NBCOT Ethics and Professional Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A COTA implements interventions without OTR supervision as required by state law. This violates which ethical principle?
- Autonomy
- Fidelity
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Beneficence
Correct answer: Justice
Justice requires adherence to laws, regulations, and institutional policies governing OT practice, including supervision requirements for COTAs.
Question 2: Informed consent in OT practice requires the client to:
- Sign all forms before any contact
- Understand the purpose, risks, and alternatives of the proposed treatment (Correct answer)
- Agree to all recommendations without question
- Have a family member present
Correct answer: Understand the purpose, risks, and alternatives of the proposed treatment
Informed consent requires that clients receive and understand information about proposed interventions, risks, benefits, and alternatives before agreeing to treatment.
Question 3: Which term describes an OT's obligation to be honest and truthful in all professional communications?
- Fidelity
- Veracity (Correct answer)
- Justice
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Veracity
Veracity refers to the ethical duty of truthfulness in all professional interactions, including documentation, communication, and billing.
Question 4: An OT discovers a colleague is billing for services not rendered. The OT is obligated to:
- Ignore it as it is not their responsibility
- Report it to a supervisor or appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague in public
- Document it in the client's chart
Correct answer: Report it to a supervisor or appropriate authority
OTs have an ethical obligation under beneficence and justice to report suspected fraud or professional misconduct through appropriate channels.
Question 5: Occupational therapy practitioners are required to maintain certification by completing continuing competence activities. NBCOT's renewal cycle is every:
- 1 year
- 2 years
- 3 years (Correct answer)
- 5 years
Correct answer: 3 years
NBCOT requires OTR and COTA certificants to renew their certification every 3 years by completing 36 Professional Development Units (PDUs).
Question 6: A therapist maintains a dual relationship by providing OT services to a close personal friend. This is problematic because:
- Friends cannot give informed consent
- It creates a conflict of interest that may compromise objectivity (Correct answer)
- Billing insurance is prohibited for personal relationships
- It violates HIPAA automatically
Correct answer: It creates a conflict of interest that may compromise objectivity
Dual relationships create potential conflicts of interest that compromise objectivity, professional boundaries, and the therapeutic relationship.
NBCOT Ethics and Professional Practice 2
A COTA implements interventions without OTR supervision as required by state law.
This violates which ethical principle?