Definition

In part, what defines a profession is, its members regulate themselves. Ethical and legal practice requires that a professional move beyond simple compliance with rules that govern practice. It requires you to recognize and act on your fiduciary and regulatory responsibilities; it requires you to act ethically even when rules do not govern how you should act. You are faced with ethical decisions in the clinic and in the classroom on a daily basis. We learn to behave ethically by observing those around us. We observe positive and negative behaviors that have an impact on how we think and what we believe. It is these critical moments that leave an imprint on our value system that goes beyond the Code of Conduct and Standards of Practice of the profession and form the basis of who we are as professionals.