Professional Practice

What is Professional Practice?

Professional practice refers to the use of specialized knowledge and skills that relate to one’s profession as well as area of practice. It involves the professional activities that relate to healthcare and the actual performance of duties essential to performance of a unique professional role – whether that be clinically or through operational/corporate support services.
The core components of professional practice include:
Standards: standards of practice or care, legislation, accreditation, code of ethics, documentation
Development/Education: core competencies, specialization, continued professional development, preceptorship or mentorship, student education
Evidence Based Practice: use of research, clinical practice guidelines, outcomes
Utilization: optimizing resources, workload measurement
Professional strategic planning: professional mandate, advocacy,
Performance management: role description, competency profiling, peer review or appraisal, mentoring

A number of disciplines employed within Capital health have a regulatory framework or professional association with identified standards of practice and/or a code of ethics. The value, beliefs, and ethics relating to one’s profession are an integral part of professional practice and are reflected accordingly in standards. The standards help promote, guide, and direct practice and provide clarification of what is expected of practicing professionals. As well, it represents criteria against which practice can be measured.

Specialized groups of professionals within Capital Health can effectively work together given they share similar and complimentary sets of values and norms. These common values include:
Primary consideration of the customer/patient
Delivering or facilitating the delivery of patient and family centered care
Commitment to provide the highest standards of practice that is ethical and competent
Advocating and respecting the rights and dignity of customer, patient, and family
Confidentiality to safeguard information
Accountability for one’s own practice
Ongoing maintenance and development of professional knowledge and skill

What does Professional Practice mean to me as an Individual?

To practice as a professional, individuals within each discipline must have control over their practice so that professional judgments and interventions reflect the uniqueness of each individual patient’s/customer’s needs. A professional is autonomous in one’s decision making and is accountable for one’s own actions and all aspects of his/her practice. Professionals have the responsibility to demonstrate sound judgment, critical thinking, ongoing competence, and an objective approach within their roles and when resolving professional practice concerns.

Professionals are accountable to a number of parties. Firstly, accountability exists to the patient and family to ensure everything has been done that is possible to provide safe, ethical, competent care or practice. Secondly, accountability exists to the employer to communicate if delivery of safe and competent practice is threatened when there is insufficient resources or if circumstances exist where there is a failure to meet practice standards. Thirdly, accountability exists to the profession to ensure acceptable standards of practice are maintained. Lastly, there is responsibility to the public to assure safe, competent and ethical levels of practice.

Professionals must act according to the standards of professional practice and have an overall responsibility to:
Evaluate the quality, outcomes, and effectiveness of his/her own practice
Evaluate one’s practice in accordance with standards specific to each discipline
Follow current legislation and code of ethics
Practice within one’s individual level of competence
Maintain and increase knowledge, skills, and abilities within their field of practice
Contribute to the development of others
Practice in a manner that is safe, ethical, evidence based and within available resources
Collaborate with patients, family, and other care providers in order to deliver patient focused care

What does Professional Practice mean within an Organization?

The very values of Capital Health – collaboration, accountability, respect, and excellence – reflect the key components required to facilitate professional practice. Capital Health recognizes the invaluable roles contributed by individual professionals. As well, it also recognizes the important role that an organization must play to support the professional practice of its employees. Capital Health has a public service and corporate duty to provide safe, ethical and competent care to patients & their families. In order for the organization to sustain a professional, autonomous, accountable team environment, it needs to foster mutual respect and trust for each member of the interdisciplinary team. This can best be achieved through the development of a professional practice environment. A true professional practice environment requires:
Clear role expectations
Freedom to function effectively
A sense of support from peers and leaders
Clear expectations of the work environment
Sufficient staffing and appropriate resources to practice effectively and efficiently
Communication and collaboration across professions
An open organizational climate

Within Capital Health an interdisciplinary and discipline specific professional practice councils have been or are being established to support the development of a professional practice environment in Capital Health. The establishment of professional practice councils is a key element of a professional practice model. Professional practice councils help to support and optimize the practice of individual disciplines, help strengthen communication and collaborative working in an organization, increase understanding of and enhance professional accountability, and improve collaborative care processes and teamwork.

What are the outcomes of a professional practice environment?

In an environment that supports professional practice, a number of outcomes are possible. Such outcomes can include:
Enhanced professional accountability and autonomy
Collaboration and sharing of information
Shared governance
Ethical, safe and competent practice
Clinical and professional excellence fostered
Clinical and professional expertise fostered
Enhanced value of one’s own practice and practice setting
Enhanced value and understanding of the interdisciplinary team