St George's launches ethics service for medical and healthcare students

Medical and healthcare students at St George’s, University of London will soon have the back-up of their own clinical ethics support team — believed to be the first inter-disciplinary service of its kind in the country.

The new Clinical Ethics Consultation Service will provide students with the knowledge and support to navigate complicated ethical dilemmas. The Centre for Medical and Healthcare Education at St George’s has some of the UK’s top ethicists, and they will be on hand to offer their expertise.

Clinicians are regularly faced with complex moral dilemmas, such as whether to stop aggressive care at the end of life or when to breach a teenager’s confidentiality. Students study a range of similarly-difficult moral dilemmas in the classroom to prepare them for real-life situations. But those on clinical placement can find their ethical principles actually put to the test in real life. Amongst the renowned ethicists ready to tackle any issues thrown at them are Dr Deborah Bowman, Dr Daniel Sokol, and Dr John Spicer. They will cater for medical students, as well as those studying other healthcare subjects.

“Moral dilemmas don’t just affect doctors and nurses,” said Dr Sokol. “Nowadays, medical and healthcare students spend many hours on the wards and they too experience moral quandaries. This new service provides practical help in resolving their moral problems and shows how medical ethics is not confined to the classroom but pervades clinical life. It will lead the way in how medical schools provide concrete ethics support for their students.”

Students can request a consultation by phone, email, online form, or in person with one of the St George’s ethics experts, choosing to remain anonymous if they want.

The ethics team will create a database of cases that could be used for future teaching. It is hoped the service will help nurture a culture in which acting ethically is actively encouraged and supported.

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