Professional Ethics Edification

 Once a month the ACPE Professional Ethics Commission (PEC) posts a couple of statements from our Code of Professional Ethics for ACPE Members. Each posting is accompanied by a brief personal reflection from a commissioner of the PEC sharing some ways this person lives these commitments*. June’s statements are:

3. In relation to ACPE, members:

c.   Speak on behalf of ACPE or represent the official position of ACPE only as authorized by the ACPE governing body.

d. Do not make any intentionally false, misleading, or incomplete statements about their work or ethical behavior.

Rev. William E. Scrivener, ACPE Certified Educator in Cincinnati, Ohio, comments:

In my many years of hospital ministry, especially in the context of being a department director, I learned there were some strict and serious guidelines governing how to manage my public communication. Early on in my time at Cincinnati Children’s, there was a death which led to a relative going to the media and accusing the hospital of malpractice. The family member identified me as the chaplain who had been with the family, and so I received a call from a local TV station asking me to comment. Although this made me anxious (this was new!) I declined to comment and instead called our public relations department. The hospital communications person I talked with expressed appreciation for the heads up and reiterated that no one was to talk to the media without the approval and guidance of the hospital. I made sure my staff understood this requirement as well. It was not just a matter of what I might say. It was also a matter of the hospital not being blind-sided and wanting to maintain integrity in our relationships with those we serve. This experience informs my understanding of the first part of this section of our ethics code.

As far as the second part goes, I trust that every member would understand that this is simply a matter of integrity and professionalism in all our dealings and relationships with colleagues and our association. Having said that, I understand that we may, at times, feel a strong need to say something publicly, which we believe to be true, about the work or behavior of others. There are two questions to consider. One is: are we absolutely sure that it is true? The other is even more important: what possible good could come from sharing this even if we are sure that it is true? So, the responsibility is on each of us to do the hard work of discerning when we speak publicly of our colleagues and organization.

*Every situation is unique, and any member should not act based solely on the comments in the article but to base action on an independent review of the ethical standards applicable to his/her situation.