SICP Board of Directors Approves RCIS Code of Ethics

Preamble The purpose of a code of ethics is to acknowledge a profession's acceptance of the responsibility and trust conferred upon it by society and to recognize the internal obligations inherent in that trust. It applies to those health care professionals who are certified or recertified by Cardiovascular Credentialing International and who are also members of the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP). The premise of the SICP Code of Ethics is that as health care professionals, Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialists (RCISs) must strive, both on an individual and collective basis, to pursue the highest possible ethical standards. Each member of the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals has as a personal obligation to uphold and adhere to the profession’s expectations and responsibilities as well as to ensure collegial conformance. I. Patient Care A Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist has the responsibility to preserve human dignity, respect patient rights, and support the well-being of the patient under his/her care regardless of the patient’s race, color, creed, age, sex, nationality, or his or her social or economic status. II. Competence A Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist continually demonstrates a high level of competence. Competence is a composite of the individual’s professional knowledge, judgment, values, and technological and personal skills. The RCIS must assume the personal responsibility to strive for excellence and maintain that level of knowledge, judgment, and technological skills. An RCIS engages in professional educational activities and participates in quality assurance programs as a basis for assessing quality of care/practice for purposes of public protection. III. Individual Professionalism A Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist is responsible and accountable for individual professional judgments and actions and is an advocate for the patient rights. The RCIS is accountable for judgments made and actions that take place in the pre, intra and post procedural catheterization laboratory arena. Neither physician orders nor institutional policies relieve the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist of accountability for actions taken and judgments made relative to the care of the patient. IV. Societal Obligation A Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist has a two-fold obligation to society: as a professional, to render selected health care services, and as a responsible member of society and the community in which he or she lives. As a health care professional, the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist has an obligation beyond that of rendering high quality services for which he or she is qualified, in addition to being a responsible citizen in the community. V. Confidentiality A Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist defends the patient’s right to privacy. An RCIS will respect the confidentiality of information about patients learned in clinical relationships unless clearly required by law to break the confidence. VI. Personal Conviction A Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist maintains personal integrity, acts to safeguard patients from the unethical or illegal actions of any person, and strives to establish appropriate mechanisms to protect his or her freedom of conscience. An RCIS who exhibits incompetence or engages in illegal conduct, or otherwise fails to meet the principles of this Code of Ethics, should be exposed without hesitation to the proper authority. SICP

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