Ethics Education
A Robust Program for Longitudinal Education
Medical ethics is a foundational element of modern clinical education, equipping clinicians to address the complexities of patient care with integrity and compassion. Michigan Bioethics offers a comprehensive, longitudinal program in clinical ethics education for faculty, staff, and trainees. Our curriculum includes lectures during house officer orientation, a combination of asynchronous and experiential UME and GME ethics electives, and specialized preceptorships for chaplaincy, social work, and nursing students. Reflective ethics sessions are integrated into UMMS clerkships in emergency medicine and obstetrics & gynecology to nurture ethical awareness among future physicians. We also host the nation’s first and only pre-doctoral clinical ethics fellowship, alongside a distinguished post-doctoral fellowship. Dedicated Bioethics Grand Rounds, both institution-wide and department-specific, provide ongoing engagement with timely ethical issues. Through these diverse opportunities, Michigan Bioethics demonstrates its commitment to ethical excellence and leadership in clinical practice.
Michigan Bioethics sponsors the monthly Bioethics Grand Rounds (BGR) — dynamic monthly presentations targeted to the Michigan Medicine community designed to promote greater ethics education for faculty, staff, trainees, and all other healthcare provider disciplines. BGR sessions highlight timely and relevant topics, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and connecting ethical theory to clinical practice to promote ongoing professional development, shared learning, and excellence in ethical consultation and decision-making.
BGR are recorded and fulfill the State of Michigan medical license requirement for medical ethics CME, and CEU credit for the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative. These events are available on the MiCME website for claiming continuing medical education credit.
Watch past Bioethics Grand Rounds presentations on the Michigan Bioethics YouTube channel.
Michigan Bioethics offers a range of educational opportunities designed to support both new and experienced committee members in developing and strengthening their skills in clinical ethics. Through review of real case discussions at monthly committee meetings, members engage in thoughtful analysis of complex ethical issues that arise in patient care.
Undergraduate Medical Education
The Ethics Path of Excellence is a co-curricular, longitudinal program offered to UMMS medical students. This includes formal lectures and interactive didactic sessions; attendance/participation at ethics committee meetings; training and shadowing in clinical ethics consultation; and empirical ethics research. Students are assigned advisors who connect them with mentors for their capstone for impact projects. This program has resulted in numerous publications, presentations, and other successful projects for the students and participating mentors.
During the branches (the last 2 years of medical school), we offer senior medical students a two-week, asynchronous, online introduction to ethics course. For more immersive experience, we also offer a one-month clinical ethics elective.
Graduate Medical Education
Michigan Bioethics offers dedicated lectures during house officer orientation, including the structure of the service, availability of ethics consultation, educational opportunities, and available resources for assistance.
House officers and fellows from every department can complete a dedicated intensive clinical ethics GME elective during their training, with a goal of familiarizing trainees with the ethics consultation process, relevant theory, and practice considerations specific for their training and field of study.
Michigan Bioethics offers a cocurricular Pre-Doctoral Clinical Ethics Fellowship for UMMS medical students and a Post-Doctoral Clinical Ethics Fellowship that can be completed concurrently with established GME residency or fellowship programs. These fellowships provide training consistent with the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) professional core competencies for professional credentialing through the Healthcare Ethics Consultation Certification (HEC-C program). Graduating fellows are eligible to sit for the HEC-C exam.
As a Magnet institution, we are committed to excellence in ethics education for nursing. Michigan Bioethics collaborates with nursing to offer specific programs in ethical practice relevant to their clinical work. These initiatives are closely linked with our proactive ethics rounds, to ensure that nurses “have a seat at the table,” can voice concerns regarding the process of care delivery, and to provide more dedicated didactic opportunities.
Michigan Bioethics sponsored Bioethics Journal Blub sessions provide a forum to critically examine and discuss current scholarship in bioethics, helping participants stay informed about emerging trends, frameworks, and debates in the field.
Bioethics Journal Club sessions fulfill the State of Michigan medical license requirement for medical ethics CME, and CEU credit for the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative. These events are available on the MiCME website for claiming continuing medical education credit.
