Beth is an occupational therapy student in the 11th week of her 1st Level II Fieldwork. She has a full caseload of her own that she is responsible for on a daily basis. Her fieldwork educator, Corinne, has a few patients that she sees on her own, without Beth in the room. At the end of the day, Corinne states that she has to leave early that day and asks Beth to write all the treatment notes, even for those clients that Beth did not see. Corinne states that she wrote down what she did with each client, and Beth can base her notes on that. Corinne will then sign the notes the next morning. When Beth says she is not comfortable writing the notes, Corinne states that no one will ever know that Beth wrote them, and if anyone asks, to just lie.

Beth is an occupational therapy student in the 11th week of her 1st Level II Fieldwork. She has a full caseload of her own that she is responsible for on a daily basis. Her fieldwork educator, Corinne, has a few patients that she sees on her own, without Beth in the room. At the end of the day, Corinne states that she has to leave early that day and asks Beth to write all the treatment notes, even for those clients that Beth did not see.
Corinne states that she wrote down what she did with each client, and Beth can base her notes on that. Corinne will then sign the notes the next morning. When Beth says she is not comfortable writing the notes, Corinne states that no one will ever know that Beth wrote them, and if anyone asks, to just lie.

Ethical Dilemma 1: This case displays a lack of the principle Veracity within the AOTA Code of Ethics (AOTA, 2015). The CI is asking the student to be dishonest by writing a note fro patients she did not see.

Ethical Dilemma 2: Fidelity is not being displayed in this scenario. Corrine is displaying a lack of integrity and respect by asking Beth to document over patients she did not see.

Action to resolve dilemma:

Decision for putting this action into place

Action to resolve dilemma:

Professional and liability issues to consider

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2015). Occupational therapy code of ethics. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69 (3), 6913410030. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2015.696S03

Beth should respectfully decline and not document the note.

Professional and liability issues to consider

Decision for putting this action into place

Beth is there to learn how to be a thorough and honest OT. This should not be compromised by

Beth should speak with Corinne's employer

Beth should explain to Corinne that she doesn't feel comfortable documenting because it wouldn't be ethical

Veracity is a principle that is expected out of everyone in the profession.

Corinne is not provided Beth with accurate educational requirements by having her write dishonest notes

This scenario is dishonest and doesn't reflect the goals of the profession of occupational therapy

Beth and Corinne could both face serious consequences

Corinne should read the AOTA Code of Ethics and take accountability for her actions.

If the two actions above do not work, Beth should report the situation to someone higher up.

Beth should present Corinne with the companies policies, procedures, and protocols

Corinne is not being a diligent steward, and is exploiting Beth for personal gain (AOTA, 2015)

Policies, procedures, and protocols are being disregarded in this scenario.

Corinne is not being considerate or respectful by asking Beth to do something unethical

Reading over the code of ethics will allow Corinne to self-reflect on her actions

Reporting Corinne will ensure that she is held accountable

Going over policies, procedure, and protocols will service as a reminder of how things should be done.

Beth should take these actions to avoid potential consequences