An inquiry : how do hospital administrators without the benefit of a formal course of learning learn about ethics and ethical behavior?

Abstract

Since the beginning of historical time, men and women have thought about right and wrong; and when one questions what is right and wrong, attempting an answer can be irresistible. We tend to ask what is right and wrong, and we soon learn that we must operate within a set of rules and social structures. But how we learn then becomes another question. This inquiry concerns learning. Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, has graduated 893 individuals from its Master of Science degree program in Health Administration since the program began in 1965. None of those graduates had the benefit of a formal course in ethics in their graduate programs. The question then becomes: How did these individuals, who went on and became hospital administrators, learn about ethics and ethical behavior? Attempting to answer that question, six secondary questions were asked in this inquiry. Did these individuals learn about ethics and ethical behavior as a part of another class, in the residency part of their graduate program, from peers, as an employee, and/or from significant others, i.e., a spouse, parents, etc., and further, assuming the individual did learn something about ethics and ethical behavior, how has that learning been applied? This inquiry was undertaken using a qualitative approach, in its attempt to answer the question(s). Twelve individuals were interviewed, in depth, of which nine individuals completed the inquiry. The data that were collected were analyzed both concurrently and retrospectively. First, the data were analyzed as they unfolded. Second, a series of screens was used in order to collect bits of information that would then be used to construct classes of data. The retrospective analysis was completed using an approach in which a composite of all the participants was drawn, in narrative fashion, based on the classes that were formed during the concurrent stage of analysis. In summary, those Trinity University graduates who were involved in this inquiry did learn something about ethics and ethical behavior and were concerned about right and wrong. Moreover, they continue to question, for seeking the answers is irresistible.