Applied Ethics for Clinical Practice

This module aims to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding in the field of clinical ethics. It offers students an advanced set of ethical skills and capacities that will facilitate their everyday practice and professionalism.

Students will learn how critical reasoning can uncover the constitutive assumptions of clinical cases, the various perspectives of people involved, and thus lead to a better understanding of what is at stake. They will also appraise and analyse ethical decision-making in different life-stages (from reproductive choices to the end of life).

Module delivery

Part time delivery, with the module delivered in one semester. The module runs in semester two.

In order to accommodate different professional and personal needs, the programme has a flexible structure. There are three grouped full days of face-to-face teaching combining lectures and workshops encouraging to engage with ethicists and health professionals and to share their experiences and ethical dilemmas.

Key dates and application information

• Apply by: 15.12.2025
• Module start date: 26.01.2026
• Module end date: 31.05.2026

Who is the module for?

This module is designed for healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, health care managers, medical students, medical and pharmaceutical researchers, radiographers, health care educators, chaplains, medical volunteers, hospice personnel and social workers).

Module details and indicative content

During your studies you will explore the following topics:

1. Ethical theories applied to complex case clinical decision making; Complexities of clinical ethics in integrated health care teams.
2. Advanced ethics of reproductive medicine
   1. Reproductive choice: interest of (1.) parents; (2.) future child; (3.) the state; (4.) preserving life
   2. Moral status of embryo
   3. Morality of abortion; assisted reproduction.
3. Children and young adults - ethical dilemmas
   1. Children Act(s);
   2. Parental responsibility
   3. Gillick competence; consent to treatment
   4. Child abuse.
4. Ethics in oncology: incidental findings; personalised treatment
5. Ethics for mental health: Definitions of ‘mental disorder’; Mental health Act; Compulsory detention in hospital; treatment outside hospital; crime and mental illness
6. Advanced ethics of palliative care:
   1. Active/passive euthanasia
   2. Competent/incompetent patient
   3. Withholding and withdrawing treatment
   4. Moral principles in end-of-life decisions: sanctity of life, the doctrine of double effect
   5. DNR and limitation to treatment
   6. Organ transplantation
7. Cost-Effective Analysis (CEA) and QALY (Quality Adjusted Life Year); calculating quality of life, ageism and needs theory; health responsibility; Rawls’ theory, social factors.
8. Ethical challenges in research design; Ethical principles for medical research: harm, scientific validity, coercion, research participation; sharing benefit, incidental findings.
9. Cross-cultural practice of medicine: ethics issues; medical interpreters, language barriers, truth telling, cultural norms and taboos.

How you are assessed

The summative assessments for this module will combine critical appraisal (of clinical ethics cases, theories and problems) and critical reflection (on clinical examples).

There are two summative assessments:

- A 3000-word written work (50%) consisting of a choice of 2 tasks from the following:

1. a) an ethical reflection on your chosen case (1500 words)
2. b) an annotated bibliography for your chosen topic (1500 words)
3. c) a reflexive diary/online blog (1500 words)
4. d) an ethics section designed for a grant application (1500 words)

- A 3000-word case study report (coursework 50%).