Code of Ethics (1976)

Preamble

The preservation of the highest standards of integrity and ethical principles is vital to the successful discharge of the responsibilities of all Members. This Code of Ethics has been promulgated by the Association in an effort to highlight the fundamental rules considered essential to this basic purpose. The failure to specify any particular responsibility or practice in this Code of Ethics should not be construed as denial of the existence of other responsibilities or practices that are equally important. Any act that is in violation of the spirit and purpose of this Code of Ethics shall be unethical practice. It is the responsibility of each Member to advise the Ethical Practice Board of instances of violation of the principles incorporated in this Code.

Section A. The ethical responsibilities of the Member require that the welfare of the person he serves professionally be considered paramount.

1. The Member who engages in clinical work must possess appropriate qualifications. Measures of such qualifications are provided by the Association's program for certification of the clinical competence of Members.

    

   1. The Member must not provide services for which he has not been properly trained, i.e., had the necessary course work and supervised practicurn.

   2. The Member who has not completed his professional preparation must not provide speech or hearing services except in a supervised clinical practicurn situation as a part of his training. A person holding a full-time clinical position and taking part-time graduate work is not, for the purpose of this section, regarded as a student in training.

   3. The Member must not accept remuneration for providing services until he has completed the necessary course work and clinical practicurn to meet certification requirements. The Member who is uncertified must not engage in private practice.

       

2. The Member must follow acceptable patterns of professional conduct in his relations with the persons he serves.

   1. He must not guarantee the results of any speech or hearing consultative or therapeutic procedure. A guarantee of any sort, expressed or implied, oral or written, is contrary to professional ethics. A reasonable statement of prognosis may be made, but successful results are dependent on many uncontrollable factors, hence, any warranty is deceptive and unethical.

   2. He must not diagnose or treat individual speech or hearing disorders by correspondence. This does not preclude follow-up by correspondence of individuals previously seen, nor does it preclude providing the persons served professionally with general information of an educational nature.

   3. He must not reveal to unauthorized persons any confidential information obtained from the individual he serves professionally without his permission.

   4. He must not exploit persons he serves professionally:

      1. by accepting them for treatment where benefit cannot reasonably be expected to accrue;

      2. by continuing treatment unnecessarily;

      3. by charging exorbitant fees.

          

3. The Member must use every resource available, including referral to other specialists as needed, to effect as great improvement as possible in the persons he serves.

    

4. The Member must take every precaution to avoid injury to the persons he serves professionally.

Section B. The duties owed by the Member to other professional workers are many.

1. He should seek the freest professional discussion of all theoretical and practical issues but avoid personal invective directed toward professional colleagues or members of allied professions.

    

2. He should establish harmonious relations with members of other professions. He should endeavor to inform others concerning the services that can be rendered by members of the speech and hearing profession and in turn should seek information from members of related professions. He should strive to increase knowledge within the field of speech and bearing.

    

3. He must not accept fees, gifts, or other forms of gratuity for serving as a sponsor of applicants for clinical certification by the American Speech and Hearing Association.

Section C. The ASHA Member has other special responsibilities.

1. He must guard against conflicts of professional interest.

   1. He must not accept compensation in any form from a manufacturer or a dealer in prosthetic or other devices for recommending any particular product.

   2. The Member in private practice must not advertise. It is permissible only to employ a business card or similar announcement, and to list one's name, highest academic degree, type of services, and location in the classified section of the telephone directory in the manner customarily followed by physicians and attorneys. He may state that he holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in the appropriate area (speech pathology and/or audiology) issued by the American Speech and Hearing Association.

   3. He must not engage in commercial activities that conflict with his responsibilities to the persons he serves professionally or to his colleagues. He must not permit his professional titles or accomplishments to be used in the sale or promotion of any product related to his professional field. He must not perform clinical services or promotional activity for any profit-making organization that is engaged in the retail sales of equipment, publications, or other materials. He may be employed by a manufacturer or publisher, provided that his duties are consultative, scientific, or educational in nature.

       

2. He should help in the education of the public regarding speech and hearing problems and other matters lying within his professional competence.

    

3. He should seek to provide and expand services to persons with speech and hearing handicaps, and to assist in establishing high professional standards for such programs.

    

4. He must not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, age, or sex in his pofessional relationships with his colleagues or clients.