Client Consultation, Communication, and Professional Ethics
The consultation
A consultation is a structured conversation: ask about goals, allergies, medications, medical conditions, and prior nail services. Look for contraindications - open wounds, fungal or bacterial infection, severe inflammation, diabetes with poor circulation - and refer when appropriate. Document what you observe and what you recommend. Consent matters before any service that carries risk.
Communication and ethics
Professional communication is clear, private, and respectful. Avoid diagnosing; a technician recognizes and refers. Keep client information confidential. Do not gossip about clients, and do not pressure a client into services they did not request. Ethics includes honesty about product limitations, transparent pricing, and refusing to perform a service on an infected nail even if the client insists.
Traps
- "The technician should diagnose a fungal infection" - false; refer.
- "Confidentiality ends when the client leaves" - false; it persists.
- "Upselling is always ethical" - no; pressure and misrepresentation are not.
Rule of thumb
Use the three-question filter: Is it safe? Is it within my scope? Did the client consent? If any answer is no, stop and refer or clarify.