Code of Conduct
6 Principles of OPSWA's Code Of Conduct
The Canadian Support Workers Association has adopted and modified the Code of Conduct, with permission, from the College of Nurses of Ontario to reflect our shared ethical foundations.
1. Support Workers respect the dignity of patients and treat them as individuals
2. Support Workers work together to promote patient well-being.
3. Support Workers maintain patients’ trust by providing safe and competent care.
4. Support Workers work respectfully with colleagues to best meet patients’ needs.
5. Support Workers act with integrity to maintain patients’ trust.mote patient well-being.
6. Support Workers maintain public confidence in the Support Worker profession.
Our 6 Principles
• Support Workers treat patients with care and compassion.
• Support Workers show respect to patients culture, identity, beliefs, values and goals.
• Support Workers take steps to maintain patients’ privacy and dignity in the physical space where they are receiving care (D.I.P.P.S).
• Personal care is not judgmental and is free of discrimination.
• Support Workers reflect on and address their own practice and values that may affect their personal care.
• Support Workers do not impose their personal beliefs and biases on patients. These include political, religious and cultural beliefs. If they see other health care team members doing this, Support Workers are advised to report.
• When a Support Worker’s own personal beliefs conflict with a patient’s care plan, the support worker provides safe, compassionate and timely care to those patients, until other arrangements are in place.
I am item content. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
GLOSSARY:
Boundaries: The points when a relationship changes from professional and therapeutic to unprofessional and personal. Therapeutic Support Workers-patient relationships put patients’ needs first. Crossing a boundary means a Support Workers is misusing their power and trust in the relationship to meet personal needs, or behaving in an unprofessional manner with the patient. Crossing a boundary can be intentional or unintentional
Collaborate: Work cooperatively together
Colleagues: Support Workers, other health care providers and students who are involved in the patient’s care
Competence: A Support Workers ability to consistently apply the required knowledge, skill and judgment for safe, ethical and providing effective personal care.
Culture: Learned values, beliefs, norms and way of life that influence a person’s thinking, decisions and actions
D.I.P.P.S: This acronym refers to Dignity – Independence – Preference – Privacy – Safety
Patient: An individual, family, group, community or population receiving care, including, but is not limited to, “clients” or “residents”
Personal gain: Advantage or benefit, financial or otherwise that a Support Workers receives. A personal gain can be monetary (cash, gifts and rewards) or provide the Support Workers other personal advantages. A personal gain includes interests of the Support Workers family, charitable causes or organizations the Support Workers supports. It does not include a Support Workers\ salary or benefits
Personal health information: Any identifying information about patients’ physical or mental health, including information about the health history of their family
Social media: Community-based online communication tools (websites and applications) used for interaction, content sharing and collaboration. Types of social media include blogs or microblogs (personal, professional or anonymous), discussion forums, message boards, social networking sites and content sharing websites
Standards of Practice: CANSWA’s expectations for how a competent Support Workers should perform. Standards of practice contribute to public protection
Substitute decision-maker: Person, identified by the Health Care Consent Act, 1996 who makes a treatment decision for someone who cannot make their own decision
*The Canadian Support Workers Association has adopted and modified the Code of Conduct from the College of Nurses Ontario to reflect our shared ethical foundations.