Key terms

Altruism

an unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Appearance

the overall outward look of an employee on the job, including dress and grooming

Attitude

the emotional stance or disposition that a worker adopts toward her or his job duties, customers, employer, and coworkers

Closed-ended question

a question that requires a yes-or-no answer

Compliance

adherence to a required set of standards, regulations, laws, and practices

Confidentiality

keeping privileged information about a customer from being disclosed without his or her consent

Corporate integrity agreement

the obligation to report all fraudulent activities under "whistleblower protection"

Credentialing

a process for validating the qualifications of licensed professionals; defines what functions and roles pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can perform

Cultural sensitivity

an awareness, knowledge of, and respect for cultural beliefs that differ from your own

Culture

the customs, beliefs, and attitudes that are learned and shared by members of a group

Decorous

proper or polite behavior that is in good taste

Discrimination

preferential treatment or mistreatment

Empathy

demonstrating professional caring

Ethical dilemma

a situation that calls for a judgment between two or more solutions, not all of which are necessarily wrong

Ethics

standards of behavior that fit accepted values of right and wrong that all professionals are encouraged to follow

Etiquette

unwritten rules of behavior

Harassment

persistent hostile, unpleasant, and unwelcome mistreatment, whether sexual, verbal, or physical

HIPAA

a law passed by Congress that addressed the confidentiality of patient medical records as well as prescription records

Multitasking

handling more than one task at a time without losing focus

Nonverbal communication

communicating without words--through facial expressions, body language, posture, and tone of voice

Notice of privacy practice

a written policy of the pharmacy to protect patient confidentiality, as required by HIPAA

Open-ended question

a question that requires a descriptive answer, not merely a yes or no

Patient identifiers

any demographic information that can identify the patient, such as name, address, phone number, Social Security number, or medical identification number

Policy and procedure manual

an online or written step-by-step set of instructions for pharmacists and technicians alike on all operations within the pharmacy department

Protected health information

medical information that is protected by HIPAA, such as medical diagnoses, medication profiles, and results of laboratory tests

Social sanction

repercussions imposed in social or professional situations for inappropriate or wrong behavior

Standard

the measure of acceptable behavior of a professional or paraprofessional by those they serve

Stereotype

an oversimplified characteristic of a group of people

Triage

the assessment and prioritization by the pharmacist of patients' illnesses or symptoms; outcome may be to recommend an OTC product or to refer the patient to a physician or emergency room; also used to assess and prioritize technician responsibilities within the pharmacy