Code of Maine Rules › 02 - DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL AND FINANCIAL REGULATION › 643 - BOARD OF SPEECH, AUDIOLOGY AND HEARING › Chapter 11 - CODE OF ETHICS › Section 643-11-2 - Principle of Ethics I

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
Licensees shall honor their responsibility to hold paramount
				  the welfare of persons they serve professionally or who are participants in
				  research and scholarly activities, and they shall treat animals involved in
				  research in a humane manner.
Rules of Ethics
1. Licensees shall provide all services
				competently.
2. Licensees shall use
				every resource, including referral when appropriate, to ensure that
				high-quality service is provided.
3. Licensees shall not discriminate in the
				delivery of professional services on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender,
				age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.
4. Licensees shall not misrepresent the
				credentials of speech-language pathology assistants, students, Clinical
				Fellows, trainee hearing aid dealers and fitters or any others under their
				supervision, and they shall inform those they serve professionally of the name
				and professional credentials of persons providing services.
5. Licensees shall not delegate tasks that
				require the unique skills, knowledge and judgment that are within the scope of
				their profession to speech-language pathology assistants, trainee hearing aid
				dealers and fitters or any nonprofessionals over whom they have supervisory
				responsibility.
6. Licensees may
				delegate tasks related to provision of clinical services that require the
				unique skills, knowledge and judgment that are within the scope of practice of
				their profession to students only if those services are appropriately
				supervised. The responsibility for client welfare remains with the
				licensee.
7. Licensees may delegate
				tasks related to provision of clinical services to speech-language pathology
				assistants or trainee hearing aid dealers and fitters only if those services
				are appropriately supervised, realizing that the responsibility for client
				welfare remains with the licensee.
8. Licensees shall fully inform the persons
				they serve of the nature and possible effects of services rendered and products
				dispensed, and they shall inform participants in research about the possible
				effects of their participation in research conducted..
9. Licensees shall evaluate the effectiveness
				of services rendered and of products dispensed and shall provide services or
				dispense products only when benefit can reasonably be expected.
10. Licensees shall not guarantee the results
				of any treatment or procedure, directly or by implication; however, they may
				make a reasonable statement of prognosis.
11. Licensees shall not evaluate or treat
				speech, language, or hearing disorders solely by correspondence.
12. Licensees shall adequately maintain and
				appropriately secure records of professional services rendered and products
				dispensed, and they shall allow access to these records only when authorized or
				when required by law.
13. Licensees
				shall not reveal, without authorization, any professional or personal
				information about identified persons served professionally or identified
				persons involved in research and scholarly activities unless doing so is
				necessary to protect the welfare of the person or of the community or is
				otherwise required by law.
14.
				Licensees shall not charge for services not rendered, nor shall they
				misrepresent1, in any fashion, services rendered,
				products dispensed, or research and scholarly activities conducted.
15. Licensees shall enroll and include
				persons as participants in research or teaching demonstrations only if their
				participation is voluntary, without coercion, and with their informed consent.
1 For purposes of this Code of
				  Ethics, misrepresentation includes any untrue statements or statements that are
				  likely to mislead. Misrepresentation also includes the failure to state any
				  information that is material and that ought, in fairness, to be
				  considered.
16. Licensees
				whose professional services are adversely affected by substance abuse or other
				health-related conditions shall seek professional assistance and, where
				appropriate, withdraw from the affected areas of practice.