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It is not enough to have the appearance of a professional , but you must have the right attitude to be an effective professional.
Source: Morguefile
No Patient Likes Being At The Doctor or Dentist
The first quality an allied health professional has to have is a professional attitude. This means the ability to not be influence by the negative attitude of the patient or their family. Many times as an allied health professional you will be facing a situation where the caregiver and the patient are stressed. It does not mean that every patient or caretaker that you encounter is in crisis, but simply dealing with medical issues and medical bureaucracy can put even the cheeriest individuals into a dour mood.
Dental Assisting is part of the allied health professions. When was the last time you woke up saying,” I have been looking forward to visiting the dentist all week;” on the day you have a dental appointment. You are not in crisis, but you would no doubt rather be somewhere else. You might find yourself grumpy and less inclined to be corporative. You patients are experiencing the same thing.
Patient's tend to be stressed just by walking into the medical office. Being positive and friendly can help set them at ease.
Source: By Bill Branson (photographer) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
It may not be a crisis but patient's are anxious !
If you are employed as a medical assistant or dental assistant in an urgent care facility the situation is more crises oriented. Patients are usually stressed by pain bad enough to visit the urgent care office. Caretakers are worried. Both have had their normal routine, weekend, or workday interrupted. In these setting it is important to show positive attitude and not take any bad behavior on the part of the patient personally, this is especially true when getting long patient histories.
Patients are obviously anxious to see the doctor; they do not necessarily remember when they had their tonsils out when they were a small child. Take answers as you get them. Medication lists are more important you may just have to encourage them to remember the dosages and exact names. If they need to call home to find out from someone there who can look at the bottles encourage them to do so.
Activities like putting on a skimpy hospital gown may violate some cultural norms for some patients.
Source: Morguefile
When there is high patient drama
If you are employed as a medical assistant or dental assistant in an urgent care facility the situation is more crises oriented. Patients are usually stressed by pain bad enough to visit the urgent care office. Caretakers are worried. Both have had their normal routine, weekend, or workday interrupted. In these setting it is important to show positive attitude and not take any bad behavior on the part of the patient personally, this is especially true when getting long patient histories.
Patients are obviously anxious to see the doctor; they do not necessarily remember when they had their tonsils out when they were a small child. Take answers as you get them. Medication lists are more important you may just have to encourage them to remember the dosages and exact names. If they need to call home to find out from someone there who can look at the bottles encourage them to do so.
When patients are seriously ill the stress level rises for the patient , family, and professional staff that care for them.
Source: Morquefile
Communicating Past Obstacles: Dealing with Diversity
Other aspects of a professional attitude include the ability communicate. Since you deal with different cultural populations this means you may have to learn something about the different cultures that you come in contact with. In some cultures there are huge divides put between men and women. A male patient may be unwilling to undress for an exam while you are in the room or even see them in an examination gown. In these cases you must be flexible. If the patient is there for a checkup there is no reason that they have to remove more than restrictive clothing. Also if you patient history asks about things of a very personal nature you may have to get a same sexed assistant to take the history. Do act negatively to request from patients who want to preserve and practice their cultural identity. Keep a positive attitude and be flexible.
There are obviously thing that you should know before you become an allied health professional like the practice standards at the organization that you work for. It part of basic ethical behavior to adapt to these standards and uphold them. If they conflict with your personal beliefs say around reproductive rights or other social issues you must reconcile your behavior to the practice standards. If you can not do this you need to seek employment elsewhere. It is a given that you uphold privacy standards and always protect patient confidentiality.
Communication can be difficult with non English speaking patients. Here again do not get anxious or frustrated. Do the best you can. Many times the patient or caregiver will speak a little English or broken English. Do not make assumptions but get the best amount of information you can and ask for help. If someone else in the office or a translator from a social organization is available use them. Remember if it is taking extra time to get the right information or give information the patient needs you are doing your job. Schedules in medical offices get backed up all the time. Doctors get called away on emergencies or find more complex medical issues when doing exams and get of schedule. You need to be able to go with the flow, while being as dependable as possible.
The difficulty of communication can also happen with the disabled. If you know a disabled patient is coming in make preparations beforehand. If you do not know sign language has a note pad available to be able to write notes back and forth. Do not address personal questions about the patient to the caregiver unless absolutely necessary. It is extremely rude and patients find it dehumanizing. This rule also applies to the elderly again patience and flexibility are professional attitude you will need when dealing with diverse patient populations.
Diverse Patient Populations
Self Care Prevents Burnout
Remember your job is stressful and you may not always be at your best. If you were up all night with a sick kid, you may not be on top of your game. Your personal life should never really affect your professional life but in truth it does. If you normally work through your breaks and lunch hour to catch up on paper work, don’t do it on days you are stressed and if you never ask for help do so. Taking the pressure off yourself will help you maintain a professional attitude on ‘bad days”
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