Ethics, Technology, and Standard Practice in Communication Centers: Proposing a Continuing Education Credit Program Based on Lessons Learned from Law, Business, and Healthcare

Communication centers on university campuses can benefit from the experience of other disciplines with established norms and educational practices. This article examines the legal profession, the business profession, and healthcare with the intent to locate meaningful overlap that can be practically applied to communication centers. While different, each of the three fields promotes shared decision-making, ongoing training specific to ethical practice, and promotes technical adaptation. Examining service and training in these three professional fields led the authors to identify a framework for communication centers that focuses on the following areas: standard practice and education, ethics, and technology.