Communications In Real or Online Settings
- Remember: All types of written or spoken communications are subject to University policy, must always respect patient confidentiality, and may be shared without your consent.
- Like the Surgical Pause, practice ‘pause and reflect’ before communicating.
- Personal correspondence about professional activity may be misconstrued and/or taken out of context.
- Be aware that your personal interactions may be considered disruptive in a professional context.
- When you know or ought to have known that you are working for McMaster, you likely are! Professional communications are expected in all aspects of your work.
Hospital Partners
McMaster University values its relationships with its hospital partners, and strives to work collaboratively with them to achieve a shared vision for professionalism.
As a Team Member
- Be aware of the impact of your behaviour.
- Maintain confidentiality and integrity.
- Affirm and support your team.
- Don’t engage in gossip.
- Arrive on time.
- Value honesty, integrity, and accountability to yourself, your profession, and your team.
- Embrace appropriate transparency and effective collaboration.
Professionalism In...
Patient Care
[Source: CPSO.on.ca]
The doctor-patient relationship is the foundation of the practice of medicine. It reflects the values of compassion, service, altruism, and trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship; without trust, a good doctor-patient relationship cannot exist.
Communicate
- Compassion is fundamental to the relation ship between the patient and the doctor.
- Compassion is defined as a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.
- A physician’s primary responsibility is to the individual patient before themself.
- A physician should always welcome questions and provide prompt and accurate information.
Altruism/Putting Patient Interest First
- Altruism in medicine is defined as practising unselfishly and with a regard for others.
- Patients’ needs are paramount and must be considered before the individual physician’s needs, the needs of physicians as a group, or the public as a whole.
- When providing care to a patient, a physician should always put that patient first.
Learners
We strive to treat our learners with respect and demonstrate patience and empathy, ensuring that we provide a positive learning environment.
Practice
McMaster University Professional Domains:
#1 – Professional Responsibility/Integrity
- Completes required tasks
- Truthful and honest
- Takes appropriate responsibility
- Respects confidentiality
- Respects learning environment and resources
- Balances personal interests with the needs of others
#2 – Pursuit of Excellence/Insight
- Willing to learn from feedback
- Able to acknowledge personal limits
- Commitment to continued development
- Takes action in the face of potential impairment
- Takes initiative
#3 – Personal Interactions
- Respectful toward others
- Accepting of different points of view
- Willing to reflect, receive feedback, and see the impact of self on others
- Appreciates personal stress impacts interaction with others
- Appears professional in a setting that inspires trust
Social Media
McMaster University’s Department of Surgery upholds the CPSO’s core mandates for appropriate social media use by health care professionals. They are:
- Comply with all legal and professional obligations to maintain patient privacy and confidentiality.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with patients and those close to them.
- Maintain professional and respectful relationships with patients, colleagues, and other members of the health-care team.
- Comply with relevant legislation with respect to physician advertising.
- Comply with the law related to defamation, copyright, and plagiarism when posting content online.
- Avoid conflicts of interest.