1.5 Professional vs unprofessional
A professional person will:
- Take pride in doing a job well and pay attention to detail
- Take personal responsibility for their actions and the consequences
- Seek to develop and improve their skills
- Not be satisfied with a substandard result, and will seek to put things right
- Be prepared to acknowledge mistakes, learn from them and take appropriate steps to prevent recurrence
- Show respect for those who consult them in a professional capacity.
Tasks
Watch this video to gain more insight into the difference between professional behaviour and unprofessional behaviour:
Some examples of unprofessional behaviour may include:
- Any criminal behaviour or conviction
- Behaviour that suggests a disregard for the wellbeing of patients, or members of the public, and/or their dignity and rights
- Failing to honour clinical commitments
- Rude, abusive or disrespectful behaviour
- An irresponsible or apathetic attitude
- Showing a disregard for the time and effort of those who are relying on them – for example, by consistently bad timekeeping
- Dishonest business/financial dealings
- Any abuse of the doctor–patient relationship
- Anything that undermines public confidence in the profession
- Anything that undermines the reputation or standing of the profession
- Selfishness: putting one’s own financial or personal interests above all other considerations
- Accepting unsatisfactory clinical standards
- Accepting unsatisfactory clinical standards
- Gratuitous criticism of colleagues and others
- Inappropriate relationship with patients, employees, etc
- Treating patients when not fit to do so
- Agreeing to undertake a procedure for which the person lacks the necessary training, expertise or competence
- Being resistant to feedback or maintaining one’s continuing professional development
- Laziness, sloppiness or a lack of attention to detail.