Global Medical Ethics MSc

This module will provide students with the opportunity to explore and understand ethical problems and theories, to enhance their ethical reasoning skills and to develop a series of research skills and professional behaviours in the fields of clinical ethics and in ethical decision-making processes.
Major advances in medical technology, increased patients’ expectations, social media (and the access to both quality and fake medical information), limited healthcare resources nationally and internationally, and changing moral attitudes have combined to generate an increasing range of complex ethical and legal problems in the fields related to medical ethics. Professionals and individuals who care for patients with chronic and acute illnesses can face particularly pressing and difficult moral choices. This module provides an opportunity to gain a deeper and more systematic understanding of these issues, and to explore the moral problems health care professionals working in these areas may face.
Through the exploration of different ethical perspectives, the students will gain a much deeper understanding of ethical challenges in everyday healthcare practice. This module is designed to help students to comprehend different perspectives: the ethical decisions for healthcare staff; patients’ perspectives on ‘ethical care’ and patients’ moral commitments to their immediate environments (families, other chains of care); institutional levels of care and the ethics of resource allocation; duty of care towards the research subjects; as well as ethical suggestions and contributions towards improving present health care practices.

Liverpool’s School of Medicine is ideally located for access to some of the UK’s leading specialist clinical units. Students will have the advantage of being taught by ethicists together with clinical experts in hospitals such as Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, The Palliative Care Institute Liverpool, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and The Walton Centre, the UK’s only specialist hospital trust dedicated to neurological services.

Students also benefit from the expertise within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences research institutes teaching and research links with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and surrounding medical institutions.

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).

In order to accommodate different professional and personal needs, the programme has a flexible structure. There are 3 grouped full days of face to face teaching, when the students have the opportunity to attend the lectures and workshops, to engage with ethicists and health professionals and to share their experiences and ethical dilemmas. Along the teaching semester, and generally for the duration of the whole programme, students will engage with teachers and students through an online learning format which will benefit from highly authentic approaches to learning and assessment.

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), but students with interest in bioethics, medical sociology and medical anthropology are also encouraged to apply.
Students have the opportunity to explore topics like: International Medical Migration, Ethics and Pandemics, Principles of Global Justice in Healthcare, Pharmaceutical Cultures, International Professionalism, Medical Values across the World. The module will be taught by mixed teams of clinicians, ethicists, and global health experts. Students with experience in international placements are invited to share their experiences and thoughts.

This module has been specifically designed and developed to be part of an MA programme (Global and Applied Healthcare Ethics) and is to be included in future professional practice programmes. Launching the module in September 2020 as CPD will assist in identifying the market interest and is in response to feedback from local NHS practitioners as initial evidence of demand.

The specific aims of this module are to develop healthcare professionals’ ability to appraise and analyse the impact of global healthcare problems (staff mobility, migration, pandemics) on national healthcare provisions, regulations and to understand the ethical implications of a globalised understanding of health and healthcare.
In comparison to the other modules this module allows students to apply ethical theories to wider, global healthcare scenarios and to analyse in greater depth challenges of practicing medicine in a different culture. Current topics of critical debate will be presented by experts, who are working at the heart of these ethical challenges within the healthcare system.
In order to accommodate different professional and personal needs, the programme has a flexible, online structure. This module will be delivered in a blended learning format which uses digital skills in the virtual learning environment to explore the subject area of global healthcare ethics. Existing best practice in technology will be used to augment learning.

Teaching will be delivered using a wide range of methods including e-lectures, online seminars, blogs, podcasts and quizzes. Case study workshops will be a feature of this programme to allow free discussion in multi-disciplinary groups of clinical professionals.

The authentic assessment – in line with the principles of Curriculum 2021 – aims at creating brief reports (as part of the presentation and the first Coursework assessment) on global ethics issues. Weekly formative assessments will be developed online to allow students to measure their progress and to respond to feedback.

Contributions to teaching will be from key research areas in connection with Global Heath and where appropriate cross-Faculty to ensure research informed teaching.
Teaching will be provided by mixed teams of clinicians, ethicists, representatives of medical Institutions (e.g. GMC) and university lecturers providing an experiential, peer group and active learning environment.

The summative assessments for this module consist of three components 1. Presentation (25%, topic of choice); 2. First essay based on the presentation (25%, 1500 words); 3. Second essay, (50%, Case study report, 3000 words).

Liverpool’s School of Medicine is ideally located for access to some of the UK’s leading specialist clinical units. Students will have the advantage of being taught by ethicists together with clinical experts in hospitals such as Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, The Palliative Care Institute Liverpool, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and The Walton Centre, the UK’s only specialist hospital trust dedicated to neurological services.

Students also benefit from the expertise within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences research institutes teaching and research links with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and surrounding medical institutions.

The Global Medical Ethics (GME) (intercalated) programme is aimed at intercalating medical students and will provide students with the opportunity to develop in depth applied knowledge, clinical practice, research skills and professional behaviours.
In the core placement modules student will rotate through the three specialist areas within one working within clinical, community care and charity teams to apply knowledge, perform and develop clinical skills and learn (and demonstrate) professional behaviours, in often complex situations. Student engagement and progress will be assessed by portfolio and guided reflection.

Through exposure to highly integrated practice across different healthcare settings, students will gain a much deeper understanding of the ethical dilemmas encountered during ‘patient journey’ and the design and main principles of the NHS ethics that deliver a framework to clinical decision making, including legal, ethical, governance and research components of wider clinical practice, ensuring deep understanding of the inherent linked nature of the specialties with authentic assessment.

In this introductory module, students will be prepared with the underpinning knowledge and relevant clinical skills to support them on their entry into GME medicine placements. It is designed to consolidate and develop knowledge and skills gained to date during their undergraduate MBChB programme.

They will learn key basic skills needed for activities in the hospital, community care and health charities settings, focused on common ethical issues and core ethical skills to support their activities in clinical placement modules. In addition, they will develop the transferable skills and behaviours necessary to engage with clinical decisions in complex and unpredictable contexts; and learn how to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions in support of patient-based medicine in the GME environment.

This module was developed to offer students the possibility of observing ‘bedside ethics’, i.e., how in the everyday clinical practice ethical problems occur and how ethical decisions are made.

It is based on a four-week placement within the NHS (e.g. covering primary care, ITU and other specialities)

The module prepares students to undertake a work-based project which is an integrative activity of the MSc Intercalating Global Medical Ethics programme.
The aim of this module is to enable students to use and extend knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their Undergraduate Medical programme of study. Using critical thinking, reflection, ethical arguments for clinical decision-making, students will have the opportunity to explore an area of interest within clinical practice in greater depth, by seeing ‘ethics in action’. Students will work on a specific clinical issue (ethical dilemmas, regulation, new ethically unchartered territory, global healthcare issue etc.) and undertake a self-managed process of systematic ethical inquiry.

The module adopts a tripartite approach with the student being supported by a work-based supervisor with expertise in the student’s chosen area of study and an academic at the University. Within this tripartite agreement, the student is recognised as being the main drive to the success of this module. A clinical supervisor (clinically qualified) will need to be approved by the programme director.
The module will then be assessed by a 15-minute presentation (30%) (Poster), Portfolio (40%), and a reflective summary (500 words) based on their placement experience (30%).

Through exposure to multifaceted integrated practice across the field of Global Medical Ethics, students will gain a much deeper understanding of the patient’s ‘journey’ and dilemmas, including legal, ethical, governance and research components of wider healthcare practice, ensuring deep understanding of the inherently linked nature of ethics and care.
This module was developed to offer students the possibility of observing ‘bedside ethics’, i.e., how in the everyday health charities’ practice ethical problems occur and how ethical decisions are made.

It is based on a four-week (2 days per week) placement within health charities.

The module prepares students to undertake a work-based project which is an integrative activity of the MSc Intercalating Global Medical Ethics programme.
The aim of this module is to enable students to use and extend knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their Undergraduate Medical programme of study. Using critical thinking, reflection, ethical arguments for clinical decision-making, students will have the opportunity to explore an area of interest within cross-cultural healthcare practice in greater depth, by seeing ‘ethics in action’. Students will work on a specific ethical issue (ethical dilemmas, regulation, new ethically uncharted territory, global healthcare issue etc.) and undertake a self-managed process of systematic ethical inquiry.

The module adopts a tripartite approach with the student being supported by a work-based supervisor with expertise in the student’s chosen area of study and an academic at the University. Within this tripartite agreement, the student is recognised as being the main drive to the success of this module. This person will need to be approved by the programme director.
The module will then be assessed by a 15-minute presentation (30%) (PowerPoint), Portfolio (40%), and a reflective summary (500 words) based on their placement experience (30%).

Through exposure to multifaceted integrated practice across the field of Global medical Ethics, students will gain a much deeper understanding of the patient’s ‘journey’ and dilemmas, including legal, ethical, governance and research components of wider healthcare practice, ensuring deep understanding of the inherently linked nature of ethics and care.
This module was developed to offer students the possibility of observing ‘bedside ethics’, i.e., how in the everyday clinical practice ethical problems occur and how ethical decisions are made.

It is based on a four-week (2 days per week) placement within community care institutions (care homes, hospices etc.).

The module prepares students to undertake a work-based project which is an integrative activity of the MSc Intercalating Global Medical Ethics programme.
The aim of this module is to enable students to use and extend knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their Undergraduate Medical programme of study. Using critical thinking, reflection, ethical arguments for clinical decision-making, students will have the opportunity to explore an area of interest within clinical practice in greater depth, by seeing ‘ethics in action’. Students will work on a specific clinical issue (ethical dilemmas, regulation, new ethically unchartered territory, global healthcare issue etc.) and undertake a self-managed process of systematic ethical inquiry.

The module adopts a tripartite approach with the student being supported by a work-based supervisor with expertise in the student’s chosen area of study and an academic at the University. Within this tripartite agreement, the student is recognised as being the main drive to the success of this module. This person will need to be approved by the programme director.
The module will then be assessed by a reflection on their portfolio, 1000 words (40%), Portfolio (20%), and an information leaflet about an ethics issue (40%).

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).

The overall goal of this module is to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding in the field of clinical ethics. It offers students an enhanced set of ethical skills and capacities that will facilitate their everyday practice and professionalism.

In order to accommodate different professional and personal needs, the programme has a flexible structure. There are 3 grouped full days of face to face teaching, when the students have the opportunity to attend the lectures and workshops, to engage with ethicists and health professionals and to share their experiences and ethical dilemmas.

This module will provide students with the opportunity to explore and understand the latest developments in clinical ethics and to acquire a set of skills that will enable them to make ethically sound decisions in their everyday practice. Clinical ethics is considered to be the most important part of medical ethics today. It has its roots in clinical practice, in medical and healthcare education, and in the wider social perceptions on what is morally acceptable in medicine. Clinical ethics is the most vibrant field of applied ethics because its theories are rapidly tested in clinical reality by patients, professionals and ethics committees in making ‘good decisions’ in difficult circumstances.

Students will explore the latest developments in this field and are invited to contribute to teaching with their own professional experience, moral feelings and ideas. They will learn how to investigate and elucidate specific ethical problems in various clinical settings (e.g. neonatal, oncology, mental heath, palliative care). Experienced clinicians and ethicists will guide their way to what has been called "Hippocrates’ labyrinth". 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).

In comparison to the first module this module allows students to apply theories to a greater depth and to contextualise both in their own practice, and the practice of their peers across a range of clinical scenarios. Current topics of critical debate will be presented by experts, who are working at the heart of these ethical challenges within the healthcare system of todays society.

Students are invited to contribute to teaching with their own professional experience, moral feelings and ideas. 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).

The summative assessment for this module has two parts: a critical appraisal and critical reflection of a choice of topics (in total 3000 words), and a 3000 word case study report, mirroring a real-life report exercise.

Liverpool’s School of Medicine is ideally located for access to some of the UK’s leading specialist clinical units. Students will have the advantage of being taught by ethicists together with clinical experts in hospitals such as Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, The Palliative Care Institute Liverpool, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and The Walton Centre, the UK’s only specialist hospital trust dedicated to neurological services.

Students also benefit from the expertise within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences research institutes teaching and research links with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and surrounding medical institutions.

This module was developed to offer students the possibility of observing ‘bedside ethics’, i.e., how in the everyday clinical practice ethical problems occur and how ethical decisions are made.

It is based on a four-week placement within the NHS (e.g. covering primary care, ITU and other specialities)

The module prepares students to undertake a work-based project which is an integrative activity of the MSc Intercalating Global Medical Ethics programme.
The aim of this module is to enable students to use and extend knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their Undergraduate Medical programme of study. Using critical thinking, reflection, ethical arguments for clinical decision-making, students will have the opportunity to explore an area of interest within clinical practice in greater depth, by seeing ‘ethics in action’. Students will work on a specific clinical issue (ethical dilemmas, regulation, new ethically unchartered territory, global healthcare issue etc.) and undertake a self-managed process of systematic ethical inquiry.

The module adopts a tripartite approach with the student being supported by a work-based supervisor with expertise in the student’s chosen area of study and an academic at the University. Within this tripartite agreement, the student is recognised as being the main drive to the success of this module. A clinical supervisor (clinically qualified) will need to be approved by the programme director.
The module will then be assessed by a 15-minute presentation (30%) (Poster), Portfolio (40%), and a reflective summary (500 words) based on their placement experience (30%).

Through exposure to multifaceted integrated practice across the field of Global Medical Ethics, students will gain a much deeper understanding of the patient’s ‘journey’ and dilemmas, including legal, ethical, governance and research components of wider healthcare practice, ensuring deep understanding of the inherently linked nature of ethics and care.
This module was developed to offer students the possibility of observing ‘bedside ethics’, i.e., how in the everyday health charities’ practice ethical problems occur and how ethical decisions are made.

It is based on a four-week (2 days per week) placement within health charities.

The module prepares students to undertake a work-based project which is an integrative activity of the MSc Intercalating Global Medical Ethics programme.
The aim of this module is to enable students to use and extend knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their Undergraduate Medical programme of study. Using critical thinking, reflection, ethical arguments for clinical decision-making, students will have the opportunity to explore an area of interest within cross-cultural healthcare practice in greater depth, by seeing ‘ethics in action’. Students will work on a specific ethical issue (ethical dilemmas, regulation, new ethically uncharted territory, global healthcare issue etc.) and undertake a self-managed process of systematic ethical inquiry.

The module adopts a tripartite approach with the student being supported by a work-based supervisor with expertise in the student’s chosen area of study and an academic at the University. Within this tripartite agreement, the student is recognised as being the main drive to the success of this module. This person will need to be approved by the programme director.
The module will then be assessed by a 15-minute presentation (30%) (PowerPoint), Portfolio (40%), and a reflective summary (500 words) based on their placement experience (30%).

Through exposure to multifaceted integrated practice across the field of Global medical Ethics, students will gain a much deeper understanding of the patient’s ‘journey’ and dilemmas, including legal, ethical, governance and research components of wider healthcare practice, ensuring deep understanding of the inherently linked nature of ethics and care.
This module was developed to offer students the possibility of observing ‘bedside ethics’, i.e., how in the everyday clinical practice ethical problems occur and how ethical decisions are made.

It is based on a four-week (2 days per week) placement within community care institutions (care homes, hospices etc.).

The module prepares students to undertake a work-based project which is an integrative activity of the MSc Intercalating Global Medical Ethics programme.
The aim of this module is to enable students to use and extend knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their Undergraduate Medical programme of study. Using critical thinking, reflection, ethical arguments for clinical decision-making, students will have the opportunity to explore an area of interest within clinical practice in greater depth, by seeing ‘ethics in action’. Students will work on a specific clinical issue (ethical dilemmas, regulation, new ethically unchartered territory, global healthcare issue etc.) and undertake a self-managed process of systematic ethical inquiry.

The module adopts a tripartite approach with the student being supported by a work-based supervisor with expertise in the student’s chosen area of study and an academic at the University. Within this tripartite agreement, the student is recognised as being the main drive to the success of this module. This person will need to be approved by the programme director.
The module will then be assessed by a reflection on their portfolio, 1000 words (40%), Portfolio (20%), and an information leaflet about an ethics issue (40%).

This module is designed for the research project element of Master’s level programmes of study within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. It is designed for students undertaking clinical projects and those that are appropriate to scientists and healthcare professionals within the subject area of their Master’s programme. These might include new graduates in the fields of health and science, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, health care managers, medical students, medical and pharmaceutical researchers, and other related non-medical personnel.
Students have the opportunity to explore a wide range of scientific and applied medical topics previously covered during the core modules and to plan and execute a research project and then to learn how to communicate it to a scientific audience in the form of a scientific poster and a journal article. This module will allow students to understand the process of dissemination of research findings, which will be supported by a supervisor.
In order to accommodate different professional and personal needs, the module has a flexible, online or on-campus structure dependent on the research project. This will be an independent piece of work carried out by the student with support from a named supervisor. Support will also be provided by peer support sessions and assessment support sessions prior to submission, and group lectures and seminars will form the basis of the taught element at the beginning of the module.
Students will further develop their digital skills in the virtual learning environment to explore their research area.
Students will produce a piece of written work that is based on the research project or a systematically structured literature review. The assessment of this module is i) a project plan before starting the project: 1000 words: 10%, to be submitted prior to the project commencing, ii) a written journal paper, 5000 words (60%), iii) an Individual poster, equivalent to 2500 words, 20%, and iv) an individual oral presentation, c. 15 mins, 10%.

Contributions to teaching and supervision will be from key clinical and research areas and where appropriate cross-Faculty to ensure research informed teaching. Students will benefit from the wide range of research expertise within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences research institutes, teaching and research links with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and other institutions. The University is ideally located for access to some of the UK’s leading specialist clinical units with clinical experts in hospitals such as Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, The Palliative Care Institute Liverpool, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and The Walton Centre, the UK’s only specialist hospital trust dedicated to neurological services.