Ethical issues have become increasingly prevalent in health care and health policy. The transdisciplinary minor in Healthcare Ethics and Policy (HEP) is designed to provide students with breadth and depth competence in the ethical dimensions of health care and health policy. The program particularly aims at preparing students with deep understanding of the ethical issues that arise in the contexts of health care, public health, health policy, biomedicine, biotechnology, and scientific research in multicultural society. The program encourages the study of ethical values and application of ethical principles in all aspects of the health care industry. The program is open to students in all majors; the target audience include students in nursing, allied health, philosophy, psychology, sociology, journalism, English, communication studies, organizational leadership, political science, anthropology. The program would be particularly beneficial to students seeking career paths in clinical ethics, ethics consultation, bioethics, philosophy, religion, nursing, social work, human services, psychology, journalism, sociology, anthropology, biomedical research, public health, public policy, health insurance, human resources, and many other professions in the health care industry. No more than 9 credit hours may be taken from the same discipline; additionally no more than 9 credit hours from a student’s declared major may be counted toward this minor.
Program Objectives and Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this transdisciplinary program will acquire skills and competencies in:
- moral reasoning and ethical theory.
- medical and bioethical issues and concepts.
- professional codes and guidelines.
- relevant health law/policy.
- the health care system.
- organizational/institutional policies.
- the multicultural nature of health care institutions and their clients.
