Independent Profession Research Articles

Компетентнісний підхід до професійної підготовки майбутніх фахівців з медсестринства у сфері реформування реабілітаційної допомоги в Україні

In present conditions of turbulent development of scientific and technological progress, reforms of Ukrainian educational system and integration into European educational space, high quality training and professional orientation of medical workers, especially nurses, is highly needed. The baccalaureate nurse should obtain a high level of knowledge and competence in all areas of their work. This is primarily due to the involvement of baccalaureate nurses in extraordinarily complex medical procedures, usage of high-tech equipment in specialized institutions, and independent decision-making related to the implementation of palliative care in health care institutions. Because of these changes, nursing should become an independent medical profession, and one of the prerequisites for this is the modernization and improvement of nursing training programs at the level of a higher education (bachelor and master levels). The article analyzes the research on the development of medical education in the context of reforming the medical field in times of global crisis. The author presents a retrospective analysis of nursing education development in Ukraine in the middle of the 20th –the first half of the 21st century; a parallel is drawn with the existing state qualification requirements and areas of professional training for nurses of different levels of education. The author of the article indicates the necessity of a rational approach to the training of prospective nurses and substantiates the directions of nursing education development in the context of modern health care reform by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. It is argued the importance of developing not only hard skills, but also soft skills of prospective medical workers, especially within the framework of a narrow specialization during the period of study in higher education institutions. Keywords: medical education, rehabilitation support, nursing, competence, educational reforms.

Brief History of the American Optometric Foundation

The American Optometric Foundation (AOF), an affiliate of the American Academy of Optometry and now called the American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF), has a proud history of financially supporting graduate optometric education since 1947. This article reviews its mission, history, governance and success in establishing the requisite academic foundation for an ever-evolving independent health care profession.

Becoming a good nurse - Socialisation of newly employed nurses into the oncological clinic.

To explore newly employed nurses' socialisation in the process of introduction into an oncological clinic from the perspectives of unit managers and newly employed nurses. There are managerial challenges in retaining nurses at workplaces. The way in which nurses are socialised into their work is important for their job satisfaction and retainment. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with seven nurses and two unit managers, and written introductory material. Thematic analyses were made, inspired by Goffman's concepts of social interaction, back stage, front stage and roles. SRQR checklist was used. Unit managers created the framework for socialising newly employed nurses through written introductory guidelines and assignments of supervisors as mainstream role models. Newly employed nurses were socialised gradually through mirroring their supervisors in their role as nurse. Front stage, patients often functioned as objects for newly employed nurses' training. Back stage, patients often functioned as communication objects for all professionals. Newly employed nurses, who also demand roles such as transformer, boss, coordinator, prompter and friend, were socialised into the role of assistant to the doctor. Medical rounds functioned as a socialisatorin this process. The allocated supervisors were role models in socialising newly employed nurses into an oncological clinic and its culture. Nurses were socialised into an understanding of care as a biomedical orientation, in which medicine had a higher value than care in the existing knowledge hierarchy at the oncological clinic. This might have implications for who applies for and stays in the job. Increased awareness of the importance of socialisation of nurses into the clinic during the introduction process. Re-thinking nurses' independent functions and patient perspectives in introduction of newly employed nurses to maintain and develop nursing as an independent profession.

The Professionalization of Compliance: Its Progress, Impediments and Outcomes

This article explores the background and reasons for the uncertain professional status of compliance. After identifying the nature and origin of compliance, it explains that there is now an accepted model of compliance activities. It then elaborates on the key features of an occupation that scholars identify as having achieved professional status and explains the ways in which compliance has progressed to achieving them. It discusses how this field does not possess all the features of a profession, particularly the state government-approved licensing that provides control over their occupation by practitioners. The article then offers several reasons for this incomplete professional status, with the most significant being the ambiguous relationship between compliance and the established legal profession and the federal government’s preference for compliance officers not to be members of a strong profession. It observes how, from time to time, legal authorities and lawyers assert control over compliance as if it were in their domain of influence, but at other times they have been passive or complacent with respect to compliance practitioners. It explains how the federal government through regulators and enforcement officials benefits from compliance officer’s weak professional status by using them as their eyes and ears in organizations. The article then argues that the outcome of compliance’s professional journey matters for organizational conduct, contending that having a strong professional identity would give compliance officers the independence and authority in organizations that would enable them to guide and advise organizational actors on how to conduct their activities in accordance with law, regulation and ethics. It offers recommendations as to the future of compliance as a profession, both from an ideal and practical perspective. It observes that compliance might ideally become an independent profession by being grounded in organizational studies. However, it explains that the legal profession will likely continue to exercise its authority over compliance, which means that the compliance field risks remaining a subdiscipline of that profession with negative professional consequences for compliance officers. The article concludes by recommending that compliance officers who are lawyers should become a recognized part of the legal profession, but it acknowledges that this professional outcome awaits developments in the compliance field and pressure from compliance officers themselves demanding professional status.

Polska pielęgniarka w czasie pandemii zakażeń SARS-CoV-2 – różne perspektywy wykonywania zawodu

A Polish nurse during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic – various aspects of following a nursing profession A nurse as well as a midwife belong to independent professions which inherently involve performing numerous tasks and functions in various areas and in various positions, which simultaneously requires from these professions respecting the rules of law. In health-threatening conditions, for example during a pandemic, especially when all social groups are exposed to danger and when danger arises unexpectedly, nurses become an im­portant link in the process of providing health security to everybody who needs it. In such situations nurses are obliged to perform their professional duties as well as possible and, at the same time, they have to tackle numerous family responsibilities. No matter if they take direct care of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus or those possibly suffering from COVID-19, work as university lecturers teaching prospective nurses or hold mana­gerial positions, they always face professional difficulties and dilemmas or even real dangers. Although the challenges which nurses face during the pandemic tend to change week by week, nurses, with time, learn to respond to them for the sake of other people’s welfare.

»Es wird, was es soll«

Summary »It will all turn out the way it’s supposed to be«: Some thoughts on Adlerian teaching and psychotherapy training The development of skills in teaching and training courses is connected to personal, individual as well as group and social factors. Two individual viewpoints on Adlerian psychotherapy training are presented alongside each other in this paper and set in the context of the historical development of psychotherapy training in Vienna and later in Austria as a whole. The authors underline the important role that Adlerian Psychology has to play in setting up psychotherapy courses as an independent profession and line of research.

Introduction of the Hungarian school library system

The today’s school libraries in Hungary trace back to the 18th century. After 1970 the school librarianship became an independent profession and library pedagogy was elaborated as well. Nowadays the Hungarian School Library Association provides the most support.
 In spite of difficulties Hungarian school librarianship has much strength but needs to be improved in many fields yet. There are well operating libraries, committed teacher librarians and a good legislation. Library instruction is built into curriculum. In 2012 has changed the education policy, which also affected school libraries badly.
 A way to save the profession is to elaborate the library pedagogy program and declare how libraries can support information literacy and independent learners.

Social Work in Germany. Developments in a professional field and academic discipline

In many countries of the Global North, social work developed as an independent profession and discipline in the 20th century. One of the countries in which social work became established as a professional field was Germany. This field's origins go back to the “social question”. The articles in this volume deal with current social work issues, offering an insight into the current state of discussion on each topic in Germany. They all draw attention to the complex interplay between local social work and the field’s expansion beyond individual places and national states, and the interconnections between national societal developments in Germany and those on an international, global level.

The Legal Profession in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Since the 1979 Revolution, the clerical regime in Iran has been limiting the legal profession’s autonomy by preventing members of the Iranian Bar Association (IBA) from freely electing their Board of Directors and by establishing a new body of lawyers—legal advisors of the judiciary—to contest the IBA’s professional monopoly. Clerics have even attempted to bring the legal profession under the control of the Ministry of Justice and merge it with the legal advisors. The IBA’s struggle to remain a civil society organisation independent of the judiciary offers a vantage point from which to explore the role of the legal profession in Iranian society and the legal system of the Islamic Republic. Why does the Iranian judiciary oppose an independent legal profession, and why does the profession refuse to capitulate? What are the implications of this ongoing conflict for the legal order of the Islamic Republic, whose political elite consists mainly of Islamic jurists? What are the socio-cultural consequences of undermining the integrity and autonomy of the legal profession? These questions will guide our inquiry.After discussing the IBA’s development before and after the 1979 Revolution, we describe how practising attorneys view the IBA, advocacy, legal practice, legal services and their troubled relationship with the judiciary. They recount the obstacles they encounter within a politicised judicial order and explain how they preserve professional integrity within a legal system that lacks the public’s confidence. We conclude by arguing that the Islamic Republic’s attempt to subordinate the legal profession to administrative and ideological control by the judiciary reflects the clash of two legal cultures. Iranian judges reconstruct and apply Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) as part of their efforts to deliver substantive justice within a codified legal system, while IBA attorneys understand and seek to practise law consistent with the ideals of due process, certainty and uniformity in legal decision-making. (Less)

Chinese Medicine in Cancer Treatment – How is it Practised in the East and the West?

Chinese medicine therapies in cancer treatment are very common in the East. Although it is usually classified as a form of complementary and alternative therapy in the West, Chinese medicine is an independent medical profession in Hong Kong and mainland China. It has a different perspective in understanding health and diseases compared with Western medicine. In oncology practice, whereas Western medicine focuses on direct tumour eradication by surgery, radiation therapy and systemic therapies, Chinese medicine focuses on restoring body balance and enhancing the body's defences (immunity), in addition to some cytotoxic herbal therapies. Most often patients, especially those in the East, receive both treatments. Chinese medicine is also commonly used to reduce side-effects from chemotherapy or radiation therapy, to aid recovery after an operation, to palliate symptoms and to address survivorship issues. However, this raises concerns of drug–herb interactions and toxicity in combination therapies. Commonly used Chinese medicine treatment modalities include acupuncture, moxibustion, diet therapy, prescribed Chinese medicine herbal decoction, single Chinese medicine herbs or supplements and tai chi. Although there is an increasing trend of Chinese medicine use in cancer patients in both the East and the West, the scientific evidence of safety and efficacy is often questioned by oncologists. This article reviews the current evidence in different Chinese medicine therapies in cancer management in both the East and the West.

Professionalization of emergency management: Are we our own worst enemy?

INTRODUCTIONBy nearly every measure available, the emergency management field is growing and will continue to grow. The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics indicates that emergency management director positions will continue to grow by 6 percent through 2024.1 Given the increase in both the frequency and severity of disasters of all types, this is not surprising. As the field of emergency management has evolved and grown through the post-9/11 years there has been a push toward professionalization, and recognition of emergency management as its own unique field, rather than merely an extension of the police and/or fire service.The status of progress toward recognizing emergency management as a profession depends on what definition we accept for what makes a profession. Arguments have been made that emergency management is not yet accepted as a profession because the field lacks some of the key features of a profession such as board certification, or a specialized body of knowledge to name a few (Canton, 2013)2. The growth of higher education, the International Association of Emergency Managers’ Certified Emergency Manager designation, as well as state-level certifications certainly speak to progress toward different aspects of achieving this goal. However, we still have a long way to go.Graduate-level emergency management education remains discipline-specific; many graduate programs offer emergency management as a track or concentration within a broader program (eg, public policy, public health, law, etc) Emergency management lacks standardized education that provides required minimum skill sets and competencies. Furthermore, education, while preferred, is not a requirement for employment in most jobs in the field, even at the senior executive level. Even as we move toward getting ourselves recognized as a profession, however, we insist on portraying ourselves to the world as first responders in our advertising of higher education programs, and even in our own doctrine. By misrepresenting ourselves, intentionally or not, we are doing a disservice to the next generation of emergency managers. We are taking a step back from becoming a unique and independent profession.

Comparison of demographic factors and selected maternity care variables in women who chose midwife-led or obstetrician-led antenatal care respectively

Abstract Introduction. The midwife profession is an independent profession, entitled to provide part of the services of gynaecology and obstetrics. Women whose pregnancy goes in a physiological way may benefit from midwife-led services as part of the benefits refunded by the National Health Fund. This model makes it possible to maintain continuity of care, considered a beneficial solution in the area of mother and child health. Aim. Determination of the scale of the phenomenon of midwife-led antenatal care in Poland and comparison of groups of women actively using the Internet who chose midwife-led or doctor-led antenatal care. Material and methods. The survey was carried out in February-March 2018. The research tool was an electronic questionnaire. Questions regarding socio-demographic factors of pregnancy, antenatal education, labour, intervention during labour and labour experience described by women-Internet users were used for the purpose of the analysis. The Chi-square test of independence, the Fisher’s Exact Test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to develop the results. Results and conclusions. The prenatal care of midwives is not a common phenomenon in Poland. Groups of women who decide on a different form of midwife-led or doctor-led antenatal care differ mainly in the material situation. Women choosing midwifeled antenatal care more often attend antenatal classes and prepare a birth plan. In order to popularize the model of antenatal care provided by midwives, attempts should be made to study the motivation of women who decide on an alternative antenatal care.

Optometry in Nepalese Context: The Profession Beyond Providing Refraction Services

Optometry is an independent profession which is specialised for providing comprehensive eye care including refraction and dispensing services, diagnosis and management of eye diseases and visual rehabilitation. In clinical settings of Nepal, optometrists are primarily recognised as refractionists and are provided with working opportunities in the same area. This report highlights other optometric services such as binocular vision, multifocal lenses, contact lenses and occupational lens design which can be provided by optometrists besides performing refraction and prescribing spectacles. Considering large proportion of optometrists with further education and being working outside the country, new specialised services can be introduced through training and workshop to the fellow optometrists so that specialised services can reach up to the public level. Keywords: Nepal; optometry; refraction services.

Patient safety attitude in primary health care settings in Giza, Egypt: Cross-sectional study.

Although there is increasing interest in patient safety, yet there is a general lack of awareness of the problem. This study aims to investigate patient safety attitudes among health care providers in primary health care (PHC) facilities in Egypt through employing the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire in order to explore the areas of deficiency and opportunities for improvement concerning patients' safety. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban PHC and one rural unit where 130 working team at the time of the study was interviewed with response rate of 63.7%, SPSS 18 was used for data analysis. Descriptive analyses, independent samples t tests, and/or analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed to examine the relationship between patient's safety culture and independent variables, namely, profession, gender, or age groups. Highest positivity percentage was found for job satisfaction dimension (23%), while it was the least for the ambulatory care (2.3%). Participants belonging to age group older than or equal to 50 scored statistically significant mean values in both job satisfaction and working conditions dimensions (P=0.03 and 0.02, respectively). Health care managers scored statistically significant mean in the ambulatory care dimension 68.1±15.3, (P=0.03). Managers had more positive attitudes regarding patient safety issues in the practices they are responsible for, compared with the employees. This could be an opportunity to enhance safety attitudes within PHC centers and gain their commitment to guarantee safer and higher quality patient care.

The Study of Audit Expectation Gap: The Auditor’s Responsibilities in a Financial Statement Audit in Vietnam

This research ascertains the structure, composition, and extent of the Audit Expectation Gap (AEG) in Vietnam, thereby demonstrating the existence of the AEG in Vietnam. This study indicates reasonable solutions in narrowing the AEG in auditing financial report in Vietnam. The research design used the research framework of Porter (1993); Porter and Gowthrope (2004); Porter et al. (2012) and Turner et al. (2010). Survey data was collected by sending a random survey questionnaire to four interest groups: (i) auditors (the sample of auditors was a random selection from the list membership of the Vietnam Association of Certified Public Accountants (VACPA), (ii) auditees (joint-stock companies listed on the securities market), (iii) audit beneficiaries - in the financial community (direct beneficiaries of the audit function as users of audited financial statements), and (iv) audit beneficiaries - general public (they are randomly selected in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi (Capital of Vietnam) and neighboring provinces where many businesses, investors, and universities are located). The total number of questionnaires sent out was 1400. The number of usable responses was 454 or 32%. The study results provided empirical evidence that the existing AEG in Vietnam was significantly in line with the definition of audit expectation-performance gap (AEG) of Porter (1993) and that there was no research component proposed by Turner et al. (2010). The structure and extent of the AEG in Vietnam: reasonableness gap 31%, deficient standards gap 49%, and deficient performance gap 20%. In this study, the response rates of the survey groups were low. Practical implications included: identifying responsibilities which constitute each component of the AEG in Vietnam and determining the specific causes relevant to each responsibility and solutions to adjust, supplement or amend promptly. This would narrow the AEG in Vietnam. The AEG’s component’s measurements provide the indicator for the relevant agencies to build, implement policies to improve the capacity of independent auditing profession in Vietnam.

Student Conduct Administrative Professionals: Relationships Between Professional Identity, Training, Skills and Experience

A diverse sample of 329 student conduct administrators, holding at least a Master’s degree, participated in a study to explore whether their level of specialized training, their need to stay up-to-date on current trends, and mastery of specific skills sets met the necessary criteria to determine whether student conduct administration could be considered an independent and unique profession. Also explored was the relationship between tenure on the job and mastery of skills.

KEDUDUKAN ORGANISASI ADVOKAT SEBAGAI WADAH TUNGGAL PROFESI PASCA PUTUSAN MAHKAMAH KONSTITUSI

Advocate is a free and independent profession. According to the Constitutional Court Decision number 112/PUU–XII/2014 & 36/PUU–XIII/2015. It is interesting that the decision has decided the issue of oath in Article 4 Paragraph (1) Advocate Law, but affects Article 28 Paragraph (1) concerning Advocates Organization. This research is a normative research that uses conceptual approach and legislative approach, which hopefully can dig up and find out the position of Advo- cates Organizations after the Constitutional Court Decision number 112/PUU–XII/2014 & 36/PUU– XIII/2015. It is known from the research that the Constitutional Court is unauthorized to decide which organization is legitimate, although Advocates Organization can also be named as state institution.

INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF RECORD SPECIALIST PROFESSION IN INDONESIA

The institutionalization of record specialist profession is a way of the profession incorporation with the archivists (functional occupation based arsiparis) and professions in the life-worlds of Indonesian people nowadays. It helps record managers in organizations of various types and business to have better lives and positions getting accepted according to the values and job tasks they have performed to elevate the organization. The methods of observations, interviews, and focused group discussions are conducted to ground the meanings in this topic of interest within the span of three years time around 2015 – 2017. The result shows that institutionalization of the profession promotes the values of the individuals as members of the profession, in a way bring up resistance and accommodation to the archivist association members in facing the imaginary profession of record specialist. Record specialist is a profession carried out by citizens responsibly and dignity to and for the country, while record specialist individuals are the agents that continue to improve themselves under the regulator of independent associations. Recognition of independent record specialist profession takes place in non-territorial boundary. The interconnection between various and diasporic cultures and a record specialist’s way of life flow within the institutionalization of the profession.

The legal status of physiotherapists’ profession

AbstractPhysiotherapy is a discipline of clinical medicine, using its own diagnostic and therapeutic methods, including the treatment of movement and physical stimuli. The new legal regulations resulting from the Act of 25 September 2015 on the Profession of Physiotherapy have granted a special professional status to this group of specialists, what results from the fact that it is recognized as an independent medical profession. It should be noted, however, that the introduced law, although expected for many years, did not stabilize the legal situation of this professional group until the end. There are still doubts of a juridical nature which make it difficult to provide unambiguous answers to the basic questions regarding the legal status of physiotherapists as persons performing an independent medical profession. This publication, referring to the applicable statutory regulations and views presented in the legal doctrine, analyzes the current legal status, indicates the weaknesses of the adopted legislative solutions and avoids the changes.

Midwife’s professional functions prescribed by the law

Abstract A midwife is an independent medical profession regulated by law. It is treated as a mission, a profession of public trust. The independence of midwife expresses in the professional activities which are performed in accordance with professional competences. Moreover, it is a universal feature of the midwife profession. International and national regulations are important in process of shaping the legal status of the midwife profession. Due to its nature, this profession requires from the midwives continuous, lifelong learning and professional improvement. National and European legislation on midwife profession indicates professional functions which are characteristic for this profession. Knowledge of professional legislation and its conscious application in professional practice is a basic obligation in the midwife’s practice. Lack of knowledge in this regard has serious legal and moral consequences, as well as might pose a risk to the patient safety. This study contains an analysis of the legislation that determine the professional functions of midwives and influence the rules of the professional performance for midwifery profession.