Professional Ethics & Communication Flashcards
7 cards from real MLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Ethics & Communication flashcards as text
An MLS suspects a colleague is diverting controlled substances from the laboratory. The most appropriate first step is to:
Answer: Report the suspicion to the supervisor or compliance officer immediately
Suspected diversion of controlled substances is a serious safety and legal issue that must be reported promptly through appropriate channels.
Which of the following best illustrates the ethical principle of 'justice' in laboratory medicine?
Answer: An MLS performs all tests with equal technical rigor regardless of patient demographics
Justice requires fair, equitable treatment for all patients without discrimination based on social, economic, or demographic factors.
In the laboratory chain of custody, documentation is critical primarily to:
Answer: Ensure specimen integrity and legal defensibility of results
Chain of custody documentation ensures that specimens have been handled properly and that results can be defended legally, especially in forensic or legal contexts.
A physician repeatedly calls the laboratory demanding results before testing is complete, pressuring the MLS to 'estimate' values. The correct response is to:
Answer: Firmly explain that estimated values are not clinically reliable and testing will be completed promptly
Providing estimated or unofficial laboratory values is professionally and ethically unacceptable; the MLS should communicate the expected completion time and continue proper testing.
Which situation represents a conflict of interest for an MLS?
Answer: Accepting significant gifts from a reagent vendor whose products the MLS evaluates
Accepting significant gifts from vendors whose products you assess creates a conflict of interest that could bias professional judgment.
When an MLS identifies a potential pre-analytical error that may have affected a reported result, the most appropriate action is to:
Answer: Immediately notify the supervisor and the clinical team, and document the concern
Pre-analytical errors that may have compromised results must be communicated immediately so clinical decisions can be reassessed.
Which of the following is an example of appropriate professional boundary maintenance by an MLS?
Answer: Limiting interactions with patients to professional laboratory-related communication
Professional boundaries require MLS interactions with patients to remain within the scope of their laboratory role to protect privacy and avoid ethical violations.