PROFESSIONALISM Darcy McMaughan, PhD TAMHSC SRPH MPH Student Orientation August 21, 2013

PROFESSIONALISM

Darcy McMaughan, PhD

TAMHSC SRPH

MPH Student Orientation

August 21, 2013

Why Discuss Professionalism?• SRPH is a professional school.• You are expected to adhere to professional standards of

conduct and attitude.• Employers really value professionalism!

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm

What is Professionalism?• A specific style of behavior exhibited in the workplace*.• Values & professional roles.

*Workplace also means your academic environment! And in some instances, the expectation of professionalism extends beyond the workplace.

http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2008csrees/pdfs/S54-Workplace%20Professionalism.pdf

Public Health Professionalism

The ability to demonstrate ethical choices, values, and professional practices implicit in public health decisions; to consider the effect of choices on community stewardship, equity, social justice, and accountability; and to commit to

personal and institutional development.

Association of Schools of Public Health as cited in Slomka, Quill, desVignes-Kendrick, and Lloyd (2008)

How is a Professional Judged?

Unwritten Rules Regarding

• Attitudes• Conflict• Approaches• Values• Communication Styles

What is Critiqued

• Your Communications • Your Image (i.e. dress)• Your Competence• Your Demeanor



Against expectations or standardsProfessionalism is in the eye of the beholder!

• Although these expectations and standards are often unwritten , we wrote many of them down!

Professional Conduct/Attitudes

1. Be tolerant of each other and offer professional courtesy to classmates

2. Create and participate in an environment where honest feedback is seen as valuable and not criticism

3. Respect each other’s time by being on time for all meetings/appointments.

4. Be honest and kind during all interactions.

5. Use appropriate language at all times when you are speaking or sending emails. Never use profanity.

6. Refrain from disruptive behavior, discrimination or any type of harassment.

7. Never interrupt a presentation, demonstrate respect to all speakers, regardless of situation. When attending a presentation, be on time coming back from breaks and lunch and do not hold sidebar communications. Give the speaker the same respect you would want given to you if the roles were reversed.

8. Display a professional and positive attitude at all times

9. Be friendly and helpful to co-workers

10. Do the right thing – even when no one is watching

11. Conduct yourself with compassion for everyone you come in contact with

12. Use positive body language and present yourself professionally: make eye contact, avoid slouching, dress professionally

Be tolerant of each other and offer professional courtesy to classmates

• Work with diverse faculty & colleagues regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin.

• Create an inclusive work environment. Recognize and respect individual differences & qualities.

• Include others in your focus by considering their needs (avoid projecting that you view yourself as the “center of the universe”).

http://www.grad.washington.edu/area/goodpract/p_good_pract.htm

http://www.lorman.com/newsletter/article.php?article_id=694&newsletter_id=150&category_id=1

Create and participate in an environment where honest feedback is seen as valuable and not criticism

• Respect the experience.• Exercise the highest integrity in taking examinations, in

collecting, analyzing, & presenting research data, & in teaching practice.

• Work towards having & understanding specialized knowledge.

• Develop competency*.

* The quality of being well-qualified intellectually for a particular task or set of tasks.


http://www.grad.washington.edu/area/goodpract/p_good_pract.htm http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm

Respect each other’s time by being on time for all meetings/classes/appointments/assignments.

• Popping-in for a quick question is not always appropriate; know your faculty members’ preference and if unsure err on the side of caution is the best choice

• Accountability & dependability• Explain what you would like to discuss in this meeting,

provide your availability, and indicate if it is time sensitive• Keep in mind that last minute requests due to lack of planning

and preparation on your part do not constitute an emergency on the part of a faculty member


Be honest and kind during all interactions.

• Consider the impact of your words/actions on others.• Understand your “hot buttons “- manage your reactions &

respond with honesty & kindness.• Become a bridge builder & role model for civility &

respect. Act in a manner whereby you respect yourself, demonstrate respect for others, & take advantage of every opportunity to be proactive in promoting civility and respect in your workplace.



Use appropriate language at all times when you are speaking or sending emails. Never use profanity.

Refrain from disruptive behavior, discrimination or any type of harassment.

• Disruptive behavior = conduct that bothers & upsets day-to-day interpersonal interaction in the workplace. Examples are:• Numerous conflicts• Poor relationships• Anger outbursts

http://www.kmph-kfre.com/story/17268635/disruptive-behavior-in-the-workplace

Never interrupt a presentation, demonstrate respect to all speakers, regardless of situation.

• When attending a presentation, be on time coming back from breaks and lunch

• Do not hold sidebar communications.• Give the speaker the same respect you would want given

to you if the roles were reversed.

Display a professional and positive attitude at all times

• Confront and manage conflict while maintaining dignity and respect for others.

• Use ‘adult’ conversations to resolve issues – go directly to the colleague involved.

• Recognize different communication styles – compromise when needed. Look for ways to communicate effectively with each other.


Be friendly and helpful to co-workers

• “Manage Up”*• Celebrate successes and have fun in your studies• Help classmates feel appreciated and valued-send thank

you notes for specific actions• Do not embarrass or criticize classmates/colleagues in the

presence of others• Do not gossip or talk negatively about others

*Manage Up: “You go above and beyond the tasks assigned to you so that you can enhance other’s work…doing what you can to make your manager's job easier will not only help them do their job, but you will be considered a valuable asset to your manager and to your organization"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122511931313072047.html

Do the right thing – even when no one is watching

• Self-regulation.• one's capacity to manage and contain anxiety and process

emotional states, maintain balance in self-esteem, respect other peoples' points of view, while remaining engaged in productive goal-oriented work-related efforts with others.

• Work-life balance• Examination of personal values• Development of core values

• Core values are part of the ideology so deeply held that they will never be compromised.

• Core ideology does not change, even in a changing environment .

http://www.kmph-kfre.com/story/17268635/disruptive-behavior-in-the-workplace

Program core values

Teamwork:• Respectfully caring for each other and those we serve

Respect:• Humility in our successes and grace in our challenges

Integrity:• Honesty and integrity in all our interactions

Generosity:• Being thankful for and sharing our opportunities and

blessings

Learning:• Passionately pursuing making a difference in healthcare

by being a lifelong learner

Conduct yourself with compassion for everyone you come in contact with

If we look at our private lives, whether we would like to admit it or not, when circumstances are good, we all

basically care about those around us. But the demands on our time and attention are such that our empathy can get quite fatigued, and we can't always see a way to make

compassionate decisions in our professional life.

Vinciance Rycroft

Use positive body language and present yourself professionally

• Make eye contact• Avoid slouching• Dress professionally. Professional dress excludes

the following items:• Flip Flops• Midriff attire (skin should not be exposed)• T-shirts with logos• Hats• Tank Tops or low cut tops• Excessively short skirts• Jeans (except during appropriate events and casual

Fridays)

Key Points• You are expected to abide by professional codes of

conduct and attitude.• To improve your own professionalism, focus on improving

in each of these areas. Many of the areas overlap, so by working diligently on one, you may address three!

More Information • Gracious Professionalism®

http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/gracious-professionalism• 2012 Professionalisms in the Workplace Study http://

www.ycp.edu/media/yorkwebsite/cpe/2012-Professionalism-in-the-Workplace-Study.pdf

• Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/Professionalism.pdf

http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/gracious-professionalism

http://www.ycp.edu/media/yorkwebsite/cpe/2012-Professionalism-in-the-Workplace-Study.pdf




http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/Professionalism.pdf



References • Guidelines for Good Practice in Graduate Education:

Professionalism and Ethics: http://www.grad.washington.edu/area/goodpract/p_good_pract.htm

• Professionalism in the Workplace Retrieved from http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2008csrees/pdfs/S54-Workplace%20Professionalism.pdf

• Mindtools http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm

• Lorman Education Services: Ten Tips for Creating Respect and Civility in Your Workplace http://www.lorman.com/newsletter/article.php?article_id=694&newsletter_id=150&category_id=1

• Wall Street Journal Online: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122511931313072047.html














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PROFESSIONALISM Darcy McMaughan, PhD TAMHSC SRPH MPH Student Orientation August 21, 2013