Clerkships

Under each clerkship are links to bioethics topics that are pertinent to that particular area of medicine. Members of the clinical department identified topics they believe are central to their practice and issues with which students should be especially familiar. These topics are not an exhaustive representation of the important ethical issues but should expose you to a sampling of the concerns that clinicians in different practices encounter. 

 

  1. Required 
  2. Optional 
  3. Other

 

Required Clerkships

 

Family Medicine  

The Family Medicine Clerkship offers an important opportunity to see many of these ethical issues in the context of long-term relationships and primary care. The clerkship coordinators ask that you click on the "Bioethics Topics" button above to see the main topics list and remain aware of these issues as they will come up during your clerkship rotation. Your preceptors will help you identify cases with these issues embedded in them which you can work through using this website as a guide and resource. 

 
Internal Medicine 

Advance Care Planning and Advance Directives  

Breaking Bad News 

Confidentiality   

Do Not Resuscitate Orders 

Informed Consent 

Mistakes 

Termination of Life Sustaining Treatment 

 

Obstetrics and Gynecology 

Maternal / Fetal Conflict  

Neonatal ICU Issues 

 
Pediatrics 

Cross-Cultural Issues and Diverse Beliefs 

Parental Decision Making 

 
Psychiatry / Behavioral 

Confidentiality   

Informed Consent 

 
Rehabilitation Medicine 

Cross-Cultural Issues and Diverse Beliefs 

Informed Consent 

Personal Beliefs 

Physician Aid-in-Dying 

Resource Allocation 

 
Surgery  

Advance Care Planning and Advance Directives  

Breaking Bad News 

Do Not Resuscitate during Anesthesia and Urgent Procedures  

Do Not Resuscitate Orders 

Futility 

Informed Consent 

Interdisciplinary Team Issues  

Mistakes 

Physician-Patient Relationship 

Resource Allocation  

Truth-telling and Withholding Information   

 
Trauma / Emergency Medicine  

Resource Allocation 

 

Optional Clerkships

 

Anesthesiology   

Do Not Resuscitate during Anesthesia and Urgent Procedures  

Do Not Resuscitate Orders  

End-of-Life Issues  

Informed Consent  

Interdisciplinary Team Issues 

Physician Aid-in-Dying 

 
Orthopedics   

Physician-Patient Relationship 

Research Ethics 

 

Otolaryngology   

End-of-Life Issues 

Physician-Patient Relationship 

Resource Allocation 

 
Pulmonary and Critical Care  

Advance Care Planning and Advance Directives 

End-of-Life Issues 

Futility 

Termination of Life Sustaining Treatment 

 

Urology  

Breaking Bad News 

Confidentiality   

End-of-Life Issues 

Informed Consent 

Physician-Patient Relationship 

 

Other

 

III Projects   

As part of your III Project, you will need to consider research ethics. 

 
Research Ethics 

 
General Curriculum 

These general issues will arise throughout the medical school curriculum and across many different clinical experiences. 

 
Complementary Medicine 

Ethics Committees and Consultation 

HIV and AIDS 

Clinical Ethics and Law 

Public Health Ethics 

Spirituality and Medicine  

Student Issues