From my clinical practicum experience for nuclear medicine at the David Thompson hospital in Red Deer, Alberta (for Alberta Health Services) I learned much about professionalism and how I wanted to project professionalism to others (whether it be to a patient in my care or to my coworkers or clinicians). I was educated in my studies about patient consent and confidentiality, as well as best practices for patient safety and care, and radiation safety as it pertained to for patients and myself. I had learned that I had a due diligence to be honest and forthright in my dealings with patients in my care during their diagnostic studies. I also needed to be accountable should I make any mistakes. This came easy for me as I had been brought up with great emphasis on integrity and assuming responsibility for my actions. In the setting of nuclear medicine, it was my responsibility to ensure I was always practicing the proper methodologies I had learned in school for best practice.
These such values of honesty, accountability and transparency have translated into my current role as a clinical analyst with Alberta Health Services so that I can maintain ethical behaviour as I deal with clinicians daily with their patients’ medical records and chart integrity. I do work for a provincially funded healthcare organization as a general employee, Alberta Health Services. As such, I am to maintain AHS’s Code of Conduct of ensuring ethical behaviour through ‘compassion, accountability, respect, excellence, and safety’ as the mission statement under this policy states its purpose as ‘to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.’ As a Canadian citizen, I reserve the right of freedom of speech in that I will speak out and question unethical behaviour that I’ve observed within the health organization that I work for, which now currently is AHS.
How can I bridge this to where I would like to transition with clinical research? As a clinical scientist a specific code of ethics applies to us. We are to remain unbiased when we present gathered data. Scientists are to behave ethically without accepting financial incentive offers to manipulate and skew data, so that data integrity can be maintained. This ensures truth remains intact to the public, as science is not a perspective, it is reality (International Academy of Science Code of Ethics). I appreciated that this code also included that members must remain open to honest criticism of fellow colleagues as well as treating all persons fairly. I will strive to emulate these values.
In terms of my professional social media presence (which is restricted to only one application; LinkedIn) I have integrated these values to maintain a high level of professionalism. I am a private individual and believe that keeping my own personal life separated from my professional career and online professional presence will help avoid any potential misinterpretation. For this reason I have chosen not to have any online platforms except for LinkedIn. I have maintained my right to privacy in terms of who can view what is on my LinkedIn page.
I maintain myself with dignity, tact and professionalism when posting on LinkedIn. At the same time, I also believe in healthy discussion, as it stimulates knowledge acquisition, and if done properly can further learning and understanding. Respect for another’s viewpoint must be maintained during such discussions, so that the receiving party feels heard; this then encourages the exchange to remain open and productive. Since LinkedIn’s sole purpose is to network in the professional setting, sources chosen for information sharing must be valid and reliable. In my first blog on my eportfolio, I explore the topic of obtaining legitimate clinical research information as a new graduate student in health research, and I’m learning to apply critical thinking methodology when abstracting data from the internet. Professionalism is all encompassing and to be taken seriously as a professional on such a professional platform, you must substantiate your research-related posts.
I believe self-presentation is essential. Criticizing others, demeaning others, and poor use of language exchange can cloud the online presence of a working professional. Exchanges need to remain respectful. Words are limited in their ability to provide personal context online. To avoid this, using facts to substantiate your words and being clear and concise will present credibility to others. And in the professional setting, credibility, along with integrity, is essential.
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