Category Archives: Professionalism

Professionalism (Part 1)

This 3-part video series covers professionalism standards for pharmacy students.

Part 1: Confidentiality
Part 2: Accountability, Honesty and Integrity, Appropriate Attire and Appearance, and Punctuality
Part 3: Practice Scenario

Transcript:
Hello, my name is Dr. Tablet, but you can just call me Tab. In this 3-part video series, I’ll be giving you a crash course on professionalism.

When I was a student, I thought I knew everything I needed to know about being professional on practicum. Don’t use my phone, arrive on time, follow the dress code, and the list goes on and on. It all seemed like common sense. Then one day I did something that made my practice educator quite disappointed. And in that moment, I realized that anyone can experience a lapse in their judgement especially if the situation is not so black and white. This is my story:

It was a particularly busy day at the pharmacy, and I decided to post this on social media. “I can’t wait for this day to be over! The line at the pharmacy was so long and this old man with Parkinson’s took forever to get his prescription out of his bag. Maybe if he actually took his meds, the tremors wouldn’t be so bad.”
#RxProblems #ChronicallyTired

I didn’t name the patient or the pharmacy. The post was just going to my followers – most of them friends, family, or classmates – and the post was obviously just a joke about my bad day at work. I thought it was pretty harmless at first. That’s why I was surprised when the pharmacist pulled me aside the next day.
—–
Pharmacist: “My colleague saw your post yesterday and showed it to me. Do you think what you shared was appropriate?”

Dr. Tablet (student): “What do you mean?”

Pharmacist: “I can identify the patient from your post, and you can tell that it’s my pharmacy based on the background. If the patient sees this, it could be really upsetting for him and can compromise his trust in the pharmacy team. How do you think this patient would feel if they saw this post about themselves? You did not have permission to share this photo of the pharmacy or patient on social media and a complaint could be filed with the College of Pharmacists of BC. What you thought was a simple joke online has the potential to significantly impact my patients and pharmacy. I’m very disappointed.”
—–

I felt awful but I’m glad that the pharmacist pointed it out. I can’t take back what I did, but I learned from my mistake and maybe you can too. You should never share or post photos of your patients or practice site without consent. It’s important to note that the identity of your patient can be revealed even if you don’t include any names, especially in small towns. Be mindful of who may be listening or watching when you talk about patients and please think twice about sharing things on social media.

Exhibiting professional attitudes and behaviors at all times is a program expectation. The tenets of professionalism for pharmacy students are described in the faculty’s code of conduct. In this video, we will be focusing on five of these standards: confidentiality, accountability, honesty and integrity, appropriate attire and appearance, and punctuality.

My social media story illustrates a breach in confidentiality. Patients put their trust in you. They are willing to share sensitive information with you such as their sexual health, recreational drug use, and mental health concerns. This information may be essential to proving optimal pharmaceutical care. It is your responsibility to protect this information, otherwise the pharmacist-patient relationship could be compromised and thus their care may be negatively impacted.

Now, I’m going to give you another scenario and see how well you do.

Jane learns that her brother is in the hospital – the same one at which she is currently on practicum. She’s worried about him and wants to know how he’s doing. Is it acceptable for Jane to access her brother’s medical records? The answer is no.
If you are not in the patient’s circle of care, you are not permitted to access their information even if they’re your family member or friend. Although Jane is concerned about her brother, it is not appropriate for her to look at his information.

Some of you may be wondering if you’re allowed to access your own patient file. I mean, don’t you have a right to your own information?
You are not allowed to view your own medical records. Healthcare professionals, like any other people, must adhere to the proper channels for requesting their own records.

Let’s try another scenario.

Caleb was working on a care plan at the pharmacy but did not finish before closing time. Is it acceptable for him to take a picture of the patient’s information so that he can work on it at home? He will delete it afterwards.
No.
Patient information should never be removed from the practice site. If you must work on a care plan at home, ask for your practice educator’s permission and make sure to carefully remove all patient identifiers. Remember, you become responsible for ensuring that the information is safe with you at all times. Do not take photos because the risk for a data breach is too high as sometimes photos are saved automatically on cloud storage and digital devices can be hacked. If you are ever unsure, it is best to seek support and have a discussion with your practice educator.

Thanks for watching Part 1 of the professionalism video series. Please watch Part 2 where we’ll continue our discussion on professionalism. I’m Dr. Tablet and I hope you have a fanTABulous practicum!

Acknowledgements:  We would like to thank Alyssa Low (Undergraduate Student) for helping to create this video and Garrett Tang (Undergraduate Student) for designing original images (e.g. Dr. Tablet).

Professionalism (Part 2)

This 3-part video series covers professionalism standards for pharmacy students.

Part 1: Confidentiality
Part 2: Accountability, Honesty and Integrity, Appropriate Attire and Appearance, and Punctuality
Part 3: Practice Scenario

Video Timestamps:
o Accountability 0:16
o Honesty and Integrity 1:46
o Appropriate Attire and Appearance 2:20
o Punctuality 3:36

Transcript:
Hello, my name is Dr. Tablet, but you can just call me Tab. This is part 2 of our 3-part video series on professionalism. In this video, I’ll be talking about accountability, honesty and integrity, appropriate attire and appearance, and punctuality.Accountability is being responsible for your decisions and actions. For example, you are accountable for the health information you give to patients. If you tell a patient it is safe to take alcohol with their medication, you are responsible for making sure that information is correct. A common pitfall for students is trying to do tasks they are not completely familiar with in order to live up to what they think is expected of them. Being on practicum is when students begin to recognize how much they don’t know. It’s okay say you’re unsure as this is part of the learning experience.While learning involves stepping out of your comfort zone, it is important that you have a firm grasp on what you know and what you don’t know. Being accountable for your actions involves acknowledging when you are unsure of something and then working to gain the knowledge needed to ensure that the task is completed correctly. Remember, before providing any medical advice to patients, it must be reviewed by your practice educator. Being accountable also means taking responsibility when you have made a mistake. Imagine you were supposed to call a patient back by the end of the day, but for some reason, you did not, and your practice educator asks what happened.Which of the following responses demonstrates accountability?
a) I forgot but the phone call wasn’t really necessary.
b) Another student was talking to the patient too and I thought they were going to do it
c) I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call yet. I’ll call them now since I realize it’s a time sensitive matter.

Option C is the best response as you apologized, took ownership for what happened and took steps to resolve it.

Next let’s talk about integrity.

Integrity means acting honestly and with strong moral principles. This could mean being on task even when no one is watching, submitting original work with proper referencing, disclosing any real, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest, and being proactive in acknowledging and rectifying errors, including lapses in professionalism. For example, imagine you overlooked discussing a drug interaction with a patient. The right thing to do in this situation is to call the patient as soon as possible and let them know that you forgot to tell them about something.

First impressions are important and so it makes sense for us to talk about attire and appearance for your upcoming practicum.

Your appearance is an important part of your professional identity. From a patient’s perspective, your appearance speaks to your ability to provide quality care. Patients are observant and may form an opinion of you based on your appearance. Patients will even notice minor details like pen stains on your lab coat, or even a wrinkled shirt. They may not tell you directly but might be less willing to trust you based on what they see on the outside.

Take a look at these two students. Which one looks more approachable? Knowledgeable? How about Trustworthy? This is why it’s so important for students to present themselves professionally in appearance as well as in all other areas. Remember, while you are on practicum, you are representing the Faculty and UBC. Make sure to double check with your practice site to find out what their dress code is as the dress code policy may differ from site to site. Here are some examples of appropriate attire (see examples on screen). And make sure to wear your name badge with the title student pharmacist. Your practice site will usually require you to wear a short, clean, and pressed white lab coat. Remember to introduce yourself as a student and do not misrepresent yourself.

The last thing on our list is punctuality.

It is important for you to be on time for all practicum activities. This means arriving early to ensure you are ready to work at your scheduled shift time, returning from your breaks on time, and remaining at the practice site for all scheduled hours. Being punctual also applies to completing and submitting all assignments on time.

Thanks for watching Part 2 of the professionalism video series. Please watch Part 3 where you’ll have the chance to apply what you’ve learned. I’m Dr. Tablet and I hope you have a fanTABulous practicum!

Acknowledgements:  We would like to thank Alyssa Low (Undergraduate Student) for helping to create this video and Garrett Tang (Undergraduate Student) for designing original images (e.g. Dr. Tablet).

Professionalism (Part 3)

This 3-part video series covers professionalism standards for pharmacy students.

Part 1: Confidentiality
Part 2: Accountability, Honesty and Integrity, Appropriate Attire and Appearance, and Punctuality
Part 3: Practice Scenario

Transcript:
Hello, my name is Dr. Tablet, but you can just call me Tab. This is the last part of the professionalism video series. In the previous videos, I covered each of the 5 professionalism standards in detail. In this final video, you’ll get a chance to test your knowledge with an example scenario from a student’s point of view and then explore that same scenario through the eyes of a patient.Let’s get started.Tony arrives at the pharmacy at 9am, the specified start time for his shift. He goes to the break room to store his belongings and change into his lab coat. When Tony returns to the pharmacy, there is a patient already waiting. Tony isn’t ready to talk to the patient yet as he always makes a point to say hello to the pharmacy team first. He walks past the patient, takes a sip of coffee, and proceeds to chat with the pharmacy technician. The pharmacy technician notices Tony’s cup and exclaims that he is also a fan of coffee. The two of them start a lively conversation about where to find the best coffee in town.When the patient’s medication is ready, Tony goes to the counter to counsel them. The patient asks if it is safe to use the eyedrop she got last year. She can’t remember the name of it. Tony is unsure but wants to be helpful. He tells her that it is probably safe to use, and she should check the expiry date on the box.Later, the pharmacist receives a call from the patient as she has now identified the active chemical in her eyedrops. The pharmacist tells her she should dispose of it immediately as it is no longer safe to use. The patient wants to know why she is being told something different from earlier that day.

Although Tony may have had good intentions, his actions were perceived poorly by the patient and compromised patient care. Imagine how the patient must have been feeling. Let’s put ourselves in her shoes.

It was a busy day for Carol, she had to drop her kids at school, pick up her medications from the pharmacy and then get to the doctor’s clinic for a pap test. The pharmacy was busy as usual and she watched from the counter as the pharmacy student arrived in casual clothes, walked across the pharmacy and disappeared into the staff room. In a few minutes, he was back out and she tried to get his attention. He seemed to be intentionally ignoring her and took a sip of his coffee as he walked right past her. Maybe he has something important to do, she thought to herself, but he didn’t. The pharmacy student spent the next 5 minutes talking to the technician about coffee!

When Carol finally received her medications, she ran out the door as fast as she could to get to her doctor’s appointment. She didn’t really trust the pharmacy student’s advice about the eyedrops as he seemed unprofessional and probably wasn’t very knowledgeable about her drugs. She found the bottle of eyedrops and called the pharmacist to double check. Although she was appreciative of the advice provided by the pharmacist, she was disappointed by the student’s lack of care and professionalism.

You can see how your appearance, attitude, and behavior as a student can affect your patient’s perception of you. I reflect on my actions on a regular basis to uphold the highest standards of professionalism. Ultimately, I am accountable to my patients, society, my profession and myself.

I hope you found this video helpful. Thanks for watching. I am Dr. Tablet and I hope you have a fanTABulous practicum!

Acknowledgements:  We would like to thank Alyssa Low (Undergraduate Student) for helping to create this video and Garrett Tang (Undergraduate Student) for designing original images (e.g. Dr. Tablet).