Professional Conduct, Ethics, and Unprofessional Conduct
Professional conduct standards blend statutory definitions of unprofessional conduct with ethical duties. Candidates should know that the Board may discipline a licensee for conduct including fraud or deceit in obtaining a license, practicing outside scope, practicing under the influence of drugs or alcohol, gross or repeated negligence, abandonment of patients, breach of confidentiality, and failure to cooperate with a Board investigation.
Ethical duties include veracity, patient autonomy, confidentiality, and competence. Informed refusal, referral when a condition exceeds one's scope, and honest representation of credentials are recurring themes. Traps include assuming that conduct outside the workplace is irrelevant - the Board regulates fitness to practice, so conduct that bears on trustworthiness or public safety can be disciplined. Another trap is believing that an employer's instruction excuses a violation; the licensee remains personally responsible.
Understand that a single act can trigger both civil liability and Board discipline, and that the standards differ. Negligence may be compensable in court while gross or repeated negligence is disciplinable. Confidentiality has exceptions such as mandated reporting and court orders, but casual disclosure to family or employers is a violation.
Rule of thumb: ask whether the conduct undermines public trust in the profession or patient safety; if so, it likely qualifies as unprofessional conduct.
Worked example: A hygienist posts a patient's radiograph on social media with identifying details. Even if no harm results, this is a confidentiality breach and unprofessional conduct subject to discipline.