Professionalism

[Guest guest]

List,

At the risk of beating a dead horse with this Mini-me thing, I will

make one set of comments. Since a district director weight in on

this, I am commenting as an officer of LPA.

Differences in opinions are common with large groups of people.

However, if you want the world to treat us with respect and not

demean us, then you are going to have to treat each other with

respect and you must conduct yourself as professionals - regardless

of your differences.

Those of you who are officers in LPA are far more limited in " free

speech " on this list - even though it is not LPA sanctioned.

Remember, you are representing LPA to many who are not members and

you should conduct yourself accordingly. Please be careful.

As for the remainder of you who are not officers and/or not members,

you are at the moderator's mercy.

Randy Bradford

Senior VP

[Guest guest]

Depends on what you mean by professional. If it is in the sense of a " degreed,

educated person " held in the same esteem as a doctor, pharmacist or anyone else

with a 4+ schooling (Phd/MA/MS/BA), it just won't happen. Certification just

can't compete with that.

If professional means, " showing up for work clean, dressed for what ever your

work place wants, using common courtesy for everyone and doing your job with

minimal drama " , yeah that is important. I have quit jobs because of night mare

co workers who dragged all their personal crap to work. Who wants to work with

the mini soap opera next to them?

So why be professional?

1. You are getting paid to act like an adult with a fully functional brain.

*2.Do you get warm fuzzies, when the gum smacking tech, flips your script on the

counter, meanwhile bitching to another co worker how badly her/his life sucks?

Bonus points if she/he has that " I clubbed all night and rolled into here at 830

am. "

Just because you make a hair above minimum wage for working retail, doesn't mean

you should phone the work ethic in. Everyone knows Retail pay bites. Yeah, the

pharmacist makes $90K+, and you think he/she sits on his butt doing nothing,

while you run ragged. That's the privilege of 6 years of higher education and

probably $100K in student loan debt.

I'd like to think a tech job is more than being able to fogging up a mirror and

counting by 5s.

*No, I didn't make that up. A local pharmacy has said tech. When I must get my

RXs filled there, I don't leave until I visually ID the pills and count them.

Doesn't help the pharmacist is basically there for his license. It's like

Christmas whenever you pick up a script there. Never know just what will be in

the bag. Lol....

Nan

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

[Guest guest]

Teachers, Doctors, Nurses, Attorneys, Pharmacists are considred professionals as

they have a profession due to their education. I agree. Well put.

Here are some website definitions of the word profession:

- the body of people in a learned occupation; " the news spread rapidly through

the medical profession " ; " they formed a community of scientists "

- an occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or

sciences)

wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/

" A profession is a vocation founded upon specialised educational training, the

purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a

direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other

business gain " .

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession

Here are some web definitions of 'professional'

- engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood;

" the professional man or woman possesses distinctive qualifications ...

- a person engaged in one of the learned professions

- master: an authority qualified to teach apprentices

wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

A person who belongs to a profession; A person who earns his living from a

specified activity; An expert; Of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the

standards of a profession; That is carried out for money, especially as a

livelihood; Expert

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/professional

professional - A person who practices an occupation involving high standards of

intellectual knowledge after successfully completing the required education and

training.

www.faststart.state.ri.us/bfs_glossary.html

And I also agree that we all must act professionally.

Here are some web definitions of the word 'professionally':

-in a professional manner; " professionally trained staff "

wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

3 : following a line of conduct as though it were a profession

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professionally

Acting professionally means conducting one's self AS IF he or she

had a " vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of

which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and

definite compensation " .

Technicians can not counsel a patient, but a hairdresser counsels a client.

Hairdressers are professionals. But I can tell you many do not act

professionally.

Conducting one's self AS IF on also " practices an occupation involving high

standards of intellectual knowledge after successfully completing the required

education and training. " Technicians do not have such intellectual knowledge

nor education or training to be considered an expert in pharmacy or

pharmacology. But Pharmacists do. BOTH MUST act ethically, professionally and

with honor and integrity.

Anything else is unacceptable.

Hope this clears up WHY!

HOW we answer these posts must be professional as well.

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Founder/Owner

[Guest guest]

>

> We must all act in a professional manner, as pharmacy technicians.

I don't feel my point came across well. I'd like to present it in a different

manner, with the hope of being better undestood. (This will be my last post on

the topic.).

A retail cashier is expected to be personable, well-groomed, accurately make

change, work with a sense of urgency. A cashier who excels in these areas and

loves what they do might refer to herself as being professional (or exhibiting

professionalism).

However, when we encounter a rude, smelly, short-changing and slothful cashier

we don't say " oh, she's so unprofessional. " We just say that she's not a very

good cashier. That she shouldn't be in that job.

That is my concern in a nutshell. The selective application of the term for what

appears to be personal marketing or occupational advocacy.

You can google for professional baby sitters, truck drives, retail sales. You'll

find a *ton* of hits.

I'd bet real money that if I visited a forum of professional baby sitters they'd

insist that they are professionals, exhibiting professional behavior. But,

they'd balk at accepting truck drivers share a similar nature. If I go to a

truck-driver forum, it would be the opposite (seeing no comparison between their

" professionalism " and baby sitters, or solid-waste handlers).

In each case, if a poor performer is encountered nobody would them as as

" unprofessional. " We all know that wouldn't sound right. They'd just be called a

bad (receptionist, salesman, bus driver, lawn mower).

Self-promotion or advocacy of one's occupation is ok as long as it's understood

that's what's happening.

My concern is that the overuse of the term falsely elevates an occupation

(well-intentioned as advocacy may be) instead of actually elevating the

occupation. That could diminish the drive for greater status and responsibility

(pretending that it exists in the occupation's current form). It could obscure

the fact that, after all the advocacy, we're still the people who can't eat

snacks on the job because we might steel medications. Or, we're still the ones

earning $18k compared to the professional pharmacist who earns $90k.

If the pharmacist engages in behavior beneath that which is expected for her

profession, she'll be referred to as " unprofessional. " But, if the tech lives

down to the status of not being trusted with snacks in the pharmacy, they'll

just be " not a very good tech. "

I hope that different perspective clarifies what I mean. I understand why my

previous posts may have sounded like it was just a matter of semantics. I

appreciate the opportunity to clarify. If anyone disagrees, I hope they will at

least appreciate my perspective.

I don't think I can clarify it better, so this will be my last comment. But, if

anyone sees a fault in my reasoning, please feel free to comment. It won't

prolong the discussion. Yours will be the last word.

Mark

[Guest guest]

Dear Mark,

I do not need to be the last word. But I do sense that " we " have posted on this

topic more that others care to read about. However if you still have further

comment feel free.

I understand completely what you have said. I just happen to disagree with the

words " to act professional " or " in a professional manner " .

And yes even though the cashier " is not a professional " due to lack of education

for the distinction of cashier, I WOULD say that she is " not acting

professionally " or she is " not acting in a professional manner " .

I agree with you on the technicality of the words professional,

professionally,and professionalism. Your points are well taken. However in

REALITY people do refer to the actions of one as professional or not being

professional. And one does not mean in the sense of an educated person with a

degree or title but the " manner " in which one conducts his/herself.

I CAN act so professionally that the patient may have difficulty in knowing who

is the pharmacist and who is the tech. That is the WAY it should be, with the

exception that I would have to call the pharmacist over to do counseling or

perform a final check/verification etc., things that I can not do because I am

not the " professional " , I am not the pharmacist with the degree and education to

do the counseling. But my attitude, my demeanor, my actions are in a

professional manner that is expected of a professional.

I don't know of any other way to explain my thoughts either. But much is

'accepted' language. We must understand and accept that ONLY the pharmacist is

the professional who can verify and order, counsel the patient, do drug

substitutions etc, but that pharmacy tecnicians should pattern their behavior

after that of the professional and act professionally within the limitations of

the law.

Working within the Pharmacy Technician Code of Ethics written by AAPT, defines

my professional behavior; the code by which I must work by. Interestingly enough

'we' tend to believe that only professions have codes. Again we don't see a code

of ethics for babysitters, yet we do not expect or desire a babysitter to put

our children in a closet just because the baby/child would not stop crying. Not

so true with pharmacy technicians. There IS a CODE of Ethics, which tells us

exactly how to act on the job. But again we are not professionals.

Okay I really don't have anything to add.

There will always be a split on this discusson and there always has been. I have

argued that we are not professionals for years.

See previous discussions by using the search for THIS site as well as on other

sites. But I have equally argued that we must act professionally.

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Founder/Owner of this site

> >

> > We must all act in a professional manner, as pharmacy technicians.

>

> I don't feel my point came across well. I'd like to present it in a different

manner, with the hope of being better undestood. (This will be my last post on

the topic.).

>

> A retail cashier is expected to be personable, well-groomed, accurately make

change, work with a sense of urgency. A cashier who excels in these areas and

loves what they do might refer to herself as being professional (or exhibiting

professionalism).

>

> However, when we encounter a rude, smelly, short-changing and slothful cashier

we don't say " oh, she's so unprofessional. " We just say that she's not a very

good cashier. That she shouldn't be in that job.

>

> That is my concern in a nutshell. The selective application of the term for

what appears to be personal marketing or occupational advocacy.

>

> You can google for professional baby sitters, truck drives, retail sales.

You'll find a *ton* of hits.

>

> I'd bet real money that if I visited a forum of professional baby sitters

they'd insist that they are professionals, exhibiting professional behavior.

But, they'd balk at accepting truck drivers share a similar nature. If I go to a

truck-driver forum, it would be the opposite (seeing no comparison between their

" professionalism " and baby sitters, or solid-waste handlers).

>

> In each case, if a poor performer is encountered nobody would them as as

" unprofessional. " We all know that wouldn't sound right. They'd just be called a

bad (receptionist, salesman, bus driver, lawn mower).

>

> Self-promotion or advocacy of one's occupation is ok as long as it's

understood that's what's happening.

>

> My concern is that the overuse of the term falsely elevates an occupation

(well-intentioned as advocacy may be) instead of actually elevating the

occupation. That could diminish the drive for greater status and responsibility

(pretending that it exists in the occupation's current form). It could obscure

the fact that, after all the advocacy, we're still the people who can't eat

snacks on the job because we might steel medications. Or, we're still the ones

earning $18k compared to the professional pharmacist who earns $90k.

>

> If the pharmacist engages in behavior beneath that which is expected for her

profession, she'll be referred to as " unprofessional. " But, if the tech lives

down to the status of not being trusted with snacks in the pharmacy, they'll

just be " not a very good tech. "

>

> I hope that different perspective clarifies what I mean. I understand why my

previous posts may have sounded like it was just a matter of semantics. I

appreciate the opportunity to clarify. If anyone disagrees, I hope they will at

least appreciate my perspective.

>

> I don't think I can clarify it better, so this will be my last comment. But,

if anyone sees a fault in my reasoning, please feel free to comment. It won't

prolong the discussion. Yours will be the last word.

>

> Mark

>