Medical ethics plays an important—and foundational—role in the provision of modern medical care. Whether through matching treatment plans to patient values, assuring risks and benefits are appropriately weighted and accounted for in decision making, or identifying appropriate surrogates, the responsibilities of ethics case consultation are increasingly complex. Clinical health workers conducting ethics consultation at many hospitals lack background training in the content and methodology of clinical bioethics. This is particularly true at smaller and rural hospitals, which may rely on clinical staff who volunteer their time to the hospital ethics committee and consultation service. To perform these functions properly, these professionals have specialized educational needs.