Paths of Excellence: Ethics

Students having conversations at UMMS workshop

Become a Leader in Influencing Change

The Ethics Path of Excellence is an ideal opportunity for medical students interested in including ethics in their careers. 

Better Practices

Consider this path if:

  • You are interested in how end-of-life issues affect patients and providers
  • You care about eliminating disparities in health care and access
  • You want to play a leadership role in influencing change
  • You are a self-directed learner and want to take your ethics training further

Michigan Medicine's clinical care facilities are the perfect training ground for future ethics committee consultants. Our hospital Ethics Committee has an active consultation service with calls coming in 24/7 to see patients with different ethical issues.

The Ethics Path of Excellence is an ideal opportunity for medical students interested in including ethics in their careers, whether in clinical practice, research, public health, health policy or academics.

Medical students apply to the Ethics Path of Excellence in the winter of their M1 year, and continue their studies through the M4 year. Through this Path, students will learn to:

  • Identify ethical issues in the organization and delivery of health care
  • Implement tools and strategies to address ethical issues
  • Continue professional education and leadership development

Highlights

  • Path-specific small group discussions facilitate debate, which is vital for ethics education
  • There is specialized training for students who want to serve on ethics committees and/or include ethics as part of an academic career

Opportunities exist for individualized, independent study, combined with field work with the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine and a Capstone for Impact project.

Student Experiences

Two medical students standing in front of a bulletin board smiling at camera
Dose of Reality

Ethics in Action: Insights from a High School Ethics Bowl & Our Path of Excellence

Michigan medical students reflect on judging the High School Ethics Bowl and how the Ethics Path of Excellence deepens their bioethics learning at Michigan.
Dose of Reality

Making an Impact at the University of Michigan’s Student Run Free Clinic

My first volunteer shift at the University of Michigan Student Run Free Clinic (UMSRFC) took place at the beginning of September. At that point I had only been in medical school for a couple months an...