
Unit 4: Ethics
What you do outside university
During your course you have the opportunity to develop the
skills and knowledge you need to become a professional in
an environment which protects the public. You also have the
chance to learn about the behaviour that the public expects
from you at work.
If you are studying towards a regulated
profession, you have certain responsibilities. On your programme
you will be expected to meet high standards of conduct and ethics. These standards should also apply to your conduct in the virtual world, read Unit 12 Your digital footprint for more information and advice.
In very serious circumstances, your
conduct may affect your ability to:
- complete your programme
- gain the final qualification
- register with a professional body such as the HPC or BPS.
When you apply to join a profession regulated by the HPC, they may ask for information as part of a declaration that you have a ‘good character’. This includes whether you have:
- any convictions or cautions
- been disciplined by a professional organisation, regulator or employer
- had any civil proceedings made against you
HPC regulated professions are not covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must tell them about all of your convictions and cautions, including those that are considered ‘spent’. This means that it can be ignored after a certain amount of time. Usually the convictions or cautions which might affect your registration are those for more serious offences. A detailed guide is available at www.hpc-uk.org
The following pages outline how you should behave when on placement or employed in practice.
SMILE - Ethics by The BPS code of human research ethics, The HPC guidance on conduct and ethics for students, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf, http://www.gcal.ac.uk/hr/policies/general/code_of_good_practice_in_research.doc, http://www.gcu.ac.uk/registry/secretariat/documents/EthicsBookletMarch2011asonwebsite.doc. .