While navigating through the beginning of this course, I have learned about the importance of professional identities. I have been able to identify what kind of professional identity I wish to have. A professional identity is defined as how a person views themselves based on their beliefs, motives, attributes, and experiences (Slay, H. S., Smith, D. A., 2010). I want my professional identity to reflect who I am at my core and my constant strive for excellence. The values I would consider to be the most important to me are:
Integrity – I believe it is essential to be transparent with information sharing and always do what I say.
Collaboration – I believe collaboration is a significant value, especially within the healthcare field. I think it is vital to help one another and engage anyone affected by my decision making openly and honestly.
Adaptability – I believe this is an extremely important value, as being able to adapt, change, learn, and see new opportunities are essential in the health care field. I have notably experienced this during the current pandemic when I have had to completely change the way I work and find new ways to fulfill our Blood donation requirements.
Growth – I believe it is crucial to be continually growing and changing. Being able to take constructive criticism and learning from it is how we adjust and become better professionals.
I want to be able to show these professional values in my workplace and through my online professional identity.
With the growing usage of social media, it is important to remember that everything you put on the internet stays on the internet, and anything you post can directly affect your professional identity. There is an increasing rate of people losing their jobs over unfavorable views or comments they may post on social media (Monkhouse Law, 2020). For example, an Anaconda mining fires employee was terminated for unfriendly posts made on social media (Dixit, P., 2020). The posts this person made has now ended his professional career at that company and has likely made him an unfavorable candidate for any other organization. This is why it is essential to determine the professional identity you want to have and make sure everything you post aligns with your personal and professional values on social media. For example, a study done in 2019 found that developing a professional identity is extremely important to medical students' professional success and their professional outcomes (Jawed, S., Mahboob, U., and Yasmeen, R., 2019). While I have not shaped my professional identity online as much as I would like to, it is something I am currently working on and developing more and more every day.
In my current role, I work with many different healthcare professionals to make sure we are always meeting Canadian patients' needs. I often work with transfusion medicine doctors, hospital representatives, organ transplant specialists, and many other medical professionals to ensure that Canadian Patients receive the whole blood, plasma, platelets, organs, stem cells, and tissues that they need to survive. Although I do not provide any care within the healthcare system, I do provide the supplies for professionals to provide primary and secondary care to individuals within Canada (Government of Canada, 2019). Although my place in the healthcare system is not as apparent as others, I take pride in what I do and ensure I am always showing my professional values, which, luckily for me, closely align with my employer's values.
Ultimately, I am relatively new to the professional world, but I think I have done an excellent job shaping my professional identity and making sure it emulates my core values. I am still working on building my online professional identity, but I am growing my network every day.
References
Dixit, P. (2020). Anaconda Mining fires employee for racist, homophobic social media posts. CBC. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/social-media-fired-employee-1.5734439
Government of Canada. (2019). Canada’s Healthcare System. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/reports-publications/health-care-system/canada.html#a5
Jawed, S., Mahboob, U., and Yasmeen, R. (2019). Digital professional identity: Dear Internet! Who am I?. The National Center for Rural Health Professions, 32 (1), 32-35. Retrieved from https://www.educationforhealth.net/article.asp?issn=1357-6283;year=2019;volume=32;issue=1;spage=33;epage=35;aulast=Jawed
Monkhouse Law. (2020) Can You Get Fired For What You Post On Social Media? Retrieved from https://www.monkhouselaw.com/can-you-get-fired-for-post-on-social-media/
Slay, H. S., Smith, D. A. (2010). Professional identity construction: Using narrative to understand the negotiation of professional and stigmatized cultural identities. Sage Journals. 64 (1), 85-107. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0018726710384290
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