1. Personal and Professional Qualities of a Health Care Worker
Chapter 4
Personal and Professional Qualities of a Health Care Worker

2. Diet-Eating healthy leads to good maximum performance and optimum health
Rest-Provides energy and helps to deal with stress
Exercise-Maintains circulation improves muscle tone, enhances mental control, aids in weight control and contributes to more restful sleep
Good Posture-helps prevent fatigue and puts less stress on muscles
Avoiding tobacco, alcohol and drugs-contributes to some seriously negative health consequences
Personal Appearance

3. Professional Appearance
Uniform- should be clean, neat, wrinkle free and well fitted
Clothing- in absence of uniform clothing should be neat clean and in good repair, should allow free movement of body.
Name Badge-Worn at all times within health care facility
Shoes-match uniform and should fit well and be comfortable to prevent fatigue
Personal Hygiene-bathing everyday is a requirement! No more needs to be said on this matter.
Professional Appearance

4. Personal Characteristics
Empathy-identify and understand another's thoughts and feelings\
Honesty-being truthful
Dependability-being able to be counted on
Willingness to learn-must be able to learn an adapt to changes
Patience-tolerant and understanding
Acceptance of Criticism-just part of the job
Enthusiasm-enjoy what you do if not get out!
Self motivation-begin and follow through with tasks
Tact-say or do the most fitting thing in a difficult situation
Competence-being qualified and capable of completing a task
Responsible-means being willing to be held responsible for your actions
Discretion-use good judgement in what you say and do
Team Player-working with others
BE ON TIME
Personal Characteristics

5. Exchange of information through thoughts, feelings and ideas
Verbal-spoken word
Non-verbal-facial expressions, body language and touch
Essential Elements of Communication
Sender-individual who creates a message or idea
Message-information, ideas or thoughts
Receiver-individual who recreates a message from the sender
Effective Comm.

6. Effective Comm. Important Elements of Communication Message Clear
Did the sender deliver the message
Receiver must be able to hear and receive the message
Receiver must be able to understand the message
Avoid interruptions/distractions
Effective Comm.

7. Effective Comm. Effective Listening Show interest and concern
Be alert maintain eye contact
Avoid interrupting
Pay attention
Avoid thinking about how you are going to respond
Look for the other person’s point of view and avoid your own prejudices
Eliminate distractions
Ask for clarification
Maintain temper and positive attitude
Give Feedback (allows the sender to assess if the message was received)
Effective Comm.

8. Non Verbal Comm. Body Language, facial expressions and touch.
Convey messages to both sender and receiver
Must compliment the message being sent
Confusion most often results in mixed verbal/non verbal messages
Non Verbal Comm.

9. Barriers to Comm. Physical Barriers Deafness/Hearing Loss
Blindness/ Impaired vision
Aphasia or speech impairments
Psychological Barriers
Prejudice
Attitudes
Personality
Cultural Diversity
Beliefs and practices regarding health and illness
Language Differences
Eye contact
Ways of dealing with terminal illness
Touch
Barriers to Comm.

10. Recording and Reporting all observations while providing care
As detailed as possible incase someone has to come behind you it should be like they were in the room the whole time you were treating
Us all senses:
Sight-skin color, edema, rash or sore color of fluids
Smell-unusual body odor, breath, wounds urine or stool
Touch-pulse, temperature or dryness of skin, perspiration, swelling
Hearing-respirations, body sounds, coughs, and speech
Effective Comm.

11. Effective Comm. Two types of observations:
Subjective-cannot be seen or felt, what the patient tells you, known better as symptoms, should be written down exactly as they were said
Objective-these can be seen or felt and are commonly called signs.
Effective Comm.

12. Defined as a 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 or command.
Characteristics include:
Respects rights, dignity, opinions and abilities of others
Understands principles if democracy
Works with a group and guides them towards a common goal
Understands the concept of life long learning
Understands own strengths and weaknesses
Displays self-confidence and willingness to take a stand
Communicates effectively
Shows self-initiative
Shows open-mindedness and optimism
Praises others
Dedicated to high standards
Leadership

13. Leadership Types of Leaders
Democratic-involves all parties in the decision making process, listens to opinions of others, then bases decisions on what is best for the entire group. (Tends to be most effective)
Laissez-faire-believes in non-interference with the affairs of others, strives for only minimal rules and regulations, allows the members to function with little or no direction, very “hands-off” until forced by circumstances to do so
Autocratic-Maintains total rule, makes all the decisions and has difficulty delegating duties, seldom asks for help, emphasizes discipline and expects others to follow rules at all times
Leadership

14. Any body reaction to a stimulus that requires a person to adjust to a changing environment
Body will go into alarm mode better know as “fight or flight”
Managed by the sympathetic nervous system
Adrenal glands release adrenaline
Dilates blood vessels to heart and brain
Constricts blood vessels to the skin and internal organs
Pupils dilate
Saliva production decreases
Blood pressure raises
Respiration rate Increases
Stress

15. Stress Once response to stress is done:
Parasympathetic system begins opposite reaction to sympathetic system
Fatigue or exhaustion
Serious illness can result if normal body functions are not returned to normal due to constant up and down reaction to continual stress
Diseases include
Anxiety, depression, allergies, asthma, digestive disorders, hypertension, insomnia, and heart disease
Stress

16. Stress Dealing with Stress Identify Stressors List possible solutions
Make a plan
Act on your solution
Evaluate the results
Change Solution if nessecary
Manage Stress reactons
-Stop what you are doing to cause reaction’
-Breathe-take a slow deep breath to relieve tension
-Reflect on the problem causing the stress
-Choose how you want to deal with the plan
Stress

17. Stress Other Factors that help with Stress
Time Management-Set of skills that allows an individual to use time in the most effective and productive way.
Keep a schedule
Set Goals
Prioritze Goals
Write down goals
Keep goals at attainable levels
Stress

18. Stress Time Management Plan Identify habits and preferences
Schedule Tasks
Make a daily “to-do” list
Plan your work
Avoid distractions
Take credit for a job well done
Stress