Medical Ethics Foundations for SJT

You do not need to be a medical ethicist to score well on SJT. But understanding the four pillars of medical ethics gives you a robust framework for answering questions consistently and correctly. When you are unsure about a scenario, these principles act as a compass.

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The Four Pillars of Medical Ethics

These four principles, established by Beauchamp and Childress, form the foundation of medical ethics teaching worldwide. Every SJT scenario can be analysed through this lens.

1. Autonomy

Definition: Respect for the patient's right to make their own decisions about their care.

Aspect	What it means in practice
Informed consent	Patients must be given sufficient information to make decisions
Right to refuse	Patients can refuse treatment, even if you believe it would help them
Capacity	Patients with capacity have the right to make decisions you disagree with
Voluntariness	Decisions must be made freely, without coercion
Confidentiality	Protecting patient information respects their autonomy over personal data