Overview
Ethical issues arising at the heart of clinical practice concerning matters such as obtaining consent, holding confidences, maintaining professional boundaries and managing multiple roles.
About this paper
| Paper title | Bioethics in Clinical Practice |
|---|---|
| Subject | Bioethics |
| EFTS | 0.25 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (Distance learning) |
| Delivery mode | The Distance Learning offering of this paper is taught and assessed remotely |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $2,498.25 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Notes
- There is one residential weekend held in Dunedin. Attendance is expected.
- Eligibility
Entry to Bioethics postgraduate papers assumes that the student has completed an undergraduate degree or has completed BITC 301 Bioethics or a 300-level paper in a related subject (e.g. in Philosophy, Politics, Law, Health Sciences or Life Sciences).
- Contact
- Teaching staff
- Teaching Arrangements
The Distance Learning offering of this paper is a combination of remote and in-person teaching.
There is one residential weekend held in Dunedin. Students are strongly advised to attend the residential weekend in person, though students may contact the paper convenor for an exemption if they are unable to attend in person.
The majority of assessment is by internal essays. There is no exam.
The seminars and lectures for BITC 405 are AV-linked.
- Textbooks
- No textbook is required for this paper, but readings are available on Blackboard.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will have:
- An understanding of the ethical issues arising in a diverse range of clinical situations
- An ability to identify the areas where law and ethics overlap in practical clinical decisions
- An understanding of the structure of clinical teams and the way that structure affects the management of patients
- An ability to appreciate the way in which illness impacts on the lives of patients
- An understanding of the demands and constraints on health care professionals
- An ability to recognise the ethical issues lying behind a clinical story or incident
- An appreciation of the real, multifaceted nature of clinical encounters
- An ability to apply abstract ethical ideas and theories, and forms of argument, to specific situations
Timetable
Overview
Ethical issues arising at the heart of clinical practice concerning matters such as obtaining consent, holding confidences, maintaining professional boundaries and managing multiple roles.
BITC 405 is a clinical ethics paper. Clinical practice raises ethical questions that call for careful, systematic reflection, yet busy clinical life rarely leaves room for it. Through real clinical cases and stories, this paper will identify the ethical issues behind a clinical encounter, analyse them using the tools of bioethics, and relate them to professional obligations. A decision to breach confidentiality, for example, can raise ethical, legal, and professional questions all at once, and part of the work of clinical ethics is distinguishing among them and seeing how they interact.
This paper is particularly relevant for health professionals who want to reflect on and strengthen their ethical practice. It is equally suited to those with a background in law, philosophy, policy or health management who want to engage with the real-world dilemmas of clinical care. Whatever your discipline, your experience will enrich the conversation.
About this paper
| Paper title | Bioethics in Clinical Practice |
|---|---|
| Subject | Bioethics |
| EFTS | 0.25 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (Distance learning) |
| Delivery mode | The Distance Learning offering of this paper is taught and assessed remotely |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Notes
- There is one residential weekend held in Dunedin. Attendance is expected.
- Eligibility
Entry to Bioethics postgraduate papers assumes that the student has completed an undergraduate degree or has completed BITC 301 Bioethics or a 300-level paper in a related subject (e.g. in Philosophy, Politics, Law, Health Sciences or Life Sciences).
- Contact
- Teaching staff
- Teaching Arrangements
This distance learning paper is delivered fully online. Live two-hour seminars are held via Zoom on Thursday afternoons, 4-6 pm, throughout the semester. All sessions are recorded and available on demand through our learning platform Aoroa. Flexible by design, the paper fits around your professional commitments, while still offering plenty of opportunity for group discussion and collaboration, both in live classes and online. There is no residential weekend. Instead, there is one additional Friday afternoon session, 2-5 pm, in week 30.
Each seminar combines key concepts and arguments in clinical ethics with discussion of cases. There is no final examination. Assessment consists of a range of written and presentation-based assignments that develop your ethical analysis and argumentation.
- Textbooks
All material will be available on Aoroa. There are no specific textbooks required for this paper.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Interdisciplinary perspective; lifelong learning; communication; critical thinking; cultural understanding; ethics; teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will have:
- An understanding of the ethical issues arising in a diverse range of clinical situations
- An ability to identify the areas where law and ethics overlap in practical clinical decisions
- An understanding of the structure of clinical teams and the way that structure affects the management of patients
- An ability to appreciate the way in which illness impacts on the lives of patients
- An understanding of the demands and constraints on health care professionals
- An ability to recognise the ethical issues lying behind a clinical story or incident
- An appreciation of the real, multifaceted nature of clinical encounters
- An ability to apply abstract ethical ideas and theories, and forms of argument, to specific situations