ORDENFA National Exam cheat sheet

ORDENFA practice rests on a defined scope of authorization: acts performed outside that scope are unauthorized regardless of outcome.

The practice cycle is assess, plan, authorize, execute, record, and review; each stage produces a documented output.

Competence is judged against the task, not the practitioner: a licensed practitioner may still be incompetent for a specific act.

Client records must be contemporaneous, legible, attributable, and retained for the period set by the governing standard.

Delegation transfers task execution, never accountability; the authorizing practitioner remains responsible for the outcome.

Informed consent requires capacity, disclosure of material risks, alternatives, and consequences of refusal, and voluntary agreement.

A conflict between client instruction and a standard is resolved in favor of the standard, with the deviation documented.

Terminology precision matters: 'shall' denotes a mandatory requirement, 'should' a recommendation, 'may' a permitted option.

Regulations are legally binding; standards are binding only when incorporated by reference or contractually adopted.

Hierarchy of authority: statute, then regulation, then incorporated standard, then guidance; lower levels cannot contradict higher ones.

A standard revision typically applies from its stated effective date; acts completed before that date are judged under the prior version.

Record retention periods run from the date of the last entry, not the date of first contact, unless the standard states otherwise.

Mandatory reporting obligations override client confidentiality and are triggered by defined thresholds, not by suspicion alone.

Licensure is jurisdictional: authority granted in one jurisdiction does not automatically extend to another.

Noncompliance response sequence: stop the affected activity, contain harm, notify per regulation, remediate, then document.

Guidance documents explain compliance but do not create new enforceable duties on their own.

Every procedure requires a defined trigger, responsible role, sequence of steps, acceptance criteria, and escalation path.

Verify identity and authorization before executing any act that changes a client's status or record.

Two-person verification is required for irreversible or high-consequence steps as specified in the procedure.

Deviations from a written procedure require prior approval when foreseeable, and retrospective documentation when not.

Documentation entries record what was done, by whom, when, and the basis; corrections are made by strikethrough with initials, never erasure.

Handover communication must include current status, pending actions, known risks, and the identity of the receiving party.

Escalate when acceptance criteria are not met, when authority is exceeded, or when the situation falls outside the procedure.

Procedure reviews occur on a defined cycle and after any adverse event, near miss, or change in governing standard.

Risk = likelihood x consequence; controls are ranked: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, then personal protective equipment.

Residual risk is the risk remaining after controls; it must be documented and accepted by an accountable person.

A hazard is a source of harm; a risk is the combination of likelihood and severity of that harm occurring.

Near misses are recorded and investigated with the same rigor as adverse events because they reveal failed controls.

Incident investigation seeks root causes through causal analysis, not blame; findings feed back into procedure revision.

Emergency plans specify alarm, evacuation or containment, accounting for persons, and the designated response lead.

Control effectiveness is verified by test or audit; an untested control is presumed unverified, not effective.

Risk acceptance decisions must be made at the level with authority to commit the resources the risk requires.

Core duties: competence, integrity, confidentiality, avoidance of conflicts, and accountability for one's own acts.

A conflict of interest must be disclosed promptly; disclosure alone does not resolve it-recusal or consent may be required.

Confidentiality exceptions are limited to legal compulsion, imminent serious harm, and authorized consent.

Practitioners must not practice beyond competence; the ethical response is referral or supervised acquisition of competence.

Gifts or benefits that could influence professional judgment must be refused or disclosed per policy thresholds.

Advertising and representations must be accurate and must not create unreasonable expectations of outcome.

An ethical obligation to report applies to conduct that poses risk to clients or the public, following the defined channel.

When ethical duties conflict, priority order is public safety, then legal duty, then client interest, then self-interest.

Scope of authorization defines which acts a practitioner may perform; acts outside it are unauthorized even if competently done.

The documented practice cycle is assess, plan, authorize, execute, record, review, each with a required output.

Competence attaches to the specific task; holding a license does not establish competence for every act.

Records must be contemporaneous, legible, attributable, and retained per the governing retention standard.

Delegation transfers execution only; accountability stays with the authorizing practitioner.

Informed consent requires capacity, material-risk disclosure, alternatives, consequences of refusal, and voluntariness.

When instruction conflicts with a standard, the standard prevails and the deviation is documented.

'Shall' marks a mandatory requirement, 'should' a recommendation, and 'may' a permitted option.

Statutes are enacted by legislature; regulations are issued under statutory authority and are legally binding.

Standards bind only when incorporated by reference or adopted by contract; guidance explains but does not create duties.

Authority order: statute, regulation, incorporated standard, guidance; a lower level cannot contradict a higher one.

A revised standard applies from its effective date; earlier acts are judged under the version then in force.

Retention periods run from the last record entry unless the standard specifies otherwise.

Mandatory reporting overrides confidentiality and is triggered by defined thresholds, not mere suspicion.

Licensure is jurisdictional; authority in one jurisdiction does not carry to another automatically.

Noncompliance sequence: stop activity, contain harm, notify, remediate, document.

A complete procedure states trigger, responsible role, step sequence, acceptance criteria, and escalation path.

Identity and authorization are verified before any act that alters client status or record.

Irreversible or high-consequence steps require two-person verification where the procedure specifies it.

Foreseeable deviations need prior approval; unforeseeable ones require retrospective documentation.

Corrections to records are made by strikethrough with initials and date; erasure and overwriting are prohibited.

Handover must convey current status, pending actions, known risks, and the receiving party's identity.

Escalation triggers: acceptance criteria unmet, authority exceeded, or situation outside the written procedure.

Procedures are reviewed on a set cycle and after adverse events, near misses, or standard changes.

Risk equals likelihood multiplied by consequence; this product ranks risks for control prioritization.

Control hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, personal protective equipment, in descending effectiveness.

Residual risk is what remains after controls and must be documented and formally accepted.

A hazard is a source of harm; risk is the likelihood and severity of harm from that hazard.

Near misses are investigated like adverse events because they expose failed or absent controls.

Root-cause analysis targets system causes rather than individual blame and feeds procedure revision.

Emergency plans define alarm, response action, person accounting, and the designated response lead.

An untested control is treated as unverified; effectiveness is confirmed by test or audit.

Core duties are competence, integrity, confidentiality, conflict avoidance, and accountability for one's own acts.

Conflicts of interest require prompt disclosure; resolution may require recusal or informed consent.

Confidentiality exceptions: legal compulsion, imminent serious harm, and authorized consent.

Practicing beyond competence is prohibited; the ethical response is referral or supervised competence acquisition.

Gifts or benefits capable of influencing judgment are refused or disclosed per policy thresholds.

Public representations and advertising must be accurate and must not promise outcomes.

Reporting obligations apply to conduct posing risk to clients or the public, through the defined channel.

Ethical priority order: public safety, legal duty, client interest, self-interest.

Scope of authorization defines permitted acts; performance outside that scope is unauthorized regardless of skill.

Practice cycle: assess, plan, authorize, execute, record, review, each stage yielding a documented output.

Competence is task-specific; a license does not certify competence for every act within the field.

Records must be contemporaneous, legible, attributable, and retained for the standard's stated period.

Delegation transfers task execution only; accountability remains with the authorizing practitioner.

Informed consent needs capacity, material-risk disclosure, alternatives, refusal consequences, and voluntariness.

Where instruction conflicts with a standard, the standard governs and the deviation is documented.

'Shall' means mandatory, 'should' recommended, 'may' permitted; these terms carry distinct compliance weight.

Regulations carry legal force; standards bind only via incorporation by reference or contractual adoption.

Hierarchy: statute, regulation, incorporated standard, guidance; lower levels cannot contradict higher ones.

A standard revision governs from its effective date; prior acts are judged under the then-current version.

Retention clocks start at the last entry date unless the standard states a different trigger.

Mandatory reporting overrides confidentiality and is triggered by defined thresholds, not suspicion.

Licensure is jurisdictional and does not automatically extend across borders.

Noncompliance response: stop the activity, contain harm, notify per regulation, remediate, document.

Guidance explains compliance expectations but creates no independent enforceable duties.

Each procedure specifies trigger, responsible role, ordered steps, acceptance criteria, and escalation path.

Verify identity and authorization before any act changing client status or record.

Two-person verification applies to irreversible or high-consequence steps named in the procedure.

Foreseeable deviations require prior approval; unforeseen ones require retrospective documentation.

Record corrections use strikethrough with initials and date; erasure or overwriting is prohibited.

Handover conveys current status, pending actions, known risks, and receiving party identity.

Escalate when acceptance criteria fail, authority is exceeded, or the situation falls outside procedure.

Procedures are reviewed on a defined cycle and after adverse events, near misses, or standard changes.

Risk = likelihood x consequence; the product sets control priority.

Control hierarchy, most to least effective: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, PPE.

Residual risk is risk remaining after controls and must be documented and accepted by an accountable person.

Hazard is a source of harm; risk is the likelihood and severity of harm from it.

Near misses receive the same investigative rigor as adverse events because they reveal control failures.

Causal analysis targets system causes, not individual blame, and informs procedure revision.

Emergency plans specify alarm, response action, person accounting, and a designated response lead.

An untested control is presumed unverified; effectiveness is confirmed by test or audit.

Core duties: competence, integrity, confidentiality, conflict avoidance, accountability for one's own acts.

Conflicts of interest require prompt disclosure; resolution may require recusal or informed consent.

Confidentiality exceptions are legal compulsion, imminent serious harm, and authorized consent.

Practicing beyond competence is prohibited; referral or supervised competence acquisition is the ethical response.

Gifts or benefits that could influence judgment are refused or disclosed per policy thresholds.

Advertising and public representations must be accurate and must not promise outcomes.

Report conduct posing risk to clients or the public through the defined channel.

Ethical priority order: public safety, legal duty, client interest, self-interest.