OR Manager - April 2020 - 6

Leadership
Professionalism
Continued from page 1
Core meaning/characteristics
David A.
Wyatt,
PhD, RN,
NEA-BC,
CNOR
It is difficult to put into
words the core meaning
of professionalism, says
Wyatt. " We are good at
highlighting and talking
about the surface things
that we can easily see,
but when we get down
to a deep-level meaning
of professionalism, it's
hard to define. "
However, there are
characteristics of professionals, and
nursing has to meet some of them to
be considered a profession:
* An independent knowledge base.
" Many nurses have difficulty articulating
what our knowledge base
is, " says Wyatt. " Science and the
science of caring is our knowledge
base and the basis of our profession. "
*
Power and authority over professional
education. State boards of
nursing manage nursing schools and
nursing education.
* Authority over registration or licensure.
State boards manage nursing
licensure.
* Altruism. " Nurses want the good,
and they think and work toward the
good, " he says.
* Code of ethics. The American
Nurses Association Code of Ethics
applies to all nurses.
* Socialization into the profession.
" We have always had a process
for socialization. It has not always
been very effective, and it has not always
been the greatest, but we have
learned a lot over the past 10 years
about how to socialize new nurses
into the profession, " he says.
* Autonomy. " Autonomy is mostly
evidenced when we have a clearly
articulated understanding of what
6
OR Manager | April 2020
Caring and an obligation to serve the
community are fundamentals
of professionalism.
nursing practice is and how it varies
from medical practice, " says Wyatt.
" States with strong state boards
of nursing don't struggle with this.
States with weak boards of nursing
or a shadow board underneath the
board of health or the board of medicine
have a lot of difficulty in understanding
what nursing autonomy is. "
Overall, the essence of nursing professionalism
is having that special
knowledge of caring and matching that
with an obligation to serve the community,
he says.
Components
Professionalism as a larger whole also
is made up of components that include:
* Accountability. " This means understanding
what you are accountable
and responsible for, and getting it
completed. We often hear this in
a negative way, such as someone
wasn't accountable and therefore
not professional, " says Wyatt.
* Consideration. " Consideration is an
interesting characteristic of a professional
because it is not about the individuals
themselves. Consideration
is something that is given to other
people, " he says.
* Humility.
* Communication. Being able to communicate
effectively and clearly.
* Tidiness.
* Kindness. Kindness goes hand in
hand with consideration.
* Consistency. " For me, consistency
is of the utmost importance, " says
Wyatt. " I have lived most of my career
not just as a professional, but
as a leader. And I have learned that
if there is one thing that is very challenging
for teams, it is when leaders
are unpredictable. It is unnerving
because you can't guess where they
are going, how they are going, or
what their pattern is. Consistency
is important because it tells people
what your values are, " he says.
How to spot a professional
There are visual ways to spot professionalism,
which include:
* Attendance. " You would never have
to talk with someone about getting
to work on time and attendance
problems if you thought of them as a
professional. That is not how that is
exhibited, " says Wyatt.
* Dress. " Having to talk to people
about the way they dress is one of
the most aggravating and uncomfortable
discussions to have, but it
is sometimes very necessary, " he
says. " I have realized over the years
that there are people who have not
been socialized into settings where
they have the cues about what is appropriate
dress. "
* Good hygiene.
* Language/speech. A professional is
articulate and does not use profanity.
*
Body language.
* Intelligence. " Intelligence doesn't
make a person a professional, but
if they are very good at what they
do, that is a type of intelligence, " he
says.
Not as easily spotted
A professional person has to exhibit certain
characteristics that are not as easily
spotted, says Wyatt. These include:
* Honesty. " Honesty is one of those
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