How to Become a Medical Ethicist

There is perhaps no field where ethics plays a greater role than in medicine. By definition, patients are vulnerable--sick, ill, and often in pain. Their treatment and care should be carried out with absolute ethical precision. The discipline of medical ethics thus becomes increasingly important as health care evolves in the 21st century. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

1. Check the American Medical Association's (AMA) "Principles of Medical Ethics." It is a reasonable baseline for an approach to the discipline.

2. Further review the history of the AMA's "Principles pf Medical Ethics." Focus on the changes between various iterations of the document.

3. Study an essay that reviews some of the new concerns about medical ethics. These center around a need to abandon a paternalistic attitude and give patients a greater say in their care.

4. Consider studying medical ethics (bioethics) as an undergraduate. If you go no further in your education, there are still a number of available career opportunities. Explore these opportunities with knowledgeable people within these departments.

5. Evaluate Masters programs in bioethics if you are an M.D., D.O. or you have a B.A. There are also Doctorate programs in bioethics at most of the universities offering Masters programs. A Doctorate will offer the greatest academic opportunities, even if you have an M.D. or D.O.

6. Network at all levels of your education process. This will increase your possibilities for employment. Employment possibilities lie within academic settings, government departments, and to a lesser degree, private business.

Resources

• American Medical Association's (AMA).
• Essay about some of the newer concerns about medical ethics.
• Website describing undergraduate program in medical ethics (bioethics).
• Description of Masters program in bioethics.