National Catholic Certification Program
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The Holy See has often challenged the Church and society to work toward establishing a culture of life which respects and safeguards human dignity. In the health care ministry, difficult ethical problems often arise that demand enlightened and informed responses and interventions. Living wills, physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, organ donation, withdrawal of nutrition and hydration, and allocation of limited health care resources are only a few examples of the many complex situations that arise in modern clinical and research settings. The National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics has been developed at the request of many bishops and administrators of health care facilities to provide a credible and systematic formation so that dioceses, hospitals and ethics committees will have advisors better qualified to apply the Catholic moral tradition to challenging contemporary issues in health care. The part-time, year-long program combines a theoretical component with a practically oriented component based on case studies. |
Objectives:
The objective of The National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics is to train those engaged in the health care ministry, and other interested individuals, to effectively represent the Church's moral teaching in their various institutions as it is summarized in The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
Upon completion of the one-year program, students will be able to:
- Articulate the Church's understanding of the inherent dignity of the human person as the objective basis for the Church's moral tradition in health care.
- Apply the Church's moral teaching as expressed in The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services to the resolution of complex bioethical dilemmas encountered in clinical education, practice and research.
- Identify resources available to health care workers and others involved in the health care ministry which provide guidance for the resolution of bioethical issues.
Participants must attend an initial two-day seminar held in the fall in various cities across the United States. Students then interact independently with an instructor through a series of four learning modules over the course of the one-year program of study. Modules are completed through weekly assignments which include readings and an assessment of each student's theoretical understanding and ability to make practical application of the module content. Students are also given the opportunity to interact with their instructor, NCBC ethicists, and peers through a series of teleconferences and through an online discussion group. The program will culminate with a required intensive one-day seminar of case studies at the NCBC offices in Philadelphia on May 10, 2009.
Who Will Benefit From the Program?
The National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics was primarily designed for Church leaders, health care workers, those in the life sciences and ethics committee members. However, professionals and specialists from a wide range of venues, including centers for biomedical and biological research, universities, legal, and government institutions involved in the shaping of public policy are among those likely to benefit. Additionally, Catholic high school teachers in science and religion have found the program to be a great benefit.
Continuing Education Credit
The National Association of Catholic Chaplains has approved the National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics for 144 continuing education credit hours (click to view authorization letter).
Contact hours are available to physicians and nurses for each of the two-day seminars listed above which may be attended by those not enrolled in the full Certification Program. See the NCBC website for information and availability.
| Fees: $2,900 (includes NCBC Individual Membership) $2,650 for Current NCBC members (as of July 1, 2008) Fee includes:
Click to download program brochure |
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Registration deadline: August 31, 2008
