What is a professional? Webster defines the term as “a person who belongs to a profession, especially one that requires special education, training, or skill.” But what does that mean in the real world? What are the ethics of being a professional? And how do professionals go about making ethical decisions? This blog post will explore those questions and more, discussing what professionals are expected to do ethically. Finally, we will look at some famous cases in which professionals were faced with difficult ethical decisions. So if you’re interested in learning more about Professionals and their Ethics, then keep reading!
1) First and foremost, professionals are expected to be competent in their field:
This means having the necessary education, training, and skills to perform their job duties. It also means keeping up with new developments in their field and being able to apply them to their work.
Competence is important because it helps ensure that professionals can provide quality services to their clients or patients. It also helps prevent errors and mistakes that could result in harm to others. Finally, competence instils public trust in professionals and the services they provide.
2) Another important professional ethic is honesty:
This means being truthful in all interactions with clients, patients, employers, and the public. It also means being accurate in reporting data and findings. Honesty is important because it helps build trust between professionals and those they serve. It also ensures that professionals are providing factual information that can be used to make decisions. Finally, honesty protects the integrity of the profession by ensuring that misleading or false information is not spread, is such a person in the professional world is Dennis Hernandez; he has represented clients who have been injured by the negligence of doctors and other medical professionals with honesty and dignity.
3) Confidentiality:
This means that professionals must keep the information of clients, patients, and employers private. Confidentiality is important because it helps build trust between professionals and those they serve. It also ensures that sensitive information is not shared with unauthorised people. Finally, confidentiality protects the profession’s integrity by ensuring that only accurate and trustworthy information is disseminated.
4) Another professional ethic is objectivity:
This means that professionals must be impartial in their interactions with clients, patients, employers, and the public. Objectivity is important because it helps ensure that professionals are making decisions based on facts and evidence rather than personal biases or agendas. It also protects the profession’s integrity by ensuring that outside forces do not influence professionals.
Famous Cases:
A) The case of Dr. Walter Reed:
Dr. Walter Reed was a famous doctor who helped develop a treatment for yellow fever. He was faced with an ethical dilemma when he was asked to test his treatment on human subjects. Dr. Reed knew that the only way to know if his treatment worked truly was to test it on humans, but he also knew that there was a risk that some of the subjects might die. Dr. Reed ultimately decided to go ahead with the tests, and his treatment proved to be successful. However, several of the subjects did die in the process. As a result of this ethical dilemma, Dr. Reed is now considered one of the most important figures in medical history.
B) The Tuskegee Syphilis Study:
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was a famous study in which African American men with syphilis were left untreated so that doctors could observe the natural progression of the disease. Unfortunately, the men were not told about the true nature of the study, and they were not given any treatment even after penicillin became available. As a result of this study, many men died of syphilis and others were left with permanent damage. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study is now considered one of the most infamous examples of unethical medical research.
5) Loyalty:
Loyalty is an important professional ethic because it helps build trust between professionals and those they serve. It also ensures that professionals are working in the best interests of their clients or patients. Finally, loyalty protects the integrity of the profession by ensuring that outside forces do not influence professionals.
In addition to the five main professional ethics, there are also a few other important concepts that should be mentioned. These include:
A) Duty:
Duty is an important concept in professional ethics because it refers to professionals’ obligations to their clients, patients, employers, and the public. Professionals have a duty to provide competent and honest services.
B) Responsibility:
Responsibility is another important concept in professional ethics. This refers to the fact that professionals must take responsibility for their actions. This includes taking responsibility for any errors or mistakes that they make.
In conclusion, professional ethics are an important part of the business and legal world. Professionals must adhere to a code of ethics in order to maintain the trust of those they serve. They must also be aware of their duties and responsibilities to avoid unethical behaviour.
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