Introduction To Professionalism: General Dentist

Professionalism encompasses who we are and what we do. As dental hygienists, we are licensed oral health care providers who have undergone a rigorous education and possess certain skills that others do not. We exhibit many interrelated roles such as clinician, educator, researcher, advocate, mentor and many more. To be considered a profession, a specific field or area of study traditionally must have several characteristics. These include a specialized body of knowledge and skill of value to society, an intensive academic course of study, set standards of practice determined and regulated by the group,

According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (2017), professionalism is “the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected to do a job well.” Medical professionals must possess occupational competence, ethical excellence, and exemplary patient relations. Occupational competence encompasses more than just job knowledge. While being technically competent to perform all necessary job functions is vital, a commitment to continually improve is essential. With the rate of technological advancements in the medical profession, continued education is required to stay abreast of changes. Self-reflection is also important to know when and where personal improvement is needed. High ethical standards, including honesty, integrity, accountability,

Professionalism is an adherence to a set of values comprising both a formally agreed-upon code of conduct and the informal expectations of colleagues, clients and society. The key values include acting in a patient's interest, responsiveness to the health needs of society, maintaining the highest standards of excellence in the practice of medicine and in the generation and dissemination of knowledge. In addition to medical knowledge and skills, medical professionals should present psychosocial and humanistic qualities such as caring, empathy, humility and compassion, as well as social responsibility and sensitivity to people's culture and beliefs. All these qualities are expected of members of highly trained professions.

Ever since I was in middle school, I would tell everyone that I was going to become a dentist. That was my career plan until the summer of my junior year. During that summer, I had the opportunity to do an internship and job shadow Dr. Bradshaw at his private dental office. While observing and talking to the doctor, I realized that I would not enjoy working as a dentist. I still wanted to pursue a career in the dental field so I decided to job shadow the dental hygienists. Watching the dental hygienists perform their duties and interact with patients made me want to pursue a career in dental hygiene. I knew very little about dental hygienists besides the fact that they clean teeth. As I spent time with the dental hygienists, I learned more each day. While researching for this paper, I became knowledgeable on even more information. From reading The Occupational Outlook Handbook and A Career as a Dental

Along with dental procedures, I observed various work dynamics while shadowing. I realized that social responsibility, leadership, teamwork, and communication are all important factors in a dental office. I am thankful for my past experiences that helped me to develop all of these skills. While shadowing I saw that it is crucial for a dentist to communicate not only with his staff but also with his

is based on trust and putting the needs of patients above all other considerations. The aim of this

On my work placement at Grandholm Dental Clinic, I shadowed several dentists, observing how they were able to diagnose and treat

As a dental hygiene care provider (DHCP), the dental hygienist provide her services to a range of different clients. Canada is a cultural mosaic country, that opens its door and opportunities to many different individuals, which makes it a multicultural and diverse country. The mission of a dental hygienist is to implement the codes of ethics (beneficence, autonomy, integrity, accountability and confidentiality) when interacting with clients and their families as well as to implement effective interventions as a dental hygienist (educator, researcher, administrator/manager, clinician, public health , oral health promoter). It is very important for dental hygiene to be sensitive, aware, have knowledge, skills, and to be competent to work with client from different cultures, and to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. Dental hygienist should be in a continuos

The student must provide clinical dental hygiene services to patients with all classifications of periodontal disease for eight to twelve hours per week during freshman year and twelve to sixteen hours per week during sophomore year. While in the clinical setting, the student must show competence and include the process of care for the following patients: children, teens, adults, geriatrics and special needs. The competencies include the following: life-long education and knowledge of present research-based publishings, delivery of proper medical services in an emergency situation, ethical rationale and resolution, collecting and understanding patients’ overall health status, evaluating findings in order to incorporate ideal care plans, recognizing the level of success with the patient, and documenting all findings accurately. All of these will show that the hygienist is competent and capable of formulating care plans and managing patients’ health within the community through assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating. All of the education, experience and competencies are incorporated to prepare the hygienist for his or her career (Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations,

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Molly Koopman, Expanded Function Dental Assisting Program, Miami Jacobs Career College, Springboro, OH 45066

Professionalism as a whole is expected of everyone, and is not something that should have to be commended, because I feel it is a standard. There are varying degrees of how to act professional, and not everyone has the same opinion on what is professional and what is not. Problems arise when there are differing opinions, because which person is right? It is easy to have a clear picture of what professionalism is when there are actual guidelines in place, such as the licensed practical nurse (LPN) guidelines. These guidelines, or scope of practice is written out by the board of nursing in the state of practice (Potter et al., 2011), and then more specific guidelines are written within individual facilities based on the state.

Professionalism, Respect, and Empathy in the Dental Profession By Jessica Thielen January 20, 2018 Professionalism, respect, and empathy are all essentials as a dental professional. These are qualities that are expected of any dental professional in the dental office. Patients are watching the dental staff’s every move, and they are judging the office based on the appearance and actions of the those who work in the office. professionalism is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person.” That being said, professionalism can mean a variety of different things.

Everywhere you go and in everything you do, professionalism comes in to account in some way or another. Professionalism has been defined as, “a strict adherence to courtesy, honesty and responsibility when dealing with individuals or other companies in the business environment” (Clarke, 2015). When it comes to the career of nursing, professionalism is taken to a whole other level. Not only does professionalism come in to account with your business professionals and peers, but you have patients with whom professionalism is highly practiced as well. Professionalism in nursing means that you are able to handle all the responsibilities given to you in an efficient and proper way. It means that when you are given an order that needs to be carried out by a doctor or a patient who needs your help, you adhere to what is being expected of you in a timely manner. Physicians put trust into nurses in order to carry out orders that are needed to save patients’ lives. If you’re not looked at as professional and responsible, it is going to be very hard to have a successful career. Responsibility is what nursing is all about. Professionalism in nursing means that along with taking on big responsibilities, you have discipline. Discipline in nursing is crucial to being successful. Not only to keep your patients safe, but so that you personally are on the ball and looked at by others as professional, therefore, making you a great nurse. Professionalism means that you have the

Dentists are professionals. They remain the sixth most trusted profession in Australia2, this indicates that a dentist has a role beyond the dentist/patient relationship. But what is professionalism? The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes professionalism as "the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterise or mark a profession or a professional person”3 . This vague definition whilst understandably applied in ones profession, can also be applied beyond the scope of practice. Upon graduating, a dentist is not automatically considered a professional instead professionalism is learnt and cultivated. In the current global market this development is important as

As healthcare professionals, dentists assume openly and take on responsibilities founded on the principle of non-maleficence - first do no harm. Some of the many characteristics of being an ethical dental professional are presented in the American College of Dentists Core Values.