Professional Ethics and Unprofessional Conduct
What the exam tests
Ethics questions test professional obligations that sit alongside the legal rules: patient autonomy, veracity, confidentiality, boundary-setting, and avoiding conflicts of interest. The exam often uses a scenario with a “technically legal but unethical” option.
Core rules
- Put the patient’s welfare first; obtain informed consent and respect refusal.
- Be truthful in advertising, billing, and representations of credentials. Do not misrepresent specialties or services.
- Avoid fee-splitting, kickbacks, and arrangements that compromise clinical judgment. Do not abandon patients without notice and an opportunity to transfer care.
- Maintain professional boundaries; sexual or exploitative relationships with patients are unprofessional conduct.
- Practice only within your scope and competence, and refer when a condition exceeds them.
Worked example
A dentist offers a hygienist a bonus for every patient scheduled for a particular restoration, regardless of clinical need. Accepting the arrangement risks compromising the hygienist’s independent judgment and creates a conflict of interest. The ethical response is to decline the incentive and keep recommendations based on clinical findings and patient consent.
Traps
- Equating “legal” with “ethical”; unprofessional conduct can be broader than illegality.
- Letting an employer pressure you into out-of-scope duties.
- Posting patient details or before-and-after images without valid authorization.
- Abandoning a patient because of a billing dispute.