Health Careers and Ethics: Roles, Confidentiality, and Professional Conduct
Core concepts
Know the scope of practice for common roles. Physicians diagnose and treat; registered nurses assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care; nurse practitioners and physician assistants practice with defined autonomy that varies by jurisdiction; pharmacists manage medication therapy; dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy; physical and occupational therapists address movement and daily function; medical assistants and technicians perform defined clinical or laboratory tasks. Scope of practice is the set of activities a professional is legally permitted to perform, and it is defined by law, licensure, and training - not by convenience.
Understand core ethical principles: autonomy (respect the patient's choices), beneficence (act for the patient's good), nonmaleficence (do no harm), justice (fair treatment and resource allocation), and veracity (truthfulness). Know informed consent - capacity, disclosure, comprehension, and voluntariness. Understand confidentiality under laws such as HIPAA: protected health information is shared only on a need-to-know basis, and exceptions exist for reporting abuse, certain communicable diseases, and imminent danger.
Know professional boundaries, the duty to report unsafe practice, and the importance of documenting objectively. Recognize that advance directives and durable power of attorney for health care express patient wishes when the patient cannot.
Traps
Questions may ask a professional to perform a task outside their scope, or suggest sharing patient information with family without consent. Another trap confuses autonomy (patient's choice) with beneficence (clinician's duty to help).
Worked example / rule of thumb
Rule of thumb: if the patient's wishes are clear and the patient has capacity, autonomy leads. Example: a competent adult refuses a treatment the team believes is beneficial. The team explains risks, ensures understanding, and respects the refusal; beneficence does not override a capable patient's decision.
Exam strategy
Choose the answer that protects patient rights, stays within legal scope, and follows the chain of reporting.