Clinical Ethicist (1.0 D - MC)

Franciscan Alliance, Inc.•Michigan City, IN

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Clinical Ethicist advances Franciscan Health’s mission and ethical integrity through clinical ethics consultation, education, and leadership across a designated region of healthcare settings. The role is the primary ethics resource for patients, families, caregivers, physicians, and leaders, promoting ethically sound decisions consistent with Catholic moral tradition and the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs). The Clinical Ethicist supports implementation of clinical ethics services, initiatives, and standards at assigned facilities in collaboration with local leaders and ethics leadership. The position works Monday through Friday on the day shift and has an on-call requirement. It includes regular rounds across assigned hospitals and care settings, consultation on complex clinical situations, ethics education and training, collaboration with Mission and Pastoral Care, and participation in ethics committees and organizational workgroups. Travel is required up to 20%. Franciscan Health is a Catholic health care system with 11 ministries and access points across Indiana. The organization provides eligible employees with comprehensive benefit offerings; an overview is available on its career site.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Healthcare Ethics, Theology, or a related field.
Doctoral-level study or advanced graduate coursework in Ethics, Theology, Bioethics, or Philosophy.
Three years of professional experience in healthcare, pastoral care, clinical practice, ethics, education, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Doctorate in Theology or Ethics.
Three years of clinical or organizational ethics experience in a healthcare setting, including bedside consultation.
Experience working in a Catholic or faith-based healthcare system.
Healthcare Ethics Consultant-Certified (HEC-C) credential.

Responsibilities

Apply and competently teach the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
Round regularly across assigned hospitals and care settings to identify ethical concerns, support decision-making, and facilitate ethical debriefings after challenging clinical situations.
Provide clinical ethics consultation for care teams, physicians, patients, and families within the designated region, facilitating ethical analysis, collaboration, consensus-building, and resolution.
Serve as the primary ethics resource for implementation of clinical ethics services, initiatives, and performance expectations across assigned facilities, aligned with system standards and strategic priorities.
Participate in monitoring and continuously improving ethics consultation services, quality metrics, and program outcomes with ethics leadership and departmental operations.
Support development and delivery of ethics education, orientation, and training related to clinical ethics, ethical decision-making, Catholic healthcare ethics, and the ERDs.
Collaborate with Mission, Pastoral Care, clinical leaders, and operational leaders to strengthen Catholic identity and promote an organizational culture of ethical practice.
Provide ethical consultation and guidance on policies, procedures, and clinical practices to support alignment with Catholic moral teaching and organizational values.
Serve on and advise operational, clinical, and interdisciplinary workgroups to integrate ethical analysis into organizational decision-making.
Identify emerging ethical issues, trends, and opportunities; collaborate with relevant partners when concerns cross disciplinary boundaries; and communicate findings to ethics leadership to support strategy, policy development, and quality improvement.
Partner with local ethics committees to strengthen ethical culture, support consultation and education, communicate ethics initiatives, and maintain relationships with committee members and local stakeholders.