Patient Professionalism Essay

979 Words4 Pages

Through all walks of life, people have to hold a certain level of professionalism. Depending on the place and circumstance, a person can be held to a higher or lower level of standard. For example, a person in the workplace will be held to a higher standard, and it is expected that they would be able to show that they can be professional in different scenarios. It is important for a person in the medical field to know how to communicate with patients, maintain boundaries, know when to ask for help, and how to work efficiently. As a medical professional, it is imperative to know how and when to talk to a patient. It is crucial to be sensitive, honest, and open (Cohn, 2010). When providing care, a person must be compassionate, but also understand when not to cross a line. For instance, if a patient requests to wait until their family has arrived to hear test results, their request must be considered. But at the same time, it is also important to make sure that waiting for family to arrive would not put the patient’s life in jeopardy. There is a fine line between …show more content…

Often times, a patient wants a doctor or nurse that maintains professionalism, but also shows compassion and empathy (Cohn, 2010). A doctor or nurse must carry out their duty to provide the best care possible and make sure their patient feels as though they are a part of the care plan. However, it is also important to maintain empathetic when a patient is having a hard time dealing with a diagnosis. A great way to balance these two, is to be empathetic for the patient’s circumstance, but to also not be too affected emotionally. It is alright to sometimes be emotional with patients, but the patient should not have to feel like they have to support their doctor or nurse. The patient expects for their care team to support them through any health problem, not the other way