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POLICY
PROFESSIONALISM - WHY IT MATTERS continued from previous page
The veterinary profession is not immune to these examples of behaviours considered unprofessional or lacking in civility . No profession is . How can a profession be proactive in mitigating these undesirable behaviours ?
College Council has considered this very question . As part of Council ’ s Strategy 2020 , addressing professionalism is one of the key objectives : Promote professionalism and self-regulation in the practice of veterinary medicine . There are two tactics to achieve this that Council will work on over the next three years ; the first is to define and establish professionalism as an umbrella concept in College initiatives and communications . Under Council ’ s direction , the Quality Assurance Committee has begun this work by reviewing the literature on professionalism and contemplating the dialogue on professionalism with veterinarians .
To begin , there is one empirical definition of veterinary professionalism . In 2012 , Dr . Liz Mossop produced a grounded theory of veterinary professionalism . The core attribute is “ balance ” in 4 main contexts – animals , clients , practice , and society . A series of attributes surround the core attribute and include honesty , altruism , communication skills , manners , confidence and knowing limits , technical competency , efficiency , empathy , decision making , autonomy , and personal values . The medical profession , on the other hand , has done a fair amount of research around medical professionalism . Among the literature on medical professionalism , it is often articulated as a set of values and principles to guide behaviour , and is clearly rooted in the concept of the social contract a profession has with the public to inspire trust and confidence .
Considering this , the Quality Assurance Committee has reviewed the College ’ s Code of Ethics , a document that outlines the core values of the profession : compassion , transparency , respect , trustworthiness , professionalism , and competence . It provides a solid foundation for the work on professionalism as it articulates the values that are reflected in a veterinarian ’ s ethical conduct and decision-making . These values may also provide guidance for veterinarians ’ professional conduct .
When contemplating veterinary professionalism , it is important to consider how it translates into observable behaviours . This can assist with teaching professionalism , assessing it , and remediating unprofessional behavior . At the University of Toronto , professionalism and ethics are taught to medical students , which includes competency-based assessment and a remediation program . Examples of behaviours that would require remediation include failure to keep proper medical records , being disrespectful to patients , as well as , being late to class or handing in assignments , disruptive behaviours ( rudeness ), and inability to process feedback .
As the conversation on veterinary professionalism begins , veterinarians will increase their attention to this concept , and that is a good thing . Self-reflection is a good place to start and some veterinarians may see themselves as someone whose behaviour may have lacked in civility from time to time . Increasing one ’ s conscious awareness of professionalism in their own interactions and those of others is always beneficial . It creates opportunities to practice civility and professionalism with the knowledge of its potential impact on workplace culture , staff morale and productivity , public confidence in the profession , and patient outcomes . The College looks forward to continuing this conversation with the veterinary profession .
References :
Kaufmann , Michael ( March , 2014 ). The five fundamentals of civility for physicians : initiating an important conversation – series introduction . Ontario Medical Review , pages 13-15 .
Mossop , Elizabeth . ( 2012 ). Defining and teaching veterinary professionalism . Thesis : University of Nottingham . Retrieved on May 19 , 2017 at https :// core . ac . uk / download / pdf / 9404384 . pdf
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