Category: Professionalism

Introduction

The healthcare policy framework is a multidimensional phenomenon involving influence on patient care and expertise level among medical practitioners. According to research, different guidelines impact the local and international medical care delivery approach. One country that prominently appreciates the institutionalization of distinct values on people’s welfare is the US. The factor rendered the articulation of critical roles and responsibilities of the various administrative organs contributing to the affordable plan for the residents. Apt coordination among all stakeholders in the strategizing and implementation of the framework fosters a profound trickle-down effect of accrued benefits in the healthcare sector.

Argument

One significant factor that influences the quality of healthcare provided is the implemented models in various healthcare establishments. The Medicaid model gears the development of organizational culture in the healthcare institution. Therefore, it is essential that healthcare management focuses on developing an efficient model that boosts the quality and importance of healthcare services. The value-based healthcare model is profoundly innovative and fosters the interdisciplinary care delivery system (Halpren-Ruder, 2020). In this case, all stakeholders engage in establishing policies and mechanisms that enhance the care providers’ performance. Ideally, the compensation and rewarding of the healthcare institutions become subject to the performance through the number of patients with reduced cases of re-hospitalization.

Primarily, the value-based healthcare delivery system focuses on implementing policies that promote the provision of value and quality healthcare services. In this case, the providers get rewarded due to the increase in the number of new patient cases and a reduced re-hospitalization rate. As much as it benefits the nurses and the management to ensure that the care providers offer quality services, the patients reap the benefit of excellent amenities and effective treatment approaches. In most cases, the efficiency of the treatment involves increasing the participation of all stakeholders and procedures such as home care services and frequent follow-up strategies (Halpren-Ruder, 2020). Therefore, the patients establish a significant relationship with the care providers due to the integrated treatment approach that seeks to reduce the re-hospitalization rate.

The public health sector is an institution that significantly impacts human society’s cohesion, growth, and development. In this case, different stakeholders seek to participate in the implementation of the medical policies and their facilitation to boost its standards. The major partakers in the health sector encompass the government, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations (Kokko & Kork, 2021). Nevertheless, the federal, state and local administrations face an array of challenges in their roles in the public sector. The efficiency of the public health system heavily relies on the collaborative efforts between the authority and the private sector in developing and implementing regulations. Ideally, the critical role of the incumbency entails the creation of guidelines that promote the efficient delivery of health services.

One of the significant roles of the government involving policy implementation enshrines the facilitation of the development of effective medical-based tools. The establishment of efficient health facilities fosters the effective delivery of emergency services. In 2001, the US administration faced a significant challenge once there was a bioterrorism attack of anthrax through mail delivery services (Van de Goor et al., 2017). The medical facilities, namely the laboratories, faced the problem of managing the flow of sample tests to find the vaccination and cure. On the other hand, the authority encountered a significant hindrance in fostering efficient service delivery due to the protocol policy that all approaches should follow due process. Although the procedure promotes accountability in the decision-making process, it is a phenomenon that slows down the effectiveness and timeliness of the delivery of services.

It is the role of the federal, state, and local governments to assess the needs and status of the health institution. Ideally, it is paramount that the administration assesses the health establishments based on their staffing and availability. It is a means of ensuring that the public receives quality health services. Further, the assessment assists in determining the state of the healthcare workers. The level of services depends on the level of motivation of the healthcare workers (Khatoon, 2020). Therefore, it is essential that the government assesses both the health facility status and the workers to assert the standards of healthcare services.

The second part of the government is the development of policy. It is one of the roles that the administration faces a significant challenge, especially in integrating the practical and theoretical approach with the guidelines. One of the critical problems in the healthcare framework involves the abound consequences of the implementation of judgmental forecasting. Although the authority focuses on the general issues of policy implementation, it becomes a challenge to incorporate the healthcare workers’ input in the development process (Dash et al., 2019). As a result, the various stakeholders conflict regarding strategies and the relevance to the consequences of decisions made in the field.

The final role of the government involves enhancing the assurance to the public concerning the legitimacy of the Medicaid system. In this case, researchers postulate that the healthcare system’s credibility depends on the administration’s investment in assuring the public (Dash et al., 2019). If the executive lags in the implementation process, the community lacks confidence in the public healthcare system and prefers the private sector instead. Therefore, it is essential that the authority significantly fosters assertive measures to the public concerning the credibility of the healthcare system.

Counterargument

The policy decision is a multifaceted phenomenon that is highly affected by biases in its interpretation and implementation process. Halpern et al. (2020) argue that there are two significant forms of prejudice: technical and issue. Technical bias refers to utilizing the evidence without following scientific principles. The persistent use of subjective arguments disregards the objective facts approved by scientific experiments and baseline. Therefore, the central focus of technical bias ideology entails testing the fidelity of scientific facts. The other form of partisanship is the problem that refers to social values’ influence on the development of certain mythical constructs. Essentially, issue bias focuses on the justification of the social factors in disregarding certain policies, especially the concept of democratic representation.

Technical bias is a concept mainly utilized to interpret scientific factors such as health-based issues. In most cases, policymakers use the idea to enhance sustainability and minimize the costs incurred. Nevertheless, it is essential that policymakers appreciate the scientific facts based on the best health initiative due to the necessity of boosting health standards. Objective arguments rely on evidence to ascertain the concepts (Loftus et al., 2020). Over the decades, it has been a phenomenon that has rendered the emergence of issues related to the implementation of policies by health workers in real life. It is vital that policymakers focus on integrating scientific facts with the perceived argumentative constructs to enhance the effectiveness of policy implementation.

Issue bias is a concept regarding the dynamic influence of social factors on the development of policies. In most cases, people debate specific ideas based on the value derived from the engagements. With the aim of solving the issue of disagreements, individuals resolve to utilize democracy in the determination of the best alternatives. As a result, objective facts are compromised by the influence of social dynamism (Loftus et al., 2020). In essence, the social factor of justice through numbers alters the impact and significance of objective argumentative constructs. Therefore, issue bias is a significant threat to human society based on the actualization of consumptive social values such as unsustainable practices. Policymakers in the health sector focus on integrating social values and scientific facts to enhance the development of effective healthcare policies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective coordination among stakeholders in the healthcare sector boosts the positive impact of established action plans and shared benefits. In this case, there is a significant interdependent relationship between healthcare policies and the quality of services. On the one hand, the guidelines contribute to structuring medical-based operations and ethical practice among practitioners. On the other hand, the propositions feature biasness during the construct that intensifies the risks of effectiveness on treatment and recovery. The solution to the drawbacks of the development of the frameworks is establishing initiatives that promote all stakeholders’ participation in the implementation process. It is the mandate of the government to engage physicians, the community, and investors in elevating productive-driven strategies in the sector.

References

Dash, S., Shakyawar, S. K., Sharma, M., & Kaushik, S. (2019). Big data in healthcare: Management, analysis and future prospects. Journal of Big Data, 6(1), 1-25. Web.

Goldenberg, T., Reisner, S. L., Harper, G. W., Gamarel, K. E., & Stephenson, R. (2020). State policies and healthcare use among transgender people in the US. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 59(2), 247-259. Web.

Halpern, S. D., Truog, R. D., & Miller, F. G. (2020). Cognitive bias and public health policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jama, 324(4), 337-338. Web.

Halpren-Ruder, D. (2020). E-Health and healthcare quality management: Disruptive opportunities. Rhode Island Medical Journal, 103(1), 12-15. Web.

Khatoon, A. (2020). A blockchain-based smart contract system for healthcare management. Electronics, 9(1), 94. Web.

Kokko, P., & Kork, A. A. (2021). Value-based healthcare logic and their implications for Nordic health policies. Health Services Management Research, 34(1), 3-12. Web.

Loftus, T. J., Tighe, P. J., Filiberto, A. C., Efron, P. A., Brakenridge, S. C., Mohr, A. M., Rashidi, P., Upchurch, G., & Bihorac, A. (2020). Artificial intelligence and surgical decision-making. JAMA Surgery, 155(2), 148-158. Web.

Van de Goor, I., Hämäläinen, R.-M., Syed, A., Juel Lau, C., Sandu, P., Spitters, H., Karlsson, L.E., Dulf, D., Valente, A., Castellani, T., & Aro, A. R. (2017). Determinants of evidence use in public health policymaking: Results from a study across six EU countries. Health Policy, 121(3), 273-281. Web.

Introduction

Each profession imposes certain requirements on a person, but only the work of a nurse imposes such high and specific duties on a specialist, who assumes high responsibility for the care provided to patients. People entrust the most precious things to medical workers – health and life, and therefore expect complete dedication from them. The most critical components of a people’s psychological activity are their qualities. Their development and integration in the process of professional formation lead to the formation of a system of professionally essential qualities.

Professional Ethics

A nurse should be constantly ready to provide competent assistance to patients regardless of their age or gender, the nature of the disease, race, or nationality, religious or political beliefs, social or financial status, or other differences. When providing care, the nurse must respect the patient’s right to participate in the planning and conduct of treatment (Azemian et al., 2021). Manifestations of arrogance, neglect, or humiliating patient treatment are unacceptable. A nurse does not have the right to impose her moral, religious, or political beliefs on a patient (Kim et al., 2018). When setting the order of medical care for several patients, a nurse should be guided only by medical criteria, excluding discrimination.

Contact with the Patient

Having information about the peculiarities of the patient’s personality, character, and experiences, the nurse can tactfully explain to the patients their rights and duties, prepare them for upcoming examinations and therapeutic procedures, and talk about them in an accessible form. The unwillingness of the patients to undergo certain types of examinations or medical procedures should not cause a negative attitude toward them on the part of the nurse (Azemian et al., 2021). Nurses are required to be honest and truthful in communicating with patients. However, any conversations concerning the diagnosis or features of their disease should not go beyond the limits indicated by health professionals (Kim et al., 2018). The same rule should be observed during conversations with the patient’s relatives.

Teamwork

The views of other staff and nurses regarding some aspects of patient care may sometimes differ somewhat. There should be no fundamental disagreements, but it is necessary to discuss the problem with colleagues since achieving complete agreement tactfully facilitates the work. Discussing such disputable situations with third parties or directly with the authorities is unnecessary since this may provoke an unhealthy situation within the labor collective (Azemian et al., 2021). Undoubtedly, nurses have every right to defend their point of view, but at the same time, they should be ready to admit and correct their own mistakes (Kim et al., 2018). High self-demand is one of the essential qualities of any professional, and a nurse is no exception.

Conclusion

The main qualities that a good nurse should possess are knowledge, skill, tenderness, tenderness, compassion, mercy, boundless patience, responsibility, and politeness. Unfortunately, due attention is currently not paid to the definition and promotion of these essential qualities. Huge loads on the nurses during the performance of their professional duties only sometimes allow them to show the necessary qualities to the proper extent. Ideally, the work organization in a medical institution should be such that knowledge, skills, competence, and professional growth are expected and rewarded accordingly. Any person who has decided to devote his life to medicine should understand that no circumstances would justify any unethical act.

References

Azemian, A., Ebadi, A., & Afshar, L. (2021). Redefining the concept of professionalism in nursing: an integrative review. Frontiers of Nursing, 8(4), 327–340. Web.

Kim, Y. H., Jung, Y. S., Min, J., Song, E. Y., Ok, J. H., Lim, C., Kim, K., & Kim, J. S. (2018). Development and validation of a nursing professionalism evaluation model in a career ladder system. PLOS ONE, 12(10), e0186310. Web.

Professionalism is regarded as an essential element in the field of pharmacy. Even though the term professionalism has been widely applied in everyday’s undertakings, it is ideally true that not everyone understands the meaning of the term. In fact, a majority merely believe that being professional implies having the general good manners, being ethical, polite, dressing neatly and portraying the expected behaviors at workplace.

However, such attributes might constitute professionalism, but a professional pharmacist should embrace more than just the listed traits. Most pharmacy schools tend to prepare their students for the basic professional experience edification through holding white coat ceremonies to denote the imagery behind the worn uniform. In healthcare, to colleagues and even to the patients who seek medication, the white coat that pharmacists put on is a major symbol signifying that whoever wears it, should always act in a professional way.

Professionalism in pharmacy entails a lot. For instance, in response to the ever-expanding public demand for the pharmaceutical products, care, and services, professionalism in this particular field of healthcare practice involves neatly putting on the professional attire to gain the patients trust, assuming the accountability for the drug therapy results as well as the proficient, precise and safe supply of any pharmaceutical products.

Besides, a professional must always be willing to actively care for the patients. Being patient-centered and much focused will enable a pharmacist to be the patients’ advocates by showing commitments in all aspects. For example, true professionals often yearn to achieve the best therapeutic results, aspire to attain advanced skills and knowledge in clinical medicine, represents their patients in the law courts and above all, develop traits that does not just make pharmacy an ordained occupation but also a dignified profession.

Well nurtured behaviors, ethics and attitudes such as proper timekeeping, flexibility, commitment, sociability, diligence, lenience alongside sincerity and responsibility constitute the backbone of pharmaceutical professionalism. Most characteristics of professionalism are rarely obtained or learnt from textbooks, tutorials and lectures, but they can be enthusiastically obtained and instilled via professional socialization practice.

Furthermore, professionalism in pharmacy necessitates constant attention, leadership, service orientation, covenantal association with the patient and principled sound decision making. In essence, to portray critical elements of professionalism, a professional should ignore any individual differences and jointly work with those considered to be enemies or haters.

There should be no selfishness in professionalism, but rather nobleness ought to always prevail so that the right things are done to benefit everyone and not just an individual.

Whoever has pride in the line of work is deemed a professional since he or she will actually know whenever something goes off beam and will know when exactly to intervene, what should be done during the occurrence, and measures that needs to be assumed to avert similar problems. Moreover, those who wish to be considered true professional in their respective fields of practice must be courteous, kind and considerate.

However, characteristics such as toughness, seriousness and assertiveness should be portrayed when needed. Given that professionalism requires mutual development, professional are obliged to help improve the situation that goes wrong and prevent the reoccurrence of mistakes rather than making public other professional’s mistakes. This implies that, to be professional, a person must be more than willing to understand and similarly forgive others.

In summary, I sincerely suppose that professionalism goes beyond dressing neatly or being in the professional attire and merely displaying good manners, behaviors and using enticing words at workplace. In fact, to be considered a professional pharmacist, an individual needs to be creative, innovative, accountable for the undertaken tasks, trustworthy, service oriented and must portray leadership traits as well as pride in the pursued profession.

Further, a professional should be ethically sound and rational when making decisions and must be willing to advance the acquired skills, knowledge besides maintaining the affiliation pledges with the patients or clients.

Introduction

Professional conduct or acting like a professional is a discussion that is gaining more importance today as ethical behaviour and integrity gain more prominence in the professional world. For employees to be viewed as professionals, they have to conduct themselves and their work in a manner that displays an understanding of ethical rules and guidelines that govern the actions of a professional. These rules and guidelines are what is referred to as professional codes of conduct.

Acting like a professional is important for employees in the various professions around the world as it adds credibility and importance to the work the employee is performing. Apart from credibility, professionalism enables an individual to build up their reputation as well as the reputation of the profession so long as they follow the professional codes of conduct. The purpose of this article will be to look at the importance of acting like a professional to the employee/professional, to the business or company and to the society as a whole. The professional area that will be focused on will be the health care industry.

What it means to act professionally

Gildenhuys (2004) deals with the aspect of acting professionally by defining the meaning of a professional and professionalism. He defines a professional to be a person who practices a vocation or calling that is mostly related to a scientific field or an advanced learning field of work. A professional is also a person who has a relationship with a profession by demonstrating the skills and knowledge of the particular professional field and also practicing the ethical standards outlined by the governing body of the profession. Gildenhuys (2004) defines professionalism as the qualities that make up a profession. These qualities include integrity, competency, capability and proper ethical conduct (Gildenhuys 2004)

. Professionals are viewed to be people who are regulated by the mandatory training they undergo to perform their work. Professionalism is the character and standards that professionals are supposed to display while performing their duties. Professionalism is related to the concept of a professional as it displays the outcome of the demands of a professional job.

While people can be associated with various professional disciplines, they cannot be referred to as professionals if they do not display the high standards of conduct that come with that particular profession. The demonstration of professional knowledge, experience and capabilities in one’s professional field is termed to be an exhibition of professionalism. Professionalism can also be the display of adherence to work standards which every professional is expected to follow. Every professional field has its own rules and standards that govern the performance of work (Medical Products, 2009).

Purpose and Importance of Professional Conduct in the Workplace

The purpose of the general code of professional conduct is to ensure that the standards for professional conduct and work performance are adhered to and followed during the course of carrying out the professional work. The code of conduct is meant to inform professionals about the standards of professional conduct that are required from them as they practice their professions. The purpose of the code of conduct is to inform the public and employers of the standards of professional conduct that they should expect from a professional worker (Brooker 2007).

The purpose of the code of conduct is to provide guidelines on the expectations of professional conduct which require that professionals should be ethical in their behaviour towards the public, employers and other professionals and also have integrity while performing their duties. Professionals should also maintain high work performance standards in their duties in line with the rules that govern how they perform their work. This will ensure that their professional reputations as well as the reputations of the general professions they are in are maintained (Barker, 2007).

The importance of professionalism in the workplace is seen to be a demonstration of value and command which shows the premium of the profession in the job market. Professionalism is seen to be important to an organization as professionals are seen to be the positive drivers of result delivery. Professional attitudes in a work setting are able to steer positive growth within the organization which will in turn lead to organizational success and improved performance. The presence of professionals in the workplace has an impact on the organizational work culture as the professionals are focused on achieving positive results for the company (Hutagalung, 2009).

Professionalism is also important when it comes to improving the productivity of organizational workers. Professionals are seen to improve the productivity of a company because of their work ethic and the work standards that they are meant to adhere to. Their focus on work ensures that tasks are performed within the set timeline and the work is performed in an efficient way. Such work ethics ensures that the productivity of the organization is improved among the professional employees. Apart from productivity, professionalism is also important in increasing the quality of work performed by not only the professionals in the organization, but all the workers.

Professionalism in quality is important because professionals know how to perform their work while at the same time delivering quality results. They provide unmatched quality in their work because of the extensive and advanced training they have received to perform their work at the highest possible standards. Professionals are also known to be dedicated to performing their work as their codes of conduct stipulate that they should perform their jobs to create the high levels of output. Quality in job performance is therefore seen to be a criterion that governs the professionalism of a professional employee in the workplace (Hutagalung, 2009).

The importance of professional conduct in the work place is that a professional environment acts as a catalyst that will be used to attract and retain employees in an organization. Professionalism in the workplace creates an environment that will allow the company’s employees to grow and have some form of career progression in their line of work. This comes about from the competitiveness in the workplace as well as the job market that requires employees to continually improve their work qualifications to be able to progress in their careers. Professionals enhance the competitive nature of organizations and they also create a balance in terms of which workers get to advance in their jobs within the organization (Hutagalung, 2009).

Professionals have a lot of experience which makes it difficult for an organization to make them indispensable. The kind of advanced training they receive ensures that the skills and knowledge they possess continue to become relevant while they carry out their duties. It is important for companies to acquire professionals from different fields such as law professionals, engineers, and education professionals and use their experience, skills, knowledge and capabilities to advance the operations of the organization. The importance of professionals in the work place should not be undermined by companies as professionals ensure that there is growth.

General Requirements of a Professional

For a person to be termed as professional, they have to comply with certain professional requirements. Professionalism requires a person to possess some specific knowledge and skills that have been developed for a particular occupational field. These skills and knowledge are acquired by conducting extensive research and having practical experience in the particular professional field. Another requirement for a professional is to have advanced education and training on the specific occupational job. The advanced education is a prerequisite for a professional to gain employment in the particular job field they have been trained for (Gildenhuys, 2004).

Another requirement for professionals is that they should observe the ethical codes of conduct that their conduct when they perform their professional duties and when they interact with members of the public and the society. They are also required to observe high levels of competency and integrity when they perform their duties. They should not be seen to engage in activities that will comprise their integrity and the moral compass of their professions (Inui, 2007). Professionals are also required to display a sound and acceptable image to their employers and the people they interact with while they perform their professional duties. This is meant ensure that the reputation of their professions is not damaged but kept intact. Professional institutions should support the activities of professionals to ensure that there is development in the professional area (Gildenhuys, 2004).

Professionalism in the Health Care Industry

The issue of professional conduct in the health care industry around the world has arisen because of the proposed health care reforms to medical delivery systems in certain countries around the world. Blumenthal (2010) in his analysis of the vital role that professionalism plays in the health care industry with particular focus on health care reforms notes that the implementation of these reforms will not succeed if the professionalism of health care providers is not improved. Blumenthal notes that the society believes that health care providers rely on their advanced knowledge and skills to treat their patients. Professionalism in the health care industry is therefore seen to be an antidote that prevents failures and problems in the medical industry (Blumenthal, 2010).

The codes of conduct that govern health care providers such as nurses and doctors require that these professionals should protect and support the health care needs of their patients and clients as well as the wider society. The professional codes of conduct that govern health care providers also require them to perform their duties in a way that will justify the trust and confidence the general public has placed on them to perform their duties with the highest level of professional standards. Nurses, doctors, and physicians are required to be accountable for their actions when they deal with patients and they also have a duty of care to these patients which requires them to provide the safest and most reliable treatment (Brooker, 2007).

The personal commitment by health care providers is usually placed on having expert knowledge and proficient skills in their professions. This arises because of the ever changing medical profession that sees new innovations coming up everyday. Medical practitioners are therefore required to make a commitment towards improving the level of their competencies by constantly updating their skills and knowledge. The practitioners are also meant to have a commitment to their patients by keeping their health status and records confidential. This enables them to form appropriate relationships with their patients (Brennan, 2002).

Many doctors view professionalism as the autonomy granted to them to perform their duties without any interference from other quarters such as the medical governing authority. Autonomy is not however a fundamental right for any health care provider but it is a legal and moral privilege granted to these professionals by the wider community. This means that the health care specialists have to earn this privilege by observing the codes of conduct set out for them by the relevant authorities (Blumenthal, 2010).

Such conduct will entail observing altruism which requires medical professionals to resolve conflicts that might arise as they perform their duties. Altruism requires the medical professionals to put the interests of their patients before their own personal interests. They are also expected to show a commitment to self improvement by mastering any new information or techniques that are related to the medical profession. The professionals are also required to practice peer review which means their work places them in a position to supervise the work of their colleagues to prevent cases of poor professionalism when offering services to customers (Blumenthal, 2010).

Conclusion

Professionalism in the health care industry is seen to be a catalyst for change. Medicine changes and grows as a society also undergoes changes and growth. Peer review, self improvement and altruism ensure that the medical field continues to evolve so that advances and research in this professional area can be incorporated into the field. Professionalism in the medical industry also ensures that the reputation and integrity of medical practitioners and the medical profession is held intact.

References

Barker, N. (2007). Professionalism in Medicine: A student perspective. Web.

Blumenthal, D. (2010). The vital role of professionalism in health care reform. Web.

Brennan, T. (2002). Medical professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol.136, No.3, pp. 6-243.

Brooker, C. (Ed) (2007). Churchill Livingstone’s dictionary of nursing. Oxford, UK: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

Gildenhuys, J.S.H. (2004). Ethics and professionalism: the battle against public corruption. Victoria, Stellenbosch: Sun Press.

Hutagalung, M. (2009). Importance of professionalism in the workplace. Web.

Inui, T. (2007). Viewpoint: educating for professionalism in medicine. Web.

Medical Products (2009). The meaning of professionalism. Web.

Abstract

This paper is aimed at discussing various competencies of environmental health workers. These people have to act as researchers, educators, leaders, and policy-makers. Thus, they need to possess expertise in such areas public health sciences, research, and policy-making in order to find practical application to their skills.

Furthermore, they should well-developed leadership and communicative skills in order to cope with their most important duties. These competencies are vital for protecting the health of community members. These are the main aspects that should be taken into account by these professionals.

Discussion

Environmental public health can be related to various fields of human activity; for instance, one can speak about agriculture, the use of water, prevention of disease, manufacturing, construction, and so forth (Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, 2009, p. 78). Furthermore, one can argue that people, working in this field, can have in-depth expertise in various areas of science such medicine, biology, chemistry, or physics.

Nevertheless, one can say that there are certain competencies that these professionals should possess several importance competencies in order to cope with their tasks effectively.

In particular, close attention should be paid to the following aspects: 1) profound knowledge of public health sciences; 2) ability to transform research findings into policies and programs; 3) excellent analytical and research skills; 4) leadership, and 5) well-developed communication skills that are needed for the interaction with various representatives of the general public.

These standards can be explained by the fact that environmental health workers should play various roles. In particular, they should act as researchers, educators, and even regulators. On the whole, these competencies are critical for ensuring the wellbeing of the public.

When discussing the work of public health inspectors, researchers point out that a certain health problem can be attributed to various factors that can often interplay with one another. For instance, one can mention that people, who have asthma, can be strongly influence by such aspects as water and air quality, weather, stress, and so forth (Portier, 2011, p. 4).

Thus, one can say that environmental health professional should understand different ways in which environment can affect individuals and groups. This is why researchers believe that environmental health professionals should take an interdisciplinary approach to various problems (Gochfeld & Goldstein, 1999, p. 36).

This requirement is important at the time such aspects as science, technology, and medicine become increasingly interconnected (Gochfeld & Goldstein, 1999, p. 36). This is why these people should be knowledgeable in such areas epidemiology, demography, statistics, or ways of preventing various diseases many of which are chronic. This is the first standard that should be met by these people.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that environmental health professional should be able to evaluate various risks to the wellbeing of the public (Gerding & Price, 2012, p. 31). For example, these people should be able to assess the efficiency of current programs that are supposed to reduce air and water pollution.

Additionally, they should determine whether current policies or regulations are properly reinforced by the state (Gerding & Price, 2012, p. 31). Thus, one has to speak about the competency in gathering and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data on the basis of which one can reach certain conclusions (Kyle et al. 2006).

Without this skill, these professional can hardly bring any improvements into the life of a community. In some cases, environmental health workers have to see the relations between various phenomena. For example, they can look at health records while conducting air pollution research (Thurston et al, 2009, p. 45).

In this way, they can determine the causes of various diseases or assess the effectiveness of environment protection programs. This is why research and analysis skills are important for these professionals.

Another aspect that should not be overlooked is the ability of environmental health workers to develop policies and programs that can better protect the wellbeing of humans, animals, and nature in general. There are many cases showing that they often cooperate with legislators and regulators (Blake, Corso & Bender, 2011).

For instance, one can mention that environmental agencies objected to the drilling in Marcellus Shale since this practice can pose a threat to the health of local population (Goldstein, Kriesky & Pavliakova, 2012, p. 483). Furthermore, these people should form alliances with groups that also promote the reduction of environmental risks. Additionally, he/she should be able to identify the steps that should be taken in order to address environmental risks (Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, 2009, p. 83).

Thus, one can argue that environmental health workers should understand the goals and interests of different stakeholders, for instance, the residents of the community, governmental organizations, manufacturing companies, environment protection agencies, and other stakeholders. Moreover, they need to understand how economic, social and legal institutions can ensure public health (Jackson & Malloy, 2011, p. 35).

Therefore, they should develop programs and policies on the basis of their findings and analysis. In turn, if they cannot do it, their work will not find practical application which is probable the most important criterion for every professional. So, the cooperation between environmental health workers and regulators is a critical component.

It is also important to remember that environmental health professionals often have to act as educators. For instance, they can raise people’s awareness about the existing risks to the wellbeing of individuals (Sarisky, 2009, p. 20). These people have to interact with policy-makers, medical workers, legislators, and other people who may want to know more about the environmental problems.

One of the most challenging tasks is the interaction with children. They need to know about the presence various pollutants in food, water, air, and so forth (Sattler, 2008, p. 329; Coopwood, 2009). Thus, one should say that environmental health workers should have well-developed communication skills. Without them, they will not be able to make convincing arguments. These are some of the main aspects that can be identified.

It should also be taken into account that these professionals cannot cope with their duties without being able to act as leaders. This issue is particularly important at those moments when it is necessary to respond to environmental disasters (Logue, 1996, p. 1207).

Under such circumstance, they have to take initiatives and overcome various challenges as quickly as possible. The competencies identified in this section correspond to various roles played by environmental health workers who are responsible for identifying risks and minimizing them.

Conclusion

These examples indicate that environmental health workers should possess different competencies. First of all, these individuals should have in-depth expertise in different sciences that can throw light on various aspects of public health. Furthermore, they should also act as researches, who gather information, analyze data and evaluate the effectiveness of different programs.

More importantly, they need to interact with various stakeholders such as regulators, medical workers, teachers, and many other people. Furthermore, they play the role of educators by raising people’s awareness about different environmental risks.

Finally, in some cases, they need to display leadership qualities in order to address different challenges. The competencies described in this paper are vital for protecting the wellbeing of individuals and communities.

Reference List

Blake, R., Corso, L., & Bender, K. (2011). Public health department accreditation and environmental public health: a logical collaboration. Journal Of Environmental Health, 74(3), 28-30.

Coopwood, T. (2008). Engaging young people in children’s environmental health protection through CARE. Journal of Environmental Health, 71(1), 64-5.

Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. (2009). Continuing Professional Competencies. Toronto: CIPHI.

Gerding, J., & Price, J. (2012). Public health performance management: opportunities for environmental public health. Journal Of Environmental Health, 74(8), 30-31.

Gochfeld, M., & Goldstein, B. D. (1999). Lessons in environmental health in the twentieth century. Annual Review of Public Health, 20, 35-53.

Goldstein, B., Kriesky, J., & Pavliakova, B. (2012). Missing from the Table: Role of the Environmental Public Health Community in Governmental Advisory Commissions Related to Marcellus Shale Drilling. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(4), 483-486.

Jackson, R., & Malloy, T. (2011). Environmental Public Health Law: Three Pillars. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 34-36.

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There is a lively, lifelong debate concerning the essence of professionalism. Some people believe that it is a set of skills and knowledge developing with age and fruitfully completed tasks, while others are confident that it is a combination of personal traits, maturity, behaviors, and appropriate appearance. Those belonging to these opposing groups would view wearing a t-shirt to an interview from different perspectives, as those supporting the first standpoint would believe that looks do not affect professionalism, while the believers in the second approach would ardently dispute this viewpoint. This essay will make an attempt to speculate on various dimensions and draw lines connecting them.

First and foremost, professionalism refers to competence. It is inseparable from obtaining a particular volume of knowledge, developing a specific set of skills critical for coping with job duties, and constantly improving performance. In this view, the perception of professionalism differs across industries, as a valuable talent in one sector would be meaningless in another. For instance, being proficient in accounting would be inappropriate in mining, just as the ability to run an assembly line does not line up with surgical practice. At the same time, professionalism is connected to effective communication skills, whether verbal, non-verbal, or written.

In addition, professionalism can be viewed as behavior. In this case, it refers not only to decency and managing to cope with job duties regardless of emotions but also acting ethically. True professionals are always dedicated, respectful, and able to separate personal matters from work-related ones, thus avoiding interrelation and collision of the two. This behavior is common both inside and outside the workplace environment, as true professionals always know how to address work-related issues outside office hours. For example, if a doctor sees an individual losing consciousness at the subway station, helping this person instead of ignoring the problem would point to professionalism expected of a doctor. The same would be true if a policeman were to stop a criminal outside of working hours. Moreover, a true professional addresses each situation while following laws, regulations, and predetermined job duties.

Finally, professionalism is a set of personal traits. Of course, it is inseparable from competence and ethical behavior. However, there are some character traits that determine an individual’s predisposition to growing highly professional. For instance, self-management, responsibility, punctuality, and dependability are valuable determinants of professionals, as they are helpful for working on the first two aspects of professionalism—competence and behavior. On the other hand, professionalism is rarely related to narcissism and the inability to accept criticism because they slow down personal growth and continuous improvement. All in all, professionalism is about engagement and passion for work, as they are the drivers of self-development.

In summary, professionalism is inseparable from individuality. Even though there are some generally acceptable determinants of this concept, such as behaviors, competence, and personal traits, the very essence of professionalism is synonymous with standing out from the crowd. However, it is not connected to becoming an attention seeker. Instead, professionalism involves becoming a remarkable person who strives for constant improvement in order to increase work-related effectiveness. At the same time, it is about the ability to determine an appropriate frame of behavior and pay specific attention to filling existing gaps in knowledge and skills. Thus, when viewing the situation involving a t-shirt mentioned earlier, it is vital to find out whether it was the only option for drawing the hirer’s attention, or compensating for an absence of talent and creative potential.

According to the general definition (American College Dictionary), a person is in a profession if he or she is making a living out of it; or put more simply, drawing monetary benefits out of it. But is everyone who is in a profession a professional? By the same source, professionalism is defined as “standing, practice, or methods of a professional as distinguished from an amateur.” There are many instances where a person in a profession is not a professional according to the criteria of professionalism. A good example is sports, where the attitude of many players can be defined as nonprofessional although they are making money in sports. Sports celebrities almost always face criticism more for this very reason, their nonprofessional attitude. Although the criteria differ between professions, they have some basic common characteristics. A professional has formal and technical education in the profession, mastery over the theoretical knowledge, and the capacity to apply the theoretical knowledge to the practice. He or she has the expertise, developed primarily by the education and training and then by the experience he or she has gained from working in the profession. But what actually defines a professional is one’s professional attitude. Dedication, motivation, commitment to cause, and progressive thought towards one’s profession set one apart from non-professionals.

Professionalism in more technical fields gains more importance as more responsibility lies with the professionals. Such professions demand sacrifice and prioritizing the interest of those they serve above their own (Bumgarner et al. 28). This definition encompasses the characteristics of professional behavior that relate to sacrifice, compassion, sympathy, altruism, duty, and integrity. Teaching and medicine are examples where professionalism on the part of teachers and doctors is critical to those whose care is entrusted to them. In such cases, there are many stakeholders who can gain or lose a lot depending on the professional attitude of these professionals. In any such profession, the primary interest of professionals is allied with community or public interest. Consequently, they bear great responsibility in keeping this interest. For this very reason, there are systems to verify the competence of the professional members. One has to be updated and informed about improvements, innovations, developments, and requirements of the profession. Commitment to continuous learning about one’s profession is another defining characteristic. The mere experience of working alongside theoretical knowledge no more stands as a certificate to being a professional. There are instances where the theoretical knowledge is evolving steadily, such as accountancy and pharmacy, where new standards are set frequently, and practical knowledge of the application of these standards is crucial to the validity of one’s professional practice.

In addition to characteristics of theoretical and practical knowledge, self-development is needed to keep oneself equipped for changing situations. According to Christopher Day, ‘Reflection’ has a strong role in the ever learning process of a professional (Day 83-93). Also, confrontation is necessary alongside reflection for professional development in any organization. Day also considers the effect of organizational culture on the developmental capacity of reflection and confrontation. The workplace culture is vital in defining the professional attitudes of individuals. A culture driven by commitment and dedication to knowledge, learning, and practice is more likely to draw better professional behavior from its participants. Research and study for self-development are essential at the organizational level. The extent to which confrontation is beneficial is also defined by the organizational culture.

Bibliography

Bumgarner, Gary W., Alan R. Spies, Scott Asbill, and Valerie T. Prince. Using the Humanities to Strengthen the Concept of Professionalism among First-professional Year Pharmacy Students. In: American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. 2007; 71(2): 28.

Day, Christopher. Reflection: a necessary but not sufficient condition for professional development. Published in : British Educational Research Journal, Volume 19, Issue 1 1993 , pages 83 – 93

Introduction

For any field of knowledge to be functional and meaningful it has to have practitioners in that area that must follow specific ethics and values specific to their areas of specializations. It is important to note that, although different professions have commonalities among their ethics, each of the professions has a class of unique ethics and values that identifies practitioners in that specific field.

In addition, it is good to note that, practitioners in these fields not only work to gain good remuneration packages, but also they are involved in extensive researches; a practice aimed at improving and enhancing knowledge in their fields.

Generally, professionals regardless of their areas of specialization must have cognitive and academic competence and a set of principles not only defined by their areas of specialization, but also intrinsically driven (Clark and Kasar pp.5-7).

When individuals decide to be professionals in a specific field, then it means they are ready to sacrifice all that is at their disposal to make sure their professions shine, hence a factor necessitating one at all times to perform work with integrity and dedication.

In addition, to self-interest and personal achievement, professionally individuals should create lasting relationships with not only those they work with, but also those they are serving. This is because, in case conflicting issues exists among a cohort of workers, then resulting conflicts can impair the quality and quantity of work output.

Hence, if professional cannot fight to ensure they maximise their work output and competencies, then what is the essence of individuals calling themselves professionals? On the other hand, it is necessary to note that, all professional services’ main aim is to aid community development and peaceful coexistence, a factor that will improve the nature of relationships that will exist among community members.

Hence, in trying to maintain this “contract” with the community, it is important for all professionals to ensure whatever principles, moral ethics, or values they embrace fit societal wants and needs (Cunningham pp.6-9).

Professionalism in Education

Educators play several roles dictated either by professional ethics or by societal needs. For example in an elementary school, although teachers’ main role is to deliver knowledge, they also have other duties that include acting as a surrogate parents, disciplinarians, motivators, and many other roles that depend on specific societies. This is because, students take more time with teachers than they do with their parents.

Therefore, this makes it important for teachers to try and formulate mechanisms of balancing students’ needs and their professionalism. It is important to note here that, as compared to other professions, this profession entails many ethical concerns because to students teachers are a representation of the society; hence, students will always follow what teachers do.

Essentials of Professionalism in Education

As professionalism dictates all practitioners in any fields must have the competence required for effective work performance, a factor that education embraces. Depending on one’s area of jurisdiction, requirements for one to function effectively as a teacher vary.

These requirements include postgraduate diplomas, degrees (masters or PhDs’), diplomas, certificate and other qualifications in education. Although this is the case, teaching ethics of different areas or countries do not vary very much primarily because, the profession aims to mould learners who can work in any social-economic conditions.

In addition to these varying qualifications, because of the changing nature of lifestyles and technology, it is important for teachers to have additional trainings in other fields for example, information technology. The trainings not only are they of purpose to teachers in terms of knowledge development or improvement, but also are important aids of enhancing quality content and value delivery.

On the other hand, because learning has no end, this profession involves the attending of other training sessions that ensure teachers stay up to date with current information, an important prerequisite for dealing with learners’ problems.

For example, in the field of medicine presently, due to emerging complex health complications globally, it is important for teachers in this field to update themselves with new knowledge, for them to be able to mould students who meet current health needs (Robson pp. 7-14).

In addition, it is important to note that, competency is not all being well educated and having professional certificates, but rather the whole process involves the ability to deliver whatever content the core curriculum specifies. Different professionals have the power to deliver their services according to their best means, where education is not an exception.

However, although this is the case, educators must bear in mind that, whatever they do learners will copy direct and include the same in their real professional jobs, hence the need to use their best means. This adopted strategy should ensure content delivery occurs within preferred and standard conditions, which can help learners of different capabilities to cope up; hence effective and meaningful learning experiences (Whitty p.1).

Professional behaviour is another important aspect of this field. Practically, it is a little bit hard to clearly define a set of conduct that educators must follow. In addition, before defining this set of conduct, it is important for all educators to note that, learners always copy whatever they do in any scenario.

This ranges from the mode of one’s conduct either in class or out of class, language characteristics, and general behaviour in terms of temperament, attitude, morals, and principles. Honestly speaking, following professional conduct is one of the most difficult tasks because of the differences in learners’ backgrounds; where learners have different ways of interpreting occurrences in their immediate environments.

Although this is the case, it is important for practitioners in this field to correctly depict and predict learners’ demographics; hence, formulate mechanisms of dealing with these differences among different learners.

In addition to ensuring, they maintain professional behaviours in presence of learners; educators must always ensure that whatever aspect of behaviour they adopt should fit the values of the society to which they are offering their services.

This is because, considering most societal settings, educators are always on the sport light, owing to the fact that, the society treats them as role models.

Due to multiple roles that educators must perform, there is need for them to be dedicated and responsible in their duties.

Responsibility not only entails following or performing as per set goals and standards, but rather it means that, educators must be ready to deliver or perform beyond set goals. This is only achievable if individuals handle duties managements have assigned them obeying their intrinsic motivators rather than extrinsic motivators.

In addition, dedication entails the performing of duties in a way individuals could attend to their personal issues. The greatest motivator of this profession is that, whatever the competence an educator imparts in learners not only benefits them solely, but also it contributes to the overall development of the society.

On the other hand, it is essential for practitioners in this field to note that, responsibility does not only guarantee achievement of educational goals, but also it contributes to individuals self growth and image enhancement, which translates to a good professional image.

In addition to competence, behavioural orientation, responsibility and dedication professionally, all educators must ensure their life both inside and outside the class is organized. For example, in qualifying graduates in all institutions, administrations must use all performance records.

However, in case of carelessness by some tutor and these records are not present then the teaching profession is at stake. This is because whatever happens after this like a scenario will not only taint the name of the teacher and the learning institution, but also will taint the name of the teaching profession; something that all individuals should aim to eliminate in their daily undertakings.

Although a challenging task to meet many qualities associated with the teaching profession, it is important for all individuals in this profession to delicate their efforts to the profession; hence formulate mechanisms of meeting societal needs through imparting correct skills in learners. This is because; education is the fundamental prerequisite for any societal development and success achievement.

Professionalisation of Education

Considering the nature of changes that have occurred in present education systems, it is important for governments to professionalize education, in the sense that, it is the primary determinant of a societies well being. In addition, considering the roles education plays in our contemporary society, it is important for it to have bodies that should manage its affairs and ensure all practitioners in the field meet specific standards.

This is important in that, not only does it ensure the law protects practitioners in this field, but also it will act as a motivator towards goal achievement; hence, the bettering of educational experiences and knowledge.

For education to be practical and utilitarian there is need to include meaningful learning experiences, a factor that will make the profession to be of good integrity and competence.

The professionalisation process primarily encompasses the setting and implementation of good standards, principles and qualifications that all teachers must meet, for them to maintain the competence that the profession dictates. In addition, the process involves the formation of both internal and external working bodies that will manage all activities of the profession.

These activities include setting of working standards and ethics, rules and procedures that practitioners in this field must follow. The professionalisation process is very crucial in that, it helps to differentiate between amateurs in the education profession and qualified individuals who are ready to work using all that is at their disposal to achieve academic competence (Siriwardena pp.235-245).

On the other hand, the professionalisation process has many associated advantages namely: increased benefits, proper management of conflicting issues, education quality improvement, and improved self-esteem of members of the professional class. This is because these bodies will protect their autonomy and protect their well-being.

One main factor that makes professionalisation a necessity is the changing trends in forms of educational orientation. In the past, the overall role of education delivery rested solely on parents and elders, a factor that has undergone transformation with globalisation.

Currently, many education developments have introduced new concepts in education; hence, making it necessary for establishment of concrete standards and bodies that take the overall responsibility of ensuring educational experiences remains meaningful.

In addition, centralisation of education management in many governments has made the process of professionalizing education a hard task because governments solely formulate policies without consulting educators.

In addition, due to the enormous contribution made by educators to the social, economic, and political conditions of societies, there is need for increased teacher preparation for them to work effectively and professionally in their distinct areas, something that is achievable via professionalizing education.

How to Professionalise Education

Educational professionalization should commence from the nature of trainings offered to teachers. In the present changing times, there exist great variations among different learner needs, considering that learners grow in different and unique environments.

Therefore, this makes it important for integration of professionalization in training centres, where trainers should emphasise the need of meeting all learners’ needs. This will make learning meaningful and of value not only to learners, but also the entire community. For governments to achieve this, then they must accord all scholars their rightful positions as concerns reforms.

It is important to note that, by giving educators the right to participate in reforms, likelihoods of success of formulated programs are high. This is because when educators themselves give decisions on radical changes that education policy makers must include in the curriculum, implementation such curriculum is easy.

To ensure that original skills learnt by teachers receive continuous upgrading to meet current global economic, social, and political standards, government should come up with correct strategies of formulating building capacities for example, the application of communication technologies.

This will aid the extension of teacher education, hence guaranteeing that all practitioners in the education field are qualified and meet specific standards, something that clearly defines professionalisation.

Trainings and continuous upgrading of skills cannot act on their own without extensive researches in this profession. This is because there is a clear shift from the tradition rote learning method to more advanced learning methods, which dictate constant and renewed skill development.

Therefore, this calls for need of extensive researches in this profession, something that will contribute to its upgrading and advancement; hence meet all learner needs and aspirations (Whitehead and Hartley pp. 147-157).

For example, the use of the Reggio Emilia technique of teaching is a practical example of a research got technique that not only ensures learning is meaningful, but also ensures there exist good connections between learning environments, classroom settings and surrounding communities.

To ensure that practitioners in education deliver the required standards, governments have to establish ways of creating teacher bodies and councils, which will undertake the overall role of ensuring educators perform to their uttermost potentials.

Depending on the level of learning, it is important for governments to include not only education stakeholders’ views, but also their membership in this overseeing leadership groups (Mawhinney pp. 36-47).

Factors Influencing Professionalisation

Although the concept of education professionalization sounds an easy task, in reality it has many associated concepts that make it a subject of debate among many scholars. For example, majority of educational concepts are theoretical, hence creating a broad difference between theory and real practise as concerns professional development.

From research findings, there exist dismal participation of professionals in this field a fact that majority of them attribute to the un-worthiness of such programmes. This makes it hard to professionalise education because for it to fit in the class of other professions, it must have certain qualities, where career development is a primary need.

Another major factor influencing teacher professionalism is the organisational cultures of majority of schools. Depending on an institutions’ culture and educational orientation, some schools may have enhancement opportunities where as some may lack completely.

This is many ways hinders the professional development of educators. For schools that offer advancements opportunities such as trainings, and career enhancement packages their performance is high in terms of educational delivery.

This is because majority of such educators acquire extensive and better competencies that are necessary for an ever-changing society. Majority of schools with such professional development opportunities have well defined leadership roles; hence, guaranteeing educators freedom to express their concerns and needs, a factor that encourages professional advancement.

Politics is another major influencing factor to professionalisation. This is because politics primarily determine the amount of resources that a country allocates educational development. In addition, politics many other influences on educational unions running, a factor that hinders teachers for expressing their ideas when it comes to policy development and implementation.

Another common factor affecting professionalisation of education is the imbalances that exist between the ratios of students to teachers. As Smith (pp.74-80) argues, in most current schools, teachers have to work extra hard to meet all learners’ needs, something that has burdened teachers.

This is because, currently there is an influx of students in many elementary and middle level schools; hence the small number of teachers cannot meet their demands effectively or as dictated by professional ethics.

In addition, the fact that majority of these classrooms have mixed learners in terms of capabilities and handicaps compounds the factor, hence making professional development a harder task for most educators. on the other hand, considering the fact that most elementary schools have many integrated subject hipped in one curriculum makes specialisation a harder task; hence, a great impediment to professionalisation.

Primarily, specialisation involves the division of work when it comes to teaching duties and attending to specific learner needs, which currently is hard to achieve in many school settings.

The problem of specialisation results due to poor administrative systems, a factor that denies educators freedoms of formulating workable plans that will suit learners’ needs as specific times and needs. This is a problem that governments can avoid by giving teachers their required autonomy and freedoms as pertains policy development and implementation.

In addition to the wide gap that exists between the number of students and teachers, the economic condition of a government or society also acts as another major influence on professionalisation of education.

Majority of nation states allocate very dismal funds to their educational programs, or in some cases, although the resource allocations are sufficient to meet educational needs, little goes to educational professional development.

Hence, because the professionalisation process requires sufficient funds; that are scarce, most of the initiatives to professionalise education fail; hence, the influence of economic viability and status of a country on professionalisation of education.

On the other hand, education is worthless if it cannot meet the society needs. Hence, due to varying societal needs (that are un-satiable), professinalising education has become a hard task due to influences societies have on the organisation of educational programmes, policy formulation and their implementation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to ensure education continues meeting the ever changing societal needs, there is need to professionalise it. This is because it will give teachers the autonomy to decide on meaningful experiences that policy makers must include in the process of curriculum development and implementation.

In addition to giving teachers autonomy, it is necessary for governments to allow teachers to form independent bodies that will handle their discrepancies whenever they arise. For these bodies to function properly, they must be free from any governmental influences, something that has made education professionalisation a hard thing.

Works Cited

Clark, Nelson and Kasar, Jack. Developing professional behaviour. New Jersey: Slack Incorporated, 2000. Web.

Cunningham, Brian. Exploring professionalism. London: Institute of education, 2008. Print.

Mawhinney, Hanne. School wars or school transformation: professionalizing Teaching and involving communities. Peabody journal of education, 73(1) (1998). 34-55. Web.

Robson, Jocelyn. Teacher professionalism in further and higher education: challenges to Culture and practice. Oxon: Routledge Taylor and Francis group, 2006. Web.

Siriwardena, Rashid. The professionalization of education and educators in Postgraduate Medicine. Education for Primary Care, 16(3) (2005): pp.235-245.

Print Smith, Selby. Some factors affecting the education of teachers in the state of Victoria, Australia. International Review of Education, 15 (1). (2005): 74-83. Print.

Whitehead, Maurice and Hartley, David. Teacher education: professionalism and Teacher education. New York: Routledge; Taylor and Francis group,2006, Web.

Whitty, Geoff. Teacher professionalism in a new era. 2006. Web.

Professionalism

In order to become a professional in a specific field, an individual need to have knowledge, skills, and abilities. There is an opinion that higher education gives a person the right to be considered a professional. However, situations are common in which an individual without any education earns himself a fortune thanks to his mind and talents (Dare & Wendel, 2020). Professionalism lies in the conscientious performance of one’s duties, continuous development, the ability to organize, create, earn, motivate one’s activities, and engage in self-realization. All this must be backed up by determination and faith in success (Dare & Wendel, 2020). The process of becoming a specialist in a narrow field is multi-stage, long, and productive.

Ego

However, there is ego, which is also a common phenomenon among specialists. The fact is that it is typical for human consciousness to make certain expectations and ideas. This also extends to conceit, which leads to a highly inefficient workflow. At the same time, a specialist with a big ego considers himself a professional higher than he really is. As a result, an individual begins to follow and incarnate his own illusions by performing tasks in which he has no competence (Dare & Wendel, 2020). At the same time, the discrepancy between ideas and reality gives rise to dissatisfaction in the individual, which is expressed in a decrease in efficiency and productivity.

Combination of Characteristics

If a qualified specialist develops an ego, then this leads, first of all, to professional degradation. The fact is that individuals qualitatively and efficiently perform certain tasks. Begins to try to do more to meet his own expectations. As a result, time, attention, and skills begin to dissolve into many tasks, none of which will eventually be completed (Dare & Wendel, 2020). This eliminates all the merits of a professional as the efficiency drops. In addition, this often leads to emotional burnout, which leads to the loss of an employee as an element of the entire system. Thus, it is impossible to combine a negative and positive quality in this context at the same time since the characteristics themselves have a different nature, namely, factual and psychological.

Impact on a Team and Organization

The most important problem of selfishness is its negative impact on the organization and the work team. First, selfishness breeds toxic behavior since one of its qualities is a condescending attitude toward others. Thus, the atmosphere in the team becomes tense, which leads to a loss of motivation for the work of colleagues. In addition, failure to complete tasks in vain contributes to the spread of responsibility to the entire team since specialists are forced to correct errors or complete processes that have been started but not completed (Dare & Wendel, 2020). In the end, this will lead to systematic failures that affect the efficiency of the entire organization. At the same time, the toxicity of the individual and the tense atmosphere lead to a large number of conflicts, which ultimately spreads frustration in the firm.

Reference

Dare, T. and Wendel, B. W. (2020). Professional ethics and personal integrity. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Professionalism is a concept that many organizations uphold as it ensures that all individuals function according to the expected standards. However, Rowland (2016) suggests that many people do not understand its meaning. According to the author, professionalism is critical in organizations because it promotes positive work behaviors. Moreover, it has notable implications on job outcomes such as satisfaction and employee performance. Therefore, Rowland (2016) proposes a comprehensive model for defining professionalism to allow its adoption in a range of professions and its comparison with other professional and organizational constructs and evaluations to assess employee performance. A comprehensive model critically defines all the elements of professionalism and enables validation. In addition, the author sought to identify a measure of professionalism to establish correlations. After executing an exploratory-factor analysis, the researcher came up with a five-factor model with 35 items to assess professionalism (Rowland 2016). Moreover, the researcher supports that the identified model has high validity as it can predict correlations. Nevertheless, the researcher recommends adopting reliable measurement models for professionalism as they can encourage interventions to ensure high standards and influence positive organizational outcomes.

References

Rowland, A. W. (2016). What is professionalism? The validation of a comprehensive model of professionalism. Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 1741. Web.