Fellowship Mission

University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, is offering a two-year fellowship to a qualified applicant in clinical bioethics under the supervision of the Director of Ethics. The need for highly skilled clinical ethicists in health care means University Hospital, as a teaching institution, embraces a clinical ethics training approach that is comprehensive and grounded in objective tools. To this end, University Hospital adheres to the core competencies promoted by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH). These competencies are what the successful candidate will develop and hone to an advanced level of skill.[1]

Fellowship Overview

The subspecialties that underpin a successful clinical ethics consultation service are the elements this fellowship program makes available during this two-year fellowship position:

• Clinical Ethics
• Organizational Ethics
• Professional Ethics

The fellowship is designed to provide the applicant practical experiences in addressing clinical and organizational ethical issues in a dynamic, publicly funded health system and Level I trauma center.  

The fellowship consists of three phases. During the first phase, the fellow shadows the Director and Assistant Director as they perform ethics consultations and family meetings. The second phase consists of the fellow participating in ethics consults under supervision of the Director and Assistant Director. During the final and third phase, the fellow independently performs consultations and completes a project that serves the needs of the community.  

Throughout the fellowship, the fellow will make daily rounds in multiple ICU’s, assist in policy development, and educate staff on a variety of ethics issues.

By fellowship’s end, the fellow should have the necessary skills defined by the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities to take the Healthcare Ethics Consultant Certification Exam.

During the fellowship, the fellow will receive a stipend and a generous benefit package.

About Ethics Services at University Health

The Ethics Services department provides ethics consultation services, education and policy support throughout University Health. The health system includes many specialty areas such as:

• Cardiology
• Maternal/child health
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Palliative care
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry
• Pulmonology
• Rehabilitation
• Trauma
• Transplant

University Health is the primary teaching facility of UT Health San Antonio. Educational opportunities and resources are available through UT Health Department of Medical Ethics and Humanities. 

[1]“Health Care Ethics Consultation: An Update on Core Competencies and Emerging Standards from the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities’ Core Competencies Update Task Force”, by Anita J. Tarzian. Published in The American Journal of Bioethics, 13(2): 3-13, 2013. See also www.asbh.org/publications.