• Describe three basic legal concepts that led to the doctrine of informed consent.
• Describe three approaches to determining the disclosure standard for judging that a patient or client has been informed.
• Discuss three major aspects of the process of obtaining informed consent.
• Distinguish "general consent" from "special consent" documents.
• Differentiate between the never-competent and once-competent patient or client and the challenges posed by each in regard to informed consent.
• Compare informed consent as it is used in health care practice and in human studies research.
• Describe some considerations one must always take into account to be sure one is being culturally competent and honoring cultural difference when informed consent is the standard.

• Define the terms confidential information and confidentiality.
• Identify the relationship of a patient's legal right to privacy with his reasonable expectations regarding confidential information.
• Describe how the telling and keeping of secrets is relevant to understanding the importance of confidentiality.
• Discuss the ethical norms involved in keeping and breaking professional confidences.
• Name five general legal exceptions to the professional standard of practice that confidences should not be broken.
• Consider practical options that a professional can take when faced with the possibility of breaking a confidence.
• Discuss some important aspects of documentation that affect confidentiality.
• Compare ethical issues of confidentiality traditionally conceived with those that have arisen because of computerized medical records and patient care information systems.
• Describe the key ethical strengths and challenges of the recent U.S. federal regulations related to privacy considerations (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).
• Become familiar with AOTA and APTA Code of Ethics
• Review and become familiar with the TX PT Rules
• Read case scenarios illustrating ethical decision making

The Analysis of Ethical Problems in Professional life

• Identify six steps in the analysis of ethical problems encountered in everyday professional life and how each plays a part in arriving at a caring response.
• Describe the central role of narrative and virtue theories in gathering relevant information for a caring response.
• List four areas of inquiry that will be useful when gathering relevant information to make sure you have the story straight.
• Describe the role of conduct-related ethical theories and approaches in arriving at a caring response.
• Describe why imagination is an essential aspect of seeking out the practical alternatives in an ethically challenging situation.
• Discuss how courage assists you in a caring response.
• Identify two benefits of taking time to reflect on and evaluate the action afterward.
• Become familiar with AOTA and APTA Code of Ethics
• Become familiar with the Guide to Professional Conduct for PT's

Ethics of Confidential Information

• Define the terms confidential information and confidentiality.
• Identify the relationship of a patient's legal right to privacy with his reasonable expectations regarding confidential information.
• Describe how the telling and keeping of secrets is relevant to understanding the importance of confidentiality.
• Discuss the ethical norms involved in keeping and breaking professional confidences.
• Name five general legal exceptions to the professional standard of practice that confidences should not be broken.
• Consider practical options that a professional can take when faced with the possibility of breaking a confidence.
• Discuss some important aspects of documentation that affect confidentiality.
• Compare ethical issues of confidentiality traditionally conceived with those that have arisen because of computerized medical records and patient care information systems.
• Describe the key ethical strengths and challenges of the recent U.S. federal regulations related to privacy considerations (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).
• Become familiar with AOTA and APTA Code of Ethics
• Review and become familiar with the TX PT Rules
• Read case scenarios illustrating ethical decision making

Informed Consent

• Describe three basic legal concepts that led to the doctrine of informed consent.
• Describe three approaches to determining the disclosure standard for judging that a patient or client has been informed.
• Discuss three major aspects of the process of obtaining informed consent.
• Distinguish "general consent" from "special consent" documents.
• Differentiate between the never-competent and once-competent patient or client and the challenges posed by each in regard to informed consent.
• Compare informed consent as it is used in health care practice and in human studies research.
• Describe some considerations one must always take into account to be sure one is being culturally competent and honoring cultural difference when informed consent is the standard.

• Identify six steps in the analysis of ethical problems encountered in everyday professional life and how each plays a part in arriving at a caring response.
• Describe the central role of narrative and virtue theories in gathering relevant information for a caring response.
• List four areas of inquiry that will be useful when gathering relevant information to make sure you have the story straight.
• Describe the role of conduct-related ethical theories and approaches in arriving at a caring response.
• Describe why imagination is an essential aspect of seeking out the practical alternatives in an ethically challenging situation.
• Discuss how courage assists you in a caring response.
• Identify two benefits of taking time to reflect on and evaluate the action afterward.
• Become familiar with AOTA and APTA Code of Ethics
• Become familiar with the Guide to Professional Conduct for PT's

• Identify the goal of professional ethics activity.
• Describe the basic idea of a caring response and some ways this response in a professional relationship is distinguished from expressions of care in other types of relationships.
• Identify three component parts of any ethical problem.
• Describe what an agent is and, more importantly, what it is to be a moral agent.
• Name the three prototypical ethical problems.
• Describe the role of emotions in ethical distress.
• Distinguish between two varieties of ethical distress.
• Compare the fundamental difference between ethical distress and an ethical dilemma.
• Define ethical paternalism or parentalism.
• Describe a type of ethical dilemma that challenges a professionals desire (and duty) to treat everyone fairly and equitably.
• Identify the fundamental difference between distress or dilemma problems and locus of authority problems.
• Identify four criteria that will assist you in deciding who should assume authority for a specific ethical decision to achieve a caring response.
• Become familiar with AOTA and APTA Code of Ethics
• Become familiar with the Guide to Professional Conduct for PT
• Indiana PTs - become familiar with the IN PT Rules and Practice Act
• Texas PTs - become familiar with the TX PT Rules and Practice Act
• Utah PTs - become familiar with the UT PT Rules and Practice Act

• Define morality and ethics and distinguish between the two
• Describe three moralities that health professionals must integrate into their own moral life
• Identify some major sources of moral beliefs in Western societies
• Distinguish between an ethical issue and ethical problem
• List three ways that ethics is useful in everyday professional practice
• Describe what material cooperation entails
• Identify some mechanisms available to protect the personal moral convictions of health professionals

• Cite examples of how the elderly have been marginalized during disasters
• Define what is meant by the “axes of susceptibility”
• Identify the ethical obligation to the elderly during major disasters
• Describe how planning, communication and coordination is an ethical imperative in disasters
• Explain the concept of “place holding,” and how it fits into disaster planning

• List the foundational assumptions that define advance care planning in the United States
• Differentiate hospice care from palliative care
• Describe the issues that arise when individual choice is the main focus of advance care planning
• Explain how the modern culture of medicine influences end – of – life care
• Compare and contrast the current approach towards end – of – life care with the authors. “bottom up,” approach

• Cite the historical perspective on senility
• Describe how the pervasive bioethical viewpoint affects the experience of people with dementia
• Explain the concepts of dignity
• Compare and contrast various definitions of dignity relative to those with dementia

• Define elder abuse, neglect and self-neglect
• Describe the “expressive – collaborative” model of approaching ethics
• Compare and contrast the classical definition of autonomy with “actual autonomy”
• Explain how remaining in an abusive / neglectful environment may constitute the best alternative for an individual

• Give examples of the roots of an ageist attitude in the United States
• Describe the dynamics of the power relationship between care giver and cared for
• Explain the issues involved in setting boundaries in the institutional environment
• Describe the difference between independent and relational autonomy

• Outline the history of the nursing home
• Describe the evolution of bioethical thought on nursing home care
• List strategies for creating a more ethical nursing home environment
• Ways nursing homes can aid residents in addressing end-of-life concerns

• Describe the moral questions concerning home care for the elderly
• Identify the relationship between the cared for and the care giver
• Explain the focus of governmental programs for dependent elderly care
• List the values necessary to support elder care at home

• Define anti-aging medicine
• Compare and contrast the differing opinions on anti-aging medicine
• List the moral questions associate with the anti-aging movement
• Describe how the anti-aging movement is viewed from a feminist perspective

• Demonstrate the importance of communicating in an ethical manner and what that entails
• Develop an understanding of what 'spin' is, why it is unethical and how to monitor and minimize/stop it
• Evaluate the barriers to effective and ethical communication
• Develop an understanding of exactly what takes place/needs to take place during the provider/client interaction
• Discover what it is that patients want from their visits to a provider
• Appraise how to deal with challenging clients and situations
• Discover how to become a skilled helper by studying the tools of communication
• Apply listening skills to the provider's repertoire
• Demonstrate the importance of the impact of nonverbal communication on the caregiver/client relationship
• Develop, analyze and apply the verbal and nonverbal skills that will help to gather information and support the patient effectively
• Write an Ethical Communication Protocol (EPC) for your practice

• Explain patient informed consent to intervention
• List the requirements of sufficient informed consent
• Describe pertinent considerations in life and death decision making including euthanasia
• Recognize issues of nondiscrimination against participants in health care delivery
• Explain pro bono health care services
• Outline professional practice issues of financial responsibility and gifts
• Summarize the ethical issues of impaired providers and intra and inter-professional relations
• Define the ethical issues in research and the informed consent process

• Summarize the major federal statutes regulating education
• Discuss federal education law derived from constitutional protections
• Outline a risk management strategy for academic discipline in health professional educational programs
• Assess liability for student conduct in the clinical setting
• Outline procedures to minimize liability when incorporating students in the clinical setting

• Summarize the antitrust laws
• Discuss the importance of the attorney – heath care professional client relationship
• Define the elements of a binding contract
• Explain breach of contract and possible contractual remedies
• Describe the various forms of business organization
• Outline the good Samaritan laws
• Recognize the requirements for HIPAA compliance
• Assess the necessity and limitations of professional liability insurance

• Differentiate employment at will versus employment under contract
• Summarize the history of federal regulation of labor – management relations
• Describe the five major sections of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• Recognize sexual harassment in the workplace
• Define “ordinary reasonable person” as it pertains to sexual harassment
• Differentiate the vicarious liability of an employer relative to employees and independent contractors
• Explain the considerations in writing a letter of recommendation
• Outline the requirements for an enforceable restrictive covenant

• Describe the concept of intentional torts
• Differentiate assault and battery
• Define defamation, slander and libel
• Summarize the mandatory reporting requirements for health care professionals
• Outline the four principle forms of invasion of privacy
• Classify the types of criminal activity 
• Describe the steps in a criminal prosecution
• Explain the classifications of homicide

• List the external and internal factors affecting the exposure to malpractice liability
• Describe the legal basis for imposing malpractice liability of a patient injury
• Define the concept of abandonment
• Outline the four elements needed to prove malpractice
• Compare and contrast ordinary negligence versus professional negligence
• Explain vicarious liability
• Summarize defenses to malpractice actions
• Describe the importance of patient care documentation

• Differentiate morals and ethics
• Explain the purpose of professional codes of ethics
• Compare and contrast legal and professional health care ethics
• Define situational ethics
• Identify the four principles of biomedical ethics

• Describe the basis of the American legal system
• Compare and contrast constitutional, statutory, common and administrative law
• List the differences between criminal and civil law
• Explain the civil litigation explosion
• Summarize tort reform