SUMMARY: This Chapter sets forth rules regarding
codes of ethics for licensed dietitians and dietetic technicians.
PREAMBLE
This code is intended to serve as a guide to everyday conduct
of members of the dietetic profession and as a basis for the adjudication of
issues in ethics when the conduct of dietitians or dietetic technicians is
alleged to deviate from the standards expressed or implied in this code. It
represents standards of ethical behavior for practitioners in professional
relationships with those served, with colleagues, other individuals and
professions, and with the community and society as a whole.
1. The licensee provides professional
services with objectivity and with respect for the unique needs and values of
individuals.
2. The licensee avoids
discrimination against other individuals on the basis of race, creed, religion,
sex, age and national origin.
3.
The licensee fulfills professional commitments in good faith.
4. The licensee conducts him/herself with
honesty, integrity, and fairness.
5. The licensee remains free of conflict of
interest while fulfilling the objectives and maintaining the integrity of the
dietetic profession.
6. The
licensee maintains confidentiality of information.
7. The licensee practices dietetics based on
scientific principles and current information.
8. The licensee assumes responsibility and
accountability for personal competence in practice.
9. The licensee recognizes and exercises
professional judgment within the limits of his/her qualifications and seeks
counsel or makes referrals as appropriate.
10. The licensee provides sufficient
information to enable clients to make their own informed decisions.
11. The licensee who wishes to inform the
public and colleagues of his/her services does so by using factual information.
The dietetic practitioner does not advertise in a false or misleading
manner.
12. The licensee promotes
or endorses products in a manner that is neither false nor
misleading.
13. The licensee
permits use of his/her name for the purpose of certifying that dietetic
services have been rendered only if he/she has provided or supervised the
provision of those services.
14.
The licensee presents substantiated information and interprets controversial
information without personal bias, recognizing that legitimate differences of
opinion exist.
15. The licensee
makes all reasonable effort to avoid bias in any kind of professional
evaluation. The licensee provides objective evaluation of candidates for
professional association memberships, awards, scholarships, or job
advancements.
16. The licensee
voluntarily withdraws from professional practice under the following
circumstances;
A. The licensee has engaged in
any substance abuse that could affect his/her practice:
B. The licensee has been adjudged by a court
to be mentally incompetent;
C. The
licensee has an emotional or mental disability that affects his/her practice in
a manner that could harm the client.
17. The licensee complies with all applicable
laws and regulations concerning the profession. The licensee practitioner is
subject to disciplinary action under the following circumstances:
A. The licensee has been convicted of a crime
under the laws of the United States which is a felony or a misdemeanor, an
essential element of which is dishonesty and which is related to the practice
of the profession.
B. The licensee
has been disciplined by a state, and at least one of the grounds for the
discipline is the same or substantially equivalent to these
principles.
C. The licensee has
committed an act of misfeasance or malfeasance which is directly related to the
practice of the profession as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction,
a licensing board, or an agency of a governmental body.
18. The licensee accepts the obligation to
protect society and the profession by upholding the Code of Ethics for the
Profession of Dietetics and by reporting alleged violations of the Code through
the defined review process of the Maine Board of Licensing of Dietetic
Practice.
