ABPS Diplomates are Committed to Medical Ethics

At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), we make a concerted effort to ensure that our Diplomates represent some of the most educated, experienced, and ethical physicians currently practicing medicine. This is why, in 2005, the American Association of Physician Specialists®, began requiring that all physicians interested in recertifying with an ABPS Member Board must complete Medical Ethics training every eight years.

To make this process as engaging and beneficial to our Diplomates as possible, we began offering our AAPS Medical Ethics Course, which is taught by Mark Pastin, Ph.D. Pastin is president and CEO of the Health Ethics Trust, a division of the Council of Ethical Organizations. This class is unique in that it not only provides an understanding of the theoretical and historical foundations of medical ethics but also focuses on practical, complex ethical issues that physicians are frequently faced with in contemporary medical practice. The advantage of this approach is that participants are given the opportunity to review real life case studies, with a Harvard-educated ethics specialist, that are based on common situations, making them relatable to physicians who are taking the course.

As Dr. Pastin explains, “The greatest benefit of the course to physicians is the shared experience with other physicians when confronting the complex ethical issues of contemporary medical practice.” Rather than focusing on fictionalized scenarios, which can often be difficult to relate to and largely impractical, participants have the opportunity to review situations they’re most likely to face in practice. By reviewing these ethical quandaries as a group, physicians are encouraged to share best practices, brainstorm solutions, and gain insights into the ethical decisions that their peers make every day. The course also focuses on applying ethical decision-making tools to actual circumstances, training physicians on understanding the appropriate roles of medical ethics/bioethics committees, and explaining methods for guiding public discussion on medical ethics issues.

The AAPS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Medical Ethics Course described above accounts for a maximum of 7.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. To learn more about this program, contact the ABPS today. Each year, the AAPS Medical Ethics Course is held at the AAPS Annual Scientific Meeting. For details about the next meeting, click here