Display professional behaviour at work

At the early registrar level it is expected that a prevocational doctor displays professional behaviour at work.

This task describes a number of activities, as below, where proficiency should be achievable by the end of PGY3.  The doctor is encouraged to download the key clinical task guidelines and seek the support of his/her supervisor for feedback on performance.

  • Completed Hand Hygiene module; applies hand hygiene in practice
  • Is punctual, efficient and responsive to requests
  • Dresses appropriately
  • Moderates behaviour and is tolerant
  • Makes decisions/communicates with respect
  • Displays an ethical approach in the workplace
  • Supportive of no bullying or harassment in the workplace
  • PGY 1
  • PGY 2
  • PGY 3

  • Collaboration and teamwork

    • Work harmoniously within a team and resolve simple team conflicts
    • Participate in shared decision-making activity involving patients, families and relevant health professionals, such as development of a care plan noting reference to open disclosure in ‘Communication’ section
  • Communication
    • Communicate effectively within multidisciplinary teams, reflecting an understanding of, and respect for, different health professional perspectives
  • Health advocacy
    • Note and understand the Enduring Power of Attorney and the Advanced Care Directives
    • Take into account the impact of history and experience of Indigenous Australians/Maori people, and their spirituality and relationship with the land
  • Judgement and clinical decision making
    • Able to explain processes of diagnostic reasoning
    • Has awareness and acknowledges errors or omissions in own decision making
  • Medical expertise
    • Recognise when a patient is dying and implement an appropriate care plan
    • Identify medical errors or adverse events and implement the appropriate clinical protocols to manage them
  • Leadership and management
    • Know the hospital protocols for managing disruptive behaviours including bullying, discrimination sexual harassment
    • Contribute actively within a committee structure
  • Professionalism
    • Acknowledge ethical complexity of clinical practice, and follow professional and ethical codes (Australian Medical Council and Medical Council New Zealand)
    • Monitor own health and fitness and seek medical help when appropriate
    • Mitigate personal health risks of medical practice, e.g. fatigue, stress
  • Scholarship and teaching
    • Provide constructive, timely and specific feedback to interns based on observation of a junior’s performance, encouraging them to reflect on their own learning
    • Assist with a research trial being undertaken in the organisation that may lead to presentation or publication
      • Frame a clinical question
      • Analyse and present outcome of literature search to colleagues, both oral and written form
      • Apply appropriate statistical methods to answer a clinical question
      • Scholarship and teaching
    • Contribute to unit morbidity/mortality meetings
    • Use current evidence-based resources in own learning, in communicating with patients and in making decisions about the care of patients
  • Technical expertise
    • Attend training sessions undertaken by other members of the multi-disciplinary team

  • Collaboration and teamwork

    • Work harmoniously within a team and resolve simple team conflicts
    • Participate in shared decision-making activity involving patients, families and relevant health professionals, such as development of a care plan noting reference to open disclosure in ‘Communication’ section
  • Communication
    • Communicate effectively within multidisciplinary teams, reflecting an understanding of, and respect for, different health professional perspectives
  • Health advocacy
    • Note and understand the Enduring Power of Attorney and the Advanced Care Directives
    • Take into account the impact of history and experience of Indigenous Australians/Maori people, and their spirituality and relationship with the land
  • Judgement and clinical decision making
    • Able to explain processes of diagnostic reasoning
    • Has awareness and acknowledges errors or omissions in own decision making
  • Medical expertise
    • Recognise when a patient is dying and implement an appropriate care plan
    • Identify medical errors or adverse events and implement the appropriate clinical protocols to manage them
  • Leadership and management
    • Know the hospital protocols for managing disruptive behaviours including bullying, discrimination sexual harassment
    • Contribute actively within a committee structure
  • Professionalism
    • Acknowledge ethical complexity of clinical practice, and follow professional and ethical codes (Australian Medical Council and Medical Council New Zealand)
    • Monitor own health and fitness and seek medical help when appropriate
    • Mitigate personal health risks of medical practice, e.g. fatigue, stress
  • Scholarship and teaching
    • Provide constructive, timely and specific feedback to interns based on observation of a junior’s performance, encouraging them to reflect on their own learning
    • Assist with a research trial being undertaken in the organisation that may lead to presentation or publication
      • Frame a clinical question
      • Analyse and present outcome of literature search to colleagues, both oral and written form
      • Apply appropriate statistical methods to answer a clinical question
      • Scholarship and teaching
    • Contribute to unit morbidity/mortality meetings
    • Use current evidence-based resources in own learning, in communicating with patients and in making decisions about the care of patients
  • Technical expertise
    • Attend training sessions undertaken by other members of the multi-disciplinary team

  • Collaboration and teamwork

    • Identify issues that impede teamwork and suggest actions; after discussion with Unit Head, assist with implementation
    • Collaborate effectively with other specialist teams involved in the patient’s care
  • Communication
    • Set an appropriate tone for any communication with patients and their families, peers and colleagues
    • Communicate clearly and compassionately when breaking bad news or discussing difficult topics (deterioration, poor prognosis, resuscitation and end-of-life issues)
  • Health advocacy
    • Contribute to continuing education of patient support network and community groups
    • Contribute to the hospital’s work on prioritised health issues
    • Counsel patients appropriately on the benefits and risks of screening and health promotion activities
    • Acknowledge the potential impact of cultural differences in the acceptance of treatment for common conditions and work within those parameters
    • Identify own knowledge gaps in relation to different community groups, their histories and specific health issues and undertake self-directed learning
  • Judgement and clinical decision making
    • Recognise when a management plan is failing and, where appropriate, seek senior input to devise an alternative plan
    • Recognise instances of uncertainty and conflicting values, and able to alleviate their potential impact
  • Medical expertise
    • Have ongoing awareness of gaps in own knowledge and address these
  • Leadership and management
    • Demonstrate ways to handle discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment that discourage inappropriate behaviour
      • Operating with Respect
      • Leadership and management
      • Remain calm under pressure
    • Able to discuss the structure and function of healthcare systems applicable to specialty and country
  • Professionalism
    • Liaise with legal and statutory authorities, including mandatory reporting, where applicable
    • Provide evidence or attend court to support a colleague
    • Prepare police reports, or reports for community advocate/guardian, that have been appropriately reviewed by hospital management’s legal advisors
    • Recognise signs of a colleague in difficulty and respond with empathy
    • Deal with ethical uncertainty and conflicting values; maintain ethical standards
  • Scholarship and teaching
    • Use a range of resources in educational planning
      • Portfolio analysis
      • Incorporate teaching into clinical work
      • Undertake induction of medical students, peers and juniors
      • Identify issues of stress relating to educational activities and promote strategies for positive change
    • Identify areas of improvement in teaching/ learning activities and work with Unit Head/ Director of Surgery to implement change
    • Use multi-disciplinary team meetings as teaching and educational opportunities
    • Identify personal learning objectives using a learning plan

  • Technical expertise

    • Able to assess advanced Essential Surgical Skills constructs (competent with basic and intermediate) both for use in current position as well as for surgical education and training (SET) application – career pathway
    • Competent with intermediate and many of the advanced Essential Surgical Skills constructs