About CLEIP
Cleveland Clinic's Clinical Ethics Immersion Program (CLEIP) is a rigorous and innovative learning experience that combines a three-day preparatory intensive course and a two - or three - week clinical ethics immersion customized to meet participants' individuals needs and interest.
During the intensive course, participants will enhance their knowledge of classical methods of ethics consultation and emerging approaches in clinical ethics through skill-building workshops and experiential exercise. During the clinical immersion, participants will:
- Work one-on-one with Cleveland Clinic faculty bioethicists.
- Participate on a high-volume ethics consultation service that conducts over 600 consultations annually.
- Integrate into the full spectrum of Center for Bioethics activities, including interdisciplinary rounds, committee meetings, and educational activities.
- Engage in reflective writing with a potential for collaborative publications.
“As a professor of law and bioethics, participating in CLEIP brought me face-to-face with the issues I write and teach about. I learned so much from the CLEIP team, the Cleveland Clinic clinicians and staff, and the patients who entrusted their care to us. The integration of theory and practice that the CLEIP experience provided has made me a better scholar, teacher, and advocate.
– Nadia Sawicki, JD, MBE
CLEIP Class of 2018
Georgia Reithal Professor of Law
Academic Co-Director, Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Participants will have the opportunity to learn from Cleveland Clinic Center for Bioethics faculty, whose areas of expertise include:
- Clinical Ethics Program Development
- Informed Consent & Decision-Making Capacity
- NeuroEthics
- Pediatric Ethics
- Reproductive Ethics
- Research Ethics
- Transplant Ethics
Participants will benefit from the Center's 30-year history of innovation and integration into the core fabric of one of the nation's best hospital systems. Cleveland Clinic's health care delivery model serves as an example of sustainability in this era of healthcare reform; the employed-physician model of the main campus and the combined employed and private-practice model of the system's community hospitals provide participants with a full spectrum of institutional cultures, including a faith-based hospital, in which clinical ethics consultants practice.
Class size is limited and participants are selected competitively in order to foster relationships and extend professional networks.
Curriculum
CLEIP participants will gain an appreciation of the full spectrum of a clinical ethics program through the combined intensive classroom learning and ethics consultation immersion experiences. Participants are expected to commit to both components of the program.
The program will begin with the three-day classroom intensive at Cleveland Clinic on April 12-14, 2024, taught by Cleveland Clinic faculty. The intensive weekend will primarily focus on ethics consultation skill-building through workshops and experiential learning exercises, all designed to enable participants to practice their ethics consultation skills in a supportive classroom learning environment. The small class size contributes to the individualized, supportive environment and fosters long-term professional relationships among participants.
Topics covered include:
- Ethics Consultation Models & Approaches
- Clinical Ethics within Institutional Culture
- Clinical Ethics Program Development
- Ethics Committee Structure & Responsibilities
- Consultation Toolkits
- Consultants' Roles
- Ethical Analysis
- Communication Skills
- Note-Writing Skills
- Relationship-Centered Trust
- Facilitating Family Meetings
The CLEIP Directors will work with each participant to develop a plan for the immersion experience specifically tailored to his or her needs and interests.
During the immersion experience, participants will work one - on - one with Bioethics faculty and will:
- Participate in ethics consultations
- Attend Center for Bioethics meetings and educational opportunities
- Produce three case write-ups, each reflecting a different aspect of ethics consultation: consultation process, ethical analysis, and emotional impact
Applications
Please submit a letter of interest, including how you plan to apply the training to your current or future positions and a CV/Resume.
Participants will be selected on a competitive basis and are expected to commit to both the intensive and immersion components of the program. All participants must meet Cleveland Clinic trainee/visitor requirements.
Dates: April 12-14, 2024
- Immersion experience will be scheduled individually
- Must be completed within 1 year of intensive course
Deadline: December 1, 2023
How To Apply: Please submit applications electronically to cleip@ccf.org.
Learn More
Tuition & Expenses
- $8,450 (Intensive + 3 weeks).
- $7,100 (Intensive + 2 weeks).
- Special rates available for groups of two or more.
- Lodging: Participants are responsible for own lodging arrangements; discounted rates available for the intensive weekend.
- Transportation: Participants are responsible for own transportation to/from and within Cleveland.
- Parking: Provided by the Center for Bioethics.
REFUND POLICY
CLEIP participants are required to submit a non-refundable $500 deposit. If participants are subsequently unable to attend, the following refund schedule shall apply:
- Cancellation more than 30 days prior to the start of the CLEIP Intensive: Full tuition refund minus the non-refundable deposit.
- Cancellation less than 30 days’ notice, but more than 14 days prior to the start of the CLEIP Intensive: 50% of tuition refund minus the non-refundable deposit.
- Cancellation less than 14 days prior to the start of the CLEIP Intensive: no refund.
To receive the applicable refund, participants must provide the required information to process it within 30 days of notice of cancellation.
In the event that the entire CLEIP course would need to be cancelled for any reason (e.g., public health emergency, natural disaster) or delayed for more than six (6) months, participants may be offered the opportunity to apply the tuition paid to the next available course, or obtain a refund at the discretion of Cleveland Clinic or the CLEIP program.
Hear From Our Alumni
“Through CLEIP, I witnessed how thoughtful communication, education and objectivity by the ethicists had a profoundly positive impact on the patients, caregivers and family members when there was uncertainty about care options. Participating in CLEIP reinforced my belief that bioethics truly can improve the health care system and furthered my commitment to devoting my career to clinical ethics.”
– Diane McNamara, JD, LLM, MA
CLEIP Class of 2019
Private Practice Attorney
“CLEIP gave me a solid foundation in clinical ethics. While I was new to clinical ethics and was doing a lot of foundational reading, CLEIP helped me with the practical application of the concepts and principles in ethics. The CLEIP leadership and faculty are very knowledgeable, good teachers, very approachable, and most important of all, very humble in acknowledging the uncertainties that are inherent in situations to which they are called to help. I am fortunate to have had this immersion learning opportunity early in my career in ethics.”
– Prasanna Krishnasamy MD, MPH, FACP
CLEIP Class of 2018
Medical Director of Clinical Ethics
Internal Medicine Faculty Physician
Legacy Health, Portland, Oregon
“As a professor of law and bioethics, participating in CLEIP brought me face-to-face with the issues I write and teach about. I learned so much from the CLEIP team, the Cleveland Clinic clinicians and staff, and the patients who entrusted their care to us. The integration of theory and practice that the CLEIP experience provided has made me a better scholar, teacher, and advocate.”
– Nadia Sawicki, JD, MBE
CLEIP Class of 2018
Georgia Reithal Professor of Law
Academic Co-Director, Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
“As a physician who was transitioning into a role involving ethics consultation, participation in the Cleveland Clinic CLEIP program was a perfect addition to my Masters studies in Biomedical Ethics. The Intensive provided an excellent ethics review and helped me apply academic concepts to daily clinical practice. The Immersion experience was truly unique, offering the opportunity to actually participate in a mature and robust ethics program. I actively participated in clinical ethics consultations alongside leaders in the field, gaining valuable insight into various approaches for Ethics Committees, attending a variety of meetings in both academic and regional health centers, but most importantly, the network of friends and mentors I gained has proven a tremendous resource.
My time with Cleveland Clinic gave me needed consultation skills and confidence when leading difficult family meetings. It provided a vision for integrating ethical consideration proactively into daily patient rounds, and demonstrated a standard for effective documentation. I have had wonderful success using the experience I gained from the CLEIP program as a model for establishing a clinical ethics consultation service in my own community. It was an incredibly efficient and valuable means of gaining the skills I needed to serve our patients and our institution.”
– Amy Warner, DO, MA
CLEIP Class of 2017
Director of Clinical Ethics
Mercy Health, Fayetteville, AR
FAQs
Who should apply for this program?
- Professionals in healthcare, including physicians, nurses, clergy, social workers, clinical ethics consultants and members of ethics committees, seeking to enhance their clinical ethics consultation skills and expand their consultation experience.
- Professionals who teach bioethics, law, philosophy, or another related discipline at the undergraduate or graduate level and who are looking for experience to ground their teaching in clinical practice.
- Those seeking to develop ethics consultation skills, understand how core ethical concepts and frameworks are applied in the clinical setting, and gain an appreciation of the scope of clinical ethics activities.
- Not sure? Contact us. We’ll be happy to talk to you about CLEIP.
I am considering this program and also looking at bioethics fellowships. Which would better prepare me for a career as a clinical ethicist?
CLEIP is not designed to adequately prepare you to begin work primarily as a clinical ethicist; for those career aspirations, a bioethics fellowship would better suit your learning needs.
I have worked in hospitals for 20 years and was just appointed to lead the Ethics Committee at my hospital. Is this program right for me?
Yes! You will learn about ethics program development, develop or enhance your ethics consultation skills, and explore ways in which the ethics consultant’s role differs from your primary role.
I recently completed a Master’s Degree in Bioethics online and am trying to figure out what career path I would be most interested in pursuing.
Participation in CLEIP will give you the opportunity to connect your academic expertise with the realities of clinical medicine, and may help clarify where your interests lie (i.e., clinical ethics or academia.)
I am a lawyer and serve on the local hospital’s Ethics Committee. Is this a good program for me?
Yes! As a CLEIP participant, you will see a wide-array of ethics consultations, ranging from relatively straight-forward requests for clarification or guidance to complex ethical dilemmas.
I just finished college and want to become a doctor. Bioethics is so interesting! Is this program right for me?
Not yet. While we encourage you to pursue your interest in bioethics as you proceed on your path through medical school, this program is not intended as an introduction to bioethics. Fortunately, there are other great bioethics programs available that might suit your needs.
Are there choices for accommodations?
Yes, there are several hotels in the area, and a special rate has been secured for the intensive weekend. This information will be available to accepted participants.
Contact Us
Sundus Riaz, MA, Education Program Coordinator
Phone: 216.444.8720
Email: cleip@ccf.org
Cleveland Clinic Center for Bioethics/JJ-60
9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44195
