Ethics and Deontology

Code: MVT14033I

3 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours

Scientific Area: Veterinary Medicine

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Presentation

Sustainable Development Goals

Saúde e bem-estar - Assegurar uma vida saudável e promover o bem-estar para todos, em todas as idades.

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Trabalho decente e crescimento económico - Promover o crescimento económico sustentado, inclusivo e sustentável, emprego pleno e produtivo, e trabalho decente para todos.

Redução das desigualdades - Reduzir as desigualdades dentro dos países e entre eles.

Consumo e produção responsáveis - Assegurar padrões de produção e de consumo sustentáveis.

Parcerias e meios de implementação - Fortalecer os meios de implementação e revitalizar a parceria global para o desenvolvimento sustentável.

Learning Goals

This course aims to provide the student with essential skills on the rules of conduct for the responsible and committed exercise of professional activity and the main problems of ethics applied to medicine. Particularly, to evidence principles of:
- Ethical and professional competence
- Honesty and integrity
- Independence and impartiality
- Confidentiality and trust in clients´ relations
- Empathy and respect for animals in all their actions
- Professional responsibility

As well as to develop the following attitudes:
- Critically apply ethical values and conduct
- Respect colleagues, partners, and customers without prejudice or value judgments
- Interact correctly and efficiently with peers, customers, and the public
- Appropriate information to customers, including the costs of services/medicines
- Clarify the existence of conflicts of interest
- Keep clear, accurate, and detailed clinical records.
- Work in an equitable and fair team

1. Fundamentals of ethics
- Ethical values and human decision
Ethical vs. aesthetics vs. religious values
- Classical and contemporary ethics
2. Bioethics
-Bioethics vs. Animal Ethics
- Bioethics vs. Animal welfare
- Ethics of animal responsibility and care
Clinical trials and research using animals
Animal Production and Welfare
Veterinary treatment and quality of life
3. Ethical dilemmas
- Euthanasia and Palliative care
- Professionalism
- Decision making
- Animals' abandonment and mistreatment
4. Deontology
- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinarians
- Professional liability (civil, legal, criminal)
- Informed consente and refusal: treatment and collection of samples
- Veterinary doctor's interpersonal relationships
With the client: professional confidentiality and secrecy, conflict of interest; personal vs professional values
With the team and external colleagues
With the Community
- Legal procedures: clinical report and legal report; animal identification; traceability of an

Teaching Methods

Following an "inverted class" model, the classes will start with an introduction to the major themes. The topics will be addressed as discussions of dilemmatic and professional ethical situations, worked by students to encourage their participation, and the consolidation of knowledge and attitudes. The discussion begins with a presentation addressing real or built scenarios, by the students grouped randomly. The presentations will be subject to self- and hetero evaluation that will be used to score the individual performance, using specific rubrics, and used for continuous evaluation (AP).
Continuous assessment further includes a written test (FF)
Continuous assessment note = 60% AP + 40% FF.
For the evaluation as final exam students must submit a paper with the analysis and argumentation of a dilemmatic situation (TF), up to 1 week before the exam, and a final written test (FF)
Exam Score = 40% TF + 60% EF.