The relationship between ethical reasoning and the perception of difficulty with ethical dilemmas in pharmacy students : Implications for teaching professional ethics

The pharmacy profession, as is the case with much of health care in the United States, is undergoing a paradigm change from a profession that has historically emphasized the dispensing of prescriptions to one that is more patient-focused. As a result, opportunities for encountering ethical dilemmas may increase. The present investigation explored the relationship between 59 second year pharmacy students' moral development and their perceptions regarding the difficulty of resolving ethical problems commonly found in pharmacy practice. Based on theory it was hypothesized that those students who were more advanced in their moral development would perceive as less problematic common ethical dilemmas faced by practicing pharmacists. The Defining Issues Test (DIT) was used as the surrogate measure of students' ethical reasoning. The hypothesis was supported (r = -0.287) at the 0.05 alpha level. The results and implications for educators are discussed.