<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".03" citation="COMAR 10.53.05.03" title_num="10" subtitle_num="53" chapter_num="05" heading="Unprofessional Conduct.">
  <paragraph num="A.">
    <text>It is unprofessional conduct to:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Fail to cooperate with a lawful investigation of the Board by failing to:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Furnish information requested;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Comply with a subpoena;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Respond to complaints at the request of the Board; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Provide meaningful and timely access to relevant patient records;</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Misrepresent professional credentials, qualifications, education, or affiliations;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Fail to attempt to correct others who misrepresent the electrologist's credentials, qualifications, education, or affiliations;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>Engage in or condone conduct in the practice of electrology, which:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Is fraudulent;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Is dishonest;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Is deceitful; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Involves moral turpitude;</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>Engage in commercial activities which conflict with the electrologist's duties as an electrologist;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(6)">
      <text>Perform electrolysis on a patient if there is a contraindication against electrolysis treatment; and</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(7)">
      <text>Discriminate against a patient or health care provider based on:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Race;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Religion;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Age;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Gender;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>Sexual orientation;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(f)">
        <text>National origin; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(g)">
        <text>Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="B.">
    <text>An electrologist may not:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Accept a patient for treatment, or continue treatment, if the patient cannot reasonably be expected to benefit from the treatment;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Receive remuneration from or split a fee for either making or accepting referrals of the patient to another health care practitioner;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Unless supported by scientific principles accepted by the profession, make guarantees or promises concerning the efficacy of:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>A particular treatment in general;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>The electrologist's practice in particular; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>A prognosis;</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>Continue treatment unnecessarily; or</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>Charge for services:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Not provided; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Different from those actually provided.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="C.">
    <text>Professional Boundaries.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>The electrologist has the ethical and professional obligation to maintain professional boundaries, even if the patient initiates crossing the boundaries of the professional relationship. The electrologist shall respect and maintain professional boundaries.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>The electrologist may not use a relationship with a patient for the electrologist's advantage, including but not limited to personal, sexual, romantic, and financial relationships.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>An electrologist may not engage in sexual or other inappropriate acts with a patient. Sexual misconduct includes, but is not limited to, sexual behavior with a patient in the context of a professional evaluation, treatment, procedure, or other service to the patient, regardless of the setting where the professional service is provided.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>If an electrologist and a patient mutually desire a personal relationship, the electrologist shall:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Immediately terminate the professional relationship;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Make an appropriate referral to another health care practitioner; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Wait an appropriate period of time before engaging in the relationship so that it is reasonably certain that the former professional relationship does not influence the personal relationship.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="D.">
    <text>Electronic devices including, but not limited to telephones, may not be used to take pictures or videos of clients without written client authorization.</text>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="E.">
    <text>An electrologist:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>May not make use of electronic devices and social media to transmit or place any client information online; and</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Shall adhere to the following principles for the use of electronic devices and social media:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Every electrologist has an obligation to understand the nature, benefits, and consequences of using electronic devices and participating in social media networking;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>An electrologist is bound to observe ethically prescribed client-electrologist boundaries when using electronic devices and social media as in any other setting;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Client information shall be maintained in separate encrypted and secured files on personal computers and online; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>The standards of professionalism are the same when using electronic devices and social media as in any other circumstance.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="F.">
    <text>An electrologist may not engage in behavior that dishonors the profession whether or not acting in the capacity of a licensed electrologist, including, but not limited to:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Reporting for employment under the influence of alcohol or a controlled dangerous substance or submitting a pre-employment sample that is positive for alcohol or a controlled dangerous substance without having provided evidence of valid prescriptions for all controlled dangerous substances in the sample;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Reporting for employment under the influence of an illicit drug or submitting a pre-employment sample that is positive for an illicit drug; or</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Committing an act of moral turpitude, dishonesty, or corruption when the act directly or indirectly affects the health, welfare, or safety of the citizens of this State, and, if the act constitutes a crime, conviction thereof in a criminal proceeding is not a condition precedent to disciplinary action.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
</regulation>