A Psychological Perspective - Essay Example

As a health professional, what role might social support provide in your work? A health professional is exposed to innumerable challenges owing to his/her central role in the promotion of health care in the society. Trust between a health professional and the society is necessary for the development of intimacy that is the fundamental pre-requisite of quality health care (Perreault et al, 1998). There are various external and internal stressors that a health professional has to deal with like frequent change in governmental policies and the spread of epidemic diseases.

Keeping pace with the rapidly changing policies is also no less than a challenge. “In five brief years the organizational, financial and legal frameworks of much of the U.S. health care industry have been transformed to emerging systems of integrated care that combine primary, specialty and hospital services” (jimbergmd.com, n.d.). The actions taken by the government are heavily criticized by the educationalists and socialists. In such circumstances, a health professional has to face the dilemma.

On one hand, he/she is obliged to conform to the official rules, which exposes him/her to social criticism. On the other hand, if he/she gives undue favors to the people, he/she not only compromises upon the principles of ethics but also is accountable for his/her actions and has to justify his/her actions to the authorities. People inculcate internal stressors in the health professionals by emotionally blackmailing them. For example, in a country where euthanasia is officially prohibited, a health professional has to take the pressure exerted by the proponents of euthanasia and yet refute them.

Therefore, social support is the fundamental need of all health professionals. Right psychology and balanced emotional state is vital for efficient working of a health professional and social support provides him/her with all of that. References:jimbergmd.com n.d., Critical Challenges: Revitalizing the Health Professions for the Twenty-First Century, viewed, 25 October 2011, .Perreault, M, Trempe-Masson, C, Gastaldo, D, Boyer, G, and Colin C 1998, Perception of social support given by health professionals according to the participants in a prenatal prevention program who live in extreme poverty, Sante Ment Que, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 163-186.