Ethics Education

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This article briefly describes the background and status of medical education in the areas of ethics and professionalism. Methods of teaching and assessment are described for medical students, residents, and practitioners within the core competency framework of medical education. Key areas of content for child and adolescent psychiatrists are described.

Section snippets

General issues

Several issues complicate the effective teaching of ethics and professionalism within medicine. One issue is that the students are adults, who come to medicine and their specialties with values and beliefs shaped by prior experience and education. Modifying core personal beliefs is challenging. The literature on education indicates that teaching approaches based on the learner's learning style and previous knowledge and experience tend to be most effective; however, most medical education

Incorporation into child and adolescent psychiatry

Although didactic teaching is important, most teaching of medical ethics and professionalism is done by example. Medical students, general psychiatry residents, child psychiatry fellows, and the faculty learn from one another. Clinical ethical and professionalism challenges presenting in child and adolescent psychiatry can and should be used to teach medical students and residents. In addition, faculty can develop, maintain, and revise opportunities to discuss issues that may not occur until

Resources for teaching ethics and professionalism

There are several child and adolescent psychiatry textbooks that include information on relevant ethical and professional issues, and many recently published articles related to ethical and professional concerns in psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. There is an increasing literature on defining, teaching, and assessing ethics and professionalism within medical educational programs and residency training programs as well as for practitioners. Given that many of the attributes of

Future directions

With the impetus of the LCME, ACGME, and the ABMS, medical schools, residencies, and the credentialing boards will be developing and implementing formal methods of teaching and assessing medical ethics and professionalism. Clearer standards and a dedication to practical teaching will be required for accreditation of programs. Better, validated tools for assessment will result, as well as remediation programs that work. Child and adolescent psychiatry can work with and learn from the work in

Summary

Learning and maintaining an ability to see, analyze, and make decisions in ethical dilemmas is a key set of skills for all medical students, residents, and physicians. These are critical components of what is considered to be professionalism in medicine. A growing number of resources are available for child and adolescent psychiatrists and for the medical students and residents whom they teach and supervise. Effective teaching requires a combination of case discussion, reflection, and modeling,

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