The Work: Reflections of Two Healthcare Ethicists

Those who work on responding to the ethical issues and decisions that arise in healthcare realize that we are invited into the most complex stories that patients, families , healthcare professionals and our communities have to offer. They not only involve value-laden clinical decisions about patient treatments, but community decisions about public health that sometimes place the autonomy of individuals against the common good of the community. When reflecting on the work of healthcare ethics, we thought we would ask a couple of colleagues with 25+ years of experience in this area what their thoughts are on this evolving work or calling.

Our guests in this episode include:

• Dan O’Brien, who just retired as Senior Vice President of Ethics at Ascension Health
• Carol Bayley, who just retied as Vice President of Ethics and Justice Education at Dignity Health

Both are highly regarded by their colleagues and have worked in diverse healthcare settings, from community hospitals to teaching hospitals and working to address pubic health issues in very diverse communities. They have lived the evolution of healthcare ethics over the past 25 years and the everyday challenges that arise. In this episode, we sit down and reflect on their experiences.

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