Professionalism In The Workplace

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, professionalism is defined as the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person. A few pages to the left, efficient is defined as productive of desired effects, especially productive without waste, an efficient worker. A few more pages to the left, cordial is defined as showing or marked by warm and often hearty friendliness, favor, or approval, a cordial welcome.

Professionalism to me is being honest, having a high level of integrity, striving for excellence, respecting others and providing quality care with compassion.

The term professional, like many words and concepts has many different dimensions and the meaning of which has changed over time. One definition might be getting paid to complete a specific set of specialised tasks. Another might be an uncompromising commitment to performing at the highest level at all times. Yet another could be displaying a polite, considerate and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. Whilst most of these statements are partially correct, there are many aspects to conducting yourself in a professional manner. The most recognised

When being professional you aim to give the best you can and that means to commit beyond your own expectations, by looking into the long term and seeing what could go wrong, and make sure different approaches are in place to prevent these. Being professional will always be advantageous and will create a positive repute for either yourself or the business you are supporting. Sometimes your professional behaviour can have an impact on your own work, eg, promotions. It will also increase pride. Therefore professionalism is an all-round beneficial factor.

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,

What does Professionalism mean to me? Professionalism in my term means it is someone who is very dedicated to their profession. It is an important and great decision to follow by the rules and ethics of professionalism. If we did not have anyone that cared about their profession it would cause a lot of problems in our society today. It could cause a lot of disruption in your workplace. In order to abide by professionalism you must take pride in your job, percieve realistic goals and values, and know what your expectations are.

To be a person who is deemed professional you have to have a sense of leadership. Leadership in the healthcare field means you have to be willing to teach others. You help build and maintain a culture that facilitates professionalism. As a leader you do not participate in workplace pranks. Another important aspect of professionalism is honor and integrity. To have honor and integrity in the workplace you need to be forthcoming with information; and not hold important information for your own benefit. You can admit your own errors. You deal with confidential information discreetly and appropriately. One of the most important attributes regarding professionalism is respect. You have to respect institutional staff and all staff representatives. You have to respect patients rights and dignity and their privacy and confidentiality. A person who is professional has to have caring, compassionate and have communication. You treat the patient as an individual taking into account lifestyle, religious beliefs, and ethnicity. You communicate bad news with sincerity and compassion. You deal with sickness, death, and dying in a professional manner with the patient and the patient’s family members.

A professional is characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. Being professional should be a subconscious effort in the fact that it should always be applied. When employees are professional it helps the system run more efficiently and safely. A person must me a certain criteria when being evaluated on professionalism, a person is judged based on the clients; Attitude, Values, Communication techniques, and approachability. Clients who display a committed, dependable attitude will benefit more from work exerted, and overall be rewarded with incentives. Although professionalism may be in the eye of the

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

My definition of professionalism is a person that carries themselves in a respectful manner. The professional is educated, has a clean appearance, well spoken, and treats others with respect and integrity. When a person is not professional it reflects poorly on the company. I have experienced unprofessional behavior quite often. I have seen nurses, and other medical professionals, act unprofessional. I will share a story of a very unprofessional situation. This situation put me in a position where I had to make a moral and legal decision and take the appropriate action. Two nurse aids were bathing a man that was in a coma. He had a penal implant from having prostate cancer. The implant was a pump. While bathing him the girls pumped his penis up, took pictures and sent the pictures to my phone along with derogatory remarks. The girls thought this was funny. I did not. I thought it was extremely unprofessional, and degrading to that patient. The girls were my friends, so the decision I had to make was not easy. I went to my nurse manager and took the appropriate action and steps. The girls did lose their jobs. I did feel bad for them, but I felt worse for that man. I had to do what was right.

Professionalism has a different meaning to everyone. To me it is defined as "the skill and good judgment that is expected from a person who is trained to do a specific job." As an EMS provider, I will be in contact with the public that is looking at me to be the best in my profession. They will expect me to carry myself in a professional manner. They will also expect the best care that I can provide, and that I can acknowledge when I need to call for ALS personal to render better care if needed.

Professionalism in the workplace, is the absolute key to having a successful, and smoothly run business. Professionalism is something that must be maintained by every individual within the work setting, especially in health care, whether it is the janitor, activity director, nursing assistant, doctor, or even the head administrator. Professionalism encompasses many aspects, such as teamwork, attitude, environment, knowledge, morals, and ethics.

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

The thought of professionalism conjures up many ideas, and possibly pre-conceived judgements. These will not always be classed as positive or negative, but will undoubtedly have a profound effect on the way you are perceived in your area of work or chosen profession.

In a highly respected profession such as nursing, professionalism is an important element to staying employed and setting one’s self apart from the rest of the applicants when competing for a potential job. By definition professionalism are the qualities and traits that describe a professional. While knowledge is crucial in any profession, according to an article published by the University of Kansas (2012), “all medical professionals must strive to retain those humanistic qualities integrity, respect, and compassion that constitute the essence of professionalism.” Whether you work in a hospital or administration these three qualities encompass the core of nursing and exemplify what it means to be a professional.