Client Consultation, Communication, and Professional Ethics
Domain 7 tests the consultation as a risk-management tool: what you ask, what you document, and when you decline.
Core rules
- Intake: medications, allergies, pregnancies, skin conditions, prior reactions, occupation, and expectations. Ask about recent infections and doctor's releases.
- Patch test when product or state rule requires it; record date and result. Obtain informed consent for enhancements and for any service with risk.
- Stay in scope: no diagnosis, no prescription, no promise to cure. Refer suspicious conditions.
- Confidentiality: do not discuss a client's health or personal details. Keep records secure.
- Ethics: disclose pricing, product limitations, and realistic wear time; do not upsell unnecessary services.
Worked example
A client asks for a full set over a painful, swollen nail fold. You explain that the area looks infected and that applying product could trap bacteria and worsen it. You decline the enhancement, offer a different service if safe, refer to a physician, and document the conversation and referral. The reasoning is nonmaleficence: the risk of harm outweighs the sale, and documentation protects both parties.
Traps
Diagnosing “fungus” or “allergy”; promising a cure; ignoring a patch-test reaction; sharing client information; and treating consent as a one-time form rather than a conversation.