MA Medical Ethics and Palliative Care in Keele United Kingdom | Keele University

This program offers an in-depth exploration of healthcare ethics and legal aspects concerning palliative and end-of-life care. Participants will cultivate systematic and critical thinking skills to address moral and legal challenges faced by healthcare practitioners, administrators, and policymakers in this domain. Designed for both working professionals and recent graduates with a focus on palliative care, the curriculum includes four instructional modules along with a student-selected dissertation topic. Instruction is delivered through concentrated sessions to accommodate full-time employment, with flexible study options spanning one, two, or five years. Healthcare ethics becomes particularly pertinent when confronting the complex choices inherent in palliative care. The intersection of medical advancements, evolving societal expectations, and shifting ethical perspectives has generated numerous intricate dilemmas in end-of-life healthcare. For instance, how should medical decisions be made for incapacitated patients? How should professionals respond to patients refusing potentially beneficial treatments or requesting unlikely-to-succeed interventions? These scenarios are seldom simple, often involving not just patients and families but also multidisciplinary care teams comprising doctors, nurses, therapists, mental health professionals, social workers, spiritual advisors, and nutrition specialists across various care environments. Given the diverse values influencing care decisions, disagreements may emerge. This distinctive program enables participants to examine and comprehend the ethical challenges in end-of-life care, along with associated legal and policy considerations. Students will acquire comprehensive knowledge of ethical frameworks encompassing actions, outcomes, and virtues—from consequentialism and deontology to care ethics—equipping them to analyze different approaches and articulate ethical positions in professional contexts. The curriculum evolves to incorporate contemporary developments, with ample opportunities to debate and apply concepts to both actual and hypothetical cases. Recent discussions have included analysis of the Assisted Dying Bill during its parliamentary review and examination of legal proceedings involving euthanasia based on advance directives from dementia patients. Particularly valuable for hospice, hospital, or community palliative care professionals, this MA has drawn diverse participants including practitioners, new graduates, and medical students. The interdisciplinary student body benefits significantly from exchanging perspectives with peers across various specialties and regions. Program Duration: Full-time - 1 year, Part-time - 2 years, Modular - Up to 5 years