Curriculum Guidelines for Teaching Healthcare Ethics at Undergraduate Level

Abstract

Undergraduate courses in healthcare ethics should primarily focus on taking students on a journey that facilitates growth in the theoretical and practical areas of deliberation and ethical decision-making skills. A sound knowledge of the most prominent moral theories, together with knowledge of widely-recognised bioethics principles and medical law principles should underpin the course content. Ultimately healthcare ethics courses should result in skills that will empower students to effectively function in their specific professional healthcare fraternities. The first section of this chapter describes the rationale for the inclusion of four broad learning units. Each of these learning units will be subdivided into one or more modules. The Ethics principles learning unit includes the following modules: (1) Overview of ethics; (2) Moral theories; (3) Fundamental ethics principles; and (4) Clinical research ethics. The Ethical reasoning learning unit consists of only one module, while the Professional skills learning unit includes the following two modules: (1) Professionalism; and (2) Communication. The Legal considerations in healthcare learning unit consists only of a Medical law module. The second section of this chapter focuses on a description of each module’s specific learning outcomes. The aim of these learning outcomes is to ensure that healthcare students acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes that achieve deep learning and fundamental understanding of ethical principles, ethical reasoning, professional skills and medical law principles. The third section of this chapter focuses on a description of the assessment tasks that can be used in dynamic interaction with theory and practice throughout the undergraduate healthcare ethics course. The various assessment tasks focus on evidence-based endeavours to determine and establish the extent to which students have internalised the required sets of knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding ethics concepts and principles, ethical reasoning, professional skills and legal considerations in healthcare.