Professional Ethics, Law, and Scope of Practice
Core concepts
Expect questions on consent, confidentiality, competence, and the boundaries of your role. Understand informed consent elements (capacity, information, voluntariness), the difference between implied and expressed consent, and when emergency exceptions apply. Know privacy law principles (minimum necessary, need-to-know), mandatory reporting obligations, advance directives, and the definition of negligence (duty, breach, causation, damages). Scope of practice questions test whether a task falls within your training and delegation rules - not whether you are capable of doing it.
Traps
Distractors tempt you to "help out" by performing a task outside your scope, or to share patient information with someone who is curious but not involved in care. Another trap is accepting consent from someone who lacks capacity, or treating a signed form as proof that consent was informed. Watch for answers that prioritize institutional convenience over patient rights.
Rule of thumb
Scope-before-skill rule: before acting, ask two questions - is this within my scope, and is it appropriately delegated? If either answer is no, escalate rather than improvise.
Worked example
A family member asks you to describe a patient's test results. Even though you know them, sharing with someone not authorized to receive the information violates confidentiality. You redirect the request to the patient or the appropriate channel.