Chapter 4 - CODE OF ETHICSSUMMARY: 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.EFFECTIVE DATE:
May 24, 1998
NON-SUBSTANTIVE CORRECTION:
July 2, 1998 - spacing in 16(C).STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 32 M.R.S.A., Chapter 105, § 9904