Ethics education in surgical residency: Past, present, and future

Abstract

The contemporary practice of medicine is associated intimately with the field of bioethics. The principles of bioethics and moral reasoning are taught at all allopathic medical schools in the United States and Canada.1,2 Residency programs in several different specialties now include formal ethics education with specific emphasis on clinical decision making and resolving moral conflicts as a part of their core curriculum.1,2 Notably, both the American Boards of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine have required ethics education during residency and have tested for competency in their respective certifying examinations since the mid-1980s.