HCC Professional Ethics & Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A certified healthcare construction professional learns that a colleague has been practicing beyond their area of competence. What is the ethical response?
- Do nothing as it is not their responsibility
- Advise the colleague privately and, if unresolved, report to the certifying body (Correct answer)
- Immediately report to the owner without speaking to the colleague first
- Cover for the colleague to protect the profession's reputation
Correct answer: Advise the colleague privately and, if unresolved, report to the certifying body
Professional ethics require addressing incompetence, first through collegial correction, and escalating to the certifying body if the behavior continues.
Question 2: In healthcare construction, 'standard of care' refers to:
- The level of cleanliness maintained on a hospital construction site
- The degree of care and skill ordinarily exercised by competent professionals in similar circumstances (Correct answer)
- The minimum infection control procedures required by OSHA
- The patient care protocols the facility must maintain during construction
Correct answer: The degree of care and skill ordinarily exercised by competent professionals in similar circumstances
Standard of care is the legal and ethical benchmark of the skill, diligence, and methods ordinarily used by competent professionals under similar project conditions.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'due diligence' in the context of healthcare construction ethics?
- Paying all subcontractors on time
- Thoroughly investigating and verifying information before making professional decisions (Correct answer)
- Following the owner's instructions without question
- Completing all required paperwork before project closeout
Correct answer: Thoroughly investigating and verifying information before making professional decisions
Due diligence requires professionals to actively investigate facts, verify compliance, and gather sufficient information before certifying work or making recommendations.
Question 4: When a healthcare construction professional identifies a potential building code violation by a previous contractor, their primary obligation is to:
- Complete the project and note it in the punch list
- Disclose the violation to the owner and recommend corrective action (Correct answer)
- Ignore it if it is outside their scope of work
- Correct it themselves without involving the owner
Correct answer: Disclose the violation to the owner and recommend corrective action
Professionals have an ethical duty to disclose known code violations to the owner even when they did not cause the violation, to ensure public safety.
Question 5: An ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment) reveals a high-risk construction zone adjacent to an oncology unit. A contractor proposes a less expensive barrier system that marginally meets minimum requirements. What is the ethical consideration?
- Cost savings justify marginal compliance when budgets are tight
- Minimum compliance is ethically sufficient as long as it meets code
- The professional should recommend measures that best protect immunocompromised patients, even above minimum requirements (Correct answer)
- The decision rests solely with the owner based on budget
Correct answer: The professional should recommend measures that best protect immunocompromised patients, even above minimum requirements
Ethics in healthcare construction require professionals to advocate for solutions that prioritize patient safety, especially for high-risk populations, beyond mere minimum compliance.
Question 6: A contractor discovers a design error midway through a healthcare project that will cause a significant cost overrun. To maintain the client relationship, the contractor considers absorbing the cost and not disclosing the error. This approach is:
- Ethical because it protects the client from unexpected costs
- Unethical because transparent disclosure of design errors is required regardless of financial impact (Correct answer)
- Acceptable if the contractor caused the error indirectly
- Appropriate if the owner has not asked specific questions about costs
Correct answer: Unethical because transparent disclosure of design errors is required regardless of financial impact
Professional ethics require transparent communication about errors, defects, and cost impacts; concealing known problems from the owner violates fiduciary and professional duties.
Question 7: Which certification organization specifically credentials professionals in healthcare construction management?
- American Institute of Architects (AIA)
- American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) (Correct answer)
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- Construction Management Association of America (CMAA)
Correct answer: American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE)
ASHE offers the HCC (Healthcare Construction Certificate) credential specifically designed for professionals managing construction in healthcare environments.
HCC Professional Ethics & Standards 3
A certified healthcare construction professional learns that a colleague has been practicing beyond their area of competence.
What is the ethical response?