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Gracious Professionalism
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Gracious Professionalism
Level 1 Fieldwork: Pediatric Practice
By: Mariah Cadzow
What is it?
Gracious professionalism is the act of extending understanding and kindness to those around you in a professional setting, whether that be your clients or your colleagues.
How does it connect to my faith?
Grace, to me, is one of the most beautiful ideas within the Christian faith. But despite its beauty in theory, it is also at times a very difficult thing to give to others. It is not as easy to treat others as Jesus treated them, but we can try to do so and that is what I believe gracious professionalism to be. It is an attempt to provide others with the understanding, forgiveness, and acceptance we were first given by Him. In the following examples (1-3), my fufillment of promises I've made, my desire to do good, and my desire to understand, respectively, are all attributes in which Jesus had lived by and has taught us to live by.
Example 1
I was able to practice gracious professionalism through aiding my teachers when students were not paying attention during group work. When my teachers would begin to get frustrated with their larger groups of children, I would sit beside the kids and ask them different questions about their tasks and model good listening behavior in effort to redirect their attention back to the tasks at hand and their teachers.
OT Ethics Connection
Fidelity
Connection
Definition
"Occupational therapy personnel shall treat clients (persons, groups, or populations), colleagues, and other professionals with respect, fairness, discretion, and integrity" (AOTA, 2020, p. 4).
According to the AOTA, fidelity is a duty to follow up on a commitment once made, out of respect and fairness to your colleagues (AOTA, 2020). Before starting fieldwork I made a promise to be involved and helpful in the classroom. Inserting myself into student groups not only fulfilled this promise, but was based upon the respect for my teacher and my understanding of the unfairness of the hand she was dealt being given upwards of 18 children with diverse needs to handle and organize on her own.
Example 2
Example 2
Another example of gracious professionalism was when one of our students did not put in her snack choice for the afternoon, assuming that she had placed her snack within her bag before school, which she did not. She had come up to me and said she was really hungry, but felt like she could not tell Mrs. Stotler what had happened because of previously established rules. (If you do not place your snack stick in the designated cups, you do not get a snack.) I asked Mrs. Stotler discreetly if she was able to make an exception given the student's prior record of responsibility within this task, and she accepted. Nora, the student, was so happy and appreciative! I believe she deserved the benefit of the doubt and I was so happy that Mrs. Stotler agreed.
OT Ethics Connection
Beneficence
Connection
Definition
"Occupational therapy personnel shall demonstrate a
concern for the well-being and safety of persons" (AOTA, 2020, p. 3).
While not a safety hazard by any means, being hungry during school hours is unenjoyable and quite distracting when trying to focus on school assignments. I believe that by advocating for Nora to have a snack in a discreet manner, I was able to practice beneficence and act out of concern for her well-being.
Example 3
Example 3
The last example of gracious professionalism I have to share is the bettering of my understanding of the coping mechanisms of teachers and paraprofessionals. While others might have perceived some comments out of context to be crass or without sensitivity, I was able to see how humor allowed them to better get through their days and allowed myself to laugh along with them. The comments made to each other out of earshot of the children and the knowing looks across the room were clearly made to boost morale within difficult days and better prepare themselves for their face-to-face time with the students. There were some difficult behaviors within their classroom and even with three professionals it was clear that the class was at maximum capacity. I praise all three of them for their patience and ability to go back to the school, day in and day out, knowing that their classroom is still rising in numbers and many of their students do not have the behavioral supports that they need.
OT Ethics Connection
Fidelity
Description
Connection
"Occupational therapy personnel shall treat clients (persons, groups, or populations), colleagues, and other professionals with respect, fairness, discretion, and integrity" (AOTA, 2020, p. 4).
Within this example, I believe I demonstrated respect, fairness, and discretion. None of the women I worked with were ill-natured in any way and it was clear that they were invested in helping all of their students succeed. However, no one is above making jokes or comments to improve the attitudes and morale within a group. Even when they made comments, they would acknowledge how hard it is to keep one's environment in context when talking about unfavorable behaviors of their children. I respect these women and what they do and it would be unfair of me to judge how they cope with difficult days, much less display what they said out-of-context to others.
Area of Growth
Area of Growth
I would like to grow in respecting my clients and colleagues opinions and refrain from giving my input unless asked. Although I believe helping Nora was ultimately a beneficent act, she was scared to talk to Mrs. Stotler and asked me not to for fear of getting in trouble. I think there was a lesson to be learned there, although it ended up working out well in this situation. I had an ethical dilemma that ended up being resolved sufficiently, but I need to learn that respecting one's desires, privacy, and their own autonomy is essential, even if in my clinical opinion their decision might cause them harm.
OT Ethics Connection
Autonomy
Connection
Definition
"Occupational therapy personnel shall respect the right of the person to self-determination, privacy, confidentiality, and consent" (AOTA, 2020, p. 3).
The ethical principle I need to grow within is autonomy. My first instinct is to do good or help an individual in need, which I believe is natural of anyone in a service field. However, ultimately, the field we belong to is client-centered and although I believe we are responsible for guiding clients in the right direction towards their health it is never our place to tell them what to do. If we are to expect them to form any kind of independence, we must trust them first to guide their own healthcare decisions and respect the context in which they made their decision.
COAST Goal
My Goal
To improve participation in education, Mariah will independently create a list of 3 situations where she could grow ethically during Level 1 Adult Practice Fieldwork and provide 1 example of what she would do differently for each situation while connecting her explanation to the AOTA Code of Ethics by the end of Level 1 Adult Practice Fieldwork (early August 2023).
Action Steps
- Create Google Doc with table at the beginning of summer semester (Early May)
Action Steps
- Create deadlines to enter each situation example and abide by them
- Ex: Situation 1 by Week 5, Situation 2 by Week 10, Situation 3 by Week 15
References
American Occupational Therapy Association
[AOTA]. (2020). Occupational therapy code of ethics. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl.3), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S3006