Case study
Consider the following scenario. You have been working in a practice for over a year and have developed a friendship with another dental assistant. You often socialize together outside work, and your children play together. One evening during dinner, your dental assistant friend tells you that even though she has been exposing dental radiographs on patients since she was hired by the practice over two years ago, she does not have the state-required radiation safety certification. She tells you that the dentist never asked to see her certificate during the job interview. She wasn’t planning to “break the law” but the first day on the job, the dentist explained to a patient that she would be taking the full mouth series, and “not to worry, because she was a competent clinician.” Your friend explains to you that it would have been embarrassing to tell the dentist at that point that she was not certified, so she exposed the radiographs. After that, she thought about taking a course to prepare for the state examination, but didn’t want to get “caught” taking the exam after she had already been placing and exposing radiographs all this time. She hopes you will keep her confidence because you are friends. Reflect on this scenario and answer the following questions.
1. How has your friend broken the law?
2. How has this behavior endangered the patient? Your friend? Your employer?
3. Describe the legal and or ethical situation she faces.
4. Describe the legal and/or ethical dilemma you face.
. How could your employer have prevented this situation?
6. What aspects of the Dental Assisting or Dental Hygiene Code of Ethics apply to this situation?
7. Take the role of your friend; what would you have done if you were she?