Producing the Ethical Dentist of the Future: a Model for Interdisciplinary Ethics Teaching

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Producing the Ethical Dentist of the Future
a Model for Interdisciplinary Ethics
Teaching

• Dentistry Ethics Teaching Theme Team
• M.J. Wardman, R.G. Baker, C. Potter LDI
• C. Megone, P Affleck Interdisciplinary
  Ethics Applied CETL

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Aims of session

• To introduce to a broader audience the teaching
  and learning methods used by the Dental Ethics
  Theme Team
• 2. To identify and explore issues common
  across academic disciplines
• 3. To reflect on the students perspective
•  

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Rationale

• A knowledge of ethics has professional and
  personal relevance
• Professional life inevitably raises significant
  ethical issues on a daily basis. Many
  professional bodies increasingly recognise ethics
  in their training and continual development
  requirements (The General Dental Council)
• A personal knowledge and understanding of ethics
  has started to be recognised as a core part of
  the university experience (Leeds for Life)

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The Role of the Interdisciplinary Ethics Applied
CETL

• Our aim is to help students, professionals and
  employees to identify, analyse and respond to the
  ethical issues they encounter in their
  disciplines and their working lives.
• Other key disciplines involved Medicine,
  Engineering, Business School, Environment,
  Nanotechnology are the methods appropriate for
  anyone?

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Planning for Ethics in the BChD

• The re-design of the Leeds integrated
  undergraduate dental programme (BChD) identified
  ethics and professionalism as key
  cross-curricular themes.
• A dedicated ethics teaching theme team was
  set-up in 2007 in collaboration with the Leeds
  University Interdisciplinary Ethics Applied CETL.
  The team included a number of individuals

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The Interdisciplinary Teaching Model
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Ethics in the Undergraduate Dental Programme
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Learning Ethics

• Didactic methods alone are not appropriate.
• Ethics is learnt through experience and
  practice.
• We can approach ethical learning through
  discussion, debate and exploration of simulated
  real life scenarios.
• Small group methods are essential.

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Teaching Methods
BLENDED APPROACH
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Student Voices
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Some core topics

• Professionalism
• Consent
• Confidentiality
• Trust (worthiness)
• Honesty
• Teamworking and Responsibility
• Fairness / Justice
• Best interests
• Research ethics

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• WORKSHOP TASKS

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Todays workshop tasks (1)

• Small groups discuss Scenario A
• A (dental) student signs a lecture attendance
  register on behalf of an absent student
  colleague.
• How do you think they would justify this action
  if challenged?
• What ethical issue or issues does this raise?
• 
  Report back

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Todays workshop tasks (2)

• Small groups discuss Scenarios B and C.
• Half of groups take Scenario B, other half take
  Scenario C.
• Report back.

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Scenarios B and C (not to be shown to whole group
until end of small group discussion)

• B. A dental student forges a tutor signature on a
  clinical skills competency test
•  
• C. A dental student forges a tutor signature on
  a set of clinical patient notes.

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Application

• How might this apply to your area?
• Discussion in groups

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Example scenario for discussion

• A student colleague tells you that they can
  get vodka for you, for one tenth of what it would
  cost at a supermarket. He says that it comes from
  Eastern Europe and is not available openly in the
  UK. If you buy 50 worth now for cash he will put
  you on his list for further shipments. He says it
  is important that you dont tell everyone because
  supplies are limited.

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Producing the Ethical Dentist of the Future
a Model for Interdisciplinary Ethics
Teaching
Scenario B A
dental student forges a tutor signature on a
clinical skills competency test
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Producing the Ethical Dentist of the Future
a Model for Interdisciplinary Ethics
Teaching
Scenario C A
dental student forges a tutor signature on a set
of clinical patient notes.