Portraying professionalism in one’s career is not only reflected by education qualifications but also character traits Success in a person’s line of career is measured by how he conducts himself among many other traits. The subject of this is essay is a doctor in a health facility I frequently attend and an acquaintance. He has attended to me several times, thus, I have observed his behavior and professional conduct on several occasions during the hospital visits.
The amount of special knowledge exhibited by this doctor is remarkable. The approach taken towards attending to his patients is a revelation that he is completely conversant with what should be done in his field of practice. He has mastered the different ways of dealing with patients with different health conditions. Additionally, he has learned how to conduct different tests and procedures. He owes this form of experience to his supervisors, who gave him thorough training during his internship program. Most of the specialized knowledge was acquired in medical school where he trained for six years. He is also an avid reader, which helps him to advance his knowledge on matters regarding medicine and different life skills.
Behavior is the easiest way to judge a person’s character when it comes to professionalism. The doctor values integrity, thus, honesty is at the core of his most important virtues. Therefore, he tells his patients and their families the truth despite how hard or sad it may be. Additionally, in his field there are medical errors that may occur knowingly or unknowingly. He does not hide this mistakes from his supervisor. He corrects his mistakes and seeks further consultation from his supervisor on what needs to be done.
The bare minimum standard required in every profession is competency. As such,competency is a minimum standard and what gives meaning to how one should behave at a work place (Mccarthy). In his field there are various things he is required to uphold for example, confidentiality between the patient and the doctor. He does not share his patients’ information with other people including his colleagues. Keeping time is also among the behaviors that show high competency levels. The doctor is always on time for his ward rounds and clinic appointments. Patients always find him ready to attend to them.
Maintaining professionalism in both calm and stressful situations requires a certain level of discipline. People should develop ways of achieving a positive mental attitude, for example, choosing their words wisely (Kirsten, p 56). Concerning this, the doctor is of the opinion that people should keep their composure. Therefore, he thinks first before speaking out his mind and evaluates whether the situation will make him defensive or angry. From the number of interactions with the doctor at his workplace, he indeed avoids meaningless arguments that may spark emotions with his colleagues.
Real professionals ensure their physical appearance and presentation works for them. Physical appearance ranges from wearing appropriate attires required in their workplace and ensuring proper grooming. In addition, how one speaks and carries himself or herself is also part of presentation of oneself. The doctor mentioned above is always dressed in official clothes and a lab coat with a name tag on it as required by the employer. This way, you are able to easily identify that he is a medical officer in that institution. He has great communication skills and bed side manners while attending to his patients. He does not use a lot of medical jargon while talking to a patient. The doctor’s listening skill is one of his main strength. This way, he is able to make a reasonable conversation with his patients.
Practicing ethical behavior and displaying professionalism requires determination and commitment. This is also a lesson that has been learnt from the subject of this essay. His timeliness and commitment to his patients and job is exemplary. The two main lessons learnt from him are honesty and emotion control. Therefore, no matter the outcome of a person’s honesty, one should always stick to his or her word. This is the only way your employer and colleagues will trust and respect you. Being honest even in difficult situations where my job is on the line has always been difficult. It is always tempting to cover up in case of a miss up. Lastly, controlling my emotions has always been difficult, especially when something I believe in is being condemned. However, to correct this, I have learnt that I should evaluate the situation and think first before speaking.
Works Cited
Kirsten Drake. Honing your professional presence. Nursing Center Journal, Vol, 50(12), December 2019, p 56. Journal Database, https://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Artice_ID=5200770&Journal_ID=54013&Issue_ID=5200524
Mccarthy Dan. Understanding the Behaviors that Showcase Workplace Professionalism. The Balance Careers. (2018) Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-workplace-professionalism-2275961