Runninghead: RTH ETHICS
1
Radiation Therapist Code of Ethics
Olivia Del Carlo
Argosy University Twin Cities
Clinical Training 1
Cassandra Donahue
July 20, 2013
RTH ETHICS
2
Radiation Therapist Code of Ethics
Code #1
The radiation therapist advances the principle objectives of the profession to provide
services to humanity with full respect for the dignity of mankind. This is meaning to treat all the
patients with the respect that they deserve. This is done by protecting the patients’ confidentiality
and only sharing their information, if needed, with other medical professionals that are working
with that patient as well. It is also allowing the patients to know fully what the plan of action is
for the treatment they will be receiving. So, not keeping information from patients and
maintaining the confidentiality of their health information would be practicing this first code of
ethics.
An example of how this code applies to my radiation therapy practice would be if a
patient asks about the name of another patient receiving treatment before them. It is my duty as a
radiation therapist to tell them I cannot share that information with them, but they can feel free to
ask that patient themselves. Another example was when a patient asked me what kind of cancer
one of the people before them was getting treatment for. I had to let that patient know I wasn’t
allowed to share that with them because of the other patient’s confidentiality. It is very important
to follow this code because if a patient found out that their information was being shared without
their consent, the patient could lose trust in us as health care providers and decide to withdraw
from treatment at the cancer center. As a therapist, this could also lead to the loss of our job.
Therefore, it is necessary to comply with the rules regarding patient confidentiality in order to
respect all patients’ dignity.
RTH ETHICS
3
Code #2
The radiation therapist delivers patient care and service unrestricted by concerns of
personal attributes or the nature of the disease or illness and without discrimination on the basis
of sex, race, creed, religion or socioeconomic status. This ethics code is meaning that all patients
should be treated equally with the same opportunities to fight their disease as everyone else. No
one should be turned down or handled differently because of their different beliefs, race, sex, or
socioeconomic status. Placing judgment on people for things they cannot help is wrong.
This code applies to the radiation therapy practice because there are all different types of
people who have cancer and need to be treated for it. If people with certain diseases, skin colors,
or socioeconomic status were keeping them from getting treatment, there would be a major
problem with that. I can’t imagine someone wanting to fight their cancer and be turned down. I
would lose a lot of hope in that instance if I were that person. As a therapist I would never treat a
patient differently than any of the other patients. It is not morally right. At my clinical site, I have
not seen any discrimination occur and I am so happy for that. No one deserves to be
discriminated against. If this were to be happening, the patients could file lawsuits against the
department and there would be a lot of explaining to do. I am sure many people would lose their
jobs over an issue like that.
Code #3
The radiation therapist assesses situations; exercises care, discretion and judgment;
assumes responsibility for professional decisions and acts in the best interest of the patient. The
meaning of this code is to make sure that your actions, as a therapist, are reflective of the
patients’ best interests and are able to responsibly handle any unexpected situations that can
RTH ETHICS
4
occur. Taking responsibility for your actions and not putting blame on anyone else would be
described as being a professional radiation therapist. If a patient is questioning the reasoning
behind the decision making of their treatment from myself or other health professionals in the
department, I would let them know that we are thinking of their best interest when we decide on
the treatment plan. We can only hope that they agree with us. The care of the patient is always
priority and it shouldn’t ever be forgotten.
In applying this code to my radiation therapy practice, I will take responsibility for all of
my actions as a therapist. I will always think in terms of the patients’ best interests, I will assess
all situations before taking action, and will not place judgment on patients or other health
professionals because of different points of views. An example of this code being applied in my
clinical training practice was an instance where a patient had three different boost plans to be
treated as a “1,2,3” order. The patient was on the second boost, but the third boost had been
pulled up on the computer by mistake and treated the patient unknowingly. It was discovered
only after the first beam and the therapist brought it to one of the physicist’s attention to see what
they can now do. The therapist was able to treat all the rest of the fields with no problem and
then just continue with the second boost the following days. If this would have been a much
greater mistake in treatment and the therapist did not take responsibility for it, it would be
negligence on the therapist’s part and the whole department could end up paying for the
consequences like, “the therapists at this facility don’t care”.
Code #4
The radiation therapist adheres to the tenets and domains of the scope of practice for the
radiation therapists. This code means to, as a therapist, do their job accurately and competently
RTH ETHICS
5
to benefit the patients’ quality of lives. There are certain ways to do things in radiation therapy
and they shouldn’t be taken lightly because doing the job right or wrong can be the deciding
factor of whether the patient will die or live. These things can be from making sure we have the
right patient for treatment, the right plan up on the computer, right dose being delivered, the right
field sizes per treatments, and the use of MLC’s, etc. It’s not all about the technical aspects of
radiation therapy though. We also have to take into account the well-being of the patient and
making sure they are doing alright throughout the treatments. So, the delivery of treatment and
the care of the patients are very important.
Applying this code to the radiation therapy practice, I as a therapist, will take the time in
making sure the correct patient is being treatment with the correct treatment plan. Also, I will
setup the patient correctly as to treat the right area, I will make sure that everything technically is
working correctly, like MLC’s being loaded up and right field size, and I will also make sure the
patient’s physical, emotional, and mental status are alright. If something is not working correctly
or does not seem right, I will not treat the patient until everything is up to par and ready to
deliver the radiation therapy efficiently. At my clinical site we make sure that the patient either
sees their photo up on the computer screen or we ask their date of birth every day before treating
the patient. Also, before we start the treatment, we “time out” on the computer on the status of
the patient. This is to indicate that we have stopped to take the time to make sure everything has
been looked at and is correct for the delivery of the treatment. If this code is not recognized,
incorrect treatments would happen all the time. It would get the therapists involved into trouble
and potentially the whole department if it occurred often. I would imagine that the facility could
be shut down if aggressive action wasn’t taken to fix the problem.
RTH ETHICS
6
Code #5
The radiation therapist actively engages in lifelong learning to maintain, improve and
enhance professional competence and knowledge. This code is meaning for therapists to stay on
top of the always changing technology that we work with every day. In order to do our jobs
correctly, we need to engage in continuing education (CE) credits by going to information
conferences and reading articles from the ASRT organization. This code is important to follow
because it keeps therapists aware of new things going on in radiation therapy and ways to
improve the already amazing treatments that are available.
In applying this code to the radiation therapy practice it would require, like I have already
stated, going to conferences and reading new information from articles. The technology of
radiation therapy changes rapidly in this field and that creates the chances for bigger and better
ways to treat diseases/illnesses. For myself, I have already achieved getting 12 CE credits by
attending two conferences. That is the required amount by the school, but I will also be attending
some tumor board conferences during my clinical training at my cancer center as well. The
concept of lifelong learning in the radiation therapy world is so beneficial to everyone involved
in the field. It will keep me up to date on the newest technologies and techniques for treating
cancers/diseases and that in turn can give the patients better quality of lives. If this code was not
followed, we therapists and other health professionals involved with radiation oncology, could
potentially be using outdated techniques for treating illness. We wouldn’t know about the more
effective ways of fighting cancer and therefore, would not be giving our patients the best care
and treatment they deserve.
RTH ETHICS
7
Conclusion
Without recognizing these codes, radiation therapists would not be doing the greatest
service to the patients or themselves as professionals. The lives of the patients are first priority
and by following the radiation therapist codes of ethics, therapists are accomplishing the
responsibilities of doing their jobs competently with the utmost compassion for their patients.
These codes make for better therapists in the radiation therapy world.