MA Medical Ethics and Palliative Care

This programme provides an opportunity to undertake in-depth study of healthcare ethics and law relating to palliative and end-of-life care. Students develop the ability to think systematically and critically about the moral and legal issues encountered by healthcare professionals, managers and policymakers in this field. Ideal for working professionals or recent graduates with interests in palliative care, the programme comprises four taught modules plus a dissertation on a topic chosen by the student. Teaching takes place in short, intensive blocks to facilitate combining study with full-time work, and the course may be studied flexibly over one, two or five years. Nowhere is healthcare ethics more relevant than the difficult decisions taken during palliative care. The combination of advances in medical technology, increased expectations, and changing moral attitudes has given rise to a host of complex ethical and legal issues for those involved in the delivery of end-of-life healthcare. For example, who should make medical decisions for patients who are too ill to decide for themselves What should the response be to patients who refuse treatments likely to be beneficial or demand treatments that are unlikely to succeed

The reality of these situations is rarely straightforward, especially when decision-making not only affects patients and their loved ones, but also involves a large, interdisciplinary support team, which can include physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, and dietitians. Care itself can also be provided in a variety of contexts, including in hospice, hospital, and home settings. Since multiple values lie at the heart of care giving decisions, it’s no surprise that conflict can arise.

This unique programme provides an opportunity to explore and understand the moral dilemmas confronting those involved in all aspects of end-of-life care, and the ethical, legal and policy issues that arise in palliative care and related fields.

You’ll gain a solid grounding in a wide range of ethical frameworks which cover actions, consequences and character, from consequentialism and deontology to virtue or ethics of care. These will give you the tools to compare and contrast different approaches, and experience of applying ethical concepts, so you will be better able to articulate them in a professional setting.

Course content is regularly updated to reflect current developments and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to discuss, debate and apply your findings to real-life and fictionalised case studies.
For example, students have recently considered the Assisted Dying Bill when it was under consideration by the House of Lords, and a case in which a Dutch doctor was prosecuted for administering euthanasia on the basis of an advance directive that the patient had written while in the early stages of dementia.

Of particular interest to those working in hospice, hospital or community palliative care settings, this MA has previously attracted a broad range of professionals, recent graduates and intercalating medical students. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds and report that meeting and exchanging ideas with others who work in different fields and in different parts of the country is one of the major benefits of the course.

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