Introduction to Clinical Ethics

BTHX 5100 | Introduction to Clinical Ethics

Jan. 17 - May 10

Spring 2023 Courses
3 Cr
| Thursdays 3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
| Blended: Combination of in-person & online or remote

Healthcare is full of gray areas, high stakes situations, and tensions between personal and professional values.  This course explores the moral nature of the healthcare professions and common values-based conflicts in clinical practice. By examining everyday cases, exploring current issues in healthcare, and developing habits of reflective practice, learners will have the opportunity to recognize and respond to moral uncertainties that arise in the interprofessional clinical environment. The course presents practical knowledge and skills needed for ethics deliberation and decision making.  This is a blended instruction course where students can expect a majority of sessions held in-person and occasional online sessions. This course has been approved for Interprofessional Education (IPE) credit for health professions students.

About the Instructor

Headshot of Joan Henriksen

Joan Henriksen, PhD, RN, HEC-C, serves as the Clinical Ethicist at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.  She started her career as a registered nurse in pediatric cardiology and then earned a PhD in Religious Studies (Ethics) from the University of Iowa.  She has worked in clinical ethics since 2007 and currently spends most of her time responding to bedside ethics consultation requests and providing ethics education to clinicians and medical learners. Her scholarship focuses on ethics consultation practice, preventing ethical crises with proactive approaches, and clinician moral distress.  Outside of work, you can find Joan following the many activities of her two teenage sons and enjoying the outdoors, hiking, and house projects.

Dr. Henriksen recently presented for Unpacking Bedside Bioethics, our quarterly virtual series introducing foundational clinical ethics issues. Click below to watch "'Who Ya Gonna Call?' When Your Patients Can't Decide by Themselves".

Recording