Deck 24: Professional Ethics

Question 1

Which of the following would make up the professional ethics of the profession of radiologic sciences?
1)State licensing board for x-ray machine operators
2)Radiography department social events
3)ARRT Code of Ethics
4)State motor vehicle rules and regulations
5)Collective bargaining rules of behavior

A)1 and 3 only
B)3 and 5 only
C)1,2,4,and 5 only
D)1 and 5 only

Answer 1

A
State licensing laws reflect the public's demand that it be served by qualified health care practitioners.The professional licensing boards that enforce these and other professional practice laws provide one element of self-regulation.This standard of conduct,this common concern for collective self-discipline,this control of the profession from within is known as ethics.Additionally,society expects a profession,through its collective members,to generate its own statement of acceptable and unacceptable behavior,usually in the form of a code of ethics.

Question 2

All of the following are related EXCEPT

A)selecting the best solution and defending it.
B)looking for a similar situation as a precedent.
C)defining the real problem.
D)working out alternative solutions.

Answer 2

B
The process of ethical analysis generally contains the following four components: identifying the problem,developing alternative solutions,selecting the best solution,and defending the selection.Looking for a precedent setting example to help make your decision is not a safe ethical decision-making strategy.

Question 3

The term veracity refers to

A)preventing evil and harm.
B)doing no harm but also doing good.
C)telling the truth.
D)protecting the patient from radiation.

Answer 3

C
Veracity involves being truthful and acting in a truthful manner.Telling the truth is expected of medical professionals.

Question 4

The best way to characterize an ethical dilemma is to describe it as the

A)correct choice is absolutely identified.
B)incorrect choice is absolutely identified.
C)correct choice is not entirely clear and has both positive and negative consequences.
D)moral thing to do based on your religious values.

Question 5

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT)reserves the right to revoke any certification from an individual whom it has registered.Reasons for revocation can vary from ethical violations to failure to maintain continuing education credits,just to mention two.This process of sanctioning demonstrates professional _____ to society.

A)morals
B)self-regulation
C)ethics
D)collective bargaining

Question 6

A technologist who has completed a procedure on a patient leaves the area grumbling,"I hate to do AIDS patients because I am afraid of catching the disease." A member of the housekeeping staff hears the technologist and asks who the AIDS patient is so he can pass the information along to his coworkers for safety reasons.The technologist responds by giving the patient's name and room number.This act constitutes a(n)

A)ethical dilemma.
B)ethics violation.
C)moral violation.
D)virtue.

Question 7

All professional decisions in radiologic technology and other health care practices involve a consideration of

A)human values.
B)local laws.
C)union contract restrictions.
D)religious doctrine.

Question 8

Which of the following choices could be classified as an ethical outrage?

A)Repeating a radiograph because the patient moved during the exposure
B)A technologist refusing to complete a procedure because his shift is over
C)Unintentionally neglecting to tell the radiologist that a patient has allergies
D)A technologist consistently forgetting to wear his or her personnel monitoring device

Question 9

Being rude and impolite to a patient's family members because they are asking how long an examination will take is an example of a(n)

A)ethics violation.
B)violation of the institution's standards of care.
C)professional etiquette violation.
D)ethical dilemma.

Question 10

When undertaking an ethical analysis,

A)identification of human values pertinent to the analysis must be considered.
B)your professional society membership card should be presented.
C)your ARRT certification needs to be included in the analysis.
D)seniority with your employer should be considered.

Question 11

After a stressful CT scan on a patient,you are confronted by the patient's family regarding the results of the examination.The patient was in a motor vehicle accident and has a severe head injury.The images you took are being sent to a "Nighthawk" reading service and will not be available for several minutes.The family insists they have a "right" to know the results immediately so they can make a decision about organ donation.How would you rationalize this situation to yourself as an imaging professional?

A)Your duty as a professional is to complete the CT examination quickly and with high quality,not to interpret the images,and to do no harm to the patient.
B)You tell the family what you saw on the images as an act of beneficence.
C)You tell the emergency department nurse about the images as an act of nonmaleficence.
D)You call the organ donor program director to tell him of the patient's condition as an act of veracity.

Question 12

You are placed in an unfortunate situation with a patient that requires you to tell a small "white lie" regarding the late arrival of the radiologist.The patient is noticeably upset about the procedure having to be done at all and is quite anxious.You are aware that the radiologist and the patient's surgeon are meeting in his office to discuss the best approach to deal with this patient's cancer.You feel certain that telling the patient the truth as to why the radiologist is late would increase her anxiety.This technologist is practicing

A)unethical and immoral radiography.
B)consequentialism.
C)nonconsequentialism.
D)in a negligent manner.

Question 13

Failure to pay one's federal income taxes would be an example of a(n)

A)ethical violation.
B)moral violation.
C)professional conduct violation.
D)violation of federal law.

Question 14

You are enjoying an evening with a friend at the theater.The person seated behind you routinely texts messages to his girlfriend about the movie and what is happening.This behavior would be a

A)violation of local laws and ordinances.
B)professional ethical violation.
C)violation of socially accepted values.
D)moral violation.

Question 15

You are the director of a busy medical imaging department.One of your technologists has been accused of looking up the personal medical records and radiography reports of his brother's girlfriend.The girlfriend visited the hospital as a patient for an ultrasound examination of the pelvis to rule out pregnancy.Disciplinary action for this technologist would be appropriate because of a violation of

A)local statutes and ordinances.
B)state laws.
C)federal constitutional laws.
D)professional ethics.

Question 16

When you were a student radiographer,the importance of radiation protection was constantly stressed,and you have incorporated the principle of ALARA as a professional value.As an employee working within a busy imaging department,you work with some technologists who do not practice radiation protection as you have been taught.One technologist in particular routinely overexposes patients to get a "perfect image for the radiologist." This poor technologist practice would be an example of

A)an ethical violation.
B)a hospital rule violation.
C)poor morals.
D)a violation of personal values.

Question 17

Which of the following best defines fidelity?

A)Meeting the basic needs of the patient
B)Being a competent professional
C)Abiding by the ASRT Code of Ethics
D)All of the above

Question 18

A patient arrives for a mammogram and registers with reception.Then she goes to the dressing room as instructed and puts on the gown that was given to her.As you bring her into the mammography room,she answers a few routine questions and listens intently as you explain the procedure to her.It is safe to assume as the mammographer that

A)a social contract has been established between the patient and the mammographer.
B)you can proceed with the examination.
C)the patient can expect a mammographic study that is MQSA compliant.
D)all of the above are correct.

Question 19

Using moral rules as your complete guide to determine appropriate professional behavior

A)is a reliable strategy to avoid ethical dilemmas.
B)assumes everyone has the same moral values as you do,which is generally true.
C)is too restrictive and of no value in decision making.
D)has its weaknesses because others may not have the same moral value system as you.

Question 20

Which of the following would be considered an unethical practice for a radiologic technologist?

A)Repeating a radiograph because of incorrect technique selection
B)Watching an interesting case
C)Criticizing a doctor or team member in a private or public forum
D)Reporting unethical practices of a coworker