Certification of specialists in ethical counselling within the healthcare sector
Forms of ethical counselling and support have been in place within the Swiss healthcare system for several decades. Ethical structures are now institutionalised in more than half of all hospitals. Despite the indispensability of this important service, there has hitherto been no structured and coordinated programme in Switzerland for the certification of specialists in ethical counselling.
The Swiss Society for Biomedical Ethics (SGBE), as the relevant national professional body, therefore set up a task force in 2023 to develop a standardised, competence-based training curriculum and a pragmatic certification model. The programme aims not only to improve the quality of ethics counselling in the healthcare sector, but also to enhance equity of access to these services. The voluntary task force comprises experts in ethics counselling and adult education within the healthcare sector, drawn from various professions and recruited from across Switzerland. The SGBE’s General Assembly has endorsed the task force established by the Executive Board.
Members of the Task Force
Prof. Dr Dr Ralf Jox, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, Lausanne (Chair)
Dr Heidi Albisser Schleger, University of Basel
Dr Christof Arn, freelance ethicist, Scharans
Gaby Bracher, MAS, Swiss Association of Occupational Therapists, Bern
PD Dr Marta Fadda, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano
Dr Andreas Fischer, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital
Dr Oswald Hasselmann, St Gallen Children’s Hospital
Dr Markus Hofer, Winterthur Cantonal Hospital
Prof. Dr Samia Hurst, University of Geneva
Isabelle Karzig, RN, MAE, MScN, University Hospital Zurich
Muriel Keller, Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Prof. Dr Tanja Krones, University Hospital of Zurich
Prof. Dr Settimio Monteverde, University Hospital of Zurich
Prof. Dr Rouven Porz, Inselspital Bern
Simone Romagnoli, MER, Haute École Spécialisée de Suisse occidentale, Geneva
Dr Hannah Schmieg, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital
Dr Jan Schürmann, University Hospital Basel
PD Dr Annina Seiler, University Hospital Zurich
PD Dr Jürg Streuli, IBME, University of Zurich
The composition of the task force varies depending on the remit and the availability of interested parties.
Consultation
A trilingual preliminary draft was assessed during a broad public consultation process, leading to the version published here.
Curriculum
In September 2026, the Swiss Society for Biomedical Ethics (SGBE) published a curriculum for the field of clinical ethics, which will serve as the basis for the certification of professionals with the relevant training.
The curriculum is intended for all those working in the field of ethics support in the Swiss healthcare system, all education and training providers active in this field, as well as anyone else who may be interested. We would greatly appreciate your help in sharing the curriculum with potentially interested individuals in your network so that it can reach as wide an audience as possible.