The document discusses teaching professionalism in clinical pharmacy practice. It defines clinical pharmacists as licensed practitioners who provide comprehensive medication management and care for patients. The goal of clinical pharmacy education is to develop pharmacists with appropriate skills, knowledge, attitudes and values to be competent professionals. It emphasizes that professionalism consists of both attitudes and behaviors. Some key attitudes include accountability, caring, honesty and respect. Teaching professionalism should begin early in education and focus on developing positive role models, environments, and addressing challenges like communication barriers.

1. Dr Sitaram Khadka
PharmD(Pak),PGDDM(Ind),RPh
Clinical Pharmacist
Shree Birendra Hospital, Chhauni
Teaching Professionalism in
Clinical Pharmacy Practice

2. The goal of clinical pharmacy education is to
prepare pharmacists with the appropriate skills,
attitudes, knowledge, and values to make them
competent professionals.

3. Clinical Pharmacy as a Profession
Clinical pharmacists are practitioners who provide
comprehensive medication management and related
care for patients in all health care settings
They are licensed pharmacists with specialized
advanced education and training who possess the
clinical competencies necessary to practice in team-
based, direct patient care environments

4. Pharmacist
Professional
Commercial Personal
Skill
Attitude
Knowledge

5. Profession and Professionalism
Profession…
 The existence of a specialized body of knowledge,
possession and the use of which enables to perform
a highly useful social function.
 Society depends on the smooth functioning of the
professions.
• Occupation or trade Vs Profession

6. Profession
Specialized
Training/
Formal
Education Service
Orientatio
n
Leader
ship
Ethics/
Ideology
Knowledge
& Skills
Accounta
bility
to work
Recognized
setting
Pride in
Profession

7. Professionalism…
 Merriam-Webster’s defines professionalism as
a “set of attitudes and behaviors believed to
be appropriate to a particular occupation
 American Pharmacists Association Students
of Pharmacy (now the Academy of Student
Pharmacists) and the AACP (American
Association of Colleges of Pharmacy) has
described professionalism as ‘‘the active
demonstration of the traits of a professional.’’

8.  Professionalism:
 comprised of attitudes and behaviors.
 Attitudes
 often described and measured because of their
relationship to behaviors.
 A professional attitude
 a feeling, emotion, or thought that upholds the
ideals of a profession and serves as the basis for
professional behavior.

9. Attitudinal attributes of professionals are:
 Use of the professional organization as a major
reference,
 Belief in service to the public,
 Sense of calling to the field,
 Autonomy.

10.  Professional behavior
 can also be described as “behavioral
professionalism”
 behaving in a manner to achieve optimal outcomes
in professional tasks and interactions

11. Professional attitudes and corresponding behaviors
Attitude Behavior
Accountability Takes responsibility for actions
Caring Volunteering
Acts of service
Desire for Self-
improvement
Continued learning
Self-instruction
Diversity Fair treatment of all people regardless of demographic
characteristics
Honesty Behaviors that demonstrate honesty and
trustworthiness
Open-minded Increased receptiveness to new ideas
Respect Dresses appropriately
Punctual
Maintains confidentiality
Responsibility to learn Comes to workplace prepared
Actively participates in class activities, such as
engages in discussion
Team Player Engages in constructive peer assessment
Accepts and applies constructive critique
Values new experience Desire to seek out and take on new challenges

12. Character
Personal
Reliabilit
y
Connection
Interpersona
l
Compatibilit
y
Competenc
e
Profession
al
Capability
Professionalism
in Pharmacy

13. As given by American College of Clinical Pharmacology
(ACCP) …
Tenets of Professionalism for Pharmacy Students:
 Altruism
 Honesty and integrity
 Respect for others
 Professional presence
 Professional stewardship
 Dedication and commitment to excellence

14. Clinical pharmacist
Professionalism n’ Ethics
 Clinical pharmacists have a covenantal, “fiducial” relationship
with their patients.
 This relationship relies on the trust placed in the clinical
pharmacist by the patient and the commitment of the clinical
pharmacist to act in the best interest of individual patients and
patient populations, within the context of legal and ethical
parameters.
 Clinical pharmacists exhibit the traits of professionalism:
responsibility, commitment to excellence, respect for others,
honesty and integrity, and care and compassion.
 They subscribe to the pharmacy profession’s code of ethics and
adhere to all pharmacist-related legal and ethical standards.

15. Teaching professionalism

16. Professionalization or the development of
professionalism must begin at the earliest stage of
professional education.

17. The greatest influence on students attitudes and
behaviors are:
1.The values and behaviors that students bring into
professional programs
2. Role models in the profession
3. Environments

18. It is important to remember that students can be
“negatively” socialized just as easily as they can be
“positively” socialized.
If a student comes into a program with values
incompatible with those of the profession and the
academic program, has negative role models and
learns to practice in an unprofessional environment,
there is a probability that student will neither
develop nor exhibit a high level of professionalism.

19.  Colleges may have some or limited control over the
influential factors for professionalism.
 More “personal admission” processes can help us to
identify students’ attitudes as well as some
personality traits, communication skills and other
abilities.

20.  Students’ role models come in the form of more senior
students, teaching assistants, faculty members & staff,
administrators.
We need to ask ourselves “are these parties serving as
positive professional role models for our students?”
 If the answer is NO, then why not? What can the
colleges do to enhance the professionalism of these
role models in their interactions with our
students/practitioners?

21.  Colleges have some control over the learning
environment.
How professional are our classrooms and
laboratories? faculty members’ offices? the
physical building(s) itself?
How professional are the experiential settings in
which students are practicing?
 These questions need to be answered to be able
to establish programs to foster professional
attitudes and behaviors.

22.  Four phases of the educational process where
colleges could help to identify, develop and enhance
student professionalism:
Recruitment,
Admissions,
Educational programs, and
 Interface with practice.

23. Examples…
 The colleges’ code of ethics/conduct.
 Admissions criteria, policies, and procedures
should give consideration not only to scholastic
accomplishments, but also to other factors such as
motivation, hospitals, Communities and
communication capabilities.
 Efforts should be made in the selection of
students to foster diversity.

24. Why is Professionalism important?
 Impression of you
 Impression of the profession
 Credibility
 Improved relationships
Healthcare team
Patients
 Career security…

25. “Professionalism is not sportsmanship…if you
don’t succeed, you won’t be in your profession
for long…”

26. Challenges in teaching professionalism
 Lack of understanding
 HOW to teach and evaluate professionalism
 Communication barriers
 Generation gap
 Discomfort with discussing professionalism
 Incomplete professionalization of the practice
environment

27. Strategies for teaching professionalism in clinical
practice
Before the learner begins…
Set expectations for professional behavior as they relate to our
practice site
Absences and tardiness
• Following a standard practice schedule
Examine your practice environment
Is it conducive to professional behavior?

28. Dress code
• Variation with specific patient populations
Subject matter/Clinical skills
Better outcome
Interactions with patients and other health care
providers
• Emphasis on service and patient loyalty

29. When the learner begins...
 Incorporate professionalism discussion into
orientation
What does professionalism mean to you as a
pharmacist?
Why is it important?
How will it be evaluated and assessed during this
experience?

30.  Review specific expectations
Policies related to dress code, tardiness, patient
confidentiality, cell phone use…
• Review evaluation criteria and consequences of
failing to meet expectations for professional
behavior.

31. Pharmaceutical code of ethics
 Generally evolved from the medical code of ethics.
 Include guidelines for the pharmacist’s behavior and attitude
both at the personal and professional levels.
Basis of moral values
• The Pharmacist- Patient relationship.
• The Pharmacist- Colleagues relationship.
• The pharmacist’s self-improvement at the professional
level.
Duties of pharmacists:
• Pharmacist in relation to his job
• Pharmacist in relation to his trade
• Pharmacist in relation to medical profession
• Pharmacist in relation to his profession

32. Professionalism isn’t JUST the job you
DO...it’s HOW you DO the job

33. Thank you

34. Any questions???