Sec. 10.36.05.03. Responsibilities and Requirements

A. In General.

(1) A psychologist shall be fully responsible for the psychologist’s professional decisions and professional actions;

(2) A psychologist and psychology associate shall be jointly responsible for the psychology associate’s professional decisions and professional actions.

(3) A psychologist or psychology associate shall:

(a) Notify the Board in writing within 60 days if a license, certificate, permit, or registration granted by another authority for the practice of psychology has been limited, restricted, suspended, revoked, or subjected to other disciplinary action by the particular licensing or granting authority;

(b) Provide psychological services only in the context of clear professional and scientific relationships and roles accepted by the standard of practice of the discipline of psychology;

(c) Make known the psychologist’s or psychology associate’s commitment to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and resolve potential conflicts with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct in a responsible manner;

(d) Treat all individuals in a fair and objective manner without discrimination based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, disability, socioeconomic status, or another basis proscribed by law;

(e) Interact with individuals in the workplace in a respectful manner without engaging in behavior that is harassing or demeaning; and

(f) Comply with a Board order.

(4) A psychologist or psychology associate may not:

(a) Knowingly or willfully destroy, damage, alter, obliterate, or otherwise obscure a medical record or billing record or other information about a patient in an effort to conceal the information from use as evidence in an administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding;

(b) Intimidate or influence an individual to withhold or change testimony in hearings or proceedings before the Board or those otherwise delegated to the Office of Administrative Hearings;

(c) Hinder, prevent, or otherwise delay an individual from making information available to the Board in furtherance of an investigation of the Board; or

(d) Take credit for work the psychologist or psychology associate has not actually performed or supervised.

B. Supervision. A psychologist shall:

(1) Be responsible for the actions of those the psychologist supervises; and

(2) Ensure that those the psychologist employs act in accordance with the Maryland Psychologists Act and the provisions of this chapter.

C. Research. A psychologist or psychology associate shall:

(1) Respect the dignity and protect the welfare of research subjects, and comply with all relevant statutes, regulations, and institutional and administrative rules concerning treatment of research subjects;

(2) Take responsibility for the ethical treatment of research participants by collaborators, supervisees, and employees;

(3) Acquire, care for, use and dispose of animals in compliance with laws, regulations, and applicable professional standards;

(4) Ensure appropriate consideration of the comfort, health and humane treatment of animals used in research;

(5) Make clear, either as a researcher or a writer, the nature of the participation, as well as the costs and the psychologist's obligations to be accepted by research participants;

(6) Obtain required approval from host institutions before conducting research; and

(7) Report research findings accurately, presenting only the psychologist’s or psychology associate’s work or making appropriate citations when needed.

D. Teaching. A psychologist or psychology associate shall ensure that statements in course catalogs, seminar brochures, and course outlines are accurate and not misleading, particularly in terms of the:

(1) Subject matter to be covered;

(2) Nature of course experiences; and

(3) Basis for evaluating performance.