Background. Ethics training at tertiary level is important to facilitate an understanding of patient dignity and respect. Traditionally, ethics has been taught in the form of didactic lectures; however, the authors are of the opinion that practical applications are more useful.

Objective . To measure students’ moral reasoning frameworks before and after an intensive course in medical ethics.

Methods . The study cohort was given a pre- and post-test of the moral behaviour scale (MBS). The t-test for matched scores was performed to determine the presence of significant differences between the mean pre- and post-test scores for the 5 scales of the MBS.

Results . The study showed that there was a change in the students’ moral behaviour when a specific course structure was evaluated.

Conclusion . A combination of didactic and Socratic methodology of training had some effect on the moral reasoning ability of healthcare students.