The Necessity of Clinical Experience in Medical Ethics Expertise

Abstract

Any claim to medical ethics expertise will be wanting if the purported expert’s only basis for that claim is theoretical knowledge, such as that built on philosophical theorizing and thought experiments. Exposure to ethical theory is a necessary but not sufficient condition for medical ethics expertise. Those proposing to call themselves experts in this domain, such as clinical ethics consultants, must have significant clinical exposure in order to wrestle with concrete and nuanced cases. Additionally, they must make sure that their skill sets are current, as clinical ethics draws on multiple fields that are dynamic and evolving.