Download Personal Qualities of a Health Care Worker

Personal Qualities of a
Health Care Worker
Unit 3
Objectives:
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Explain how diet, rest, exercises, good
posture, and avoiding use of tobacco and
drugs contribute to good health
Demonstrate the standards of a professional
appearance as they apply to uniforms,
clothing, shoes, nails, hair, jewelry, and
makeup.
Personal and Professional
Characteristics
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Certain personal attitudes, values, and rules
of appearance apply to all health care
professions.
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It is an appearance that inspires confidence
and a positive self-image.
Personal and Professional
Characteristics
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Research shows that within twenty seconds
to 4 minutes people form an impression
about a person based on their appearance.
Video
Professional Standards
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Professional standards apply to most health
careers
Must be observed to create a positive
impression
5 Factors That Contribute to Good
Health
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Health care professionals promote health and
disease prevention. A health care worker
should present a healthy appearance.
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Diet
Rest
Exercise
Good Posture
Avoid tobacco, alcohol, and drugs
Diet
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Eat well balanced meals
Foods from 5 major food groups: milk, meat,
veggies, fruits, bread, cereals, rice, pasta
Rest
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Adequate rest and sleep provide energy and
stress management
Amount required varies from individual to
individual
Exercise
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Maintain circulation and improve muscle tone
Helps mental attitude
Contributes to a more restful sleep
Good Posture
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Prevents fatigue and puts less stress on
muscles
Stand strait
Stomach muscles in
Shoulders relaxed
Weight balanced equally on each foot
Avoid tobacco, drugs, alcohol
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Affects good health
Impairs mental function
Can result in loss of a job
Q&A
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Does a uniform create an impression on a
patient?
Can the impression be poor? HOW?
Personal Appearance
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In health care it is importance to have a
clean, neat and professional appearance.
Know what rules are established at your
place of employment
Professional Appearance
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Uniforms
Clothing
Name Badge
Shoes
Personal hygiene
Nails
Hair
Jewelry
Make up
Uniform
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Required
Neat, well fitting, NO WRINKLES
White/neutral undergarments
Follow standards established
Clothing
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Neat, clean, in good repair
Professional
Style should allow for movement
Appropriate for position
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Clean, neat,
Washable fabrics best
Name badge
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Required as form of identification
Name, title, department
Shoes
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White shoes may be required
Fit well, provide support
Clean frequently, replace as needed
Stockings/compression socks
Personal Hygiene
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Close contact with others
Control body odor
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Daily showers
Deodorant
Oral hygiene
Clean undergarments
Avoid strong odors
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Perfumes
Scented hairsprays, lotions
Nails
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Clean and short
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Avoid color polish
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Long nails can injure the patient, can puncture
gloves
Polish chips
Conceals dirt under fingernails
Use hand cream/lotion to prevent dryness
Hair
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Clean and neat
Avoid fancy, extreme styles
Pinned back and kept off collar
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Prevents hair from touching patient
Avoids blocking vision during procedures
Jewelry
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Usually not permitted
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Watch, wedding ring, small pierced earrings
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Avoid earrings with hoops, dangling necklace
Body jewelry is prohibited
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Can cause injury, transmit germs
Nose, eyebrow, tongue
Excessive jewelry detracts from professional
appearance
Makeup
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Avoid excessive makeup
Should be natural, attractiveness
Q&A
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What 5 main factors contribute to good
health?
List 3 rules pertaining to uniform.
Why must nails be short and clean?
Why should hair be pinned back?
Objectives:
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Understand personal and professional
characteristics and attitudes that apply to all
healthcare occupations
Identify at least 5 characteristics of a health
care worker that include personal as well as
professional traits
Personal Characteristics
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Certain personal and professional
characteristics and attitudes apply to all
health occupations
Make an effort to develop these
characteristics and attitudes in your
personality
13 personal characteristics
Personal Characteristics
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Empathy – being able to understand another
persons feelings, situation, and motives
Healthcare workers deal with all ages
Understanding needs and learning effective
communication is one way to develop
empathy
Video
Personal Characteristics
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Honesty – truthfulness and integrity are
important in any career
Patients, family members, co-workers must
be able to trust you
Must be willing to admit mistakes so they can
be corrected
Personal Characteristics
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Dependability – employers and patients rely
on you, so you must accept responsibility by
being prompt to work and doing your job
accurately and timely
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What situations require dependability??
Personal Characteristics
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Willingness to learn – You must be willing to adapt to
change
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Additional education may be required
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Changes occur with research, inventions, technological advances
CEU’s
Lifelong learning allows to remain competent and keep
knowledge of skills
Personal Characteristics
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Patience – tolerant and understanding
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deal with anger, control your temper
Learn to deal with frustration and overcome
obstacles
Acceptance of Criticism – criticism can be
constructive and allow you to improve your
work
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Everyone has areas where performance can be
improved
Personal Characteristics
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Enthusiasm – enjoy your work and display a
positive attitude
Contagious-helps you do your best,
encourages others to do the same
Focus on the positive and negative will not
seem important
Personal Characteristics
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Self-motivated – ability to begin and follow
through on a task.
Set goals and work to attain them
Able to determine things that need to be done
without constant direction
Personal Characteristics
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Tact – the ability to do and say the kindest
or most fitting thing in a difficult situation
Everyone has a right to their own feelings
Show consideration of feelings of others
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Workload example
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Personal Characteristics
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Competence: qualified of performing a task
Follow instructions
Strive for accuracy
Asks for guidance when necessary
Personal Characteristics
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Responsibility – willing
to be held accountable for
your actions.
Discretion – use good
judgment in what you say
or do. Confidentiality is
important.
Team Player – learn to
work well with others.
Working together can
accomplish a goal much
faster than individually.
Summary
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All characteristics must be practiced
Some take more time than others
Strive constantly to improve
Will help provide best patient care
Will make you an asset to your employer
Video
Teamwork
Teamwork
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Teamwork consists of many professionals,
with different levels of educations, ideas,
backgrounds, and interests, working together
for the benefit of the patient.
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Provides quality care
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Improves communication and continuity of care.
A leader is an important part of every team.
Good interpersonal relationships are essential
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Interpersonal Relationships
Poor relations can harm quality of care, prevent team from meeting
goals
Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated!!”
Ways to develop interpersonal relationships:
Maintain positive attitude
Be friendly
Assist others when they need help
Listen carefully
Respect others opinions
Be open-minded and willing to compromise
Learn good communication skills
Support and encourage other team members
Conflict
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Deal with in a positive way
Meet, talk, identify the problem, listen, avoid
hostility, determine a way to resolve the
problem
Use a mediator
Must be resolved in order to meet goals
Summary
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Effective teams include hard work, patience,
commitment, practice
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Why is teamwork important?
Name 5 examples to develop good
interpersonal relationships
How should conflict be handled?
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Professional Leadership
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Leadership
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The skill or ability to encourage people to work together
and do their best to achieve common goals.
A leader is defined as an individual who leads or
guides others, or who is in charge to command
others.
In a group, every member who makes a contribution
to an idea can be considered a leader.
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Leadership in a group passes from person to person as
each individual contributes to the group’s goal.
Characteristics of a Leader
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Respects rights, opinions, abilities of others
Understands principals of democracy
Works with the group to achieve a goal
Understands your own strengths and
weaknesses
Displays confidence
Praises others, gives credit
Professional Leadership
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Leaders are frequently classified as one of
three types based on how they perform their
leadership skills.
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Democratic leader – encourages the participation of
all individuals in decisions. Listens to others opinions.
Bases decision on what is best for the group as a
whole
Laissez-faire leader – informal type of leader, will have
minimal rules, group functions with little or no
direction., leader is ”hands-off”
Autocratic – often called a dictator, maintains total
rule, makes all decisions, has difficulty sharing duties,
does not ask for others opinion
Show your leadership and teamwork
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Simon Says
Everyone must do whatever Simon says, as long as Simon
prefaces his or her request with the phrase, "Simon says ..." So
"Simon says, stand on one foot" must be complied with, but
"Jump up and down" should not. Anyone who compiles at the
wrong time is out. Last one in the game wins -- and, if you're
willing to risk it, becomes the next Simon.
Stress
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Working in health care can be very stressful.
Sometimes you will deal with life and death
situations.
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How do you handle stress?
Stress Management
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Stress is defined as the bodys reaction to any
stimulus that requires a person to adjust to a
changing environment
CHANGE always initiates stress
When you are stressed…
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Blood vessels constrict, resulting in cool skin,
decreased production of urine
Pupils dilate
Saliva decreases, mouth becomes dry
Heart rate increases
Blood pressure rises
Respiratory rate increases
Stress
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Stressors can be caused by internal or
external forces.
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Internal stress – “heart attack,” cancer
External stress – new job, marriage, divorce, test.
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Identify stressors, they can be eliminated
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Problem-Solving Method
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Gather information or data
Identify the problem
List possible solutions
Make plan
Act on your solution
Evaluate the results
Change the solution
Stress
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Not all stress is harmful.
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A small amount of stress is essential to an
individual’s well-being because it makes the
person more alert and raises the energy level.
Stress can cause positive feelings such as
excitement, anticipation, self-confidence, and a
sense of achievement.
Stress – How can you handle it?
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Stop: immediately stop what you are doing to
break out of the stress response.
Breathe: take a slow deep breath to relieve
the physical tension.
Reflect: think about the problem and the
cause of the stress.
Choose: determine how you want to deal
with the stress.
Summary
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Stress is present in everyone’s life
Be aware of stressors, practice techniques to
reduce it
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Remember that patients experience stress!
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Identify a major stress in your life. What steps
can you take to reduce it?
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Time Management
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A system of practical skills that allows an
individual to use time in the most effective
and productive way possible
Helps prevent or reduce stress
First step is to keep an activity record
Start to organize time based on information
collected in activity record
Goal Setting
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A goal is a desired result or purpose toward
which one is working
Goals allow you to know where you are going
and provide direction to your life
Need both short term and long term goals
Short term goals
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Days, weeks, months to accomplish
Smaller steps taken to reach long term goals
Will change as one goal is accomplished and
another goal is established
Long Term Goals
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Goals that take longer to achieve
Take years or even a lifetime to achieve
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Examples??
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Setting goals effectively
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State the goal in a positive manner
Define the goal clearly
Prioritize multiple goals
Write your goals down
Make sure the goal is at the right level!
Goals
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After the goal is achieved, you will enjoy a
sense of accomplishment and satisifcation
If you fail…
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Was the goal realistic?
Did you lack skills or knowledge?
Is there another way to achieve the goal?
Time Management
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Great tool to ensure success in meeting
goals
Schedule tasks:
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“To-do” list :
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Use a daily planner
Include time for rest, exercise, social activities
List tasks, cross off as completed
Planning
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One thing at a time, have all materials needed,
ask for assistance if needed
Summary
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Time management provides for an organized,
efficient use of time
Take credit for a job well done
Overscheduling, rescheduling are common
If goals are not reached, reevaluate and
revise
Q&A
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What can help with time management?
How do you determine if you use time
effectively?
What is the difference between long term and
short term goals?
How can you set effective goals??