Health professionals need to know their professional identity and the responsibility that goes with it. We care for patients and their families at their most vulnerable moments, but our identity and our responsibility extend beyond the bedside. Our personal opinions on health issues are interpreted as a professional opinion so it is important to conscientiously reflect on what we choose to say and what we choose to share publicly (Hamp 2019).
We have all been asked by friends and family our opinion on something health-related: Can you come and see Sally? I think she has a chest infection. Can you show my dad how to use his puffer? Should we go to the emergency room or urgent care center for this?
The same is true on social media. They trust us, they trust our information. Are we worthy of that trust? We should be paying attention to the information we share and the repercussions on our professional identity.
Our professional identity has a lot to do with where we “fit” within the health care system. As an Ontario Respiratory Therapist, I represent my regulatory college, organizations I am a member of, facilities I am/was employed at, schools I attended, and ultimately, I represent the Canadian Health Care System. An understanding of this system is necessary if we are to understand our role within it.
The Canadian Health System is not one system but thirteen. Health services have historically always fallen under provincial jurisdiction and as the provinces developed their own universal health plans, the federal government recognized the value of publicly-funded health care and worked with the provinces to establish cost-sharing legislation and progressively expand the public health system to what we know today as the Canada Health Act. This piece of legislation was always intended to promote provincial compliance with the principles of public administration, universality, accessibility, portability, and comprehensiveness (Health Canada 2012).
The system, however well-intended, is not flawless and health professionals are located at the point-of-care to witness inequities and gaps the system creates. In hospital I witness patients receiving their prescribed medications as ordered, until the time comes for discharge and all of a sudden, the same medications are no longer covered by a system that once deemed them “medically necessary”. I see where resources are invested, and where they aren’t. The frustrations working in health care are real. Indeed, the system needs help abiding by its own principles. Health care professionals know where we can do better, we should know. After all, our obligations, and standards of care as health professionals are to the public, we are used to finding solutions.
Reflecting on clinical experiences and the intention of the system that I operate in; my professional values can be summed up into two priorities: Clinical excellence and advocacy for our public health system. I value evidence-based practice, quality indicators and performance goals, as well as program advocacy to improve and grow Canada’s universal health care system. The information that affects my opinion will be of the highest quality, and I will not shy from adjusting my opinions as new or better information arises. Above all I will continue to improve upon my practice and advocate for the betterment of the system in which I provide care.
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