Medical Secretary Professional Conduct

Conduct

• Medical secretaries must be mindful of professional conduct and etiquette, balancing sociability with professionalism and businesslike demeanor.
• Smoking should be avoided during office hours, except for brief periods in the rest room.
• Chewing gum is an unprofessional habit and should be avoided.
• Personal phone calls should be kept to a minimum and should not interfere with the practice's urgent needs.

Serenity

• Office hours in a medical practice are often irregular due to the nature of patient needs, emergencies, and the doctor's varying schedule.
• The secretary should be prepared for potential delays and maintain composure despite personal commitments.

Warmth and Understanding

• It is crucial for medical secretaries to display warmth, interest, consideration, and understanding towards patients.
• These qualities can be developed with practice and effort.

Office Relationships

• Doctor-secretary personal relationships should not be seen as interfering with professional duties.
• Addressing the doctor by his full name and title, such as "Dr. Taylor," is preferred over informal terms like "Doctor."

Accepting Criticism

• The medical secretary, like any other worker, must be able to accept criticism.
• Doctors may have specific preferences, and the assistant should learn and adapt to their methods.
• Showing humility and recognizing limitations is essential for professional growth.

Professional Secrecy

• Confidentiality is paramount in the medical field, both legally and ethically.
• Divulging patient information without authorization is a serious offense.
• The medical secretary must uphold the code of medical ethics and maintain secrecy about all patient and doctor matters.
• No details regarding patients' illness, personal history, or family matters should be disclosed.
• The secretary should not provide patient diagnoses or prognosis, as it is the doctor's responsibility.
• Enquiries from patients or their relatives about other patients should be politely but firmly refused.
• Confidentiality extends to all office documents, which need to be securely stored and protected from unauthorized viewing.
• Phone calls with patient information should not be made in the presence of other patients.
• Patient names should be mentioned sparingly, especially in sensitive areas like mental health, venereal diseases, or cancer.
• The secretary should strive to forget all patient names when leaving the office and avoid discussing office matters outside of work.

Appearance

• Many medical offices require secretaries to wear white uniforms.
• This uniform conveys professionalism and instills patient confidence.

Financial Benefits

• Medical secretaries are often well-compensated and may be eligible for pension benefits.
• The Keogh Act allows doctors to contribute to retirement funds for employees, including secretaries, under certain conditions.

Medical Ethics

• Every profession has a code of conduct.
• Medicine is perhaps the oldest profession to have developed formalized ethical rules.

The Hippocratic Oath

• The Hippocratic Oath is a set of principles governing the physician’s conduct towards patients and the public.
• While the oath's authorship is debated, it reflects the ideals of Hippocrates, known as the "Father of Medicine".
• The oath calls for the physician to share knowledge and treat patients with integrity and compassion.