The faculty at the LECOM School of Health Services Administration recently celebrated the five-year anniversary of the inauguration of the Master of Science program in Biomedical Ethics (MSBE), which was founded in 2018. This master’s degree is one of only a few offered in the state of Florida to prepare healthcare professionals to provide support and assistance toward the ethical goals of enhancing patient autonomy, promoting optimal health delivery outcomes, and adherence to legal and regulatory guidelines.
The Director for the MSBE program is Linda Thompson, Ph.D. Dr. Thompson works closely with the program faculty and students to lead each phase of the two-year online program. Extensive literature bears out the need for graduate education in healthcare ethics. A strong foundation of relevant knowledge and its application enables providers to carry out their daily responsibilities more astutely, to enhance care delivery and to improve patient satisfaction.
Brianna Howerton, D.O. is a recent LECOM graduate who also completed the MSBE degree. “I felt like with the heavy-hitting changes in the healthcare world we live in today, I needed a much deeper dive into bioethics, and it was important to me as a new practicing physician to have a roadmap of sorts to navigate these difficult situations,” Dr. Howerton explained. “I can definitely say I am much more confident in my abilities to empower my patients to have strong decision-making skills with their healthcare desires every step of the way.”
Candidates for the MSBE degree include physicians, nurses, quality assurance professionals, risk managers, pharmacists, researchers, clergy members, educators, and social workers. Individuals possessing this degree will also be of invaluable assistance in addressing the difficult circumstances surrounding end-of-life care. Some of the other important assets of the MSBE program:
- Designed to provide flexibility for both busy working professionals and current students, due to its online delivery structure and virtual class schedules that are held outside of regular work hours;
- Affordable tuition – one of the best education investment values in the industry today;
- Covers critical ethical functions that are essential to successful patient engagement and the ability to respond to all regulatory and healthcare legal compliance issues;
- Comprehensive curricula accessed 24/7 via EthAssist®, a dynamic, web-based distance education platform; and
- Course content delivered by an expert team of faculty members with deep bioethical and healthcare expertise.
For additional information about the program, contact Dr. Thompson directly at msbe@lecom.edu.
