Changing Hats: Best Practices for the Dual-Role Ethicist

Abstract: Despite the increasing professionalization of clinical ethics, the vast majority of those performing ethics consultation in the US are not full-time clinical ethicists (Fox et al. 2022). Most have other professional roles within the healthcare system--whether they be social workers or chaplains, nurses or physicians, administrators or attorneys. There has been little discussion, however, about how these "dual-role ethicists" ought to navigate the challenges and opportunities that arise from having a bipartite professional identity. This panel, which will feature a nurse-ethicist, physician-ethicist, and social worker-ethicist, aims to provide just such discussion. In reflecting upon their experiences, this multidisciplinary group will address a number of issues, including conflicts of obligation, questions of scope, intrapersonal and interpersonal role confusion, how various professional roles can inform and enhance one another, and where the aims and methods of clinical ethics diverge from those of other healthcare professions. Following the moderator's introduction and the panelists' individual reflections, the panel will propose and discuss best practices for dual-role ethicists who seek to draw upon their unique skillsets without conflating their distinct roles.

Keywords: professional roles and responsibilities, scope of practice, clinician ethicists