System Clinical Ethicist

Beth Israel Lahey Health; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Beth Israel Lahey Health is seeking a System Clinical Ethicist to lead ethics consultations and system-level ethics program development across the health system. You will collaborate with hospital ethics leaders and clinicians to promote ethical decision-making, integrity, and moral resilience.

The role balances direct ethics consultation with program development, quality improvement, policy support, and ethics integration across multiple sites, with on-call coverage and education

Qualifications

• Master's degree required in Bioethics or related field.
• Formal fellowship training in Bioethics or Clinical Ethics preferred.
• Minimum 3–5 years of clinical ethics consult experience in a health system or academic medical center.
• Experience facilitating ethics consultations, committees, and interdisciplinary deliberations.
• Experience in healthcare policy, ethics education, and program improvement preferred.
• Eligible for HEC-C certification within 1–2 years of hire.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality formal and informal clinical ethics consultations for patients, families, clinicians, and leadership.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary discussions to support ethical decision-making.
• Participate in on-call ethics consultation coverage as needed.
• Document consultations and recommendations per organizational standards.
• Support system-wide ethics program development and policy implementation.
• Develop and deliver ethics education programs for healthcare professionals.

Skills

Advanced ethics knowledge

Excellent communication

Interpersonal collaboration

Organizational skills

Quality improvement

Education

Master's degree in Bioethics or related field

Fellowship training in Bioethics/Clinical Ethics preferred

Job description

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you're making a difference in people's lives. Reporting to the Executive Director, Clinical Ethics, the System Clinical Ethicist provides leadership, consultation, education, and programmatic support for clinical ethics across the health system. This position serves as a key resource for patients, families, clinicians, operational leaders, and ethics committees, helping to promote ethical decision-making, organizational integrity, and moral resilience throughout the organization. Working collaboratively with hospital-based ethics leaders, clinical teams, and system executives, the System Clinical Ethicist delivers ethics consultation services, supports development and implementation of ethics programs and policies, advances ethics education, and promotes consistent ethics practices across all hospitals, ambulatory sites, and affiliated entities. The role balances direct clinical ethics consultation with system-level program development, quality improvement, policy support, and ethics integration activities.

Essential Responsibilities

Clinical Ethics Consultation

• Provide high-quality formal and informal clinical ethics consultations for patients, families, clinicians, and administrative leaders regarding complex ethical issues in patient care.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary discussions to support ethically sound decision-making and conflict resolution.
• Participate in an ethics consultation coverage model, including urgent and on-call ethics consultation support as needed.
• Document ethics consultations and recommendations in accordance with organizational standards.
• Coordinate follow-up activities and monitor outcomes of ethics consultations to support continuous improvement.

Ethics Program Development and Leadership

• Support the implementation and ongoing development of a system-wide clinical ethics program aligned with organizational values and strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with ethics committees, ethics liaisons, and clinical leaders across all system entities to promote consistency in ethics practices and services.
• Assist in developing, reviewing, and revising organizational policies, guidelines, and procedures involving ethical considerations.
• Participate in ethics-related quality improvement initiatives and evaluation of ethics consultation services.
• Contribute to the collection, analysis, and reporting of ethics consultation metrics and program outcomes.

Education and Professional Development

• Develop and deliver ethics education programs for physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, social workers, chaplains, trainees, and other healthcare professionals.
• Organize and facilitate ethics rounds, case conferences, workshops, and educational forums.
• Provide mentorship to ethics liaisons, students, residents, fellows, and staff interested in clinical ethics.
• Promote understanding of ethical principles, professionalism, organizational ethics, and moral resilience throughout the health system.

Collaboration and Organizational Support

• Serve as a consultant and advisor to clinical, operational, legal, compliance, risk management, patient experience, and leadership teams on ethics-related matters.
• Foster a culture that values ethical reflection, respectful dialogue, and professional integrity.
• Support efforts to reduce moral distress and strengthen moral resilience among clinicians and staff.
• Participate in system committees and interdisciplinary initiatives related to clinical ethics and organizational ethics.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with academic institutions, professional organizations, and ethics communities of practice.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Master's degree in Bioethics, Healthcare Ethics, Philosophy, Theology, Social Work, Nursing, Public Health, or a related field required; or equivalent terminal degree (MD, DO, JD, PhD) with substantial ethics training and experience.
• Formal fellowship training in Bioethics or Clinical Ethics preferred.

Experience

• Minimum three to five years of clinical ethics consultation experience in an academic medical center, health system, or comparable healthcare environment.
• Experience facilitating ethics consultations, ethics committees, and interdisciplinary ethical deliberations.
• Experience in healthcare policy development, ethics education, and program improvement initiatives preferred.
• Experience working across multiple clinical settings or sites preferred.
• Candidates eligible for HEC-C certification within one to two years of hire may be considered.

Certification

• Healthcare Ethicist-Certified (HEC-C) preferred.
• Candidates eligible for HEC-C certification within one to two years of hire may be considered.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of clinical ethics principles, consultation methods, ethical analysis, and healthcare law.
• Ability to facilitate complex, sensitive conversations involving competing values and stakeholder perspectives.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build productive relationships across disciplines and levels of leadership.
• Strong organizational, project management, and quality improvement skills.
• Knowledge of Joint Commission, CMS, and other regulatory and accreditation requirements related to ethics consultation and patient care.
• Experience developing and delivering educational curricula using adult learning principles.
• Proficiency with electronic health records and Microsoft Office applications.

Working Conditions

• Regular presence in clinical settings for ethics consultation activities.
• Travel between hospitals, clinics, and other system locations as needed.
• Participation in an ethics consultation on-call rotation.
• Combination of office, remote, and clinical work environments.

Pay Range

Pay Range: $60,000.00 USD - $80,000.00 USD

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment. More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled