JCPSLP Vol 14 No 1 2012

Ethical conversations

Emerging ethical and professional issues Suze Leitão, Trish Bradd, Lindy McAllister, Alison Russell, Belinda Kenny, Nerina Scarinci, Helen Smith, Peter Dhu, Noel Muller, Grant Meredith, and Christina Wilson

W hen I began the task of devising a column based around the theme of “professional issues” with members of the Ethics Board, I started with the Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) Scope of Practice document (The Speech Pathology Australia Association, 2003). This document describes “the breadth of professional practice carried out within the speech pathology profession in Australia”. It provides an overview of the who, what, where, why, and how of speech pathology practice. It describes not only the knowledge and skill-set required by speech pathologists, but also the attitudes and ethical behaviours expected of our profession. This document may be brief but it is certainly wide-ranging. As I read through the key points, I reflected on some of the changes that we are confronted with in our rapidly evolving world. I wondered how these might be having an

In this paper, Suze Leitão, Chair of the Speech Pathology Australia Ethics Board, reflects on emerging ethical and professional issues and discusses some of the Speech Pathology Australia documents that can act as a resource for members of the profession. Members of the Board were asked to respond to the question: “What do you consider to be emerging ethical and professional issues in your workplace?” This article discusses some of the key themes that emerged and reflects on the need to be pro-active in our professional lives.

The Ethics Board hard at work!

33

JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 1 2012

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au