Outcome-Based Medical Ethics Education in a Catholic Higher Educational Institution in the Philippines: Sharing the San Beda College of Medicine Experience
Pacifico Eric Calderon, Doctor of Medicine, Head, Medical Ethics Program, San Beda College of Medicine
Quality medical ethics education today is measured not only by effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, but also by relevance. Relevance in education entails addressing the current needs of the learners and providing the future graduates a curriculum of global comparability. The objective of this article is to discuss the experiences and reforms in teaching medical ethics at San Beda College of Medicine (SBCM), a Catholic and Benedictine medical school in Manila, Philippines, that offers a Doctor of Medicine degree program. In response to the mandate of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education to higher education systems to produce graduates imbued with values reflective of a humanist orientation and the ability to think through the ethical and social implications in the course of a given action, an outcome-based medical ethics curriculum was drafted for and adapted by SBCM. This curriculum model puts emphasis on respect for the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person in the presentation of all learning outcomes, focusing on relevant ethical and moral issues concerning the beginning and the end of life, applications of biotechnology in medicine, and professional comportment and relationships. The ultimate outcome expected of the learner is the application of ethical principles in practical and professional settings as a general medical practitioner, leader or manager, researcher, educator, and social advocate or mobilizer. To achieve this, Catholic social teaching, the core values of Benedictine education, the biopsychosocial model of health, and contemporary issues in the Philippine healthcare system were integrated to the fundamental principles of medical ethics in a transformative learning experience. A self-assessment of the strengths of and challenges to this curriculum model are likewise presented in this article.
Quality medical ethics education today is measured not only by effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, but also by relevance. Relevance in education entails addressing the current needs of the learners and providing the future graduates a curriculum of global comparability. The objective of this article is to discuss the experiences and reforms in teaching medical ethics at San Beda College of Medicine (SBCM), a Catholic and Benedictine medical school in Manila, Philippines, that offers a Doctor of Medicine degree program. In response to the mandate of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education to higher education systems to produce graduates imbued with values reflective of a humanist orientation and the ability to think through the ethical and social implications in the course of a given action, an outcome-based medical ethics curriculum was drafted for and adapted by SBCM. This curriculum model puts emphasis on respect for the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person in the presentation of all learning outcomes, focusing on relevant ethical and moral issues concerning the beginning and the end of life, applications of biotechnology in medicine, and professional comportment and relationships. The ultimate outcome expected of the learner is the application of ethical principles in practical and professional settings as a general medical practitioner, leader or manager, researcher, educator, and social advocate or mobilizer. To achieve this, Catholic social teaching, the core values of Benedictine education, the biopsychosocial model of health, and contemporary issues in the Philippine healthcare system were integrated to the fundamental principles of medical ethics in a transformative learning experience. A self-assessment of the strengths of and challenges to this curriculum model are likewise presented in this article.