The Fairbanks Program in Nursing Ethics is a novel, collaborative program that focuses on supporting ethical practice of nurses. The program coordinates service, education, and research efforts to support ethical nursing practice across the clinical and educational realms of Indiana University Health. This program demonstrates the commitment of Indiana University Health and the Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics to nurses, and it provides a clear vision for the critical role they play in the ethical care of patients. The Fairbanks Program for Nursing Ethics provides staff education, consultation support, and research to improve the capacity of nurses to manage the ethical challenges inherent in the care of patients in a modern, technology-driven health care system.
Dr. Lucia Wocial was vital in establishing and growing the Fairbanks Program in Nursing Ethics. The program will be going through leadership changes as Dr. Wocial transitions to a new role at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Although not exclusively for nurses, the Unit Based Ethics Conversation (UBEC) program exists largely to provide nurses and other clinical care providers a unit-based opportunity to explore ethically challenging situations encountered in clinical practice. The mission of UBEC is to create an environment with morally open space where reflective dialogue and experiential narratives are encouraged to thrive. The goal of the program is to increase participants’ abilities and confidence in dealing with ethically challenging situations in real time. Conversations may be case specific or related to recurrent issues which impact the moral life of the staff.
If you are interested in scheduling a UBEC contact fcme@iuhealth.org.
If you are interested in becoming a UBEC Facilitator in your hospital setting click below to learn about training opportunities.
Learn More
The primary education initiative in the Program for Nursing Ethics is IMPACT. A program that assists clinicians to develop skills in conducting conversations with patients about values and goals. This allows the clinicians to identify what matters most to the patient as a means of supporting the team to create a treatment plan that is guided by patient values.
IMPACT training courses are currently on pause. If you would like to be notified when more information becomes available, please click the "Learn More" button below.
Dr. Wocial’s research is focused on identifying and implementing interventions to address moral distress of clinical care providers. The Moral Distress Thermometer*, developed by Dr. Wocial, is used widely for formal research and quality improvement projects around the world. The UBEC program is one intervention that has shown promise in mitigating moral distress.
*Please note, since the publication of the moral distress thermometer, research in moral distress has progressed. There are updates to the instrument, not yet published. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Dr. Wocial
