Learning Outcomes
While law can sometimes tell us clearly what we should or should not
do, more often it only serves as a guide, and defers final
decision-making to others, including health care professionals. As we
shall see in the Law and Medical Ethics short courses, law is rarely a
black and white affair, and assistance in decision-making must be sought
elsewhere. The core value of ethics is in providing this sort of
assistance. Ethics helps us to think about the problems we are having,
identify the viable options for action (as well as non-viable options),
and justify the particular decision we finally take. Like law, there is
rarely an obvious right or wrong answer, but ethical reflection helps us
to move closer to the goal of 'best practices', recognising that it
might not always be possible given such a range of uncertain and
uncontrollable variables.
Here are some examples of the learning objectives you can expect to
attain during the programme:
Consider the practical difficulties in drawing a clear line between
determining 'best interests' and the imposition of 'involuntary
treatment' (from Consent to Medical Treatment)
Appreciate when, and how rarely, the courts override patient refusals
(from Refusal of Medical Treatment)
Understand, in a practical way, the definitions and importance of the
divisions between euthanasia and assisted suicide, as well as developing
an informed and principled perspective about arguments grounded in
various philosophical positions (from Withholding and Withdrawing Care)
A complete list of learning outcomes is available for each individual
module on the module description pages.
Seven and Ten Module Certificate
Participants taking the seven or ten-week module programme will receive
a certificate of completion on evidence of reasonable attendance across
the range of modules for which they are registered. Professional
accreditation bodies may impose requirements over and above those of the
School of Law. If you have any questions about our certification
procedures, please contact cpd.law@ed.ac.uk.
