Definition Of Professionalism Research Articles

Culture, society and gender in depression

The dilemmas inherent in the inclusion of the sociocultural variables in the assessment and treatment of depression are multifold. In this article, three broad themes are selected for discussion: (1) the challenge of cultural translation of mainstream professional definitions of depression to culturally diverse groups; (2) sociopolitical discourses and power differentials regarding gender, class and race and their possible contributions to depression; and (3) the impact of migration, cultural change and generational conflict on manifestations of depression.

Tensions in Teaching and Teacher Education: Professionalism and professionalisation in England and Canada

The argument in this article derives from a comparative case study of two pre-service teacher education programmes in England and in Canada. Using Goodson and Hargreaves' propositions about the seven principles of postmodern teacher professionalism, we discuss the tensions between government professionalisation agendas for teaching and teacher education, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the creation of conditions in schools and faculties of education in which professionalism is diminished or even systematically undermined. We extend the analysis to consider the particular tensions teacher educators experience as they manage competing definitions of professionalism within university and school contexts.

The essence of 'community' within community nursing: a district nursing perspective.

Over the past decade or so, there has been a marked shift in the location and nature of nursing care from the hospital setting to primary and community care. The past decade has also witnessed the development of a number of policy initiatives which indicate that the drive towards the community as a key location of nursing care is set to continue. Although notions of community have been explored extensively within the literature from a number of perspectives, there is an absence of a clear definition, and more particularly for the purposes of the present study, one from a nursing perspective. This lack of conceptual clarity is further compounded when notions of community and the place of nursing within the community are considered contemporaneously. The present pilot study, which was based on semi-structured interviews with district nurses, seeks to address this deficit and explore how district nurses define the nature of their role, both in terms of providing nursing care within the community and also in terms of defining community within the context of their work. The study illuminates the principal position of the home in defining the essence of community within community nursing and notions surrounding the nature of relationships which exist within this setting. This is highlighted through the identification of emerging themes: the maintenance of personal-professional boundaries, notions of holistic care and professional definitions of community. These observations raise important questions regarding the extent to which the location of care and the taken-for-granted assumptions surrounding community-based nursing care have been translated into practice to date. This also raises key issues regarding the tensions which exist for nurses trying to balance notions of community and community-based care within the parameters of organisational and professional boundaries.

The acupuncture wars: The professionalizing of American acupuncture-a view from Massachusetts

Since the 1970s acupuncturists in the United States have confronted the dilemma of how to define themselves not only as practitioners in relation to an evolving Americanized version of Chinese medicine but also with respect to definitions of biomedical professional identity, which are currently in flux. The central issue is that of professionalization. This study traces the process of professionalization through the initial reception of the modality; the first steps toward specialized training; and the further steps through professional associations, credentialing, and licensing. This process takes place within the broader social frame of fluctuating definitions of biomedical professionalism. It is within this context that acupuncturists are assessing role definition, status, and compensation. Part of the process also involves the renewed use of the clinical trial and the potential co-opting of acupuncture. The potential for resistance is tied in with alliances with holistic physicians and with acupuncturists' own defense of pluralism.

Media Representations of Dangerousness

Media representations reflect a wide conceptualisation of ‘dangerousness’, which often bears little relation to professional definitions. This article considers the press representation of ‘dangerous offenders’ and wider notions of ‘dangerousness’ and ‘risk’, and discusses their construction in terms of both the determinants of newsworthiness and as a wider sociological phenomenon.

Professing Informal Education

Informal Education has developed, like many other professions from daily and oral practices in traditional societies into institutionalized and written practices in modern and postmodern societies through two main processes. The first is the definition of Informal Education as an occupation requiring professional and academic training. The second is the occupational and professional differentiation within the realm of Education that created specializations in practices. This paper seeks to examine these two processes through an analysis of the following three dimensions that contribute to the forging of the professional and personal identities of those involved in Informal Education. (1) Academic Training Programs for Informal Educators; (2) Institutional Professional Definitions of Roles; and (3) Professional/Occupational Self Images of Informal Educators. Our description and analysis will relate to the Israeli arena. We believe that many of the characteristics of the development of Informal Education in Israel have parallels in other societies, and our presentation thus seeks to expand knowledge and promote dialogue and critical discussion on the development and institutionalization of the field of Informal Education in general.

The Cultural Framing of Addiction

The concept of addiction is historically and culturally specific, becoming a common way of understanding experience first in early nineteenth-century America, This paper considers the relation to the concept of elements in current professional definitions of addiction (as dependence). Addiction concepts have become a commonplace in storytelling, offering a secular equivalent for possession as an explanation of how a good person can behave badly, and as an inner demon over which a hero can triumph.

Literature America Power: The Professionalization of American Literature

In the discipline of American Literature (and perhaps to a lesser degree in the humanities in general) the last few decades have seen an ever more strongly developed feedback relation between definitions of professionalism and the discourses of the discipline(s). Terms such as creative destruction embody a naturalizing view of cultural processes that validates the position of the professional in society and generates sets of uncritically affirmative ways of reading literary (and other) texts. In so far as both the central terms and the view of culture are axiomatically associated with a hegemonic view of America that in its turn centralizes the notion of pre-emption of dissent, literature, the academy, and the critic, in this perspective, have to give up all pretensions to any type of adversarialism. A reorientation in terms of an adversarial definition of the intellectual might open up new horizons and incidentally realign the two central terms in late twentieth-century criticism: politics and aesthetics. It might also reverse the Americanization of the globalized academy.

Talking medicine: a course in medical humanism--what do third-year medical students think?

The early 1990s sparked an interest in organized medicine to reclaim and re-evaluate how it promotes professionalism among physicians. The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) launched Project Professionalism as a means to define and evaluate professionalism as a component of clinical competence. The course "Talking Medicine" was developed to create a series of small-group discussions on humanism and professionalism where students can reflect on the process of becoming a physician and share personally or ethically difficult and rewarding cases with each other. We asked students to define these concepts and use these definitions to spark small-group discussion. "Talking Medicine" is predicated on the belief that humanism and professionalism come to students and others through understanding a number of core concepts and relationships complemented by self-reflection. "Talking Medicine" offers a consistent (every other week for ten weeks) opportunity to share experiences in small groups (six to eight students), facilitated by two preceptors, in a format driven by students' experiences. Although the focus is on students' experiences, readings are provided on basic topics and contexts in humanism and professionalism (e.g., end-of-life care, mistakes, spirituality in medicine, and boundaries between patients and doctors). Also, at the beginning of each internal medicine clerkship we asked students to define humanism and professionalism anonymously on sheets of paper to be handed to the preceptors. "Talking Medicine" began in summer 2000. We hope to expand it to other institutions. We surveyed students and found 94% felt "very" or "somewhat" comfortable in the course. Seventy-three percent of students reported that the course increased their "connectedness" to classmates, and 61% favored its occurring during all rotations. Fifty-nine percent reported that their interest in caring for patients improved, and 53% reported their interest in internal medicine as a field improved. Answers to open-ended questions highlighted the importance of "Talking Medicine" as a forum to connect with others-both students and faculty. Despite this course's focus during an internal medicine clerkship, students see a broader definition of professionalism than the ABIM; the student's definitions were similar in many ways to the Group of Educational Affairs definition of professionalism. Third-year medical students focus more on tolerance of difference (e.g., race, socioeconomic status, and varying health beliefs), and the importance of collegiality and collaboration in the new environment of patient care. Their vantage point early in training allows them to look critically at the profession they are joining and view its shortcomings and strengths. Future work is needed that focuses on how these definitions change as students' progress through fourth year, into residency, and finally continuing medical education. Nevertheless, we suggest that "Talking Medicine" may be most effective in helping classmates connect to and learn from each other, thereby setting a foundation for changes in how they interact with patients.

The anatomy of the professional lapse: bridging the gap between traditional frameworks and students' perceptions.

To support students' developing professionalism, it is necessary to understand the professional challenges and dilemmas they perceive in the clinical setting. This study systematically documented and catalogued students' reports of professional lapses. Six focus groups were conducted with senior medical students (n = 29) at three universities. Using a grounded-theory approach, three researchers analyzed the students' reports of specific lapses in professionalism for recurrent themes. The resulting coding structure was applied using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. A total of 120 pages of text yielded 48 specific incidents of professional lapses, which were analyzed by three researchers using grounded theory. Most incidents were witnessed (n = 34) or known about (n = 4), as opposed to self-reported (n = 10). Six critical "issues" emerged: communicative violations (to or about patients or other health care professionals); role resistance (individuals chafing against constraints or expectations of their perceived roles); objectification of patients (ignoring patients or treating patients as vehicles for learning); accountability (to colleagues or patients, including avoiding patients, failing to disclose information, or failing to treat appropriately); physical harm (to patients or others); and crossfire (being put in the middle of a struggle between superiors). This study explored how students experienced and operationalized professionalism in clinical settings at a variety of universities. Interestingly, the critical issues they reported as salient did not map easily onto standard, abstract definitions of professionalism. This incongruence suggested that the development of effective curricula in this domain must bridge the gap between traditional taxonomies and students' perceptions of professionalism.

School reform and transitions in teacher professionalism and identity

In this paper transitions in the operational definitions of professionalism over the last 20 years will be discussed. As a consequence of (imposed) changes in the control of curriculum and assessment and increased measures of public accountability, teachers in most countries now work within cultures in which their careers are ever more dependent upon external definitions of quality, progress and achievement for their success. Although many experienced teachers have maintained their identities, finding room to manoeuvre within a general reduction in their traditional classroom autonomy, the pressure on these and younger colleagues is to comply with competency based agendas. In such cultures, attention to teachers’ identities—arguably central to sustaining motivation, efficacy, commitment, job satisfaction and effectiveness—has been limited.

We Say "Culture" and Students Ask "What?": University Students' Definitions of Foreign Language Culture

Current trends in language pedagogy urge that we integrate into our classrooms. How well do our professional definitions of culture fit our students' perceptions? Success or failure in communicating clearly on this issue with our students may be critical for sustaining enrollment and carrying out what we believe to be our core mission. This paper compares definitions of the term by the profession with those given by our students and draws some tentative conclusions based on the students' responses.

Further education teachers' constructions of professionalism

This article explores different definitions of professionalism and applies them to Further Education (FE) teachers. A wider research project has allowed the exploration of FE teachers' own view of their professionalism as described by particular behaviour. It is no great surprise that the diversity of FE produces a diversity of constructions of professionalism, some not found in school teaching. The different perspectives make it difficult for FE teachers to organise themselves to enjoy the benefits of professionalism. It is argued that a cohesive view of professionalism could create a less exploited workforce and lead to an improved quality of teaching in FE.

The attitudes of GPs towards the nurse-practitioner role.

In recent years, nursing and health-care policy have promoted the advanced role of the nurse -- that of nurse practitioner. But such a role has not been integrated widely into the primary health-care team. This study investigates the knowledge and attitudes of GPs who do not employ nurse practitioners to find out what prevents them doing so. Ten GPs who did not already employ a nurse practitioner took part in semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that GPs, although confused about the role, were generally supportive of advanced nursing practice. Skills identified with the role were prescribing, disease diagnosis and minor-illness management. GPs thought that protocols and guidelines should govern practice, which differs fundamentally from the Royal College of Nursing definition. None of the GPs had encountered the role in primary care, and the lack of professional regulation and role definition for practice nurses and nurse practitioners who work in primary care may have affected GPs' perceptions.

The Delafield Commission and the American military profession

In 1855, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis dispatched Maj. Richard Delafield, Maj. Alfred Mordecai, and Capt. George B. McClellan to the battlefields of Crimea to observe the European military in action. American military commanders had studied European armies before, but the Delafield Commission was the most ambitious military observation mission up to that time, and the first to observe an on-going war. Although historically underrated, the commission and the members' reports constituted an important step in the development of U.S. military professionalism. In Delafield Commission and the American Military Profession, Matthew Moten is the first to explore in detail this connection between the commission and military professionalization. Moten begins with an overview of the definition of military professionalism and what other scholars have said about when and why American military professionalism developed. Part One examines the U.S. Military Academy, the development of the army officer corps, and the influence of the West Point system and habit of thought on the antebellum army. The second section follows the actions of the Delafield Commission and places the commission in the context of the military profession of the 1850s. The final section analyzes the commission's reports and their effects on the American military profession. Here, Moten assesses what the commissioners saw and wrote, as well as what they did not see and write. Delafield Commission and the American Military Profession provides in-depth analysis to military historians and other readers interested in the development of the professional army in antebellum America.

Toward a normative definition of medical professionalism.

In recent years, professionalism in medicine has gained increasing attention. Many have called for a return to medical professionalism as a way to respond to the corporate transformation of the U.S. health care system. Yet there is no common understanding of what is meant by the word professionalism. To encourage dialog and to arrive eventually at some consensus, one needs a normative definition. The author proposes such a definition and asserts that the concept of medical professionalism must be grounded both in the nature of a profession and in the nature of physicians' work. Attributes of medical professionalism reflect societal expectations as they relate to physicians' responsibilities, not only to individual patients but to wider communities as well. The author identifies nine behaviors that constitute medical professionalism and that physicians must exhibit if they are to meet their obligations to their patients, their communities, and their profession. (For example, "Physicians subordinate their own interests to the interests of others.") He argues that physicians must fully comprehend what medical professionalism entails. Serious negative consequences will ensue if physicians cease to exemplify the behaviors that constitute medical professionalism and hence abrogate their responsibilities both to their patients and to their chosen calling.

Defining and developing professionalism.

During the development of a new occupational therapy curriculum, professionalism was identified as a core process component essential to occupational therapy practice. A group, comprised of faculty, clinicians, and students, was charged to examine professionalism and to make recommendations for curriculum planning and development. However, a consistent description or definition of professionalism was lacking in the literature. Defining professionalism was, therefore, the first task of the group. A schematic representation of professionalism was developed through a review of the literature and qualitative analysis of information obtained from discussion groups focussed on professionalism. In this paper, the schematic representation of professionalism will be presented as well as information about two supported self-study courses entitled, Fostering Professional Development and Becoming a Professional. A professional portfolio guide for the student occupational therapist will also be described. Future implications and directions for fostering professionalism will be discussed.

Facilitating Community, Enabling Democracy: New Roles for Local Government Managers

Dennis Hays, administrator of Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, found himself in an unfamiliar role. In presence of governor, mayor, and other dignitaries, Hays was asked to take lead in a press conference announcing that International Speedway Corporation had begun negotiating with Unified Government as a partner in construction of a NASCAR racetrack. His highly visible role in project was being recognized and future expectations were being cast. Kansas City, Kansas, once a manufacturing stronghold in northeast Kansas, is a city searching for lost pride. Hays, analytical and compassionate, and educated to believe that role of manager is to work backstage, found himself leading a project that would have significant effect on sense of community in this city and on his own definition of professionalism. This research, based on data gathered from open-ended survey questions, correspondence, and in-depth panel discussions, also utilizes earlier findings for a then and now examination of contemporary roles, responsibilities, and values of city managers. City managers are seen as community builders and enablers of democracy. With those goals, they have become skilled at facilitative leadership and at building partnerships and consensus. Also, they have become more aware that legitimacy of city manager role demands more than a legal foundation in council-manager government, manager's adherence to value of efficiency, and making recommendations based on the greatest good for greatest number over long run. In today's political environment of diverse and conflicting interests, managers must anticipate and attend to claims for equity, representation, and individual rights if they are to succeed as partner to elected officials and citizens they serve and as leader of professional staff they supervise. The Past In my earlier review of in local government I concluded that city management had transformed itself over several decades in three fundamental ways. It had moved from an orthodox view of a dichotomy between politics and administration to sharing of functions between elected and appointed officials; from political neutrality and formal accountability to political sensitivity and responsiveness to community values themselves; and from efficiency as core value to efficiency, representation, individual rights, and social equity as a complex array of values anchoring professionalism (Nalbandian, 1991, 103). The first change represented an evolution of roles, second a broader statement of professional responsibility, and third set out to capture contemporary value base of city management. Those familiar with in local government will see that to a large extent many recent changes have reinforced these transformations. During ten years, following changes stand out: * Community building has become part of city management professional's responsibility. * Managers are expected to facilitate participation and representation and to develop partnerships. * There is less adherence to council manager government as one best form. * The manager's internal administrative role has become more process oriented. What's New Community Building Historical reviews of city management reveal a continuing search for meaning of (Stillman, 1974). As social, economic, political, and technological trends create new contexts, roles, responsibilities, and values of practicing professionals change. In my earlier project, I tried to define in local government as grounded in a broader array of community values than had been posited traditionally. But what I failed to articulate was search for a sense of community as a way to conceptualize a context for contemporary professional work. …

Licensing software professionals

The two major professional organizations, IEEE-CS and ACM, have been working for some time to lay the foundation for improving professionalism in the discipline. When the Texas Society for Professional Engineering passed a resolution this summer to begin licensing software engineers in the second largest state in the Union, efforts intensified. Although it is still early in the process, academics need to understand the issues surrounding the licensing of software professionals.We begin with definitions of professionalism and licensing for software professionals. Major issues for industry, academic and professional organization stakeholders are briefly summarized and discussed. Information resources for educators are provided.

Mapping professional expertise: old tensions revisited

The slow uptake of National Vocational Qualifications among the professions is noted. It is suggested that the idea of a profession contains values, beliefs and assumptions, just as competence-based systems of analysis do. Enduring tensions in the idea of a profession are examined to illuminate contemporary discussion of competence-based analysis, in the belief that the issues are closely connected. The range of ways in which the idea of a profession has been defined is reviewed and the social significance that the term may be held to have is considered. This entails an exploration of rationalist definitions of professionalism, which are then contrasted with sociologically-based interpretations and with social market views. The significance of a ‘practical science’ view of expertise is then considered. Conclusions are drawn concerning the enduring nature of a profession. It is suggested that the complexity of describing professional practice, together with the self-interest of professional groups will continue to limit the uptake of competence-based assessment at higher levels.