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Medical Ethics Course

Course Description

Medical Ethics for Healthcare Professionals is a comprehensive course designed for doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, and allied health professionals who want to strengthen ethical decision-making, professionalism, and regulatory compliance.

The course draws on guidance from the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Code of Ethics, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Code of Ethics and Professionalism, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) Standards, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO), and provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.

It explores the core principles of medical ethics — autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, confidentiality, and veracity — and applies them to real-world clinical and workplace dilemmas. Case studies, reflective exercises, and practical strategies help professionals navigate consent, capacity, end-of-life care, truth-telling, resource allocation, and conflicts of interest. The course is especially valuable for remediation, or healthcare professionals facing College investigations or fitness to practise processes.

Course Content

Course Objectives
Course Objectives
Section 1: Introduction to Medical Ethics
1.1 Defining Medical Ethics
1.2 Why Medical Ethics Matters in Healthcare
1.3 Core Principles of Medical Ethics
1.4 Regulatory Context in Canada
1.5 Ethics in Daily Practice
1.6 Reflective Quiz
Section 2: The Four Principles of Medical Ethics
2.1 Autonomy: Respecting Patient Choice
2.2 Beneficence: Promoting Patient Wellbeing
2.3 Non-Maleficence: Avoiding Harm
2.4 Justice: Fairness in Healthcare
2.5 Balancing the Four Principles
2.6 Reflective Quiz
Section 3: Consent, Capacity, and Shared Decision-Making
3.1 Informed Consent: The Ethical Standard
3.2 Capacity: Assessing the Ability to Decide
3.3 Shared Decision-Making
3.4 Challenges in Consent and Capacity
3.5 Reflective Quiz
Section 4: Confidentiality, Privacy, and Truth-Telling
4.1 Confidentiality: Protecting Patient Information
4.2 Privacy: Safeguarding Dignity and Personal Space
4.3 Truth-Telling: Honesty and Transparency in Care
4.4 Balancing Confidentiality, Privacy, and Honesty
4.5 Regulatory and Legal Context in Canada
4.6 Reflective Quiz
Section 5: Resource Allocation and Fairness in Healthcare
5.1 The Principle of Justice in Healthcare
5.2 Everyday Resource Allocation
5.3 Ethical Challenges in Scarcity
5.4 Fairness vs Equality
5.5 Professional Role in Resource Stewardship
5.6 Canadian Context: Fairness in Healthcare
5.7 Reflective Quiz
Section 6: Conflicts of Interest and Professional Integrity
6.1 Defining Conflicts of Interest
6.2 Why Conflicts of Interest Matter
6.3 Professional Integrity in Decision-Making
6.4 Recognising and Managing Conflicts
6.5 Common Scenarios in Healthcare
6.6 Maintaining Public Trust
6.7 Reflective Quiz
Section 7: Case Studies and Scenarios in Medical Ethics
7.1 Case Study: Refusal of Treatment
7.2 Case Study: Confidentiality vs Public Safety
7.3 Case Study: Limited Resources
7.4 Case Study: Conflict of Interest
7.5 Case Study: Truth-Telling in a Difficult Diagnosis
7.6 Case Study: Consent and Cultural Differences
7.7 Reflective Quiz
Section 8: Reflection, Insight, and Remediation
8.1 Reflection: Learning from Ethical Dilemmas
8.2 Insight: Understanding Impact and Responsibility
8.3 Remediation: Taking Corrective Action
8.4 The Reflection–Insight–Remediation Cycle
8.5 Reflective Quiz
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