Professional Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real AMCA 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 flashcards as text
A medical assistant suspects a patient is being abused at home. The assistant's ethical and legal obligation is to:
Answer: Report the suspicion to the provider and follow mandatory reporting requirements
Suspected abuse triggers mandatory reporting obligations that override standard confidentiality protections.
Which of the following actions would be considered an ethical violation related to professional boundaries?
Answer: Developing a romantic relationship with a current patient
Romantic or sexual relationships with current patients violate professional boundaries and are considered a serious ethical breach.
An advance directive (living will) is an ethical document that:
Answer: Specifies a patient's wishes for end-of-life medical care
An advance directive documents a patient's preferences for medical treatment if they become unable to communicate those wishes.
Which principle supports giving priority to a critically injured patient over a patient with a minor complaint in an emergency setting?
Answer: Justice through equitable triage
Triage represents justice by allocating limited resources to those with the greatest clinical need first.
Whistleblowing in healthcare is ethically justified when:
Answer: Practices are causing or likely to cause harm to patients and internal resolution has failed
Whistleblowing is justified when patient safety is at risk and internal corrective measures have been exhausted or are unavailable.
A medical assistant posts a photo from inside the clinic on social media without including any patient names or faces. This action:
Answer: May still violate privacy standards if the setting or context could identify a patient
Even without names or faces, contextual details in images can inadvertently disclose protected health information.
The ethical concept of 'patient advocacy' means the medical assistant should:
Answer: Support and speak up for the patient's rights and best interests within the care team
Patient advocacy involves actively supporting the patient's rights, dignity, and best interests within the healthcare system.