Running head: PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT ASSIGNMENT

Personal Professional Code of Conduct Assignment

Fernandine Ambre
Humber College

PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of a personal professional code of conduct is to establish a foundation in which

I (Fernandine Ambre) will conduct myself in clinical internship. This includes my goals and beliefs
(i.e. personal and/or professional) that reflect my persona as a massage therapy student. A personal
professional code of conduct is important not only for myself, but also for the public (i.e. my peers,
members of the community, Humber students and instructors/supervisors, e.t.c.): how I represent
myself in the community will reflect my willingness and motivation to become successful in
clinical internship.
Vision statement
I (Fernandine Ambre) will conduct myself in clinical internship with confidence,
perseverance, dignity, and respect (for myself and others). I will strive to meet the goals presented
in clinic from my fellow peers, clinic instructor, clinic manager and my patients. I will, to the best
of my ability, provide the best possible care as a massage therapy student for the overall
community.
Goals for Clinical Internship
Setting goals for clinical internship is important for my success in the fall semester. Besides
getting a fairly good grade in clinical internship, my goals for clinical internship are as follows:
(1) Prepare oneself when challenging patient cases arise in clinical internship
o I will anticipate challenging patient cases instead of being afraid of them, so that I
have an overall understanding of all presenting impairments that arise from various
patients in the massage therapy student clinic. I need to expect the unexpected and
embrace whatever condition comes my way in clinic.
(2) Be knowledgeable of massage therapy material as well as knowing where to reference
certain concepts
o I will continue to review concepts since my prior knowledge of the massage therapy
field is based upon my first year experiences. Knowing how to reference and
looking up unknown concepts is necessary in clinical internship so that the
information you are giving your patient is current and the best available evidence
(Andrade, 2014, p.g. 49).

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(3) Ask questions when needed in clinical internship

o I will ask questions when needed to my fellow peers and/or clinic supervisor when
a concept needs clarification or explanation.
(4) Be confident in your assessment
o I will strive to keep self-doubt to a minimum; my assumptions and uncertainties
will be answered by my reference notes, appropriate resources (i.e. massage therapy
textbooks) and the clinic supervisors knowledge.
Beliefs for Clinical Internship
(1) Believing in client-centered care during clinical internship
o According to Finch (2015, p.g. 8) and Andrade (2014, p.g. 22-23), client-centered
care is being an active listener to make decisions in the best interests of the client.
I (as a massage therapy student) believe that focusing on each patients goals and
providing each person with consistent and responsive care (Andrade, 2014, p.g. 23)
are important to practice.
(2) Accept everyones strengths and weaknesses in clinical internship
o I believe clinical internship is a place where we complement strengths and
acknowledge/determine weaknesses. This place is a learning environment:
everyone is learning from each other and constantly improving themselves through
constructive criticism. Additionally, this belief extends into accepting everyones
opinion and participating in discussion (i.e. giving your perspective/experience to
a certain situation).

(3) Everyone is entitled to help when needed

o I believe each individual in clinical internship has open opportunity to ask questions
when the situation is appropriate. This allows us (massage therapy students) to be
curious of certain/novel subjects and seek a new perspective on difficult situations.
(4) Keeping an organized and clean/sanitary environment is an integral part of clinical
internship

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o A clean/sanitary environment means that a person acknowledges their workspace

and that it is important to him/her. This gives the impression to the patient that the
massage therapy student is prepared, professional and ready to work.
(5) Patient information is confidential in confidence to ensure everything said in clinical
internship stays private
o According to the CMTO (2016, para. 1-3), all patient records are kept confidential
unless it is required by law to provide this information for further investigation.
That means that the relationship between patient and therapist is kept professional
and that anything said outside of practice is a breach of confidentiality by either
parties.
(6) Documenting important details of assessments and treatments are important for myself as
well as others accessing the same information
o It is important for the massage therapy student to provide as much detail as possible
in SOAP (subjective, objective, analysis, plan) notes. Fellow peers may access this
information in the future; therefore, SOAP notes have to be clear and concise of
what was done in assessment and/or treatment.
Relationship with peers in clinical internship
Includes: Jamiee Clarkson, Jennifer Colangelo, Angie Hurtado Rodriguez, Jayde Kaneko, Anh
Phuong Mai, April Pharoah, Marisa Ravenda, Sonavy Tith
The relationship I will develop with my peers will be a professional one. I will respect everyones
beliefs, goals and opinions, as well as help my fellow peers succeed in clinical internship.
Ultimately, I will be a team player in clinical internship by learning from my peers.
Relationship with clinical internship instructor
Includes: Melissa Mitchell
I will develop a professional relationship with my internship instructor, in regards to her being my
unofficial mentor for clinical internship. I will look up to my internship instructor for guidance

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and advice for how to deal with difficult situations. I will be open to her constructive criticism and
learn from her expertise.
Relationship with clinic manager
Includes: Felicia Bremner
I will conduct a professional relationship with the clinic manager and respect her wishes for the
massage therapy student clinic. The maintenance and flow of clinic is her responsibility, so I will
follow clinic protocol and be willing to follow her rules.
Relationship with patients
Includes: Humber community, general public
I will develop a professional, as well as a therapeutic relationship with my patients. I will develop
a relationship with my patients based off trust and respect, and be responsible for his/her wellbeing while in clinical internship. Additionally, I will establish clear boundaries with my patients
to ensure that the patient is in a safe and secure environment.

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References

Andrade, C.K. (2014). Outcome-based massage: From evidence to practice (3rd ed.). Baltimore,
MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO). (2016). Maintenance of client records.

Retrieved from http://www.cmto.com/about-theprofession/policies/policies/administration/maintenance-of-client-records/

Fitch, P. (2015). Talking body, listening hands: A guide to the massage therapeutic relationship.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.