The Ethics of Clinical Ethics

Course overview

Course Description: This article by Matthew Shea examines the foundational question of what ethics means in the context of clinical health care ethics. The author identifies two competing frameworks: Real Ethics, grounded in objective moral truth, and Conventional Ethics, grounded in bioethical consensus and professional norms. Drawing on canonical bioethics literature and the standards of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH), the article demonstrates that Conventional Ethics is the dominant paradigm in secular clinical ethics practice. The author then presents a systematic critique of Conventional Ethics, arguing that it fails to escape moral pluralism, neglects genuinely important moral questions, and cannot fully serve the needs of patients, families, and clinicians who seek real moral guidance. The article concludes with recommendations for greater transparency about the ethical framework operative in clinical practice and a call for reintegrating Real Ethics into clinical consultation and education. This course on the ethics of clinical ethics is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop or increase their knowledge of ethical frameworks in health care. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require ethics continuing education courses for license renewal. Authors: Shea Learning Objectives: This course will provide a professional with detailed information about the ethics of clinical ethics. Specifically, the practitioner will: 1. Distinguish between Real Ethics and Conventional Ethics as competing frameworks in clinical ethics consultation and practice. 2. Analyze the role of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Core Competencies in establishing Conventional Ethics as the dominant paradigm in secular clinical ethics. 3. Evaluate the limitations of Conventional Ethics with respect to moral pluralism, substantive moral questions, and the needs of patients and clinicians seeking genuine ethical guidance. Citation: Shea, M. (2025). The ethics of clinical ethics. HEC Forum, 37, 389-410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-024-09544-3