Above All, Do No Harm: Educating the Ethical Practitioner Using Research Pedagogy in an Osteopathic Master’s Course

Sandra Grace, Gopi McLeod, Paul Orrock, William E. Boyd, Raymond Blaich, Julie Streckfuss

Human Research Ethics Committee, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia; School of Environment, Science & Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.
School of Health & Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2014.514150                

Abstract

Post-graduate students of osteopathic medicine are required to engage in research-based work-integrated learning as educational preparation for clinical practice. This requires students to develop research projects related to clinical practice, and engage the principles and practice of the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee protocols. However, students who enrol in osteopathic courses may not appreciate or engage with research projects. The aim of this paper was to undertake an initial evaluation of pedagogical processes that attempt to bridge the gap between students’ research projects and clinical practice. Responses (n = 34) from an online student survey were analysed using descriptive statistics. Open ended-survey responses, transcriptions from two focus groups and written reflections from academics supervising student-led research projects were thematically analysed. Results suggested that research-based projects were a useful pedagogical tool for students’ learning about ethical clinical practice. We recommend 1) making the connection between ethical behaviour in research and in clinical practice explicit from the outset; 2) conducting clinically relevant projects; and 3) providing opportunities for students to reflect on their experiences as researchers.

Keywords

Work-Integrated Learning, Research Ethics, Critical Reflective Practice, Osteopathy

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Allan, H., & Smith, P. (2010). Are Pedagogies Used in Nurse Education Research Evident in Practice? Nurse Education Today, 30, 476-479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.011
[2]	Benatar, S., & Singer, P. (2000). A New Look at International Research Ethics. British Medical Journal, 321, 824-826. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7264.824
[3]	Boyd, W. (2009). Developing the Research Proposal. In S. Baban (Ed.), Research: The Journey from Pondering to Publishing (pp. 93-120). Kingston: Canoe Press.
[4]	Boyd, W., Healey, R., Hardwick, S., & Haigh, M. (2008). None of Us Sets out to Hurt People. The Ethical Geographer and Geography Curricula in Higher Education. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32, 37-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03098260701731462
[5]	Boyd, W., Parry, S., Burger, N., Kelly, J., & Smith, J. (2013). Writing for Ethical Research: Novice Researchers, Writing, and the Experience of Experiential Narrative. Creative Education, 4, 30-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2013.412A1005
[6]	Brookfield, S. (1989). Developing Critical Thinkers. Challenging Adults to Explore Alternative Ways of Thinking and Acting. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
[7]	Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
[8]	Callister, L., Ravert, P., Stoneman, E., & Matsumura, G. (2004). Ethical Reasoning in Capstone Students. International Journal for Human Caring, 8, 54-60.
[9]	Cotterill-Walker, S. (2012). Where Is the Evidence That Master’s Level Nursing Education Makes a Difference to Patient Care? A Literature Review. Nurse Education Today, 32, 57-64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2011.02.001
[10]	Grady, C., Danis, M., Soeken, K. L., O’Donnell, P., Taylor, C., Farrar, A., & Ulrich, C. M. (2008). Does Ethics Education Influence the Moral Action of Practicing Nurses and Social Workers? American Journal of Bioethics, 8, 4-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15265160802166017
[11]	Groundwater-Smith, S. (2010). Researching Ethically? In J. Higgs, N. Cherry, R. Macklin, & R. Ajjawi (Eds.), Researching Practice (pp. 75-85). Rotterdam: Sense.
[12]	Kirsch, N. (2010). Ethics in Practice: So Close and Yet So Far: When a Near-Graduate Still Has Much to Learn. PT in Motion, 2, 38-40.
[13]	Miles, M., & Huberman, A. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
[14]	National Health and Medical Research Council (2007). National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government.
[15]	Riley, S., Morton, D., Ray, D., Swann, D., & Davidson, D. (2013). An Integrated Model for Developing Research Skills in an Undergraduate Medical Curriculum: Appraisal of an Approach Using Student Selected Components. Perspectives on Medical Education, 2, 230-247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40037-013-0079-7
[16]	Seehusen, D., & Weaver, S. (2009). Resident Research in Family Medicine: Where Are We Now? Family Medicine, 41, 663-668.
[17]	Siemens, D., Punnen, S., Wong, J., & Kanji, N. (2010). A Survey on the Attitudes towards Research in Medical School. BMC Medical Education, 10, 4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-10-4
[18]	Smith, C. (2005). Origin and Uses of Primum Non Nocere—Above All, Do No Harm! Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 45, 371-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0091270004273680
[19]	Stewart, S., & Gonzalez, L. (2006). Instruction in Professional Issues Using a Cooperative Learning, Case Study Approach. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 27, 159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15257401060270030401
[20]	Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., & Meyer, M. (2014). Can Ethics Be Taught? http://www.scu.edu/ethics-center/aboutcenter
[21]	Wagner, C., Garner, M., & Kawulich, B. (2011). The State of the Art of Teaching Research Methods in the Social Sciences: Towards a Pedagogical Culture. Studies in Higher Education, 36, 75-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070903452594