Professionalism is a standard of expectation set forth to be applied and used daily in all career fields and in daily life routines. A professional should uphold certain standards that would be acceptable and maintain a certain level of information about the field one is upholding. Being a professional is not just performing certain duties and task but valuing those responsibilities. Professionalism should be used in more than the workplace but in the normal functions of life. It is having effective communication skills. Professionalism is respecting others, even though, one may not agree with them. It is knowing how to resolve a conflict in the correct manner. It is maintaining composure in uncomfortable situations, conducting in the best possible way performing obligations, and using the skills gained to perform in desirable and undesirable situations. Professionalism can be displayed in numerous ways and one should practice this every chance it is possible.
On many occasions professionalism has played a role in my past careers. I have worked as a Deputy and several moments have occurred where I have had to uphold the oath that was taken and maintain composure in uncomfortable situations. I have had people attempt to have confrontations with me, and I have always maintained my role as a professional by resolving conflict without escalating the situation. Professionalism, is respecting others, even when no one is watching. As a professional I expect to be in many different environments, but I believe in all environments professionalism should be displayed. Communicating effectively and being aware of how one may be representing themselves is essentially important. A professional must be aware of others.
Self-awareness is important because it allows one to know themselves and others. It will allow one to have better relationships with other. One must know his or her behavioral patterns. In class we viewed the Michael Jackson, Man in the mirror video, the lyric stated “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change”. (…) This is statement is a perfect example of self-awareness. People must first look at their own behavior and represent it before expressing their desires on others. As a professional, one must represent what is expected and be the example of what type of the type of professional they would like others to represent. If one is self-aware, it allows abiding by the ethics code an easy accomplishment.
As a pharmacist, it is expected that the patient is always respected, and the pharmacist must always remember that ethics is imperative. Professionals are held to a certain standard and expected to uphold certain a certain level of integrity. “A pharmacist promotes the good of every patient in a caring, compassionate, and condential manner” (…..). A pharmacist should be sensitive to other people’s emotions and show a great deal of empathy. Patients are entrusting their lives within someone else’s control to a certain extent. Respecting others as a professional is vital even in less desirable situations.
Conflict resolutions is another essential quality that defines professionalism and should be required for professionals. This requires communication skills and the skills to resolve situation effectively.
Conflict is a normal, and even healthy part of relationships. After all, two people can’t be expected to agree on everything at all times. Since relationship conflicts are inevitable, learning how to deal with them in a healthy way is crucial. When conflict is mismanaged, it can harm the relationship. But when handled in a respectful positive way, conflict provides an opportunity for growth, ultimately strengthening the bond between two people. By learning the skills, you need for successful conflict resolution, you can keep your personal and professional relationships strong and growing”. ()
Professionalism requires maintaining the skills to resolve certain situations. Effective communication plays a vital role as well as self-awareness. Uncomfortable situations will occur and if the skills are not displayed appropriately it can result in a worse situation. Professionals must know how to resolve conflict effectively. As a pharmacist, one may experience this often because pharmacist deal with emotional situations, such as someone may not have insurance coverage, doctors may not have reapplied a prescription and a patient will be upset. As a professional we must deal with all conflict resolutions delicately and with empathy and compassion.
A formal definition of Empathy is the ability to identify and understand another’s situation, feelings and motives. It’s our capacity to recognize the concerns other people have. Empathy means: ‘putting yourself in the other person’s shoes’ or ‘seeing things through someone else’s eyes.’
Professional have empathy for another person can be another way to effectively resolve a conflict about a sensitive subject. Empathy should be expressed when dealing with patients as a pharmacist, and it can even help the relationship between a patient and the professional. All in all, conflict resolution requires everyone to play a role and work together to resolve the situation with the best possible outcome.
A professional should to be able to apply excellent teamwork skills and should be able to work independently. An article “Interprofessional education: Is your school fostering team players?” discusses how it is important to have team-based healthcare in the healthcare field. (….) Many colleges may now be incorporating learning these skills into their curriculum. Experiential learning can help develop the skill needed before actually getting into one career field. Schools such as Touro University California’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUCOM), University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM), and Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (WesternU/COMP).
These schools are incorporating different learning avenues to effectively improve the future healthcare field. Conducting a student clinic was one way to excel the experiential education at the TUCOM. The is allowing student to interact with patients and learn how to effectively deal with numerous situation and this is important as a professional. Multiple career field are involved in the student clinic and it allows student to develop team work skills that essential. Team work, social skills, ethics, and various other skills that define professionalism are capable of being developed through experiential education. It allows one to develop these vital skills better to provide an effective conducive environment for the patient, other healthcare professionals, and one’s self.
Reflecting upon the numerous examples of professionalism, all of these skills are equally important to help my life and career flourish. There are various examples from class that have allowed me to understand how important each of these skills are to my future. We did a self-awareness task and a personality quiz. The self-awareness task allowed me to be aware of how important presentation is even when you may not a have formally met someone. The personality quiz allowed me to be able to see what I thought of myself and how accurate I actually was about my own personality. I became aware of certain things I may need to improve, and some positive feedback was observed from both situations.
Therefore, setting realistic goal can play a main role for me as a professional. Learning that there are some skills I may need to improve, setting a realistic goal to achieve this task is equally important. Smart goals are important in a professional career. We all have things that need to be improved, SMART goals allowed me to gain understanding on a better way to set goal so that it may be achieved.
As a professional I believe all of the skills obtained and practices thus far will help me develop into a better professional. Professionalism is important because being a Pharmacist is a position in which professionalism is required to effectively help and care for patients. Patients are at the forefront of the healthcare field and in order to uphold the patient, one must first practice professionalism. It is essential to understand professionalism as I continue to develop the skills required on the path to become a Pharmacist.
References
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- https://www.edcc.edu/counseling/documents/Conflict.pdf
- https://pcom6.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-766302-dt-content-rid-1278642_2/courses/PHAR_109G_A_201810/Code%20of%20Ethics%20_%20American%20Pharmacists%20Association.pdf
- https://www.pharmacist.com/code-ethics
- https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_75.htm#sthash
Interprofessional education: Is your school fostering team players?
