chapter 3 notes: personal traits of the health care professional

Success and Character Development

Success: Success is achieved through action; doing something is critical.
Character and Reputation: A person's character is fundamentally their core values, morals, and behavior as perceived by others, emphasizing deliberate development over time.
Importance of Reputation:
- It takes a long time to build a good reputation but can be lost in an instant.
- Professionals need to act morally to maintain their reputation.

Definition of Character: Personal moral behavior and qualities that reflect core beliefs.
Personal Values: Refers to what individuals hold in high regard and prioritize in life.
Employer Focus: Employers are increasingly hiring, praising, and promoting based on character traits rather than solely qualifications.

Influence on Integrity and Worthiness:
- Morals: Standards of behavior that differentiate right from wrong.
- Integrity: The quality of being honest and maintaining strong moral principles.
- Worthiness: Deserves others' trust based on honesty and reliability.
Lack of Character: Consequences of lacking character in the workplace may include diminishing teamwork and negative employee morale.

Character Traits: Lead to behaviors, thoughts, and emotions and can significantly affect work environments. Examples:
- Ambitious coworkers strive to exceed expectations, enhancing customer service and morale.
- Shiftless coworkers negatively impact team dynamics and productivity.
Reputation Evolution:
- Reputation is shaped by how others perceive one's character, values, and behaviors.

Moral Foundations: Societal norms taught during childhood (e.g., sharing, respect, cleanliness).
Judgment and Decision-Making: Develops over time leading to the ability to make ethical choices, incorporating fairness, respect, ethics, and loyalty.

Defining Priorities: Things that take precedence in order or importance can help determine one’s professional reputation.
Decision-Making in Workplace: Daily small decisions can evolve into more significant ethical dilemmas affecting job security and team trust.

Conscience Defined: Encompasses the moral judgment acting against known ethical violations.
Trustworthiness: Employers need to cultivate trust through consistent honesty and reliability in their professional interactions.

Stealing and Theft: Recognizes various forms of theft, including time misuse, lying about credentials, and improper behavior at work.
Lying and Cheating: Considered unethical and can lead to both loss of job and criminal charges (fraud).

Ethics: Standards of conduct that dictate moral judgments in professional settings.
Connection to Unprofessional Behavior: Lying, cheating, stealing, and other dishonest behaviors are hard to separate from general unethical behavior.

Impact of Decisions: Every decision can significantly impact reputation and trustworthiness.
Critical Questions to Consider:
- Is it honest?
- Is it ethical?
- Does it reflect a good character?
- Will it have a lasting effect on my reputation?

Criminal vs. Civil Law: Include understanding the legal ramifications of providing subpar care leading to lawsuits.
- Criminal Law: Punishment for crimes against the state.
- Civil Law: Allows for compensation of damages from wrongful acts.

Definition: Expected care provided by similarly trained individuals in comparable circumstances.
Scope of Practice: Legal boundaries within healthcare professions that outline what actions are permissible.
Codes of Ethics: Professional standards that delineate expected behaviors in specific fields.

Definition: Legal term for substandard care that results in harm to patients.
Common Malpractice Errors: Misdiagnoses, lack of informed consent, surgical errors (e.g., leaving objects inside patients).
Types of Unprofessional Behavior: Include assault, battery, harassment, and negligence, among others.

Controversial Situations: Issues like abortion, cloning, and end-of-life care pose ethical dilemmas that require careful navigation based on personal values.
Preparation for Ethical Dilemmas: Anticipating dilemmas and articulating personal beliefs can safeguard patient care quality.

Reputation Building: Takes time to develop but can be irreparably damaged quickly; professionals should carefully consider actions and words.
Character Traits to Evaluate: Continuous self-assessment of character traits is necessary to improve professional reputation.
Legal & Ethical Accountability: Knowledge of laws and adherence to ethical standards is critical in providing high-quality care and avoiding malpractice.
Communication and Professionalism: It is vital to convey trustworthiness and professionalism through actions and decisions.