ACC Professional Standards & Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Dual relationships in activity consulting are considered unethical primarily because they:
- Increase documentation workload
- Can compromise professional objectivity and exploit the resident's vulnerability (Correct answer)
- Are prohibited by all state licensure boards
- Require additional training to manage
Correct answer: Can compromise professional objectivity and exploit the resident's vulnerability
Dual relationships blur professional boundaries and can lead to exploitation or compromised care decisions.
Question 2: The principle of 'do no harm' in activity programming most closely reflects which ethical concept?
- Justice
- Autonomy
- Nonmaleficence (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Nonmaleficence
Nonmaleficence is the obligation to avoid causing harm, which includes selecting activities that are safe and appropriate for each resident.
Question 3: An activity consultant notices that the care plan does not reflect a resident's newly expressed interests. The consultant should:
- Wait for the annual review to update it
- Update or request a care plan revision to reflect current preferences (Correct answer)
- Continue the existing plan without changes
- Ask the resident's family to request changes
Correct answer: Update or request a care plan revision to reflect current preferences
Care plans are living documents and should be updated whenever significant changes in resident interests or needs are identified.
Question 4: Which of the following is a core standard required by NAAP (National Association of Activity Professionals) for professional conduct?
- Completing a minimum of 5 CEUs per year
- Maintaining competency through ongoing education and ethical practice (Correct answer)
- Holding a four-year degree in recreation therapy
- Avoiding documentation to protect resident privacy
Correct answer: Maintaining competency through ongoing education and ethical practice
NAAP's professional standards require members to maintain competency and uphold ethical conduct in all aspects of practice.
Question 5: When a resident with dementia refuses to participate in a group activity, the activity consultant should:
- Require attendance since the activity is on the care plan
- Respect the refusal and offer an alternative or try again later (Correct answer)
- Document the refusal and take no further action for the month
- Notify the family immediately
Correct answer: Respect the refusal and offer an alternative or try again later
Even residents with dementia retain the right to refuse, and offering alternatives supports person-centered care.
Question 6: Maintaining accurate and timely activity documentation is important primarily because it:
- Reduces the activity budget
- Provides legal evidence, supports care planning, and demonstrates regulatory compliance (Correct answer)
- Eliminates the need for resident assessments
- Is required only during survey periods
Correct answer: Provides legal evidence, supports care planning, and demonstrates regulatory compliance
Documentation creates a legal record, supports interdisciplinary care planning, and demonstrates compliance with state and federal regulations.
Question 7: An activity consultant receives a gift of significant value from a resident's family. The ethical course of action is to:
- Accept it as a token of appreciation
- Decline and explain the facility's gift policy to the family (Correct answer)
- Accept it but report it to a supervisor
- Return it only if the resident asks
Correct answer: Decline and explain the facility's gift policy to the family
Accepting gifts of significant value creates a conflict of interest and violates professional boundaries; most facilities have formal gift policies.
ACC Professional Standards & Ethics 3
Dual relationships in activity consulting are considered unethical primarily because they: