Professional Practice and Ethics
Professional Practice and Ethics
This domain tests duty to patients, competence, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, documentation, and escalation. The exam expects practical judgment when safety and integrity conflict with convenience.
Core rules
- Work within competence; refer or escalate when outside scope.
- Patient safety overrides convenience; document facts contemporaneously.
- Disclose errors through appropriate channels; never falsify PM or test records.
- Manage conflicts involving gifts, vendor influence, and consulting.
- Protect protected health information under HIPAA and institutional policy.
Worked example
A manager asks you to sign off PMs not performed because the OR is busy. Refuse; document the deferral and associated risk; schedule the PM; escalate if needed. Signing falsely creates both a safety breach and an integrity breach.
Traps
- "Borrowing" another device's test result.
- Accepting vendor gifts that influence selection.
- Discussing patient data in public areas.