Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care – (M.A.)

Contents

The MA in the Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care involves both taught sessions and a chance for students to write a dissertation on a topic of their choosing related to the course. Teaching occurs in four three-day modules that run between October and April. This innovative structure has proved particularly popular with health care professionals in full-time employment as it allows students to combine study with full-time work, family and other commitments. It also enables students who are based in all areas of the UK and beyond to attend. Contact between students and staff, and between students, is facilitated between modules to create a distinctive student community. The MA requires the successful completion of 180 M Level credits, made up of four 30-credit taught modules and a 60-credit dissertation. It can be taken either full-time or part-time. When taken part-time the four taught modules are completed in the first year, with the dissertation being completed in the second year. When taking this route there are no specific attendance requirements during the second year – you may meet your supervisor at mutually convenient times, keep in touch via email or phone, or use a combination of methods. If the course is being taken full-time, it can be completed within one year with the dissertation being submitted at the start of September.

Some students may not want to do the whole course. An alternative route is to leave after completing the four taught modules. Successful completion of these will lead to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in the Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care.

Intercalation

Students studying medicine can opt to take a year out of their undergraduate medical studies in order to study a subject area in greater depth, before returning to complete the medical course. To intercalate, students must have completed the fourth year of a medical degree. Intercalating students would take the MA in the Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care as full-time students to ensure that the course is completed within one year.

The content of the modules is briefly outlined below with illustrations of the topics to be covered:

Module 1: Ethics and Palliative Care
In this block, you are introduced to the main concepts and theories used in health care ethics. This is done in a number of ways that bring out their connection with issues of practical concern in cancer and palliative care. Additionally, Module 1 normally contains topics such as: the shift from curative to palliative care; the context of care (e.g. hospital, hospice, home); the relationship between ethical and clinical considerations.

Module 2: Autonomy, Paternalism and Consent
Module 2 addresses issues within cancer and palliative care which relate to respect for the autonomy of patients and carers. Important topics normally include: truth-telling; confidentiality; decision-making for the seriously ill patient; informed consent; consent and the law; paternalism; and the nature and role of hope in palliative care.

Module 3: Quality of Life, Death, and Dying
This module focuses on end-oflife issues and normally includes seminars on defining death; the significance of death; the sanctity and value of life; the idea of ‘quality of life’; withdrawing and withholding life-prolonging treatment; advance statements about treatment (living wills); and ethical and legal issues in euthanasia.

Module 4: Contemporary Issues in the Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care
The content of this module varies from year to year to reflect current issues of particular concern in the field. In recent years, it has included seminars on resource allocation; research ethics; special issues relating to the care of children; screening programmes; the role of religious belief in ethical debate; differing conceptions of palliative care.

Dissertation
The dissertation gives students a chance to undertake a more intensive piece of work (between 15,000 and 20,000 words) on an approved topic of their choice. Students will have a supervisor to provide support and advice during the writing process. Dissertation topics are chosen by the student themselves and must relate to an issue within the broad area of the ethics of cancer and palliative care.