Definition

• NIH provides training for employees and non-employees.lab kit image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
  
  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) updates its Ethics Training Program annually to inform full-time employees of their ethical responsibilities as health care workers and federal employees. Ethics training includes how to avoid unethical behavior, including conflicts of interest, through actions as a government employee.
  
  

Introduction

• Anyone can download the Introduction to Government Ethics Handout in portable digital format (PDF) from the NIH website. This 20-page document defines the roles of employees of the Department of Health and Human Services. Topics include the Fourteen Principles of Ethical Conduct, conflicts of interest, impartiality, misuse of position, political activities (The Hatch Act), leaving government service and financial disclosure reporting.
  
  

Significance

• Training in ethics helps NIH employees understand which federal laws apply to their employment. This understanding is important because NIH employees are not just working in health fields but also in government service. For example, U.S. code (18 U.S. Code section 208) precludes government employees from participating in financial matters in which they have a financial interest.
  
  

Contract Employees

• According to NIH, contract employees do not have to complete ethics training. They can review the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Web-based training module at the OGE website. The course title is Interacting With Government Employees for Contractors WBT 2007. Contractors need to know what kinds of ethical concerns might arise in their interactions with government employees.
  
  

Special Training

• NIH also offers specialized training for people who work in government research. For example, research professionals might benefit from training on how to protect human research participants, bioethics, ethics for clinical trials and social sciences ethics. For more information, persons interested in this training would consult the NIH Office of Intramural Research (internal) or the Office of Extramural Research (external). Examples of people who would need research training are doctoral candidates and fellows working for NIH programs.