Outside Clinical Care Guidance

As with other outside professional activities, engaging in health or clinical care external to the university has the opportunity for GW employees to use their expertise constructively, maintain licensure(s), strengthen their competence, and enhance their and the university’s reputation. To that end, due consideration should be made to prevent real, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest or commitment from occurring to ensure high-quality and ethical patient and clinical care at the university and beyond. Conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment may occur if there is a divergence between an individual's private interests and their professional responsibilities at GW. The following guidance should be followed to avoid a conflict of interest or commitment.

Referral

GW employees who provide clinical services to the university (e.g., counseling or medical services) should not refer GW Community Members, especially students, directly to their outside practices. Including one's practice in a cumulative list of available resources is acceptable, but a direct referral would be a conflict of interest.

Additionally, should a university community member elect to seek services from the GW employee's outside practice, the GW employee should not personally treat them, as applicable. Clear separation between the interests of industry and recommendations that affect people’s health is essential to maintain public and professional confidence. Individuals who provide clinical care external to the university are expected to adhere to conflict of interest and conflict of commitment policies of the university at the sites where they practice, in addition to any site-specific requirements.

GW Business

GW employees should not be involved in any negotiations or procurement decisions involving the outside entities they own or have a relationship with on behalf of the university. Any university transaction with the entity will be reviewed to check for approval by someone other than the GW employee or their subordinate, with appropriate authorization.

Competition

GW employees should not compete with the university for work that is perceived as being work that the university would choose to perform. The university should not be deprived of appropriate potential financial gain, nor should students or employees be deprived of services the university may offer, in favor of personal gain.

Commitment

Any work related to outside activities should be conducted on personal time, or for full-time, regular faculty members, in accordance with the One-Day-A-Week Rule (rule). Any deviations from or modifications to adherence to the rule should be requested through the faculty member’s department chair (or unit) and dean’s office. Outside professional activities should not interfere with the performance of the individual's regular duties and time commitment to the university.

University Resources

Individuals should not use university personnel, equipment, or services for personal gain except for incidental, reasonable use as referenced in the Personal Use of University Resources Policy.

Disclosure and Oversight

Consistent with the Policy on Outside Interests, Relationships and Professional Activities, GW employees should disclose their outside interests, relationships, and professional activities to their supervisor and the Office of Ethics, Compliance, and Risk as part of the annual disclosure process for identified GW employees, or via email on an ad-hoc basis at %20complygwu [dot] edu (comply[at]gwu[dot]edu), who can help ensure that no conflict develops. If a situation arises that has the potential of becoming a real or perceived conflict, the Office of Ethics, Compliance, and Risk should be contacted. A plan to mitigate, manage, or eliminate conflicts may be developed as needed.