Clinical Ethics Internship
Goals
The goals of the Integrated Ethics Internship Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center are:
- To provide an introduction to clinical, research and/or organizational ethics for qualified individuals with a particular interest in health care ethics.
- To provide qualified individuals with the opportunity to contribute to activities and projects of the Section of Integrated Ethics.
Internship Program Components
The Internship Program is designed to meet the strengths, needs and academic requirements of each intern. Interns are expected to develop a personal learning plan incorporating opportunities from the following four components:
1. Clinical Ethics
- Attend Ethics Case Consultations.
- Round with the Clinical Ethicists in the Intensive Care Units and with other clinical services.
- Attend educational sessions sponsored by the Section of Integrated Ethics.
- Round with diverse members of the multi-disciplinary treatment teams and ethics faculty
- Attend quarterly meetings of the Clinical Ethics Consultation Committee and other pertinent meetings of section.
- Record clinical experiences and discuss them at regularly scheduled meetings with the Clinical Ethicists.
2. Research Ethics
- Attend at least one meeting each of the IRB/Surveillance Committee, the Clinical Research Committee, and the Psychosocial, Behavioral & Health Services Research Committee, with the permission of the chairs of those committees.
- Select a research project compatible with the intern's interests, academic requirements and the needs of the Section of Integrated Ethics.
- Meet regularly with the Clinical Ethicists to report on the progress of the research project and receive feedback and guidance.
- Formally present the results of the research project.
3. Organizational Ethics
- Participate in policy development meetings facilitated by the Section of Integrated Ethics.
4. Academic Ethics
- Participate in a directed-reading program with the Clinical Ethicists. The readings selected for discussion can be related to the intern's research project or academic requirements.
- Attend lectures and presentations at MD Anderson and other institutions related to clinical, organizational and research ethics.
Qualifications
Candidates must be senior undergraduate students, graduate students, or have completed an undergraduate degree in an academic or professional discipline. Candidates must also have strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as competence in research and writing.
Selection
Considerations for the selection process will include:
- Compatibility of the candidate's interests with the capabilities of MD Anderson's Section of Integrated Ethics
- The candidate's academic training and/or experience related to ethics
- The quality of the candidate's letter of intent
- The candidate's letters of recommendation
Duration
Generally, interns are accepted for the academic year's Fall, Spring or Summer semesters. A full-time internship requiring 40 hours per week. The internship is full time.
Evaluation
The intern will receive supervision, mentoring, and feedback from the Clinical Ethicists throughout the internship. At the completion of the internship, the intern will receive feedback to assess whether the intern has met the objectives of the personalized learning plan.