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The American Journal of Bioethics 2.4 (2002) 25-26



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Why an Online Graduate Bioethics Program:
One Student's Experience

Patrick J. McCruden,
Loyola University Chicago

I think I am "typical" of graduate students in biomedical ethics. The particulars of my educational and work background might be unique to me. But as a health-system administrator with primary responsibility for the ethics program at my institution, my motivations for enrolling in an M.A. program are probably shared by many of my fellow students.

Why I Enrolled in a Graduate Bioethics Program:
Beyond Continuing Medical Education

I chose to enroll in a graduate bioethics program in order to increase my familiarity with contemporary issues in biomedical ethics and expand my knowledge of theoretical approaches to these questions. My graduate degree is in theological studies, and for a number of years I worked as a hospital chaplain. In that role I had a great deal of experience with the ethical quandaries of patients, families, and staff. I came to serve on ethics committees in both acute-care and long-term-care settings. This led me to seek resources to deepen my knowledge in the field of bioethics. Frequently I looked to my own religious tradition and its moral theology, but I also grew to acknowledge the importance of a deeper understanding of philosophical bioethics and the legal context of clinical bioethics. I sought out local as well as regional and national continuing education in a variety of medical ethics workshops, lectures, symposia, and minicourses.

As my career advanced and I moved into hospital administration, I continued to encounter the need for new skills and a deeper understanding of biomedical ethics. I became chairperson of an ethics committee at a community hospital and a member (and eventual chair) of a hospital institutional review board. In particular, I needed to make a more systematic study of the theoretical and practical aspects of patient rights and organizational ethics in order to remain a competent resource to the institutions I was serving.

Although there is a great deal of continuing ethics education available around the country and even some fine ethics education available here in Arkansas, their usefulness to the typical administrator such as myself is limited by the constraints of time and travel. Furthermore, many of these seminars and workshops are aimed at the true beginner, not at someone who is bringing some theoretical knowledge and a great deal of practical experience to the educational encounter. [End Page 25]

I wanted a graduate program, but it needed to be highly accessible and flexible. I sought out the web-based program from Loyola University Chicago. A high-quality web-based program like the one at Loyola can make the traditional commuter graduate program seem cumbersome and inefficient by comparison. Using e-mail and online "classroom" environments, students can plan their activities and interact at times convenient to them, the faculty, and other students. Multiple teaching methods such as lectures, journal articles available by electronic reserve, CD-ROM and DVD recordings, real-time chats, and group assignments keep the program from becoming too routine. (I might add that online learning could become monotonous if the instructors are not motivated to be creative regarding formats and assignments. Fortunately, I have not found this to be an issue in Loyola's program.)

I believe the development of on-line programs can lead to a much wider dispersal of knowledge and expertise among professionals working in healthcare settings and can eventually lead to an improvement in the ethical care of patients and staff at healthcare facilities around the country and the world.

Is a Web-Based Program for You?
What to Consider

I think many professionals from varied backgrounds—for example, nurses, physicians, chaplains, and researchers—are interested in deepening their knowledge in the field of medical ethics for reasons similar to my own. A major impediment to their acting on these interests is the lack of a program close to home that fits into a busy schedule of work, family, and community activities. Clearly the flexibility that web...

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