Personal Characteristicsof a Healthcare Worker

Impression

Positive first impression may be obtained with well groomed, natural appearanceHealthy lifestyle promotes personal health

Utilize food guide pyramid to improve nutritionExercise to maintain good circulation and muscle toneGet enough sleep to improve mental alertness and reduce stress

Dependability

As a high school student an example of your dependability to a prospective employer might be that you are never absent from school and you turn in your assignments on time.

Empathy

An empathetic response to “I hate coming to the dentist” would be “many people find dental work uncomfortable.”

Proper Uniform

Before purchasing a uniform for a new job you must check the facility’s dress code.Always pull your hair back to avoid patient contact.Wearing jewelry, such as rings, may cause injury to a patient or be a mode of transmission for germs.

Proper Uniform, cont’d:

All clinical uniforms should include a name badge.One example of a professional appearance violation may be wearing red nail polish.Get well fitting shoes with low heels and good support.

Tact

State things without accusation or judgment…without causing offense

Self-Motivation

Figure out what needs to be done and go ahead and do it without being asked

Good Listening Skills

Maintain good eye contact and try to understand what the other person is sayingScreaming children, the TV, or loud noises could interfere with communication (delivering and listening)

Communication Barriers

Physical disabilitiesBlind (explain where things are)Hard of hearing (speak clearly in short sentences facing the person)Use vocabulary the receiver understands (Do they know what npo means? Should you say nothing by mouth instead?)Cultural (i.e. Asian culture finds eye contact rude so they usually avoid it)

Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal cues should match verbal communication

Touch is a form of non-verbal communication that expresses caring

Communication Model

Person talking is the sender person listening is the receiver

The receiver’s response is the feedback

i.e. Joe says “hi”….Sara replies with “hello”Joe = senderSara = receiverhello = feedback

Observations

Subjective = what patient saysObjective = what you can see, hear, smell or touch

i.e. if a patient is sick you may objectively observe their skin is hot and they appear palePt may subjectively say “I feel like a knife is stabbing me in my stomach”

HIPAA

Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (it is a law)

Covers confidentiality of a person’s private information in a medical record

Professional leadership

Democratic = lets all work together…often described as a good listener

Autocratic = do what I say…often described as a dictator

Lassiez Faire = do what you want

Teamwork

Healthcare = teamwork to meet the patient’s needs

i.e. Medical office team consists of physician, receptionist, nurse and office manager

Stress Management

Slow, deep breaths break the stress responseImagery, such as imagining yourself on the beach, helps you to calm down and break stress responseRenew yourself (i.e. learn a new hobby)Long term stress reduction = balanced diet and regular exercise

Example of

typical

stressor =

getting an F

on a test

Problem Solving Model

Gather information

Identify problem

List possible solutions

Create a plan

Implement problem solving plan

Evaluate effectiveness of plan

Time Management

Increases productivity (more tasks done in smaller amount of time)

Focus on making the most of the time you have

Daily planner very usefulThe end

Good Time Management Strategies

Make a to-do list and cross off tasks as they are complete…reward yourself for completion of a particularly hard taskUse a plannerPlan work from start to finishMake short term and long term goals (short term = apply for college…long term = graduate from medical school)