2016 Volume 26 Issue 1 Pages 35-45
This paper tries to extract major matters cited as ethics subjects in syllabuses and curriculums of universities with care worker training courses and analyzes the characteristics thereof with the aim of ascertaining the current status of ethics education in such university courses in Japan. As a result, it was found that almost all targeted universities put in place ethics-related subjects, such as bioethics and ethics in providing care. However, ethics education has generally been introduced as elective subjects, which students do not necessarily take, and often as subjects for freshmen and sophomores. Furthermore, specific contents of lectures are mainly centered on fundamental knowledge, and such lectures fall short of having students learn how to deal with concrete ethical problems in a real situation. Nevertheless, universities are increasingly introducing ethical contents in curricula for their care worker training courses as part of the specialized subjects (such as overview and methodology concerning provision of care and practical training) for developing a sense of professionalism and deepening sympathy for care recipients. The combination with ethics-related subjects is expected to generate a synergistic effect, prioritizing both fundamental knowledge and advanced practical exercises.
