Question
What levels of action can the ASHA Board of Ethics take in response to an ethical violation?
Answer
There are four basic levels of action that can occur if a complaint is found to be valid by ASHA. The first level is reprimand which is a “private scolding,” so to speak. The clinician would receive a letter from the Board of Ethics stating that they have found the person to be in violation of Principle "X"; Rule: "X" of the Code of Ethics. They will ask the clinician to take a course in ethics and very often they will ask the clinician to do some sort of an action to repair the damage that was done.
The next level of action that the ASHA Board of Ethics might take is called censure. Censure is essentially a public record reprimand, which is a little more serious. Things are published on the ASHA website and occasionally in the ASHA Journal.
The third level of action is suspension of membership or certification. This is clearly a more serious consequence. Suspension is usually for a period of time - 30 days, three months, six months, nine months, etc. During this time, the clinician is asked to take various actions such as attending a course or providing documentation to demonstrate that he or she is in compliance.
The fourth and most serious action that the ASHA Board of Ethics might take in response to an ethics complaint is revocation of membership or certification for various periods of time; again 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. It can also be a life revocation of membership or certification. That, of course, is used for the most serious or egregious violations of the Code of Ethics.
Dr. Prakup has practiced as a Speech-Language Pathologist for over thirty years. She is currently working as a Home Health Speech Therapist with Summa Health System where she serves adults with neurogenic communication disorders.
