AARC Statement of Ethics and Professional Conduct

In the conduct of professional activities the Respiratory Therapist shall be bound by the following ethical and professional principles. Respiratory Therapists shall:

• Demonstrate behavior that reflects integrity, supports objectivity, and fosters trust in the profession and its professionals.
• Seek educational opportunities to improve and maintain their professional competence and document their participation accurately.
• Perform only those procedures or functions in which they are individually competent and which are within their scope of accepted and responsible practice.
• Respect and protect the legal and personal rights of patients, including the right to privacy, informed consent and refusal of treatment.
• Divulge no protected information regarding any patient or family unless disclosure is required for the responsible performance of duty authorized by the patient and/or family, or required by law.
• Provide care without discrimination on any basis, with respect for the rights and dignity of all individuals.
• Promote disease prevention and wellness.
• Refuse to participate in illegal or unethical acts.
• Refuse to conceal, and will report, the illegal, unethical, fraudulent, or incompetent acts of others.
• Follow sound scientific procedures and ethical principles in research.
• Comply with state or federal laws which govern and relate to their practice.
• Avoid any form of conduct that is fraudulent or creates a conflict of interest, and shall follow the principles of ethical business behavior.
• Promote health care delivery through improvement of the access, efficacy, and cost of patient care.
• Encourage and promote appropriate stewardship of resources.

Effective 12/94
Revised 12/07
Revised 07/09