An interprofessional course in bioethics: Training for real-world dilemmas

Abstract

Future health professionals are often educated with other students of their same discipline when, in practice, they will be working with professionals from other backgrounds to provide care for the patient. Complex issues of ethical concern are common to health professionals due to modern technology. This paper describes the evolution of an interprofessional bioethics course that had a unique combination of students and faculty. Innovative teaching methods were utilized and continuously refined based on student evaluations. Students commonly cited the interprofessional interactions as the most enjoyable part of the learning experience. Establishing a patient-centered focus and an appreciation of the contributions of other disciplines, students learned how to apply ethical decision-making to real cases. At the conclusion of the course, students reported improved attitudes toward interprofessional teamwork. This course format and teaching techniques may be applied at other universities looking for linkages to encourage consistent interprofessional collaboration across disciplines.

Effects of ethics education on moral sensitivity of nursing students

“…Including a mixture of senior nursing students with students from other disciplines should also be considered in future courses as inter-professional ethics education could help nursing students improve their collaborative teamwork. 32 It is imperative to continue discussions about developing more innovative content and delivery methods for nursing ethics educations in the future.…”

Nurses’ professional values: Influences of experience and ethics education

“…Since moral action is of paramount importance in nursing, it is important to first assess how nurses align with expectations delineated by their professional code of ethics. Healthcare continues to grow ever more sophisticated and technologically complex; nurses need increased support to stay grounded in the profession's code of ethics, true to high standards of patient care and competent to engage in interdisciplinary ethical dialogue (Jansson et al, 2015;Lennon-Dearing, Lowry, Ross, & Allen, 2009;Poikkeus, Numminen, Suhonen, & Leino-Kilpi, 2014). Conflicts related to professional values have been associated with negative effects such as moral distress, effects upon patient safety, quality of care, persistence in the profession and legal ramifications (Jameton, 1993;Numminen, Leino-Kilpi, Isoaho, & Meretoja, 2015;Storaker, Nåden, & Saeteren, 2017;Ulrich et al, 2010).…”

“…Some nurses may be influenced by participating in organisation-sponsored ethics inservices, ethics-associated certifications or nursing ethics programmes in their workplace (Dodd et al, 2004;Seattle Children's Hospital, 2016;Settle, 2014;Ulrich et al, 2010). Graduate coursework may influence professional values development, as it may include additional nursing ethics content and exploration (Gallegos & Sortedahl, 2015;Lennon-Dearing et al, 2009). Despite some studies suggesting impacts of continued education on select aspects of nurses'…”

Understanding students’ and clinicians’ experiences of informal interprofessional workplace learning: an Australian qualitative study

“…While healthcare students often participate in interprofessional learning activities as part of formal ‘classroom-based’ curricula, 1 their understanding of other healthcare professionals’ roles and interprofessional team-working are often learnt as part of work-based informal learning. 2 3 Healthcare students develop their knowledge and learn skills, behaviours, attitudes and practices, both good and bad—through the structures and cultures of the healthcare workplace and work-based role modelling involving student–clinician interactions.…”