Title: Apply medical ethics in a clinical setting.
Course: Medical Assistant II (14151-II) > Section: Communicating in the Workplace

Applying medical ethics should include behaviors such as

- ensuring patients' rights
- maintaining confidentiality
- exhibiting honesty in all transactions
- ensuring that medical procedures are carried out to the best of one's ability (e.g., medical asepsis, testing, and medical record-keeping)
- developing a plan for separation of personal and professional ethics.

Following the professional code of conduct for medical assistants should include careful attention to stay within the scope of practice as a member of the medical team. It should also include identifying the legality and/or ethics surrounding medical issues involved in current controversies.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What is the difference between law and ethics?
- What is the purpose of a code of professional ethics? What ethical principles are medical assistants expected to uphold?
- What should a medical assistant do if he or she believes that a patient's rights have been violated?
- Can a medical assistant be sued for malpractice? Explain.