Formal Ethics Education in Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students

Ethical service provision is an essential foundational skill for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and is fundamental for maintaining the integrity of the profession of speech-language pathology. While practicing speech-language pathologists are required to complete formal ethics training during each certification maintenance interval, there are no guidelines set forth as to the amount and type of training for graduate students in speech-language pathology. This quasi-experimental investigation compared the effect of ethics training embedded within a curriculum to formal ethics training on the ethics knowledge and self-reported comfort levels of first-year graduate students in speech-language pathology. Two equal, non-randomized groups of participants completed an ethics test and survey at three different times over the course of the investigation. The test and survey were administered prior to and after formal ethics training and ethics training embedded within the curriculum. Results showed a significant difference in ethics knowledge after completion of the formal ethics training module for both groups. After receiving formal ethics training, there was no difference between groups regarding comfort in identifying and solving ethics problems. These findings add to the literature regarding the need for formal ethics training for graduate students in healthcare professions