PERSONAL QUALITIES OF A HEALTH CARE WORKER

PERSONAL QUALITIES OF A HEALTH CARE WORKER Certain personal/professional characteristics, attitudes, and rules of appearance apply to all health care professionals.

Writing AssignmentUse Complete Sentences • “You have been told by the hospital that you need to hire help to care for your aging mother/father unless you are willing to place her/him in a nursing home. You have decided that you would hire assistants and now need to interview caregivers to care for your family member 24/7”. • Explain the 4 most important qualities you would look for, including why. In your paragraph/s include 3 questions you would ask your potential caregiver.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE • Important to present an appearance that inspires confidence and a positive self-image • It only takes from about 20 seconds up to 4 minutes for someone to form an impression about another person based mainly on appearance

PRESENT A HEALTHY APPEARANCE • Diet • well-balanced meals and nutritious foods • Rest • Adequate rest and sleep help provide energy and the ability to deal with stress • Exercise • Maintains circulation and improves muscle tone

PRESENT A HEALTHY APPEARANCE CONT’D • Good Posture • Helps prevent fatigue and puts less stress on muscles • Avoid Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs • These can seriously affect good health • Affects function of heart, circulatory system, lungs and digestive system • Most health care facilities are “smoke-free”

PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE There are rules or standards of dress and personal appearance in health care facilities. -Uniform -Nails -Clothing -Hair -Name Badge -Jewelry -Shoes -Makeup -Personal Hygiene

.Professionalism brings together who you are as a person and how those traits contribute to the workplace • Personal Values: things that have a high degree of worth to the individual • Reputation: character in the view of the community • Morals: capability to differentiate between right and wrong • Integrity: of sound moral principal

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • What are some personal/professional characteristics and attitudes required in the health occupations?

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS CONT’D • Empathy -being able to identify with and understanding another person’s feelings, situation, and motives -sincerely interested in working with people -must care about others and be able to communicate and work with them • Honesty -Truthfulness and integrity -must be willing to admit mistakes

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS CONT’D • Dependability -Accept the responsibility required in your position -Prompt in reporting to work -Maintain good attendance record -Must perform assigned tasks on time and accurately • Willingness to learn -Change often requires learning techniques or procedures -Lifelong learning (CEUs)

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • Patience -Be tolerant and understanding -Control you temper and “count to ten” in difficult situations -Learn to deal with frustration and overcoming obstacles • Acceptance of Criticism -Some criticism will be constructive and allow you to improve your work -Accept such criticism and learn from it-improve!

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • Enthusiasm -Enjoy your work and display a positive attitude -Enthusiasm is contagious -Concentrate on the positive aspects of your job • Self-Motivation -self-initiative -ability to begin or to follow through with a task -able to determine what needs done and do it without constant direction -set goals for yourself and work to reach them!

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • TACT -having the ability to say or do the kindest or most fitting thing in difficult situations -need consideration for the other person’s feelings • COMPETENCE -being qualified and capable of performing a task -follow instructions, use approved procedures, and strive for accuracy in all you do -know your limits and when to ask for help!

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • Responsibility -being willing to be held accountable for your actions -others can rely on you and know that you will meet your obligations -you do what you are suppose to do! • Discretion -use good judgement in what you say and do! -respect the rules of confidentiality and only share information with those who have the “need to know” and only with proper authorization -respect patient’s rights in health care

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • Team Player • In any health care field, you will become part of a team • Work well with others • Each member of the health team must do his or her part • Working together allows goals to become accomplished faster

TO SUMMARIZE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • Realize that each of the characteristics discussed must be practiced and learned • Some take longer than others to develop • Be aware of these characteristics, constantly strive to improve • Results in you providing good patient/resident care and becoming valuable to your clients and your employer!!

WHAT IS TEAMWORK? • WHAT DOES TEAM WORK LOOK LIKE?

TEAMWORK • Developed to provide quality holistic health care to every patient (teaming) • Consists of many professionals, with different levels of education, ideas, backgrounds, and interests, working together for the benefit of the patient • Must understand roles • Good interpersonal relationships are also essential

What can I do to develop good interpersonal relationships? • Maintain a positive attitude • Learn to laugh at yourself • Be friendly and cooperate with others • Assist others when you see they need help • Listen carefully when another person is sharing ideas or beliefs • Respect the opinions of others even though you may not agree with them • Be open-minded and willing to compromise

What can I do to develop good interpersonal relationships cont’d • Avoid criticizing other team members • Learn good communications skills so you can share ideas, concepts, and knowledge • Support and encourage other team members • Perform your duties to the best of your ability • Deal with conflicts in a positive and professional way

STRESS • HOW DO YOU DEFINE STRESS?

STRESS • The body’s reaction to any stimulus that requires a person to adjust to a changing environment. • Heart attack=internal stressor • New Job=external stressor **Everyone experiences a certain degree of stress on a daily basis**

Questions to ponder…… • Does every person feel the same stress? • What factors define stress for an individual? • Is all stress harmful?

STRESS “NOT ALL STRESS IS HARMFUL” Not all stress is harmful. In fact, a small amount of stress is essential to an individual’s well-being because it makes a person more alert and raises the energy level.**

STRESS HOWEVER SOME CAN BE HARMFUL……. *If stress causes negative feelings, such as frustration, irritability, anger, depression, self-criticism, emotional or physical exhaustion or emotional outbursts, it is harmful.* BE AWARE OF STRESSORS and LEARN METHODS TO CONTROL THEM!

MANAGE STRESS REACTIONS • STOP • Immediately stop what you are doing to break out of the stress response • BREATHE • Take a slow deep breath to relieve the physical tension you are feeling • REFLECT • Think about the problem at hand and the cause of the stress • CHOOSE • Determine how you want to deal with the stress

STRESS REDUCING TECHNIQUES • Live a healthy life • Take a break from stressors • Relax • Relieve tension • Rely on others • Meditate • Enjoy a hobby • Avoid over commitment • Delegate to others/ask for help

TIME MANAGEMENT • Using time management can help reduce and manage stress. • TIME MANAGEMENT=a system of practical skills that allows an individual to use time most effectively and productively.

GOALS Effective Goal Setting • State goals in a positive manner • Define goals clearly and precisely • Prioritize multiple goals • Write goals down • Make sure each goal is at the right level

Flexibility • Remember that even with careful planning things do not always go as planned. • Unexpected emergencies, a new assignment, a complication, and / or over scheduling are common events in the life of a health care worker. • You may need to reevaluate goals and revise the plan. **Remember Patience, Practice, and Honest Effort**

PERSONAL QUALITIES OF A HEALTH CARE WORKER