Professional Centrism and its Role in Shaping Interprofessional Education: Implications for Social Work Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the role of profession centrism in shaping interprofessional education. Profession centrism is concerned with how a person is socialized within a health profession and how this process affects their ability to work effectively with others. If social work defines health as an important practice domain, then learning to minimize the impact of profession centrism and understanding its role in regulating the delivery of health care services is a critical education and training objective. Health professions possess unique professional cultures that shape the reality of educational experience for its members; determine the salience of curriculum content, impact core values, practice rituals and customs; establish professional symbols; and determine the meaning and etiology of symptoms and what constitutes health. Professional culture defines how reality is constructed, power allocated, decisions made, and conflict resolved between members of a health care team. To create an effective interprofessional practice environment, the knowledge and skills each professional brings to the health care team must be understood. Students and trainees must learn how to work across professions by understanding their histories and biases.