By John Ryan
Displaying a lack of professionalism and self-regulation is a sure way to jeopardise your registration and reputation. A doctor only needs one instance of poor judgement to undo the good that their usual professional and self-regulated behaviour has created.
Professionalism and self-regulation are not the same, but they do overlap.
Professionalism is acting in accordance with the rules, standards and expectations of the profession of medicine. The core elements or professionalism include:
Competence and preparation
Reliability and accountability
Respectful communication
Integrity and ethics
Appropriate conduct and presentation
Emotional control
Self-regulation is the ability to monitor and manage your own thoughts, emotions, and behaviour so they line up with what’s expected – in this case, what’s expected of you as a doctor. The core elements or self-regulation include:
Emotional regulation
Behavioural regulation
Cognitive regulation
Self-monitoring
What does lack of professionalism look like?
An obvious and risky example of acting with a lack of professionalism is self-prescribing. This will have serious and negative consequences and must never be done.
Other less obvious acts of a lack of professionalism that will also get you into trouble include:
Poor timekeeping: Being late because you were held up in traffic is unprofessional. Professionalism means leaving early enough so that even if there is a traffic issue you arrive on time.
Not being prepared: Being asked to prepare a presentation for a Grand Round and only having it 90% ready by the time of presentation.
Making mistakes: Making mistakes at work is to be expected. But refusing to own your mistakes, blaming others or finding excuses for them is unprofessional.
Nurses and allied health professionals also have degrees and are registered. Treating them as less valuable or important is unacceptable.
Lack of insight: If you cannot reflect on your mistakes or where your conduct or performance has fallen below expected standards, then how can you learn and grow – and how can any public health service have trust and confidence in you?
What does lack of self-regulation look like?
Not taking no for an answer: Pursuing a personal relationship in the workplace can often lead to you receiving a firm “No” from someone. Not accepting the “No” is a sure way to get into trouble.
Working when you are sick: Turning up for work sick is a classic lack of self-regulation. Know when you need to rest.
Presuming you know the workplace culture: Every country, every state and every workplace has a different culture. Take time to learn it.
Lack of self-censorship: In the world of work everything you and say and do is being observed. Every email sent or received on your work email address is owned and accessible to your employee – and then there’s social media. Be mindful about what you share – you can and should protect your privacy and control your personal and professional brand.
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John Ryan is a Senior Workplace Relations Advisor at AMA Victoria and Victoria Industrial Officer at Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) Victoria.