Clinical Professionalism Standards

Since the first day I started clinical there were policies for professionalism at the clinical site. Professionalism standards that were place were: proper uniform, covering of tattoos, ID badge and many others (National University, 2015). Professionalism is defined as the conduct, aims, or qualities that mark a profession or professional person (Merriam-Webster, 2016). I feel professionalism is a concept that has been create by society or an organization to represent certain values. For example, National University implemented their policy on professional appearance to represent the values of National University.

Characteristics that create professionalism include appearance, self-image, mannerisms, and communication (Yoder-Wise, 2015).
Aside from these characteristics I also believe integrity and advocacy plays a big role in professionalism for nurses. To practice professionalism the person should know the organization’s policy. It should be easy to practice professionalism. Doing the right thing when no ones looking, advocating for patients, and keeping a clean appearance is how I practice professionalism in the workplace.

Things to avoid in order to maintain professionalism are: breaking the rules of HIPPA, not advocating for patients, poor personal appearance, and not following rules and policies of the organization.