Chapter 2 Personal Traits of the Health Care Professional

CHAPTER TWO Personal Traits of the Health Care Professional "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader, 1929-1968

Chapter Objectives Define character and personal values and explain how these affect your reputation as a professional. List four examples of lack of character in the workplace. List four examples of positive values in the workplace.

Chapter Objectives Explain how character, personal values, and priorities define who you are as a person and how you conduct your life. List three important questions to ask yourself when making difficult ethical decisions. Discuss the importance of your word being as “good as gold.”

Chapter Objectives Give three examples of dishonest behaviors and describe the impact of dishonesty in the workplace. Define ethics and morals and discuss how they impact decision making and behavior. Define fraud and give three examples. Define reputation and list three factors that influence a person's reputation.

Character and Who You Are as a Person To achieve success “doing” something, you have to “be” something Importance of your core character and personal values Character A person’s moral behavior and qualities Personal values Things of great worth and importance

Character and Who You Are as a Person Impact of morals, integrity, and trustworthiness on your reputation Reputation A person’s character, values, and behavior as viewed by others Morals Capability of differentiating between right and wrong

Character and Who You Are as a Person Integrity Of sound moral principle Trustworthiness Ability to have confidence in the honesty, integrity, and reliability of another person What might happen when workers lack character and positive values? How does your character impact your reputation?

Reputation Your reputation defines your recognition as a professional Standards for acceptable behavior start in childhood Character, values, and priorities define how we conduct our lives Priorities Having precedence in time, order, and importance

Reputation Judgment Ethics Comparison of options to decide which is best Ethics Standards of conduct and moral judgment How do judgment and priorities impact your behavior? Why does it take a long time to establish a professional reputation but only a short time to lose it?

Judgment and Decision Making Daily challenges of making multiple decisions Questions to consider when making judgments and decisions Conscience Moral judgment that prohibits or opposes the violation of a previously recognized ethical principle

Judgment and Decision Making What role does your conscience play in judgment and decision making? "The person that loses their conscience has nothing left worth keeping." Izaak Walton, Writer, 1593-1683

Respect and Trust Earning respect requires that people trust you Feeling or showing honor or esteem Earning the respect and trust of other people takes a long time Respect and trust can be lost by making one bad decision What does it mean when your word is as “good as gold”?

Honesty Respect requires honesty It's difficult to separate lying, cheating, fraud, and other dishonest acts Fraud Intentional deceit through false information or misrepresentation What impact might dishonesty have in the workplace?

Ethics and Morals Ethics and morals affect decision making and behavior Connections between ethics, morals, and honesty What might happen if workers lack ethics and morals?

CHAPTER REVIEW Define character and personal values and explain how these affect your reputation as a professional. List four examples of lack of character in the workplace. List four examples of positive values in the workplace.

CHAPTER REVIEW Explain how character, personal values, and priorities define who you are as a person and how you conduct your life. List three important questions to ask yourself when making difficult ethical decisions. Discuss the importance of your word being as “good as gold.”

CHAPTER REVIEW Give three examples of dishonest behaviors and describe the impact of dishonesty in the workplace. Define ethics and morals and discuss how they impact decision making and behavior. Define fraud and give three examples. Define reputation and list three factors that influence a person's reputation.