title: The American Association for Thoracic Surgery 2016 ethics forum: Working virtues in surgical practice.
abstract: Moral virtues are the complement to ethical principles. They constitute the elements of character that drive habits and daily routines. Certain virtues are especially important in surgery, shaping surgical practice even when no big decisions are at hand. Eight virtues are described and the work they do is explored: trustworthiness, equanimity, empathy, advocacy, compassion, courage, humility, and hope.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn. Electronic address: larry.churchill@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Larry R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Churchill
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D066279:Courage / Q000941:ethics; D004645:Empathy / Q000941:ethics; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D065026:Hope / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D009014:Morals; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000941:ethics; D066231:Surgeons / Q000941:ethics* / Q000523:psychology; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000941:ethics*; D035502:Trust; D017132:Workplace
keywords: ethics; patient care; professionalism; virtues