Professional Employment Standards HSII-Unit 1.01

Professional Appearance  Important to present an appearance that inspires confidence and a positive self-image  Research has shown that within 20 seconds to 4 minutes people form an impression about another person based mainly on appearance  Rules for appearance may vary  Certain professional standards apply to most health careers and should be observed to create a positive impression

Areas of Personal Appearance for Health Care Workers  Good Health  Professional Appearance

Good Health  Diet  Rest  Exercise  Good Posture  Avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs

Diet  First Factor of Good Health  Eat well-balanced meal with nutritious foods  Provides the body with needed materials for good health  Eat a variety of foods from the 5 major food groups (milk; meat; fish and poultry; vegetables; fruits; and bread, cereals, rice and pasta) should be eaten daily

Rest  Need adequate rest and sleep  Provides energy and ability to deal with stress  Amount of sleep required varies from individual to individual

Exercise  Maintains Circulation and Improves Muscle Tone  Helps Mental Attitude  Contributes to More Restful Sleep  Choose the form you like best and enjoy  Obtain some type of exercise daily

Good Posture  Prevents fatigue and puts less stress on muscles  Stand straight with stomach muscles pulled in, shoulders relaxed and weight balanced equally on both feet

Avoid Use of Tobacco & Drugs  Use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs seriously affects good health  Tobacco affects function of heart, circulatory system, lungs, and digestive system  Smoke is offensive to many individuals  Most facilities are “smoke-free” environments  Alcohol and Drugs also Affect Good Health  Interferes with mental function  Decreases ability to make decisions  Negatively affects many body systems  Use of Substances (legal or illegal) can result in loss of job  Avoiding use prevents damage to body systems

Professional Appearance

Parts of a Professional Appearance  Uniform  Clothing  Name Badge  Shoes  Personal Hygiene  Nails  Hair  Jewelry  Makeup

Uniform  Required in some health occupations  Should be neat, well-fitting, clean and free from wrinkles  Large variety of styles is available-avoid extreme styles  Find out what type and color of uniform is required  Follow standards established by place of employment

Clothing  Regular clothing worn in place of uniforms in some careers  Must be clean, neat, and in good repair  Should be appropriate for position  Clean, neat jeans may be appropriate for recreational therapist  Jeans not proper dress for many health occupations  Washable fabrics usually best because frequent washing is necessary

Name Badge  Most facilities require employees to wear name badge or photo identification tag  States name, title, and department of health care worker  In some facilities, name badge required by law

Shoes  White shoes are frequently required  Should fit well and provide good support to prevent fatigue  Low heels are best because they prevent fatigue and accidents  Avoid tennis shoes/sandals unless they are standard dress  Clean daily and clean or replace shoelaces frequently  Wear white socks with white pants uniform

Personal Hygiene  Health care workers are in close contact with other  Control body odor  Daily bath or shower  Use of deodorant or antiperspirants  Good oral hygiene  Clean undergarments  Avoid strong odors that can be offensive  Tobacco Use  Perfumes, scented hairsprays, aftershaves lotions  Certain scents can cause allergic reactions in some individuals

Nails  Kept short and clean  Long pointed nails can cause injury to patients  Long nails can also puncture or tear gloves  Germs are transmitted when dirt collects under nails  Avoid colored polish  Color conceals dirt that collects under nails  Polish chips from hand washing and germs collect on nails  Flash of colors can bother an ill person  If polish is worn, should be colorless  Use hand creams or lotion to prevent chapping and dryness of hands caused by frequent hand washing

Hair  Clean and neat  Styles attractively and easy to care for  Avoid fancy or extreme styles and hair ornaments  Pinned back and kept off collar  Keeps hair from touching patient  Prevents hair from falling on tray or equipment  Avoids blocking vision during a procedure

Jewelry  Usually not permitted with uniform  Can cause injury to patient and transmit germs and pathogens  Exceptions include watch, wedding ring and small pierced earrings  Avoid dangling earrings or earrings with hoops  Body jewelry such as nose, eyebrow or tongue-piercing jewelry interferes with a professional appearance and is not allowed in many health care facililtes  Limit jewelry even when a uniform is not required  Excessive jewelry interferes with patient care

Makeup  Avoid excessive make-up  Should create a natural appearance and add to attractiveness

Professional Characteristics

 Empathy  Honesty  Dependability  Willingness to Learn  Patience  Acceptance of Criticism  Enthusiasm  Self-Motivation  Tact  Competence  Responsibility  Discretion  Team Player

Personal Characteristics  Certain personal/professional characteristics and attitudes apply to all health occupations  You should make every effort to develop these characteristics and attitudes

Empathy  To be able to identify with and understand another person’s feelings, situation and motives  Health Care workers care for persons of all ages  Must have a sincere interest in working with people  Must care about others and be able to communicate and work with them  Understanding needs and learning how to communicate is one way to develop empathy

Honesty  Truthfulness and integrity  Others must be able to trust you at all times  Must be willing to admit mistakes so they be corrected

Dependability  Must accept responsibility  Must be prompt in reporting to work and maintain good attendance record  Must perform assigned tasks on time and accurately

Willingness to Learn  Must be willing to learn and adapt to changes  Changes occur because of research, new inventions, and technological advances  Changes can mean learning new techniques or procedures  At times, additional education may be required to remain competent  Be prepared for lifelong learning

Patience  Must be tolerant and understanding  Must learn to control your temper and “count to ten”  Learn to deal with frustration and overcome obstacles

Acceptance of Criticism  Must be willing to accept criticism and learn from it  Patients, employers, co-workers and others may critize you  Some criticism will be good and allow you to improve your work  Everyone has some areas where performance can be improved

Enthusiasm  Must enjoy your work and display a positive attitude  Enthusiasm is contagious  Helps you to do your best  Encourages other to do the same  If you concentrate on positive points and negative points will not seem to be quite so important

Self-Motivation  Ability to begin or follow through with a task  Should be able to determine things that need to be done an do them  Set goals and work to reach the goals

Tact  Ability to say or do the kindest or most fitting thing in a difficult situation  All individuals have a right to their own feelings and these feelings should not be judged as right or wrong  Show consideration of the feeling of others  Requires constant practice

Competence  Qualified and capable of performing a task  Follow Instructions  Use approved procedures  Strive for accuracy in all you do  Know your limits and ask for help or guidance if necessary

Responsibility  Being willing to be held accountable for your actions  Others can rely on you  Do what you are supposed to do

Discretion  Using good judgment in what you say and do  In any health care career you have access to confidential information  Information should not be told to anyone without proper authorization  Patient is entitled to confidential care (HIPPA)  Be discreet and make sure patients’ rights are not violated

Team Player  Become a team player  Learn to work well with others  Each member of a health care team will have different responsibilities, but each member must do his or her part to provide the patient with quality care  By working together, a team can accomplish goals much faster than an individual

To Summarize:  Find out rules or standards established by agency  Abide by the rules  Maintain a neat, clean, professional appearance  All characteristics and attitudes must be practiced and learned  Some characteristics take more time to learn than others  Strive constantly to improve  Having professional characteristics will help you provide good patient care and make you a valuable asset to your employer and others

Review Questions  1. Sally begins your new job as a nursing assistant at Shady Pines Nursing Center on Monday. What should she do before purchasing a uniform?  2. Cynthia’s feet hurt after standing up all day on the job at the local pharmacy. What might she do to improve this problem?  3. What should all clinical uniforms include?

Review Questions  4. T or F: A nursing assistant is called to the nursing supervisor’s office for a professional appearance violation. She was wearing red nail polish could this be the violation.  5. Jill loves to dance and hopes to continue to dance 3-4 times a week. What will regular exercise help her to maintain?  6. T or F: Most health care facilities allow you to smoke while at work.  7. What personal characteristic do HIPPA standards relate to?

Review Questions  8. Juan is overweight and wants to lose weight to improve his overall health. What could he do you help him improve his diet?  9. Beyoncé has long hair and is scheduled to job-shadow on a pediatric unit. How should she wear her hair?  10. How would a health care worker demonstrate self- motivation?  11. What characteristics of personal appearance can be used to create a positive first impression?

Review Questions  12. An elderly patient is loud, demanding, impatient and critical. The patient’s son asks, “Is my mother causing you trouble?” You respond by saying “Your mother speaks her mind and knows what she wants.” Your response is an example of what personal characteristic?