For my first blog I have written about they kind of professional identity that I want to have as well as my professional values. I have also indicate where I fit in the healthcare system and provided a recap of the social media and professionalism audit that I conducted on myself from our unit 1 lesson in the MHST/NURS 601: Philosophical Foundations of Health Systems course I am currently taking at Athabasca University,
Professional Identity and Values
Professional Identity is defined by Ibarra (1999) as, “ones professional self-concept based on attributes, beliefs, values, motives and experiences” (Ibarra, 1993). I have to say that my professional identity is still being established and I think that it will continue to grow throughout my career. With my current employer I have developed a professional identity rooted in quality assurance and being able to provide products that are to customer satisfaction and where quality, effectiveness, integrity, compliance, safety are key values. These values are also established in my company’s manuals, policies and procedures. However with my area of interest in public health I want to have a professional identity that is rooted in public health and being able to advocate for health polices and programs throughout our communities. With values being based on my beliefs as well as through relative organizations such as: Health Canada, The Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Health Ontario, Health Quality Ontario and other values obtained from previous experiences (such as where I currently work).
Where do I fit in the healthcare system?
I fit into the healthcare system as a consumer. I am a Canadian citizen who uses the healthcare system and is affected by the decisions that are made at the regulatory both federal and provincial levels.
Social Media and Professionalism Audit Recap
During the courses social media and professionalism audit I found that due to me not using social media as often (merely to keep in touch with families and friends) I didn’t find anything unexpected or that portrayed me in a way that I didn’t want to be seen by the world. As social media has become a tool used by so many more frequently and is a platform for one to voice their thoughts and opinions it is important that one develops an appropriate social media presence. An appropriate social media presence is one that is respectful and considerate of others (the general public) and your audience. It is essential to keep in mind that anything posted on social media is not only a reflection of yourself, but also a reflection on the profession and organizations that you are associated with. According to Ventola (2014), common guidelines for the use of social media include the following: content credibility, legal concerns, licensing concerns, networking practices, patient care, patient privacy, personal privacy, professional ethics and self-identification.
Professional ethical standards also need to be considered when using social media as there are guidelines that need to be followed. Different professions have there own set of guidelines that are to be followed by employees, if they are required to use social media. In my current position I am not required to use social media, however there are designates who are responsible, in which there are policies and procedures in place for them to follow. Although I am not required to use social media there are still other regulatory policies and procedures at work in which I follow that can result in non-conformance, corrective and preventative action, recalls, removal of licence etc. if they are not. Therefore I am accountable for my actions and have to ensure that I follow these rules and regulations.
What kind of professional identity do you want to establish? What is your social media and professional presence? Try and perform an audit on yourself and see what results you may find. You may be surprised.
Reference:
Ibarra. H. (1999). Provisional Selves: Experimenting with Image and Identity in Professional Adaptation. Administrative Science Quarterly 44(4): 764-791. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018726710384290?journalCode=huma
Ventola, C.L. (2014). Social Media and Health Care Professionals: Benefits, Risks, and Best Practices. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(7). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/
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