PROFESSIONALISM
Darcy McMaughan, PhD
TAMHSC SRPH
MPH Student Orientation
August 21, 2013
Why Discuss Professionalism?
• SRPH is a professional school.
• You are expected to adhere to professional standards of
conduct and attitude.
• Employers really value professionalism!
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.ht
m
What is Professionalism?
• A specific style of behavior exhibited in the workplace*.
• Values & professional roles.
*Workplace also means your academic environment! And
in some instances, the expectation of professionalism
extends beyond the workplace.
http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2008csrees/pdfs/S54-Workplace%20Professionalism.pdf
Public Health Professionalism
The ability to demonstrate ethical choices, values, and
professional practices implicit in public health decisions; to
consider the effect of choices on community stewardship,
equity, social justice, and accountability; and to commit to
personal and institutional development.
Association of Schools of Public Health as cited in Slomka,
Quill, desVignes-Kendrick, and Lloyd (2008)
How is a Professional Judged?
Against expectations or standards
Professionalism is in the eye of the beholder!
Unwritten Rules Regarding
What is Critiqued
• Attitudes
• Your Communications
• Conflict
• Your Image (i.e. dress)
• Approaches
• Your Competence
• Values
• Your Demeanor
• Communication Styles
http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2008csrees/pdfs/S54-Workplace%20Professionalism.pdf
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm
• Although these expectations and standards are often
unwritten , we wrote many of them down!
Professional Conduct/Attitudes
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Be tolerant of each other and offer professional courtesy to classmates
Create and participate in an environment where honest feedback is seen as
valuable and not criticism
Respect each other’s time by being on time for all meetings/appointments.
Be honest and kind during all interactions.
Use appropriate language at all times when you are speaking or sending emails.
Never use profanity.
Refrain from disruptive behavior, discrimination or any type of harassment.
Never interrupt a presentation, demonstrate respect to all speakers, regardless of
situation. When attending a presentation, be on time coming back from breaks
and lunch and do not hold sidebar communications. Give the speaker the same
respect you would want given to you if the roles were reversed.
Display a professional and positive attitude at all times
Be friendly and helpful to co-workers
Do the right thing – even when no one is watching
Conduct yourself with compassion for everyone you come in contact with
Use positive body language and present yourself professionally: make eye
contact, avoid slouching, dress professionally
Be tolerant of each other and offer professional
courtesy to classmates
• Work with diverse faculty & colleagues regardless of race,
gender, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin.
• Create an inclusive work environment. Recognize and
respect individual differences & qualities.
• Include others in your focus by considering their needs
(avoid projecting that you view yourself as the “center of
the universe”).
http://www.grad.washington.edu/area/goodpract/p_good_pract.htm
http://www.lorman.com/newsletter/article.php?article_id=694&newsletter_id=150&category_id=1
Create and participate in an environment where
honest feedback is seen as valuable and not
criticism
• Respect the experience.
• Exercise the highest integrity in taking examinations, in
collecting, analyzing, & presenting research data, & in
teaching practice.
• Work towards having & understanding specialized
knowledge.
• Develop competency*.
* The quality of being well-qualified intellectually for a
particular task or set of tasks.
http://www.grad.washington.edu/area/goodpract/p_good_pract.htm
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm
http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2008csrees/pdfs/S54-Workplace%20Professionalism.pdf
Respect each other’s time by being on time for all
meetings/classes/appointments/assignments.
• Popping-in for a quick question is not always
appropriate; know your faculty members’ preference and
if unsure err on the side of caution is the best choice
• Accountability & dependability
• Explain what you would like to discuss in this meeting,
provide your availability, and indicate if it is time sensitive
• Keep in mind that last minute requests due to lack of planning
and preparation on your part do not constitute an emergency on
the part of a faculty member
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm
Be honest and kind during all interactions.
• Consider the impact of your words/actions on others.
• Understand your “hot buttons “- manage your reactions &
respond with honesty & kindness.
• Become a bridge builder & role model for civility &
respect. Act in a manner whereby you respect yourself,
demonstrate respect for others, & take advantage of every
opportunity to be proactive in promoting civility and
respect in your workplace.
http://www.grad.washington.edu/area/goodpract/p_good_pract.htm
http://www.lorman.com/newsletter/article.php?article_id=694&newsletter_id=150&category_id=1
Use appropriate language at all times when you
are speaking or sending emails. Never use
profanity.
Refrain from disruptive behavior, discrimination or
any type of harassment.
• Disruptive behavior = conduct that bothers & upsets day-
to-day interpersonal interaction in the workplace.
Examples are:
• Numerous conflicts
• Poor relationships
• Anger outbursts
http://www.kmph-kfre.com/story/17268635/disruptive-behavior-in-the-workplace
Never interrupt a presentation, demonstrate
respect to all speakers, regardless of situation.
• When attending a presentation, be on time coming back
from breaks and lunch
• Do not hold sidebar communications.
• Give the speaker the same respect you would want given
to you if the roles were reversed.
Display a professional and positive attitude at all
times
• Confront and manage conflict while maintaining dignity
and respect for others.
• Use ‘adult’ conversations to resolve issues – go directly to
the colleague involved.
• Recognize different communication styles – compromise
when needed. Look for ways to communicate effectively
with each other.
http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2008csrees/pdfs/S54-Workplace%20Professionalism.pdf
Be friendly and helpful to co-workers
• “Manage Up”*
• Celebrate successes and have fun in your studies
• Help classmates feel appreciated and valued-send thank
you notes for specific actions
• Do not embarrass or criticize classmates/colleagues in
the presence of others
• Do not gossip or talk negatively about others
*Manage Up: “You go above and beyond the tasks assigned to you so that
you can enhance other’s work…doing what you can to make your manager's
job easier will not only help them do their job, but you will be considered a
valuable asset to your manager and to your organization"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122511931313072047.html
Do the right thing – even when no one is watching
• Self-regulation.
• one's capacity to manage and contain anxiety and process
emotional states, maintain balance in self-esteem, respect other
peoples' points of view, while remaining engaged in productive
goal-oriented work-related efforts with others.
• Work-life balance
• Examination of personal values
• Development of core values
• Core values are part of the ideology so deeply held that they
will never be compromised.
• Core ideology does not change, even in a changing
environment .
http://www.kmph-kfre.com/story/17268635/disruptive-behavior-in-the-workplace
Program core values
Teamwork:
• Respectfully caring for each other and those we serve
Respect:
• Humility in our successes and grace in our challenges
Integrity:
• Honesty and integrity in all our interactions
Generosity:
• Being thankful for and sharing our opportunities and
blessings
Learning:
• Passionately pursuing making a difference in healthcare
by being a lifelong learner
Conduct yourself with compassion for everyone
you come in contact with
If we look at our private lives, whether we would like to
admit it or not, when circumstances are good, we all
basically care about those around us. But the demands on
our time and attention are such that our empathy can get
quite fatigued, and we can't always see a way to make
compassionate decisions in our professional life.
Vinciance Rycroft
Use positive body language and present yourself
professionally
• Make eye contact
• Avoid slouching
• Dress professionally. Professional dress excludes the
following items:
• Flip Flops
• Midriff attire (skin should not be exposed)
• T-shirts with logos
• Hats
• Tank Tops or low cut tops
• Excessively short skirts
• Jeans (except during appropriate events and casual Fridays)
Key Points
• You are expected to abide by professional codes of
conduct and attitude.
• To improve your own professionalism, focus on improving
in each of these areas. Many of the areas overlap, so by
working diligently on one, you may address three!
More Information
• Gracious Professionalism®
http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/gracious-professionalism
• 2012 Professionalisms in the Workplace Study
http://www.ycp.edu/media/yorkwebsite/cpe/2012Professionalism-in-the-Workplace-Study.pdf
• Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success
http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/Profession
alism.pdf
References
• Guidelines for Good Practice in Graduate Education:
Professionalism and Ethics:
http://www.grad.washington.edu/area/goodpract/p_good_pract.htm
• Professionalism in the Workplace Retrieved from
http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2008csrees/pdfs/S54Workplace%20Professionalism.pdf
• Mindtools
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm
• Lorman Education Services: Ten Tips for Creating Respect and Civility
in Your Workplace
http://www.lorman.com/newsletter/article.php?article_id=694&newslette
r_id=150&category_id=1
• Wall Street Journal Online:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122511931313072047.html
Questions?