Professionalism in Health Place 

Your parents raise you to work hard and be confident, teachers teach you how to successfully and effectively do research and complete work but who teaches you how to be professional? You may have a mentor in your life that genuinely molds your professionalism but you also have to stumble a little to see how your behavior was wrong and why.

Professionalism is all in the way you present yourself in the workplace. Upon research I discovered four key terms that demonstrate a professional attitude – (Professionalism in the Workplace)

• Treat others with respect
• Keep your word
• Be loyal
• Exceed expectations

I really liked these four key terms to describe professionalism because they should not apply to just the workplace but really should come naturally. Living in today’s time we have become such a big melting pot of different races, religions, ethnicities, sexualities, and genders. I was raised to treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO and I value that advice immensely because not many people think that way.

In the workplace, especially in the healthcare field, it is so important to treat everyone not only equally but kind. Together we are working towards the same goal – to provide an environment that is clean, safe, and where people who are sick can come to achieve health goals and be provided proper treatment.I have heard the saying, “give respect to get respect” many times but that is not always fair in my mind.

I actually treat those who are rude and disrespectful especially kinder to show them how you should be. In the workforce, especially the healthcare environment, you are working with a wide range of people. From nurses, medical assistants, radiologist and health information technicians, doctors, medical equipment preps, ect.

Consistently working with a wide range of job titles it is extremely important to be respectful. You should be valued to work with and admired to work under. In certain work environments, you will have that boss that is demanding, shows favoritism, and overly critical. That is not someone you want to constantly exceed expectations for and can make your job very difficult.It is not just amongst co-workers where respect should be always shown.

As I mentioned earlier the diverse group of patients you will encounter may sometimes require patience, good listening, and effective communication. What I think could be an effective way to stay professional and respectful is surveying the community you work in. Already having background knowledge on what patients you will mostly be tending to can help from how you interact, speak, and even can have knowledge on if certain diseases affect a group more than one another.

For example the two leading causes of death in Hispanics are heart disease and cancer. (Hispanics’ health, 2015) . Gathering this information can give you the opportunity to contribute to a diagnosis by giving recommendations on diet and exercise.Some may not think of “keeping your word” as a characteristic of professionalism but being professional is being trustworthy. Keeping your word, on whether it is a very minimal task or a verbal promise it so important to your contribution to a positive, productive workplace.

In the healthcare field we are working together collectively to promote and provide a healthier community. In a fast paced, sometimes life and death situations, environment we have to be able to trust one another that we are going to stick to our word. Being professional means eliminating excuses and doing what you said you were going to do. Unprofessionalism and disloyalty makes it unproductive for those around you.

The word loyal is an adjective meaning giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution (Merriam-Webster). Loyalty in the workplace is very important. Important qualities of loyalty in the workplace are being cognitive of being critical in front of others. Many times this happens it is because of an incident and you, or whoever is getting spoken too, is in the way of someone “letting off steam.”

Being belittled and criticized in front of your peers’ chips away at your self-confidence, and respect for your peer that was doing so. When it comes time to have a discussion over a situation, you should have an honest, respectful conversation in private about the situation in the correct path to take.Exceeding expectations is crucial for every workplace but sometimes the idea of going “above and beyond” could lead you into unprofessional predicaments. Referring to what I have mentioned earlier about understanding the demographics of the community you are providing care to, being culturally competent, is professionally exceeding expectations.

Contributing to communication and language assistance, leadership, engagement and accountability are all factors in that surpass expectations as an employee. There will be many instances that will arise due to misunderstandings, a genuinely accidental mistake, and or miscommunication. Listening is a great technique – I say this because I mean listen well to not only everyone involved in the situation but to your thoughts as well. There was research done about genuinely thinking before you speak creates better leaders.

They broke down thinkT – is it True?H – is it Helpful?I – is it Inspiring?N – is it Necessary?K – is it Kind? (Colan)​These questions are very important to consider before responding during a situational time. Always remember you are dealing with someone’s health and there is never a time for you to be not putting not only their personal care but emotions into consideration – as your patient is the one in the bed, not you.​Hospitals on average have about four staff per patient, most hospitals averaging a thousand employees (Quora). In such a fast-paced work environment it is necessary to keep yourself at organized, collected, and professional at all times. In the end, if you are not sure, just ask!

A lot of mistakes or improper actions occur when questions are not asked. Decisions get made hastily and words get said without thinking them through. Fellow students, peers, mentors are all in the same boat as you despite their job title. We often feel ashamed to ask for help or embarrassed when asking for help is the smartest, and yes, most professional thing we can do.​As we continue our journey as healthcare professionals we must always be reminded of “casual unprofessional” behavior. Picking up our phone to do unethical research or recreationally use it, having personal conversations in patient hallways, labeling tests as urgent when not, and making fun (yes, even in private) of a patient’s situation.

If we did not take these things seriously there would be major issues where we are supposed to provide care.​We can continue the topic of reminding you what and what not to do to continue having professional behavior but sometimes it does not always stem from that. As employees in the healthcare world, sleep deprivation is a very real thing. Lack of sleep can especially cause irritability, memory and cognitive dysfunction.

Being a professional is being honest – inform your employer that you need time for rest. Also, professionalism comes well naturally when you are organized so stay organized to be proficient! Organization can really go a long way to avoid issues, keeping boards and charts updated can go really contribute to satisfactory patient care.​Professionalism is not always in your attitude or behavior but also in your engagement. Sometimes, you may too into making sure all the paperwork part is done properly you have neglected to confirm your patient knows how to operate the television or if he knows how to contact family.

Where you work is a reflection of your company as a whole. Every day wake up to provide to the betterment of where you work. It is almost the same advice we all learned at such a young age on the playground, “treat others as you would be treated” – with wholesome respect and acknowledgment of the work they put in. If you ever are into being in the healthcare field because you think you have nothing else to do then do not get into the healthcare world. Unprofessional behavior can legitimately lead to damages in local / global health and medical initiatives.

This subject is a great one to be reminded of ​David Maister wrote a book on true professionalism. He described how it may not just be complying with your employer but being passionate and never compromising your values while still being caring. He wrote, “Professional is not a label you give yourself – it is a description you hope others will apply to you.” The biggest title in the workplace is being referred to as a professional; nurses are the foundation of a hospital and we must remain ethical and professional.

Works Cited

1. Colan, L. (n.d.). Think before you speak. The L Group. Retrieved from https://www.thelgroup.com/blog/think-before-you-speak
2. Hispanics' health: Leading causes of death. (2015). Office of Minority Health.
3. Maister, D. H. (1997). True professionalism: The courage to care about your people, your clients, and your career. Free Press.
4. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Loyal. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loyal
5. Professionalism in the Workplace. (n.d.). University of Washington Human Resources.
6. Quora. (n.d.). How many employees are in a hospital? Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/How-many-employees-are-in-a-hospital
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