HNFE 2004 Professional Dietetics

Assignment 3: Ethics in Dietetics Practice Guidelines

Xiaolu Hou (ID 905750540)

Article #1: Promoting Professionalism through Ethical Behaviors in the Academic Setting
1. Through personal experience, I feel that weekly reflective journal writing is a great way to
maintain awareness of many aspects of our experiences that we may not otherwise. Specific
to the goal of maintaining awareness of ethical behaviors and standards, I think it would be
useful to have all students review the Academys COE prior to beginning dietetics volunteer
work and then to keep a reflective journal with a focus on potential ethical issues, the COE
principles they relate to, and how they should be and ultimately are resolved. At the end of
the volunteer experience, students should review all of their previous entries and write a
summary entry of what they have encountered and learned.
2. Possession of an unauthorized list of previous exam questions collected from the
memorization of former students and use of such questions to study for future exams violates
the Academys COE Principle 1, which binds dietetics practitioners to act with fairness,
honesty, and integrity. Based on the Academys COE and the Virginia Tech Honor Code, I
would report this student and any others whom I have proof of being directly involved in the
misuse of these questions and/or compilation of these questions with the intention of misuse.
As a graduate student, I would report this violation to VT using the Reporting a Suspected
Violation of the Graduate Honor Code form available online
(http://ghs.graduateschool.vt.edu/ghs/sites/ghs.graduateschool.vt.edu/files/store/reporting_for
m.pdf). I would report this violation to the Academy by submitting a complaint in writing
using the appropriate form to the Ethics Committee within 1 year of becoming aware of the
violation. I will make the latter complaint with the awareness that the Ethics Committee will
not process it until a final decision has been issued by Virginia Tech Honor System.
Article #2: Eating Disorders among Dietetics Students: An Educators Dilemma
1. Principle 7 of the Academys Code of Ethics (the equivalent of Principle 17c in the updated
2009 version of the COE) indicates that the dietetics practitioner should withdraw[] from
professional practice when unable to fulfill his or her professional duties and responsibilities
to clients and others. Specifically, Principle 7c states that the dietetics practitioner should
not engage in practice when he or she has a condition that substantially impairs his or her
ability to provide effective service to others. Disordered eating by a dietetics professional
may impact his or her ability to care for clients or patients in several ways. First, he or she
may no longer be able to evaluate and assess the eating habits of others objectively if he or
she is suffering from disordered eating. Second, he or she may similarly be limited in his or
her ability to make objective dietary recommendations based on evidence-based principles
when his or her eating habits are disordered and he or she is viewing food in a distorted way.
While suffering from disordered eating him or herself, a dietetics professional may
knowingly or unknowingly harm clients by encouraging disordered eating habits such as
food restriction, binge eating, and labeling foods as good or right and bad or wrong.
Likewise, such professionals do harm to a client by missing warning signs that the patient has
1

HNFE 2004 Professional Dietetics

Assignment 3: Ethics in Dietetics Practice Guidelines

Xiaolu Hou (ID 905750540)

an eating disorder because the practitioner has come to view these habits as normal or
acceptable for him or herself. Finally, if the practitioners eating disorder manifests itself
physically, such as through extreme weight loss, the practitioner may set an unhealthy
example for his or her clients that may encourage them to use unhealthy means to achieve
their own weight loss goals.
2. Although the Academys Code of Ethics does not specifically address the scenario of
practitioners with eating disorders, this situation is relevant to several important principles in
the COE, including Principle 2 relating to the obligation to protect clients, the public, and the
profession; Principle 3 relating to considering the health, safety, and welfare of the public at
all times; Principle 5 relating to the provision of professional services with objectivity and
with respect for the unique needs and values of individual clients; Principle 7 relating to
withdrawing from professional practice when one is unable to fulfill his or her duties and
responsibilities; Principle 8 relating to recognizing and exercising professional judgment
within ones qualifications and seeking counsel when appropriate; and Principle 14 relating
to assuming responsibility and accountability for personal competence in practice, consistent
with accepted professional standards. My responsibility to my own moral code as well as to
minimize the likelihood that a violation of the Academys COE will occur if I found out that
a peer in the DPD program had an untreated eating disorder would be to open a dialogue
(trying to be as non-confrontational as possible) focusing on my concern for their health and
well-being. I would speak to them privately and gently, refer them to a number of resources
for treatment, and maintain confidentiality for anything discussed during that conversation.
Some resources that are available to help me with this process include the National Eating
Disorders Association website (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org), Virginia Techs Cook
Counseling Center and Schiffert Health Center, and The Renfrew Center website
(www.renfrewcenter.com/for-professionals).

Assessment Rubric-Criteria

Points

Provided quality responses that showed

excellent understanding of the articles, depth
of thought and original ideas (1.5 points per
answer).
Used the Academys COE Principles to
support responses.

Comments

__6___ / 6

__3___ / 3

Format: Typed, font size 12; neatness, print

quality, spelling & grammar.
Total

__1___ / 1
__10_ / 10