SHSP Inks Agreement with Catholic Health System of Long Island for Clinical Ethics Instruction
The Program Focuses on How to Utilize a Cross-Cultural Decision-Making Framework and Implementation Strategy to Mitigate Ethical Challenges, Enhancing Cultural Competency in Ethical Decision-Making Processes
The Medical Ethics Program in the School of Health Sciences and Practice (SHSP) at New York Medical College (NYMC) is expanding its impact with a newly signed agreement with the Catholic Health System of Long Island (Catholic Health) to provide clinical ethics instruction for the health system that operates six acute-care hospitals, three nursing homes, a home nursing service, hospice and a network of physician practices with nearly 17,400 employees.
The training will be provided to members of the Ethics Committees of the Catholic Health facilities, to help them identify, analyze, facilitate and resolve, ethical conflicts in the context of their institution.
Taught by biomedical ethics faculty of NYMC, the clinical ethics instruction will focus on how to utilize a dynamic cross-cultural decision-making framework and implementation strategy to mitigate ethical challenges. The program will be delivered via Zoom in six didactic sessions including 45 minutes of lecture and 45 minutes of discussion. The topics that will be covered are clinical ethics consultation role and process; patient values and decision-making capacity; conflicts between clinical team and surrogate decision maker; end of life, quality of life and futile care; ethical issues in pediatrics or determination of death; and a panel discussion on faith- and culture-based medical ethics.
“Health care administrators and personnel face critical decisions every day that affect the lives of patients and the fate of their loved ones,” said Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the SHSP and vice president of government affairs. “We feel very privileged to provide expertise that will help them recognize the issues and exercise sound judgment, and we accept this responsibility with great humility.”
“Our partnership with CHS is just the beginning of an enhanced educational experience for medical ethics at NYMC to serve the critical needs of professionals as they address the ethical challenges inherent in the patient-provider relationship,” said John Loike, Ph.D., interim director of the Medical Ethics Program in the SHSP.
“Clinical ethics instruction for Ethics Committee members reflects Catholic Health’s ongoing commitment to improving the patient, resident and family experience. The program, which offers a group learning opportunity, will advance our capacity for shared decision-making and cultivate a culture grounded in current bioethical approaches, Catholic social teaching and ethical religious directives,” said Rabbi Lev Hermson, interfaith chaplain, Department of Mission and Ministry for Catholic Health.
The Medical Ethics Program in the SHSP offers a Master of Science degree or an advanced certificate in bioethics and medical ethics that includes courses to challenge students to think about social and medical concepts, using historical, philosophical, legal and social-scientific approaches. The skill sets that our students learn in this program will be critical as they confront the complex bioethical challenges in their future careers.
