Rehabilitative Health Care Professionals' Perceptions of Appearance-Based Professionalism

Context: Professionalism has been discussed and defined in a variety of ways, including attire and other forms of self-expression. Objectives: To determine athletic trainer (AT), physical therapist (PT), and athletic training or PT students' perceptions of appearance-based professionalism in the workplace and, secondly, to ascertain how perceptions differed across professions. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants: Athletic trainers, PTs, and athletic training and PT students who were predominantly White, non-Hispanic, female, aged 30 6 9 years, and recruited via listservs and social media. Data Collection and Analysis: The independent variables were participant demographics. The dependent variables were self-reported perceptions of professionalism for each photo. The survey consisted of 3 sections: demographics, 8 photos of ATs or PTs with depictions of patient-provider interactions, and open-ended responses. For each photo, participants selected yes , no , or unsure regarding the photo. An open-ended response was prompted with a no or unsure selection. The participant further described the reason for that choice. Results: Most participants determined the health care provider depicted in 7 photos appeared professional. Only 1 photo was deemed unprofessional by the professional majority. Significant differences existed between students and professionals for 5 photos. The proportion of participants who reported the photos were unprofessional differed among professions for 2 photos. From our qualitative analysis, we found 6 domains: (1) unprofessional attire and hair , (2) situation-dependent attire , (3) role confusion and health care employer or employee identification , (4) nonappearance related , (5) tattoo-related bias , and (6) rethinking after queson is displayed. Conclusion: What is considered appropriate and professional is not concrete. Differing concepts of professionalism generated biased judgments and criticisms. Clinical Relevance: Our findings should lead providers to reexamine the definition of professionalism . The past should not dictate the future, and today's social mores can help shape the definition as it should be considered in today's settings.