MSW/MA in Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics

SUNY Stony Brook University

Combining the MSW and MA degrees prepares students to be innovative leaders and change agents working in critical intersections of social work and medical humanities, compassionate care and bioethics, concerning direct practice and policy. Programs addressing bioethics too often focus exclusively on ethical dilemmas in healthcare and the life sciences without adequately attending to the patient’s illness experience. At Stony Brook, the MA devotes equal attention to bioethics, medical humanities and the dynamic of compassionate care at a time when patients and healthcare professionals may find the healthcare system challenging. The MA focuses on enhancing students’ understanding of the integration of technology and science with individuals and society and the MSW focuses on individual and societal well-being. Combining these two foci within a dual degree program trains students to develop a keen understanding of the principles and problem resolution techniques that are central to bioethics along with the clinical practice skills to help individuals and families restore or enhance their capacity for social functioning, and to work to create societal conditions that promote social justice. This knowledge base will afford social workers and bioethicists the training to address the numerous complex ethical dilemmas, the patient’s experience and social injustices in health care, mental health, aging and disability, in order to create a lasting impact in our rapidly evolving society.