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

decorum: proper or polite behavior that is in good taste

discrimination: preferential treatment or mistreatment

empathy: demonstrating professional caring

ethical dilemma: 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