Personal Characteristics - Health Science Theory

Personal Characteristics

Lesson 2 – Desirable Traits

  • All health care workers must be committed to developing certain personality traits.
  • Desirable traits for health care workers include these general mind-sets:
    • Maintaining a positive attitude
    • Following the rules
    • Communicating effectively
    • Interacting appropriately
    • Growing personally and professionally

Positive Attitude

  • A positive spirit is contagious and can create a pleasant environment for patients and co-workers.
  • To create a positive attitude, health care workers must develop these traits:
    • Flexibility
    • Honesty
    • Responsibility
    • Commitment
    • Enthusiasm

Flexibility

  • Above all other traits, health care workers must be flexible.
  • Health care workers must demonstrate the ability to adapt to change, learn new skills, and try different methods.

Honesty

  • Truthfulness and integrity must be held in high regard in the workplace.
  • Health care workers must be able to trust each other.
  • Health care workers must always be honest with patients so that patients never doubt the quality of their care.

Responsibility

  • Health care workers are relied upon by patients and co-workers.
  • They must demonstrate dependability by finishing tasks accurately and on time.
  • They must also take responsibility for their actions, even when the consequences are not pleasant.

Commitment

  • Health care workers must show that they are dedicated to their jobs.
  • This means that they do not perform tasks half-heartedly.
  • Even in difficult circumstances, health care workers must display genuine commitment and dependability.

Enthusiasm

  • Health care workers must show enthusiasm in their work.
  • By being positive and encouraging, one health care worker can lift the spirits of several patients and co-workers.

Assess Your Skills - Positive Attitude

  • Get blank paper and a pen or pencil.
  • Think about the character traits that are needed to keep a positive attitude: Flexibility, Honesty, Responsibility, Commitment, Enthusiasm.
  • On your paper, use complete sentences to explain which of these character traits come naturally for you.
  • Next, explain which of these character traits do not come naturally for you.
  • List ways that you can improve these skills in your life.

Follow the Rules

  • Lesson 2 – Follow the Rules
  • Compliance is another desirable trait for health care workers.
  • Health care workers must comply with the rules of the facility, including:
    • Following the attendance policies
    • Arriving to work on time
    • Wearing appropriate dress
    • Adhering to the line of authority
    • Performing only the tasks in your scope of practice
    • Obeying all general rules, guidelines, and standards

Assess Your Skills - Follow the Rules

  • On your paper, use complete sentences to describe your ability to follow the rules. Is compliance a strength or a weakness in your life?
  • Next, describe your ability to conform to standards and requirements. Are you willing to adjust your habits in order to comply with a facility's guidelines?

Communication

  • Lesson 2 – Communication
  • Communication is the process of exchanging messages. This involves sharing information and receiving feedback about the information.
  • Communication can be verbal, written, or nonverbal.
  • Health care workers must learn to communicate with co-workers and patients.

Interactions

  • Lesson 2 – Interaction
  • When health care workers interact with patients and co-workers, they must be professional and appropriate at all times.
  • Health care workers must never be judgmental of a person’s ethnicity, culture, age, gender, religion, lifestyle, or economic status.

Assess Your Skills - Communication

  • On your paper, use complete sentences to describe your communication skills. Is communication one of your strengths or weaknesses?
  • Next, describe your ability to interact with people in a one-on-one setting and in a group setting. Which type of interaction is more comfortable for you?
  • Finally, describe ways that you might improve your communication skills.

Personal and Professional Growth

  • Lesson 2 – Personal and Professional Growth
  • The health care industry is always changing. Because of this, health care workers must be willing to grow personally and professionally.
  • One way to monitor growth is to set goals. A goal is a desired result or purpose.

Assess Your Skills - Personal and Professional Growth

  • On your paper, write one long-term goal that you have for your life.
  • Then, list three short-term goals that will help you achieve your long-term goal.

Healthcare Teams

Lesson 1: Teamwork

  • What you’ll learn:
    • Recognize the need for teamwork in medical facilities
    • List characteristics of effective teams
    • Identify strategies for conflict resolution

Healthcare Teams Overview

  • Every employee at a healthcare facility is a member of a healthcare team.
  • Nurses and therapists work directly with patients.
  • Billing officers and housekeepers (janitors) have very little to no direct contact with a patient.
  • All must work together to provide the best possible healthcare for patients.

Effective Teams

  • Healthcare teams are organized to care for specific needs of patients. Examples include:
    • Team of surgeons
    • Pediatric nurses
    • Administrative officers

Characteristics of Effective Teams

  • Mutual respect
  • Healthy interpersonal relationships
  • Open communication
  • Frequent conferences
  • Team identity
  • Positive interactions

Conflict Resolution

  • Differing opinions from time to time will occur; this is natural and does not indicate an unsuccessful team.
  • The difference between an average and an excellent team is how they resolve conflicts.
  • Strategies for conflict resolution:
    • Negative strategies: boss dictating
    • Positive strategies: compromising

Conflict Resolution Strategies

  • 5 general strategies:
    1. Avoidance strategy
    2. Accommodation strategy
    3. Forcing strategy
    4. Compromise strategy
    5. Collaboration strategy

Mentorships

  • A mentor is an experienced healthcare professional who trains and counsels other healthcare professionals as part of a mentorship program.
    • Training and skill development
    • Goal = provide mentees emotional and social support
    • Advice on work-life balance
    • Networking for new opportunities
    • Career planning guidance
    • Help teams build positive relationships
  • Good communication is imperative to a positive mentoring relationship!!

Lesson Summary (Teamwork)

  • All members of the healthcare team must work as a cohesive unit to provide the best possible care for patients.
  • Team identity is recognizing oneself as a part of a whole and working toward a common purpose.
  • Compromise is negotiating to reach a mutual agreement.

Healthcare Teams

Lesson 2· Team Roles

What you’ll learn

  • After you finish this lesson, you will be able to:
    • Identify three categories of team roles
    • Name positive and negative team roles
    • Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as a member of a team

Team Roles

  • Every team or group roles are formed (not formally but naturally acquired by personality):
    • Task Roles
    • Maintenance Roles
    • Self-centered Roles

Task Roles

  • Functions that are required for completing a task:
    • Initiator
    • Information seeker
    • Information giver
    • Opinion seeker
    • Opinion giver
    • Elaborator
    • Evaluator
    • Clarifier
    • Energizer
    • Recorder
    • Procedural Technician

Maintenance Roles

  • Needed to sustain the team and strengthen interpersonal relationships:
    • Encourager
    • Harmonizer
    • Compromiser
    • Tension Releaser
    • Gatekeeper
    • Observer
    • Follower

Self-Centered Roles

  • Often negative and may hinder a team’s progress (members who feel they have nothing to contribute):
    • Aggressor
    • Dominator
    • Blocker
    • Recognition
    • Help seeker
    • Confessor
    • Clown
    • Deserter
    • Special Interest Pleader

Incorporating Roles

  • Team members must learn to incorporate their personal strengths into useful team roles (examples):
    • A natural problem-solver = team’s evaluator or clarifier
    • Naturally encouraging = team’s energizer or encourager
  • Must recognize when weaknesses may hinder the team:
    • If someone likes to clown around = distractions to the team
    • Must learn self-control and channel energy into positive input that benefits and enhances the team

Lesson Summary (Team Roles)

  • Task roles are functions required for completing a task.
  • Maintenance roles are needed to sustain a team.
  • Self-centered roles are often negative and may hinder a team’s progress.

Assess your strengths and weaknesses

1) Think about your strengths, describe the type of roles you could play in a healthcare team. If needed, review task roles and maintenance roles.
2) Think about one of your weaknesses. Describe how this weakness could potentially cause a problem in a healthcare team. If needed, review self-centered roles.
3) Finally, describe one or two ways that you could change your weakness into a strength that would benefit the team.

Healthcare Teams

Lesson 3· Leadership

What you’ll learn

  • In this lesson, you will be able to:
    • Name three types of leaders
    • Identify characteristics of effective leaders
    • List attitudes that leaders should avoid

Leadership

  • Leadership is the ability to motivate people to work together and to achieve a common goal.
  • Without leaders = unproductive and dis-unified.
  • Teams are not limited to one leader; leadership involves contributing to the team and working hard.
  • The most effective way to lead is by example!!

Types of Leaders

  • Three basic types:
    1. Democratic Leader: team-oriented, listen to opinions of others and encourage all individuals to participate; take responsibility for decisions by guiding the group to a solution
    2. Laissez-faire Leader: means “to let alone”; allow individuals to function independently, enforce few rules, and avoid making decisions unless absolutely forced to; take little responsibility for team actions
  1. Autocratic Leader: dictators, maintain total rule, do not ask for opinions from the group, expect the group to follow without question; take full responsibility for the decision-making process

Types of Leaders cont. (Advantages/Disadvantages)

  • Laissez-faire leadership may be productive with experienced surgeons but not for new volunteers.
  • In general, democratic leaders are the most successful type of leaders.

Characteristics of Leaders

  • Leadership traits can be learned; dedication to hard work and practicing the principles of good leadership.
  • Even those with natural abilities must maintain and improve their skills.

Effective Leader Traits

  • Takes initiative
  • Respects others
  • Works well with a group
  • Leads by example
  • Understands personal strengths and weaknesses
  • Communicates effectively
  • Recognizes abilities in others
  • Maintains high standards
  • Conducts productive meetings

Additional Leader Qualities

  • Keeps an open mind
  • Handles conflict appropriately
  • Adapts to change
  • Demonstrates integrity
  • Practices patience and self-control
  • Attributes success to the team

Attitudes to Avoid (Negative Traits for Leaders)

  • Inflexible
  • Short tempered
  • Close minded
  • Judgemental
  • Prejudiced
  • Attitude of superiority
  • Lazy
  • Unapproachable
  • Disrespectful

Communication Exercise

  • Tina is a registered nurse at Longview Care Center. This morning, she was asked by her supervisor, Linda, to do evaluations on ten patients. Linda must submit an evaluation report to the doctor tomorrow. At the end of the day, Tina talks to Linda about the status of the evaluations.

Lesson Summary (Leadership)

  • You identified characteristics of effective leaders.
  • You listed negative attitudes leaders should avoid.
  • You viewed two presentations and identified appropriate and inappropriate leadership traits.
  • You learned that leadership is the ability to motivate people to work together and achieve a common goal.
  • The most effective way to lead is by example.
  • Leaders are classified into three basic types: democratic, laissez-faire, and autocratic.
  • Leadership traits can be learned.

Healthcare Teams

Lesson 4: Collaboration & Meetings

What you’ll learn

  • After you finish this lesson, you will be able to:
    • Explain how collaboration can make teams more effective.
    • Demonstrate the ability to conduct and participate in meetings.

What is collaboration?

  • Collaboration occurs when two or more people combine their knowledge, creativity, and experience, and share the responsibility of reaching a common goal.
  • For any organization to succeed, it needs to use the best skills, talents, and strengths that everyone has to offer. This is why collaboration is important.
  • For the best results, people have to work together.

Meetings

  • There are different types of meetings, but six basic steps for conducting a meeting:
    • Identify Participants
    • Develop an Agenda
    • Open the Meeting
    • Time Management
    • Evaluate the Meeting
    • Close the Meeting

Participants and Agendas

  • Planning is essential for successful meetings: ensure the right people attend and the agenda is clear.
  • The meeting agenda is a list of topics to be discussed.
  • Agenda items should be important to all participants.
  • It’s best to inform participants about the agenda before the meeting so they can prepare.

Opening the Meeting

  • Start on time
  • Model the energy you want to use
  • Welcome the attendees and thank them for their time
  • Review the agenda
  • Clarify the role
  • Establish the ground rules

Time Management

  • Keeping people focused and ensuring tasks are completed is difficult.
  • To keep on target, ask for help managing time.
  • If a topic goes off course, re-focus by:
    • Suggest discussing the new topic in a later meeting or at another time
    • Ask for solutions and inform the group that you will make a decision

Evaluate the Meeting

  • Save 5-10 minutes at the end to get feedback from participants.
  • Don’t just ask for input; use it to improve future meetings.

Close the Meeting

  • Closing is the last step; end on time and be courteous of participants’ time.
  • Before dismissing, clarify next steps and actions to be taken.
  • Follow up on actions with the appropriate people.
  • Attempt to end the meeting on a positive note

Lesson Summary (Collaboration & Meetings)

  • You learned about collaboration and six steps to running an effective meeting:
    • Identify Participants
    • Develop an Agenda
    • Open the Meeting
    • Time Management
    • Evaluate the meeting
    • Close the Meeting

Personal Management Skills

Lesson 1: Time Management

What you’ll learn

  • After you finish this lesson, you will be able to:
    • Explain why time management is a valuable skill for healthcare workers.
    • Identify time management strategies.

Time Management

  • Time management is a set of skills that helps people be efficient and productive with their time.
  • By using time management skills, healthcare workers can reduce their stress and maintain proper perspective on their jobs and lives.
  • Time management strategies include:
    • Using appropriate tools
    • Setting goals
    • Making a time management plan

Time Management Tools

  • Time management tools include: daily planners, calendars, and report sheets.
  • These tools allow healthcare workers to keep track of all appointments, meetings, and deadlines.
  • In addition, planners and calendars reveal when scheduling conflicts have occurred.

Set Goals

  • Healthcare workers can set goals to help manage their time.
  • Steps to set a goal:
    • Define the goal clearly
    • Write down the goal
    • Set realistic goals

Time Management Plan

  • An effective time management plan may include these techniques:
    • Prioritize
    • Identify habits
    • Schedule tasks
    • Make a “to do” list
    • Plan ahead
    • Avoid distractions
    • Recognize achievements

Evaluate and Reevaluate

  • Even with careful planning, goals and tasks may not always be accomplished.
  • When goals and tasks are not accomplished, healthcare workers must determine the reason for the failure.
  • Healthcare workers can use experiences from failed attempts to become more effective workers.

Lesson Summary (Time Management)

  • Time management is a set of skills that helps people be efficient and productive with their time.
  • Time management strategies include using appropriate tools, setting goals, and making a time management plan.
  • Even with careful planning and goals, tasks may not always be accomplished.
  • Healthcare workers can use experiences from failed attempts to become more efficient workers.

Plan your day

  • You are a nursing assistant at the community hospital. You work the day shift from 7:00 AM until 3:00 PM.
  • Look over the Report Sheet on page 1 of the printout. Review your responsibilities for the day.
  • Determine the total time for each responsibility. Doing this will help you visualize “the big picture” so that you are not overwhelmed with the small, individual tasks. Write the total time in the appropriate spaces.
  • On page 2 of the printout, fill in the tasks on the Daily Planner.
  • Read the following tips before you begin:
    • Use a pencil so that you can erase when needed. It may take more than one try to fit in all of your responsibilities.
    • It might be necessary to split some responsibilities. For example, if a volunteer is asked to change sheets on 25 beds, he may decide to change 15 bed sheets in the morning and 10 bed sheets in the afternoon.
    • Check off each item on the Report Sheet after you have written it on the Daily Planner.
  • Review your handouts to make sure that every responsibility is included in your daily plan.

Personal Management Skills

Lesson 2: Problem Solving

What you’ll learn

  • After you finish this lesson, you will be able to:
    • Explain why problem solving is important for health care workers.
    • List the steps in the problem solving method.
    • Identify key points for problem solving in healthcare.

Problem Solving

  • The difference between an average healthcare worker and an excellent healthcare worker is often the ability to solve problems.
  • Problem solving is the ability to analyze a situation and reach a reasonable conclusion. This skill requires looking at the big picture and combining factual knowledge with creative thinking.

Problem Solving Method

1) Identify the problem: what is the basis of the problem? What is causing the problem?
2) Identify the objective that must be achieved: What is the goal? What must be accomplished? What is the big picture?
3) Identify the circumstances that affect the problem: What are the facts? What is preventing the goal or task from being accomplished?
4) Name all possible solutions: How might the problem be eliminated? How might the goal be adapted?
5) Make and implement a plan: Which solution will be the most effective? Is the solution reasonable?
6) Evaluate the results: Did the solution solve the problem? Would another plan have worked better? Should the solution be repeated or changed? Repeat the problem-solving method until the objective is achieved.

Problem Solving Example

  • Janine is a medical assistant. At 1:50 PM, she is asked to transfer Mr. Vidal from his bed to a wheelchair. Then, she must take Mr. Vidal to the fourth floor for therapy at 2:00 PM. When Janine prepares Mr. Vidal for the transfer, she notices that the footrest on the wheelchair is broken. Janine can use the problem solving method to find a solution to this problem.
    • Identify the problem:
    • Identify the objective that must be achieved:
    • Identify the circumstances that affect the problem:
    • Name all possible solutions:
    • Make and implement a plan:

Problem Solving Example (continued)

  • After Janine implements her plan, she must complete the last step of the problem solving method:
    • Evaluate the results:

Problem Solving in Healthcare

  • In a healthcare setting, problem solving may involve more than just oneself. Before acting on a problem, it may be necessary to consult with multiple people.
  • When working with a team, compromise may be needed.
  • Healthcare workers must never perform tasks that are outside their scope of practice.

Lesson Summary (Problem Solving)

  • In this lesson, you listed the steps in the problem solving method. You also identified appropriate problem solving skills.
  • You learned that:
    • Problem solving is the ability to analyze a situation and reach a reasonable conclusion. This skill requires looking at the big picture and combining factual knowledge with creative thinking.
    • The problem solving method can be used by an individual or in group discussions.
    • Compromise may be used to arrive at a solution that works for every team member.
    • Healthcare workers must never perform tasks that are outside their scope of practice.