21 NCAC 17 .0114. CODE OF ETHICS FOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND CONDUCT

(a)  Licensees, under the Act, shall comply with the following Code of Ethics in their professional practice and conduct. The Code reflects the ethical principles of the dietetic/nutrition professional and outlines obligations of the licensee to self, client, society and the profession and sets forth mandatory standards of conduct for all licensees.

(1)           The licensee shall provide professional services with objectivity and with respect for the unique needs and values of individuals as determined through the nutritional assessment.

(2)           The licensee shall conduct all practices of dietetics/nutrition with honesty and integrity.

(3)           The licensee shall present substantiated information and interpret controversial information without personal bias, recognizing that legitimate differences of opinion exist.

(4)           The licensee shall practice dietetics/nutrition based on scientific principles and current information.

(5)           The licensee shall assume responsibility and accountability for personal competence in practice.

(6)           The licensee shall inform the public of his/her services by using factual information and shall not advertise in a false or misleading manner.

(7)           The licensee shall not exercise undue influence on a client, including the promotion or the sale of services or products.  The licensee shall be alert to any conflicts of interest and shall provide full disclosure when a real or potential conflict of interest arises.

(8)           The licensee shall not reveal information about a client obtained in a professional capacity, without prior consent of the client, except as authorized or required by law and shall make full disclosure about any limitations on his/her ability to guarantee this.

(9)           The licensee shall recognize and exercise professional judgment within the limits of the licensee's qualifications and shall not accept or perform professional responsibilities which the licensee knows or has reason to know that he or she is not qualified to perform.

(10)         The licensee shall take action, with prior consent of the client, to inform a client's physician or other health care practitioner in writing in cases where a client's nutritional status indicates a change in health status.

(11)         The licensee shall give sufficient information based on the client's ability to process information such that the client can make his or her own informed decisions.  The licensee shall not guarantee that nutrition care services will cause any certain outcome or particular result for the client.

(12)         The licensee shall permit use of that licensee's name for the purpose of certifying that dietetic/nutrition services have been rendered only if the licensee has provided or supervised those services.

(13)         The licensee shall notify the Board in writing within 30 days of the occurrence of any of the following:

(A)          The Licensee seeks any medical care or professional treatment for the chronic or persistent use of intoxicants, drugs or narcotics.

(B)          The Licensee is adjudicated to be mentally incompetent.

(C)          The Licensee has been convicted or entered into a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any crime involving moral turpitude.

(D)          The licensee has been disciplined by an agency of another state that regulates the practice of dietetics or nutrition.

(14)         The licensee shall comply with all laws and rules concerning the profession.

(15)         The licensee shall uphold the Code of Ethics for professional practice and conduct by reporting suspected violations of the Code and the Act to the Board.

(16)         The licensee shall not interfere with an investigation or disciplinary proceeding by willful misrepresentation of facts to the Board or its representative or by the use of threats or harassment against any person.

(17)         The licensee shall not engage in kissing, fondling, touching or in any activities, advances, or comments of a sexual nature with any client or, while under the licensee's supervision, with any student, trainee, provisional licensee or person aiding the practice of dietetics/nutrition.

(18)         The licensee shall not invite, accept, or offer gifts, monetary incentives, or other considerations that affect or reasonably give an appearance of affecting the licensee's professional judgment.

(b)  Conduct and circumstances which may result in disciplinary action by the Board include the following:

(1)           The licensee is a chronic or persistent user of intoxicants, drugs or narcotics to the extent that the same impairs his/her ability to practice dietetics/nutrition.

(2)           The licensee is mentally, emotionally, or physically unfit to practice dietetics/nutrition and is afflicted with such a mental, emotional or physical disability as to be dangerous to the health and welfare of a client.

(3)           The licensee has been disciplined by an agency of another state that regulates the practice of dietetics or nutrition and at least one of the grounds for the discipline is the same or substantially equivalent to the grounds for discipline in this state.

(4)           The licensee has violated any provisions of the Act or any of the rules in this Chapter.

 

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90-356(3); 90-356(2);

Temporary Adoption Eff. March 19, 1992 for a period of 180 days to expire on September 13, 1992;

Eff. July 1, 1992;

Recodified from 21 NCAC 17 .0014 Eff. February 1, 1995;

Amended Eff. April 1, 2010; July 1, 2004; July 18, 2002; March 1, 1996.