Advanced Training in Healthcare Ethics (ATHE)

The curriculum includes three online courses (18 CME credits) and a three-day Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics* (appx 21.25 CME credits). Courses are designed to develop clinical ethics and ethical reasoning skills. Training can be completed in one academic year, plus the three-day Summer Seminar*. Each distance learning course is 10 weeks. Each course requires several hours of online instruction and several hours of independent preparation and study/week. Students may take individual courses for an unofficial transcript; the ATHE program and Summer Seminar* do not result in transcripted UW credits. 

Our online courses are flexible:

1. Courses are asynchronous, meaning the class does not “meet” in real time. Weekly online coursework can be completed when it is convenient for you.

2. You can complete the assigned material any time during the week, according to your schedule. On rare occasions, we may try to have everyone online at the same time. If/when this happens, we will work with students to find a time that works with everyone’s schedules.

3. You may take just one or two one of the online courses if you do not want to complete the full program. Please fill out the application form and indicate which course you want to take and why. Upon admission, pay non-refundable application fee and tuition. Tuition can be paid for each individual class or for the entirety of the program. 

4. You may take online courses over a period of several years if that works better for you. Likewise, Summer Seminar* can be taken before or after the three courses, even a year or two later if that works best for you. 

5. To see if you would like to pursue ATHE, you are invited to take the online Summer Seminar* in Healthcare Ethics. Reserve a spot on our website’s Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics page. Registration opens annually in the spring.

6. You will need a Gmail account to participate. Accounts can be obtained here: https://mail.google.com. 

Tuition payments are due 1 week in advance of the first day of the course, and upon payment of tuition, you will receive the link to the course website.

AUTUMN Course in Healthcare Ethics (3 CME credits)
Ethical Theory
This course studies important historical theoretical frameworks that are the foundation of modern medical ethics, as well as contemporary commentary. September – December. 
Instructor: Nancy Jecker, PhD

WINTER Course in Healthcare Ethics (5 CME credits)
Clinical & Organizational Ethics Consultation
This course examines the relationship between clinical and organizational ethics. Analysis of clinical ethics cases that have policy implications. Instruction on methods for ethics consultation. January – March. 
Instructor: Denise Dudzinski, PhD, HEC-C 

SPRING Course in Healthcare Ethics (10 CME credits)
Healthcare Ethics: Methods
This course offers case-based practice in clinical ethics including methods of ethical analysis and writing ethics consultation chart notes. March – June. 
Instructor: Georgina Campelia, PhD, HEC-C

*SUMMER SEMINAR (appx. 21.25 CME credits; appx. $1000)
The Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics is a three-day online course held annually in late July/early August. The seminar provides an intensive, interactive introduction to the analysis of ethical problems in clinical care. This is a CME course and is not eligible for tuition exemption. For more information on CME credits, please visit UW CME's website..

To receive the ATHE certificate, you must complete three online courses and a three-day online Summer Seminar in Health Care Ethics. The department verifies completion of the three-course series and satisfactory completion of all certificate requirements. You may take individual courses and/or the Summer Seminar if you wish. UW employees receive a 10% discount. Please contact BHContEd@uw.edu for the UW discount code before paying.

Payment deadlines

• September 11, 2023: course one payment ($4000 / UW discount: $3600)
• December 11, 2023: course two payment ($4000 / UW discount: $3600)  
• March 11, 2024: course three payment ($4000 / UW discount: $3600) 

Link to the ATHE Tuition Payment Portal: PAY TUITION HERE 

We are not able to offer ATHE course scholarships at this time. 

Fees: Three Online Courses (18 Credits)

All fees are subject to change without prior notification. The amounts shown here are for planning purposes only and represent an estimate of fees for the ATHE certificate. Final costs are subject to change without notice and may differ from the amounts posted.

For Summer Seminar fees, please see the Summer Seminar in Health Care Ethics page. 

University of Washington Continuing Medical Education  

• The University of Washington School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
• Online Courses in ATHE Ethical Theory; Clinical & Organizational Ethics Consultation; and Consultation Methods: The University of Washington School of Medicine designates this other activity for a maximum of 18 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
• Summer Seminar*: The University of Washington School of Medicine designates this other activity for a maximum of 22.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 
• Earning CME Credits: We understand that some students would like CME credits in addition to the certificate they receive after completion of the ATHE Program's three online courses and Summer Seminar. Based on CME rules, however, only a fraction of the hours spent in our courses qualify for CME credits. The amount of CME credit awarded is based on the amount of enduring material, in this case, hours of recorded lectures by faculty members for each course. You are welcome to claim the CME credits if you wish. CME credits may be awarded upon request after successful completion of each online course: 
  • ATHE: Ethical Theory – 3 CME credit hours
  • ATHE: Clinical & Organizational Ethics Consultation– 5 CME credit hours
  • ATHE: Consultation Methods – 10 CME credit hours

We advise students to request CME credits after they have completed all three courses as it may be more cost effective. However, students are welcome to pay after each course if they do not want to wait to claim them all at once. The instructor will determine whether the student has successfully completed each course, evidenced by weekly written assignments. 

Please contact BHContEd@uw.edu to begin the process of obtaining your CME credits. 

Online Payments 

• We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, JCB, etc.; we do not accept Husky or ORCA cards. 
• To make a tuition payment, please visit our ATHE Tuition Payment Portal. 

For information about ATHE, please contact BHContEd@uw.edu.

For more information about healthcare ethics and certification, visit The American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. The Healthcare Ethics Consultant-Certified (HEC-C) program is the first-ever certification program that identifies and assesses a national standard for the professional practice of clinical healthcare ethics consulting. Established by the HCEC Certification Commission, the HEC-C credential endorses your knowledge of key concepts in healthcare ethics and affirms your expertise, competence, and skillset.