A couple of weeks ago I found myself lying in a hospital bed discussing the need for surgery. The only time I’ve had surgery before was when I was infant. Now, at 25 years old, I was going through a procedure to alleviate the excruciating pain I was experiencing. As a newly admitted attorney, I began panicking about the fact that I didn’t have all my documents in order. But there was one document I knew I needed to fill out before going into surgery: a health care proxy form.
A health care proxy form is an important legal document that allows you to indicate who can make health care decisions for you in the event that you are unable to. In addition, you can indicate your decision on tissue and organ donation. I knew I needed to fill out the document when I entered the emergency room, but I was truly impressed when the physician assistant asked if I had a health care proxy.
Fortunately my procedure was a success, and I’m back on my feet! I’m glad I went through the process of appointing a health care proxy. I hope you never find yourself in a situation where you’ll need to appoint one in an emergency, but in case you want a health care proxy down the road, you should consider filing the form out as a preemptive act.
Has anyone else filled one out? If so, what motivated you to do so?
The NYS Health Care Proxy Form is available at: http://www.health.ny.gov/forms/doh-1430.pdf.
Michael Forsette is a first-year law student and a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Before coming to New York Law School, Michael went to The University of Scranton, where he double majored in Communication and Philosophy. Thanks to his studies as an undergraduate, Michael is interested in intellectual property as well as media and entertainment law. However, he also has an interest in litigation and one day even hopes to serve as a judge. He’s loved the arts, from music to writing and more, ever since he was a kid and has carried that with him to law school, where it helps him unwind when he’s not studying or in in class. For Michael, though, there’s nothing better than hanging out with friends and watching a good movie or exploring what New York City has to offer.
Alina Goncharova is a first-year student at New York Law School. Born in Ukraine, Alina immigrated to Brooklyn, New York with her family when she was in the first grade and has lived there since. Alina realized that she wanted to pursue a law career when she took a Business Law class when she was pursuing an undergrad degree in Business Administration at Brooklyn College. During college, Alina worked at a pediatrics practice as a payment collections manager. When Alina began her first year at NYLS, she joined several student organizations, including the American Constitution Society; the Media, Entertainment, and Fashion Law Association; and the International Law Society. After law school, Alina hopes to work as in-house counsel at an entertainment/media company.
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