“How Am I Supposed to Feel About This?” Addressing Moral Distress Caused by COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing health care workers—clinicians, administrators, chaplains, social workers, and support staff alike—to adapt their work in crisis situations that feel chaotic and well outside the norm. As they face these new challenges, many health workers report intense feelings of powerlessness or lack of control, and describe a sense of moral distress as they navigate issues that may conflict with their professional values.

This Master Clinician session provides a unique opportunity to discuss COVID-related issues of moral distress with Ira Bedzow, PhD, Director of the Biomedical Ethics and Humanities Program at New York Medical College, and Senior Scholar at the Aspen Center for Social Values. Dr. Bedzow will offer a framework for examining one’s own moral distress by tackling real-life situations brought forth during the session by a panelist of health care workers. This process both supports ethical decision-making and promotes resiliency.