Chapter 1: Professional Ethics (Mandatory) 1 CE Hour
Course overview Professional Ethics are defined, mandatory standards that are established for quality and integrity in the profession. Learning objectives Discuss your ethical responsibility to the profession. Explain your duties and responsibilities to the families you serve. Explain the importance and need for confidentiality.
Learn how to navigate unknown, and questionable ethical behavior and be able to resolve issues of potential conflict.
List a number of funeral-related organizations that teach their own code of ethics. Describe your oversight responsibilities in dealing with third-party contractors or other service professionals.
INTRODUCTION
Professional ethics is a vast field of study, with categories and subcategories relating to every conceivable topic and issue. Many medical and health-related disciplines establish their own ethical codes and standards of conduct, which encapsulate the compiled wisdom of countless individuals and years of professional experience. Their study offers practitioners the opportunity to learn from their predecessors’ mistakes instead of their own. Unlike personal ethics, which are flexible and open to debate, professional ethical codes are formally defined, mandatory standards of conduct established by and for members of professional associations to ensure quality and integrity in the profession. Professionalism is a combination of individual responsibility – personal responsibility on the part of each member of the professional community – combined with the collective responsibility of a formal group or association of practitioners. Ethics refers to principles of right or good conduct. Professional ethics in funeral services means the application of guiding principles of right conduct to the study, practice, and business of funeral service. This chapter addresses a range of issues of concern to the professional funeral director and staff, and introduces a number of concepts important to its ethical practice. Successful completion of the course will equip you with the basic concepts and rationale for ethical decision-making in your practice, to help to navigate unknown ethical territory,
identify questionable behavior, and develop a sense for “red flags” of potential conflict, as well as take steps to resolve these issues. Equally important, it will help you know when to seek professional guidance with a supervisor or mentor in the industry, or turn to other appropriate resources for professional assistance. Because virtually all state licensing authorities, certifying/ accrediting agencies, and professional associations establish their own standards of conduct and ethical guidelines for their members, you will need to refer directly to the organizations and academic or training institutions with which you are affiliated, as well as state, local, and national associations, to review the ethical guidelines that apply specifically to you and your practice. You may also want to refer to literature or web sites of prominent professional organizations like the: ● Funeral Ethics Association FEA: www.fea.org ● National Funeral Directors Association NFDA: www.nfda.org ● International Cemetery and Funeral Association ICFA: www.icfa.org The Funeral Ethics Association, for example, was established to “provide the public and the profession with a balanced forum for resolving misunderstandings and to elevate the importance of ethical practices in all matters related to funeral service.” 1
PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Every decision you make that affects another individual has an ethical or moral dimension to it. Ethical standards are written into our laws, but ethics goes beyond what is strictly legal. Laws are associated with minimum requirements, while ethical standards appeal to an even higher level of responsibility, regarding the right thing The family Your first responsibility is to the wishes of the bereaved’s family. Family members should be provided counsel and treated in a caring and ethical manner. The family should be provided a copy of the funeral home’s general price list (GPL), and many find a copy of the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer guide to services and products useful (http://www.ftc.gov/). The FTC guide includes a
to do. Although funeral practitioners, colleagues, and family members are equally capable of showing poor judgment or acting irrationally, licensed practitioners are bound by their professional affiliation to act responsibly, even when others do not.
contact number for consumer grievances [the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) at: http://www.pueblo. gsa.gov/]. For the complete text, please refer to: http://www.pueblo. gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/funeral/funeral.htm, or http://www.ftc. gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/funeral.htm
Page 1
Book Code: FOK0425
EliteLearning.com/Funeral
Powered by FlippingBook