California Law and Professional Ethics Course (2026)

About This Course

This online California RCP-specific ethics course focuses on the theories of ethical decision making as it applies to: scope of practice, informed consent, confidentiality, discrimination, conflicts of interest, illegal or unethical acts, fraud, research, and more.

California RCPs have a requirement for a course on California law and ethics. This course satisfies that requirement for the Respiratory Care Board of California.

The post-course test contains 30 questions. Successful completion requires a score of 70% or more on the post-course test. Participants will be allowed two attempts to pass the post-course test.

Learning Objectives

• Differentiate between morals and ethics; distinguish between ethical problem, distress, and dilemma; identify the three components of an ethical problem; and identify the six steps in the analysis of an ethical problem.
• Identify and define deontological theories, teleological theories, and virtue ethics; and describe the benefits of evaluation in future decision-making. situations.
• Define decisional capacity; differentiate between informed consent and implied consent; identify how informed consent is applied to minors and those who lack decisional capacity; and define and explain advance directives, to include living wills, power of attorney and do not attempt resuscitation/limitation of treatment orders.
• Define and explain confidentiality and the release of information; define HIPAA and understand its impact on the health care environment; identify what information is confidential and how it relates to the patient’s right to privacy; explain truthful disclosure and its impact on the health care environment.
• Define and relate professional ethics to the health care professions; define “self-deception” and how it affects personal integrity; explain the purpose of a scope of practice; and recognize consequences of practicing outside scope of practice.
• Relate the need for continuing education to the maintenance of clinical competency and identify the role continuing education plays in patient safety.
• Define conflict of interest; define real and perceived conflicts of interest; and recognize situations in which a conflict of interest exists.
• Distinguish between intentional and unintentional torts; identify common unethical or illegal acts that result in disciplinary action; identify the three basic elements of fraud; identify the consequences of tort law violations; and distinguish the differences between negligence and malpractice; and understand the licensure issues affecting respiratory care practitioners.
• Relate relevant history regarding biomedical research to current research practice; identify directives for biomedical research, to include the Nuremburg Code, the Declaration of Helsinki, the Belmont report, and 45 CFR 46; identify the role of the Institutional Review Board in biomedical research.
• Cite the requirements of the laws and regulations governing the practice of respiratory care in the state of California including patient related violations.
• Cite the requirements of the laws and regulations governing the practice of respiratory care in the state of California including license administration violations.
• Cite the requirements of the laws and regulations governing the practice of respiratory care in the state of California including conviction violations.