One Field, Many Disciplines, One Goal

As we proceed down life's path, the way often seems tortuous and confusing. Such has been the case with my life. However, healthcare ethics is a field that invites those with diverse backgrounds to help those dealing with serious bioethical dilemmas. The healthcare ethics Ph.D. program at Saint Louis University (SLU) has allowed me to utilize my past training and experiences by involving me in an interdisciplinary curriculum and preparing me for work in an exciting area of bioethics—empirical research.

I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1981. My intention was to spend my life in a large animal practice in northeast Wisconsin close to my hometown. I did practice dairy medicine for 14 years and was co-owner of a prosperous veterinary clinic in Bonduel, which is 30 miles northwest of Green Bay. Unfortunately, asthma and allergies forced me out of veterinary practice. While I was debating which direction my life would turn, I became aware of theopportunity for second-career men to enter the pastoral ministry in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). I had been an active member of the laity, having served as an elder and chaired several committees in my congregation. Therefore, my family and I decided to move to St. Louis in May 1995 so that I could enroll as a full-time student at Concordia Seminary.

Student life was not as difficult to return to as I had imagined. However, I looked forward to the day when I would be ordained into the pastoral ministry. But at the conclusion of my theological training my life took another unexpected turn. Several faculty members encouraged me to continue my studies in bioethics, which allows me to use my past experiences and training in theology and medicine. Robert Weise, Chair of Pastoral Ministry and the Life Sciences at Concordia, suggested that I look into the Ph.D. program offered by the Center for Health Care Ethics at SLU.

Gerard Magill, Center Director and Department Chair, welcomed me with open arms. He tailored the program to my needs and arranged for an assistantship to ease the financial strain on my family. I was enthralled by the design of the program. Emphasis is placed on methods of ethics, not just on expanding rote knowledge of healthcare issues. We take methods classes in healthcare, religious, and philosophical ethics. The Center's mission brings the Christian tradition into interdisciplinary discourse with our pluralistic society.

It has been stated that "Medical ethics is a single field of inquiry of great many disciplines, not a discipline in its own right" (Sugarman and Sulmasy 2001). Healthcare ethics is studied through the eyes of many disciplines, using a wide variety of methods. There is a need for genuine interchange and cross-training between these disciplines so that, for example, a theologically-trained ethicist can lucidly communicate his ideas to others in the field. Interdisciplinary in nature, the Center's program involves faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Schools of Law, Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, and Social Service, in addition to five full-time faculty from the Center.

I've also decided to enroll in an optional program that will allow me to earn a Certificate of Empirical Research Methods in Descriptive Ethics. In the certificate program I have received specialized training in general research methods, inferential statistics, sample survey methods, analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and quantitative research in descriptive ethics. Competencies in descriptive ethics will allow me to incorporate original empirical research into my Ph.D. dissertation in normative ethics. James DuBois, director of the Certificate Program, worked to help me secure a dissertation fellowship grant. The Certificate will also greatly enhance my chances of securing a desirable academic position once my student days are over.

The Task Force on Standards for Bioethics Consultation identified three categories of skills and nine knowledge areas required...