Professionalism

Farah is a laboratory technician and has recently started working on a new project with a completely new team. Upon receiving the results from one of her experiments, she noticed that her data leads to conflicting results when compared to a senior associates data. She has decided to communicate with her senior to request their input on her results to see if she made a mistake or if she is misinterpreting the data. How should Farah proceed with this communication?

• Farah should send a convoluted email to her senior using a wild font to hopefully distract from her apparent mistake.

• Farah should wait around a week to see if her senior will contact her first about her results. If they don’t contact her, then that must mean Farah misinterpreted her data and all should be well.

• Farah should immediately write a formal email to her senior that addresses her results and politely asks for their assistance that begins with a well-mannered greeting and closing.

• Farah should draft an email using a series of text slang to hopefully establish a friendly relationship with her senior before informing them of her potential mistake.

Saul has started his first job in the medical field as a nursing assistant. He is extremely excited about his first day, but he is unsure about the hospitals dress code. It is too late for him to message anyone about the dress code as he has to leave very soon. How should Saul dress for his job as a nursing assistant?

• Saul should opt to wear a T-shirt, jeans, and crocs. It will be far more comfortable than any other option.

• Saul should opt to wear a suit and tie. It is better to be overdressed than underdressed.

• Saul should opt to wear a tank top, athletic shorts, and running shoes. It is important to be mobile when working in a hospital.

• Saul should opt to wear scrubs and closed-toe shoes. It is important to keep the hospital sterile and prevent cross-contamination.

Paul has been working at his lab job for a little over a year. Everyday in order to check in, you log into the computer and open up the software and press a check in button. On this particular day, Paul slept past his alarm and immediately got to work as soon as he could. He showed up 15 minutes late to the job. Paul remembered that the supervisor normally doesn’t get in until 30 minutes after he is supposed to work. There is a way to tell them you forgot to sign in and it allows you to go back and enter the time you got here. What should Paul do? 

• Put in the computer that he got there on time but forgot to sign in 

• Later on in the shift mention to the supervisor that he forgot to sign in today and that he got here on time 

• Sign in (as late) when he gets there and tell the supervisor why he was late when he/she comes in 

• Put in the computer that he got there on time but forgot to sign in and then tell the supervisor  

During the same lab job, Paul came in one day 10 minutes before his job started. He went right to work and was working hard throughout the shift. At one point he noticed a couple other people in the lab on their phones watching videos or scrolling through Instagram instead of doing their work. He decides to watch some videos on his phone because everyone else is doing it and the supervisor rarely comes out at this time in the shift. A sample gets delivered at a good point in the video and Paul pauses the video to quickly deliver the sample to the machine he thought it went to based on the color top it came in. Little did he know the sample that he picked up was one of the few purple tops that gets deliver to another machine (not the one he put it in). When another person goes to get the samples, they notice this error. They ask who put the wrong sample in here. What should Paul do? 

• Pretend to ignore the person asking the room until someone speaks up about a solution to this problem since no one will admit they did it. 

• Admit that it was his mistake and therefore taking responsibility for doing it 

• Say he didn’t do it and offer suggestions on what they can do to fix it. 

• Blame it on someone else 

Colin just started an internship at a forensic laboratory. He wants to make a good impression on the laboratory staff. Colin arrives on time every day, he is courteous and friendly. What aspect of professionalism is Colin demonstrating?

• Demeanor

• Respect

• Integrity

• Responsibility

Hayley is a recent graduate and is beginning a job at a law firm. Everything is going well until her coworker Amy begins being disrespectful to her. Amy always gossips about Hayley; she excludes her and is always forcing Hayley to walk on eggshells. Hayley does not know what she did to cause the conflict or what to do to resolve it.

• Hayley should confront Amy in the office and demand that she treats her better.

• Hayley should contact her supervisor and discuss the conflict involving Amy.

• Hayley should just keep her head down and avoid Amy.

• Hayley should cut her losses and get a new job elsewhere.