Ethics in undergraduate medical education: sowing the seeds

Abstract 

This article discusses an approach to the teaching of ethics and associated legal issues in a new integrated medical curriculum. The importance of having a clear definition of learning outcomes and the integration of principles of core values of ethics with their practical application throughout the course is emphasized. The need to develop assessment tools to signal to students the importance of ethics study is also paramount. Important limitations to improving and enhancing ethics awareness is a lack of human resources appropriately trained in ethics, the law and moral philosophy. Staff development, ‘teaching the teacher’, is critical.

Keywords: education, medical, learning, curriculum/teaching methods, medical ethics

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• f1 Correspondence to: DPD. Tel.: +44 2920 743444; Fax: +44 2920 744283; E-mail: daviesdp@cardiff.ac.uk