ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the reasons for including ethics in cancer and palliative care education, including the subjects that may be included and appropriate learning and teaching strategies. It addresses some of the important issues in learning and teaching ethics in healthcare. Three reasons for teaching ethics are identified. The chapter discusses these reasons in the context of the type of subjects that should be taught. It explores the inclusion of ethical theory and legal perspectives in the curriculum along with the range of learning and teaching methods suitable for ethics teaching. The professional bodies that govern the regulation and registration of healthcare professionals usually require ethics to be formally addressed in courses that lead to professional registration. To prepare healthcare professionals to address the ethical dilemmas that they encounter in clinical practice, learning and teaching in ethics should allow discussion of contentious issues and facilitate students in forming their own moral judgements.
