Addressing unprofessional behaviors in allied health students

Professionalism is generally defined as traits that exemplify the conduct, appearance, and ethical standards of individuals within a well-defined profession. However, professional behaviors are often vaguely described by organizations representing allied health professionals leaving much room for subjective interpretation. The lack of universally agreed-upon professional behaviors potentially creates conflict in allied health students as they adjust to different environmental expectations. Students may exhibit unprofessional behavior due to ignorance of expectations or in defiance of poorly described boundaries. Educators need to identify desirable professional behaviors and instill them in students as part of their didactic and clinical training. This lecture describes the most common unprofessional behaviors, what likely causes them, and how to successfully address them from an educational lens. Educating students on professional behaviors is key to preventing the occurrence of unprofessional behaviors; students need to understand why certain behaviors are favorable to others for “buy-in” and emulation. Changing our approach to addressing professional behaviors and professionalism could lead to higher rates of student retention in didactic and clinical environments.