Personal Characteristics of a Healthcare Worker

Impression Positive first impression may be obtained with well groomed, natural appearance Healthy lifestyle promotes personal health Utilize food guide pyramid to improve nutrition Exercise to maintain good circulation and muscle tone Get 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 saying Screaming children, the TV, or loud noises could interfere with communication (delivering and listening)

Communication Barriers Physical disabilities Blind (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 = sender Sara = receiver hello = feedback

Observations Subjective = what patient says Objective = 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 pale Pt 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 response Imagery, such as imagining yourself on the beach, helps you to calm down and break stress response Renew 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 useful The 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 task Use a planner Plan work from start to finish Make short term and long term goals (short term = apply for college…long term = graduate from medical school)