RESUMO
Those teachers in contact with medical students from pre-clinical days onwards will impart their ethical views by example and by precept, but such learning by 'osmosis' is insufficient. There is a knowledge base to be imparted which will enrich the understanding of ethical judgements on clinical problems seen during the undergraduate years. However, the learning process continues after qualification and in particular the doctor's capacity to make ethical clinical judgements will evolve with maturity and experience. It is essential therefore that students see their teachers willing and able to debate ethical issues at the postgraduate level.
KIE: The approach taken by London's St. George's Hospital Medical School in introducing the teaching of medical ethics is described. A small working group was established in June 1981 to consider how and what to teach to promote students' understanding of the role that the values of religion, law, and society play in the formation of ethical codes of medical practice. The group devised a syllabus, to be used in the early years of medical school, that focuses on ethical aspects of the doctor's personal conduct and of his or her relationship with patients, the medical profession, and society.