Professionalism When Following the Notion of Professionalism Term Paper

Professionalism

When following the notion of professionalism in the world of work, there are eight factors one must apply. These factors are honesty and integrity, relability and responsibility, respect for others, compassion and empathy, self-improvement, self-awareness, communication and colloboration, and altruism and advocacy. The definitions of each of these factors and how the contribute and can be applied to professionalism will be discussed.

Honesty and integrity are two important terms to consider when dealing with patients. In the dictionary, honesty is defined as: "Not given to liest, theft, cheating. Not false or misleading." Integrity posts a similar definition: "firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, or otherwise known as incorruptible." Since these two words are so similar, it can be concluded that one with honesty has integrity. Someone who has integrity and honesty always does what is morally right. A person who possesses honesty and integrity can become a great leaders others can follow in and have pride in because of the high ethics and standards this person upholds. This notion can be applied to the professional world as well because often times, when assisting patients, one is in a position of power. They require awareness of situations that may result in conflict of interest or that result in personal gain at the expense of the best interest of the patient. Hence, one must act with honesty and integrity in order to gain the patient's trust and do what is right in the professional world. Having honesty and integrity in the professional world must go beyond having these feelings just for patients. Honestyand integrity, in the professional world, are the consistent regard for the highest standards of behavior and the refusal to violate one's personal and professional codes, as well as respecting one's patients and one's peers. Hence, in order to be a good worker, one must use honesty and integrity to pormote the fact that one is being fair, being truthful, keeping one's word, meeting commitments, and being forthright in interactions with patients, peers, and in all professional work, whether through documentation, personal communication, presentations, research, or other aspects of interaction.Reliability and responsibility are also important. The dictionary defines reliability as "one that may be relied upon; worty of confidence." Responsibility is defined as " the state of being responsible or accountable." In the professional world, this means being responsible for and accountable to others, and this must occur at a number of levels. First there must be accountability to one's patients, not only to children but also to their families. There must also be accountability to society to ensure that the public's needs are addressed. One must also be accountable to the profession to ensure that the ethical precepts of practice are upheld. Inherent in responsibility is reliability in completing assigned duties or fulfilling commitments. There must also be a willingness to accept responsibility for errors. One must also feel responsible toward one's peers, and help and assist other employees as one sees fit. Part of being responsible is sometimes taking care of and/or assisting other workers when they need help; this implies that one can be reliable.

The third important factor is respect for others. The dictionary defines respect as "to have defferential regard for, esteem." In the workplace, respect for others is the essence of humanism, and humanism is central to professionalism. This respect extends to all spheres of contact, including but not limited to patients, families, other physicians, and professional colleagues, including nurses, residents, fellows, and medical students. One must treat all persons with respect and regard for their individual worth and dignity. One must be fair and nondiscriminatory and be aware of emotional, personal, family, and cultural influences on patient well-being and patients' rights and choices of medical care. It is also a professional obligation to respect appropriate patient….....