Abstract
Issue: Although there is consensus on the importance of including ethics in the medical school curriculum, there is wide variation in how this topic is taught. Recent literature also questions the effectiveness of current ethical teaching methods in changing student attitudes and future behavior. Furthermore, from the student perspective, there is a marked disconnect between the stated importance of and lack of effort in ethics courses. Evidence: Applying a student perspective of the hidden curriculum, as well as reviewing and applying insight from the available literature, we advocate for alignment of instructional design, content, and assessments. This article provides specific recommendations to increase student engagement in ethics courses and concludes by discussing whether a lack of engagement is attributable to intrinsic qualities of medical students in addition to pedagogical technique and educational setting and culture. Implications: This article has practical suggestions for medical educators to improve their ethics courses, leading to more well-rounded and thoughtful physicians.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the support of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine as well as Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in their education.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.