care institutions, medical negligence, the regulation of reproduction (including termination of pregnancy), and end-of-life decision-making, including assisted dying or "euthanasia". Aspects of the regulation of reproductive technology, and of privacy, confidentiality and access to medical records will also be considered. By the end of the unit, students will have a grounding in legislation and caselaw regulating the provision of health care services, and will also be aware of some of the ethical issues that arise in medical contexts. Student participation in class discussion will be expected.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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LAWS3452 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Analyse and evaluate the substantive content and operation of health care law in Australia, focusing on consent, professional liability, medical negligence, and end-of-life decision-making among other topics.
- LO2. Identify and explain key legislative sources, common law, and equitable doctrines that impact medical practice and the delivery of health services in Australia.
- LO3. Critically analyse and resolve legal problems arising in the delivery of health care to both adult and child patients, employing appropriate legal principles and theories.
- LO4. Apply legislative and common law principles to construct solutions to legal scenarios and problems encountered in the delivery of health services.
- LO5. Develop sound, logically structured legal arguments in response to complex legal problems and communicate these to diverse audiences.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
