Professionalism in the Workplace: (Information courtesy of Denise Thornby, RN, MS)
Professions
Professionals: have knowledge, scope of practice, agreed upon values, code or oath, and accountability to society
for their profession and their professional behavior.
Examples of Professions:
1. Social Worker
2. Lawyers
3. Physicians
4. Nurses
5. Teachers
6. Flight Attendants
Professionalism:
1. Describes a certain type of behavior in the workplace
2. Based on our values and understanding of our professional roles
3. Evidenced in our behavior
How professionalism is judged:
1. Against a set of expectations or standards
2. From our own personal values set and understanding of what “professionalism” means
3. May be situational in nature
4. Strongly influenced by culture
Professional is judged through:
1. Our image
2. Our communication
3. Our competence
4. Our demeanor
From the Patient’s Perspective:
1. Trustworthy
2. Competent
3. Empathetic
4. Respectful
5. Caring
Our relationships with patients:
1. Therapeutic content
2. Safety, trust, and ethical behavior are foundational
3. Relationship has boundaries
4. Vulnerability of power
Respectful of their:
1. Needs
2. Beliefs
3. Concerns
4. Values
Crossing Professional Boundaries:
1. Non-therapeutic relationships
2. Inappropriate communication
3. Inappropriate self-disclosure
4. Exploitation – money, gifts
5. Breaches of confidentiality
From the Co-Workers Perspective:
1. Trustworthy
2. Competent
3. Supportive
4. Respectful
5. Accountable
Professional Team Expectations of Professional Team Members:
1. Functional trust
2. Mutual respect
3. Open communication
Functional Trust:
1. All people have an equal need for respect
2. Respect is the basic foundation of all healthy personal relationships
3. Each team member is equally important
4. Each team member’s work is equally important
Mutual Respect:
1. All people have an equal need for respect
2. Respect is the basic foundation of all healthy personal relationships
3. Each team member is equally important
4. Each team member’s work is equally important
Open Communication:
1. Team members talk to each other about issues directly
2. All team members avoid the 3 B’s
3. Supportive feedback is given generously
4. Corrective feedback is helpful, tactful, and constructive
Qualities and Characteristics of a Professional are:
1. Competent
2. Trustworthy
3. Respectful
4. Act with Integrity
5. Considerate
6. Empathetic
7. Courteous
8. Dependable
9. Cooperative
10. Committed
Professionalism…. in the Workplace
Where do we start?
What does Professionalism mean?
1. An occupation requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation
2. Conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession
Professionalism is teamwork!!
Teamwork:
1. Teamwork is the single most important vital sign of the health of the organization or agency.
2. Everyone’s participation and input is critical to successful resuscitation
3. A-Team approach
A-Team:
1. Proactive
2. Confident
3. Positive
4. Competent
5. Compassionate
6. Communicative
7. Team Spirit
8. Teachers
9. Trust
10. Does what it takes
11. Sense of humor
12. Moves the meat
B-Team:
1. Negative
2. Reactive
3. Confused
4. Lazy
5. Late
6. Poor communication
7. Constant complainer
8. BMW club
9. Can’t do
10. Always surprised
Professionalism is:
1. Having an awareness of how your actions, body language, and words affect others
2. Being fully accountable for one’s actions
3. Utilizing kindness, compassion, intelligence, and direct communication to lead others
4. Learning to master a mindful, calm response to an emergency
Judgment and decision-making:
1. Multiple decisions must be made every day.
a. What to do
b. Why to do it
c. How to do it
d. When to do it
e. Where
f. Whom to do it with
Decisions require thought and carry significant consequences!
Character traits:
A. Professionalism brings together who you are as a person and how those traits contribute to the
workplace.
B. Personal values are things that have a high degree of worth to the individual.
C. Reputation- character in the view of the community
D. Morals-capability to differentiate between right and wrong
E. Integrity-of sound moral principal
F. Trustworthiness/Respect/Honesty:
1. Be to work on time
2. Perform the responsibilities of job with competence
3. Keep promises and meet obligations
Professionalism is not:
1. Allowing someone else to take responsibility, while you stand by.
2. Blaming others for your mistakes or poor response
3. Bad attitude
4. Losing your composure in chaos
5. “When things go wrong, don’t go with them.”
6. Posting on Facebook
7. And sometimes things may seem impossible…. It does not excuse you from being unprofessional.
8. Don’t let reasons become excuses!
Factors Professionals Must Always Consider:
1. Teamwork
2. Relentless pursuit of excellence
3. Basic business facts
4. Customer service
5. Unfailing integrity
Why do we struggle with this???
1. Attitude
2. Ego
3. Fear
4. Seniority
5. Confusion
6. Poor impulse control
Fundamental Personality Rules:
1. You cannot control anyone except maybe… Yourself
2. The most difficult people don’t realize that they are the terrorists
Do you have what it takes?
Key personality traits essential for health care jobs:
1. Nurturing and stable disposition
2. Ability to manage stress
3. Service orientation
4. Flexibility
Three C’s are vital to the professional and personal success of any health care worker:
1. Courtesy
2. Compassion
3. Common sense
The six P’s of Professionalism:
1. Punctual
2. Prepared
3. Properly dressed
4. Participates
5. Performs requires tasks
6. Polite
Words of Wisdom
Watch your thoughts; they become your words.
Watch your words; they become your actions.
Watch your actions; they become your habits.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.