Overview

Most people think clinical ethics only concerns controversial topics like assisted suicide, cloning, and stem cell research. But health professionals deal with ethical questions every day.

What would you do in these situations?

• Two patients enter the emergency room at the same time. There is only one doctor available. Which patient should she see first?
• A cancer patient wants to try an experimental therapy that costs a lot of money. Should his insurance company pay for the treatment?
• The family of a severely ill patient wants the doctor to perform a painful procedure that is unlikely to extend the patient’s life. Should the doctor perform the procedure?

There are no “right” or “wrong” answers. Instead, the choices made by health professionals are based on policies set according to current standards in biomedical ethics. Those standards are constantly changing to reflect thinking about patient rights, privacy, quality of life, death, and how limited health resources should be allocated.

Every step forward in medical technology also brings new questions about when a treatment should be provided, which patients should receive it, and who should pay for it.

Here is a small sampling of organizations that need help managing clinical ethics:

• Hospitals
• Physician group practices
• Government agencies
• Insurance companies
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Academic institutions
• Medical research centers

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Clinical Ethicist

Working Conditions

People who work in the field of clinical ethics usually have primary training in another field, such as medicine, nursing, philosophy, theology, law, public health or social science.

Many hospitals, for example, have review boards or ethics committees comprised of physicians, nurses and other health professionals who have obtained specialized training in clinical ethics. These professionals sit on committees or serve as consultants, sharing their expert views with decision makers, usually behind closed doors.

Specialists in clinical ethics also teach in medical schools and other academic institutions. Many clinical ethicists conduct research to help inform the many debates in ethics and to help develop policy. They work for government agencies, “think tanks,” and nonprofit groups that help develop policy. They also advise industry to ensure that medical and pharmaceutical research is conducted ethically.

Salary Range & Outlook

Many specialists in clinical ethics are working physicians or nurses who provide clinical services in addition to sitting on ethics committees. Their salary depends on the full range of their responsibilities and varies widely, between $40,000 and $150,000 or more.