New York Board Laws and Rules for Practicing Engineering and Land Surveying

Ethical Principles and Professional Conduct

Course Outline

Licensed professionals such as engineers and land surveyors are expected to conduct their business in an ethical and professional manner. Each state board of professional engineers and land surveyors also requires their licensees to follow their standards of professional conduct. While these standards vary from state to state, the basic requirements for professional conduct are very similar throughout the United States. In this webinar, we will study the five basic ethical principles and review the standards of professional conduct for engineers and land surveyors. In addition, we will discuss the unprofessional conduct prohibited by the New York Board, and will go over a few case studies to give attendees a better idea on how to handle some of the ethical issues faced by our profession. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Be familiar with five basic ethical principles;
Be familiar with standards of professional conduct;
Understand the professional obligations as a licensee;
Be aware of the unprofessional conducts;
Understand the need to maintain professional competency;
Be familiar with the mandatory continuing education requirements;
Have a better understanding of the New York Board Laws and Rules; and
Be prepared to make ethical decisions in his/her professional practice.

Background

In 2003, the New York State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying adopted Mandatory Continuing Education Program, which requires each licensee to complete thirty-six hours of professional development (36 PDH units) during each license renewal triennium. Effective January 1, 2004 licensed professional engineers and land surveyors renewing registration of a license on or after January 1, 2005 will be required to complete continuing education requirements on a prorated basis. A Licensee is required to take continuing education courses and/or participate in continuing education activities on technical subjects or on other matters of law and/or ethics which contribute to the professional practice in engineering and the health, safety, and/or welfare of the public. The Board also requires that some of the continuing education courses must be in the form of "Live Courses", in which a student may interact directly with an instructor. This interactive webinar is designed as a "live course" to help you meet the board requirements. In addition, all New York licensees are required to have at least one hour of training in professional ethics in each triennium beginning August 1, 2011. This course will also help you satisfy that requirement.

Course Content

The lecture notes for this webinar will be emailed to you along with the invitation.

Because this course is offered as a "live" course, you are required to attend the webinar at the scheduled time and date. Please check the Webinar Schedule under course description on our website for scheduled meeting date and time. We will send you an invitation through email approximately 24 hours before the webinar (confirmation of the receipt of the invitation is required). The certificate of completion will not be issued unless you attend the webinar and pass a quiz. Thank you for your cooperation.

Course Summary

To safeguard the life, health, property and welfare of the public, licensed professionals must get familiar with basic ethical principles and follow the standards of professional conduct. A licensee who commits professional misconduct may be subject to disciplinary action by the board. This course helps prepare licensees to make ethical decisions in their professional practice.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

Laws of New York

Quiz

Before you attend the webinar, you need to print the quiz questions from your browser for your study during the webinar. At the end of the webinar, you need to complete the quiz and submit your answers to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at his/her own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.