What do IT professionals and doctors have in common? Well, they're both frustrated by the persistence of viruses, but they're also both viewed as highly ethical professionals, according to a new survey commissioned by Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT staffing services.

The survey covered 150 finance, marketing, human resources, and IT executives. Participants were asked to choose among five professions as to which is the "most ethical." Physicians and IT professionals were nearly tied, with 31% of respondents choosing physicians and 30% picking IT professionals as the most ethical.

Accountants received 20% of the votes, lawyers received 5%, and investment bankers 1%.

People entrust their health to their doctors, and companies entrust access to their most-sensitive data to IT workers. "Physicians and IT professionals both have access to a lot of private, sensitive, information, and there's a level of blind faith and trust that's there," says Melissa Maffettone, a regional manager for Robert Half Technology. "Even the most junior-level help-desk professional can see programs that are installed on your computer, personal E-mails displayed, and network administrators can see users' personal folders, favorite Web sites."