Workplace Safety, Ethics and Professional Conduct
This domain tests how you protect yourself, your colleagues and your patients, and how you behave as a healthcare worker.
Workplace hazards
Biological (blood, body fluids, TB), sharps, chemical (disinfectants, mercury), ergonomic (lifting), electrical, fire, and psychological (stress, violence). Use standard precautions, correct body mechanics, and report every hazard or incident, even a near miss.
Needle-stick injury - immediate steps
- Wash the site with soap and running water; do not squeeze or scrub.
- Do not apply caustic agents; allow bleeding under running water.
- Flush splashes to eyes, nose or mouth with water.
- Report immediately to the supervisor and infection-control nurse; source and staff testing, and post-exposure prophylaxis as advised - earlier is better, so do not wait for the next shift.
Fire and electrical safety
RACE (Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish/Evacuate) and PASS (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep). Never use water on an electrical fire; know the location of the nearest extinguisher and exit.
Ethics and conduct
Principles: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, confidentiality. Consent must be informed and voluntary; for a minor below 18, take guardian consent, except in a life-threatening emergency. Work within your scope of practice, do not accept gifts that create obligation, do not post patient photographs or details on social media, and keep boundaries with patients and families.
Worked example
A needle pierces your glove. Reasoning: wash with soap and water, do not squeeze, report at once, and complete the accident form so testing and prophylaxis can start within the recommended window - delayed or hidden injuries are the real danger.
Traps that cost marks
- Squeezing or scrubbing a needle-stick wound.
- Discussing a patient in a lift or on a messaging group.
- Performing a procedure outside your training.
- Treating a 16-year-old without guardian consent when it is not an emergency.