Everyday Ethics: Avoiding Conflict-of-Interest Situations in Your Practice

Question:  I’m an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist who has been practicing in my school district for more than 15 years. A parent of one of my students approached me about providing additional services to their child outside of school. I’ve been considering opening my own private practice—are there ethical concerns about me privately treating students on my school caseload?  Your question is frequently asked by school-based SLPs—and practitioners in other workplace settings. The key issue to think through is whether seeing a student on your caseload outside the school setting as a private patient is a conflict of interest under the ASHA Code of Ethics. More on starting a private practice after school… Private Practice Tips for School-Based SLPs An SLP shares the questions—and answers—she asked herself when launching a part-time private practice. What is a conflict of interest? Conflict of interest is defined in the Code as “an opposition between the private interests and the official or professional responsibilities of a person in a position of trust, power, and/or authority.” Principle III, Rule B of the Code states you should avoid engaging in such conflicts “whereby personal, financial or other considerations have the potential to influence or compromise professional judgment and objectivity.” How do I know if a conflict of interest exists? Determining if a conflict of interest exists is tricky. But if whatever situation you’re consi...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Audiology Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development Source Type: blogs