This section looks at how you should behave as a professional, but we also have a section on how you should carry out your research.
Research: any form of disciplined enquiry that aims to contribute to a body of knowledge or theory.
Research ethics: the moral principles guiding research from its start through to completion and publication of results.
Research Ethics Committee (REC): a multidisciplinary, independent body responsible for reviewing research proposals involving human participants to ensure that their dignity, rights and welfare are protected.
Protocol: a filed document which specifies the procedures for recruiting participants and gathering and managing data. All project staff agree to comply with it.
Human participant: includes living human beings, human beings who have recently died, embryos and foetuses, human tissue and bodily fluids and human data and records (such as medical, genetic, and other records and test results including academic achievements).
Intervention: describes a number of actions that you may take. This means actions you take to, for, on or with the service user and it can include diagnostic or monitoring procedures, therapy or advice.
Participant: you should now refer to a person who serves as a data source for research as a participant. This recognises their active role and replaces the term subject. The extent of active participation in the research will vary from one project to another. The use of participant also acknowledges the autonomy of the individual in contributing to the research, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. In some research it is also relevant to acknowledge that a participant’s understanding of the experience they have while taking part in the research will often be a valuable additional source of information and may well help to enrich the interpretation of findings.
People other than the primary participants may be also need to be included in the consideration of the ethics of research. For example, parents, relatives, friends and colleagues may be affected by research, and the ethical conduct of research will often need to be informed by the interests of other stakeholders as well.
Service users: anyone who uses or is affected by a practitioner's services, for example your patients, clients, and their carers or relatives.
Student: anyone studying on a formal education and training programme. A student includes trainees or practitioners who are training. The word programme means these education and training programmes.
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 Your digital footprint for more information and advice.
In very serious circumstances, your conduct may affect your ability to:
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:
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.
Informed consent is when someone has all the information they need, in a format they can understand, to make a decision about whether or not they want to give their permission to have a particular intervention. You should do the following (except in emergencies):
This is the end of our guidance on general professional ethics - we also have a section on research ethics whuch you may find useful.