Ethics education for clinical pharmacy practice

A review of the literature on pharmacy ethics found little concern for ethical issues that arise from pharmacist involvement in clinical practice. This lack of recognition and concern for ethical dilemmas that arise from new pharmacist roles has serious implications for clinical practitioners because of their close involvement in patient care and with other professionals. Also, implications for the profession are serious since a lack of internal control invites external control. Pharmacy educators must provide a leadership role in addressing this lack of concern by systematic evaluation and improvement of ethics education. A model of ethics education is presented that is based on a science education model--both a theoretical and a practical component leading to skill development in recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas. In other words, pharmacy students will be trained to become their own ethics experts through the application of critical ethical thinking.