9.1.2: Professional Behavior Within the Healthcare Team

The Board recognizes that the manner in which licensees interact with others can significantly impact patient care.

The Board strongly urges licensees to fulfill their obligations to maximize the safety of patient care by behaving in a manner that promotes both professional practice and a work environment that ensures high standards of care.  Licensees should consider it their ethical duty to foster respect and trust among all health care professionals as a means of ensuring good patient care.

Disruptive behavior includes both verbal and non-verbal interactions between licensees, coworkers, patients, family members, or others that either interfere with, or negatively impact, patient care.  Certain behaviors both in the presence of patients and outside the presence of patients can be detrimental to patient care.  

These behaviors may include, but are not limited to:

• Rude, loud, or offensive comments, both in person and via electronic communication;
• Physical threats or other inappropriate physical contact;
• Sexual harassment, including unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature;
• Intimidation of staff, patients, or family members;
• Refusing to perform assigned tasks;
• Exhibiting uncooperative attitudes when working within a healthcare team;
• Reluctance or refusal to answer questions; and
• Failure to return phone calls or pages.

The Board distinguishes disruptive behavior from: (1) constructive criticism that is offered in a professional manner with the aim of improving patient care; or (2) reasonably direct or seemingly blunt communication that may be appropriate in certain unique contexts to protect the health of a patient in urgent or emergency situations.

It has been the Board’s experience that disruptive behavior may be a marker for underlying concerns that can range from a lack of interpersonal skills to deeper problems, including, but not limited to, depression, work-related burnout, or substance use disorder.  Licensees suffering such symptoms are encouraged to seek the support needed to help them regain their equilibrium.  

Disruptive behavior by licensees that results in information presented to the Board, may also constitute grounds for further inquiry by the Board to determine the potential underlying causes of such behavior.  Additionally, such behavior may ultimately constitute grounds for Board discipline.  

Finally, licensees, in their role as patient and peer advocates, are obligated to take appropriate action when observing disruptive behavior on the part of other licensees, including reporting a disruptive licensee to the Board.  The Board urges licensees to support their hospital, practice, or other healthcare organization in their efforts to identify and manage disruptive behavior, by taking a role in the process of addressing such behavior.