Professions and Professionals

Question 1

Micro

Answer 1

Individual professionals

Question 2

MAcro

Answer 2

refer to changes or characteristics of professional occupations

Question 3

Defining features of a professional

Answer 3

Education, training
License 
Certain demeaner and appearance 
Language
Title 
Prestige 
Not easily replaceable 
high degree of commitment 
Pay 
Autonomy – scheduling, decision making

Question 4

Deprofessionalizaiton vs professionalization

Answer 4

occupational level

maco

Question 5

professionalism vs unprofessionalism

Answer 5

individual level

Question 6

Attributes of a profession

Answer 6

Abstract specialized knowledge
Autonomy
Authority
Altruism

Question 7

Abstract specialized knowledge

Answer 7

Knowledge base:
Theoretical
Practical
Technical
Esoteric and mystified
Increasingly specialized

Question 8

esoteric and mystified

Answer 8

Use professionals use – that most general people don’t understand

Doctors notes – might have little meaning for us

Set boundaries around who has access around their knowledge base – by using this challenging language

Acquire it by hearing and using the language

Part of the function is that they’re protecting their turf, so only insiders can communicate with each other

Question 9

Increasingly specialized

Answer 9

Negative consequence

Many of these knowledge based occupations are growing so fast

You cant be a generalist anyone

Rather you are a specialist so you can keep on top of this rapidly growing knowledge base

The depth of their knowledge is very deep

Narrower range but the depth of knowledge is quite deep
Ex: research methods and work – but she knows a lot about these two subjects in depth

Question 10

Autonomy

Answer 10

Discretion in decision making

Professional standards may limit autonomy

Code of ethics to ensure accountability

Question 11

self governance

Answer 11

occupational autonomy

Question 12

discretion in decision making

Answer 12

How these occupations maintain control over their members

Professional occupation – discretion and decision making and freedom from external control, and other bodies telling them what to do

Can determine if you maintain, or take away your occupations

Question 13

society

Answer 13

As a society we have granted them control over their members and what is considered part of their activities

Society grants them the permission to perform certain activities

Question 14

Professional standards may limit autonomy

Answer 14

Profession that sets standards on what you can and cannot do (standards)

Conflict over boundaries across different occupations

Physicians vs pharmacists – battle of who can write prescriptions

Settled that only certain types of prescriptions pharmacists can write

Negotiating the boundaries for who can do a particular task

Question 15

code of ethics

Answer 15

Also standards of what you have to do to maintain to be able to continue in the practice

Up to your peers (evaluated by them) as to whether you are doing a good job, and maintaining those standards

Expect members to follow

Question 16

Problems when an occupation is monitoring themselves?

Answer 16

If monitors by peers – its not in their interest

Not in their best interest to identify individuals who do not meet their standards

Whether they should only be allowed to monitor their own members, other people say they make it too public

Question 17

Authority

Answer 17

Authority over clients

Authority over other occupations

Question 18

Clients

Answer 18

A lot of authority over the people they are serving

The distinction between Clients and customers

Clients
someone who needs help,
relying on their service provider
Incapable of doing the job they are asking the professional to do
Ex: doctors, therapists, creating a will
Follow what the professionals say
Expected not to question what a professional says
Paying for their advice, and expected to comply with the decision they give us
Ex: medical confession – compliant patients (those who follow the doctors orders)
Clients now – act like

Question 19

Authority over occupations

Answer 19

“but that’s not my job” something you want to pass to someone else

Ex: health services: physicians at the top, nurses, nursing assistants, nursing aids

Active in terms of maintaining boundaries in different occupations

Authority helps different occupations set the boundaries and what they don’t have to do

Question 20

Customers

Answer 20

customers – shop around, research everything, (doctor, lawyer) we challenge the professionals
Customers
“are always right”
they have a lot more bargaining power with the relationship

more likely to shop around and get the best deal
enter the relationship knowing what they want

Question 21

Altruism

Answer 21

Assumption that people in these occupations are there to help other and make a difference, economic rewards are not that important, rather the intrinsic rewards are
Idea of being able to help others that drive people to become members of these occupations

Community rather than self interest

Service ethic

Trust

Question 22

challenging about altruism

Answer 22

Whether the people in those professions are acting out of altruistic means or providing a service ethic

There is a purpose for believing that these people are doing their job for our benefit and not theirs

In most cases we really have to trust these individuals

My interests and concerns are more important than theirs

Question 23

Critique of the attribute approach

Answer 23

Attributes as Means of Occupational Control

Esoteric knowledge

Autonomy and internal governance

Authority over others

Altruism and self sacrifice

Question 24

Criticisms of attribute approach

Answer 24

When we look at these attributes, these are strategies that certain occupations have been successful in terms in maintaining control
Rather they are strategic and using these attributes so that they can maintain occupational control

Question 25

esoteric abstract knowledge

Answer 25

strategic because it excludes people from knowing what they are talking about and interacting with them

Exclusionary tactic

Question 26

autonomy and internal governance

Answer 26

Not allowing outsiders to evaluate the behaviour of your works

Question 27

Authority over others

Answer 27

These occupations have absolute control over their clients, has been challenged the most out of all of these

More publicity of behaviors that are unacceptable amongst professional

Shop around to see different opinions

Much more access to knowledge

Question 28

Altruism and self sacrifice

Answer 28

Harder and harder for people to believe in when we see the salaries some of these occupations make

Unnecessary referrals/treatment, or billing for work that has not been done

Question 29

The profession continuum

Answer 29

True Professions
Semiprofessions
Paraprofessions

Question 30

true established professions

Answer 30

Who is in them, and the jobs that they do
Ex: lawyers and doctors
No one questions about whether or not they are professionals
Male dominated

Question 31

Semiprofessions

Answer 31

Female dominated 
Some attributes of the true profession 
Serving people – their clients have less status or power 
Nurses, social workers, teachers 
Usually helping people of a lower status

Question 32

Paraprofession

Answer 32

Slightly lower than semiprofession

Helper positions

Ex: nursing assistants that help nurses, paralegals, dental hygienists, teaching aids
Doing the least desirable tasks

Question 33

Changing nature of professions

Answer 33

how to get more control over an occupation or how an occupation loses its status or control

The notion of control or dominance was key to understanding why some occupations are professional or not

Professional Dominance

Professionalization as a Means of Control

Question 34

Professional dominance

Answer 34

In order for a occupation to obtain professional status

Exercise control over 3 things

1. Who can do the work
2. How you prepare people to do the work (train)
3. Who gets to evaluate the performance

Question 35

Who can do the work

Answer 35

Certain requirements
Law school – works with the law society

Professional associations work closely with the professional schools

The professional associations that set the criteria for these schools

In our best interest
Also limit who can go in and who are going to come out of the program
Practicum levels

Question 36

Social work was not a profession before

Answer 36

Standardization of requirements

Two year diploma before or a masters at UofC

What do you need to be certified?
Same with education before

Question 37

Changing nature of professions

Answer 37

Deprofessionalization

Proletarianization and Corporatization

Question 38

Deprofessionalization

Answer 38

Looking at the extent to which the relationship between the profession and their clients have changed

Referring to how they have lost a monopoly over their knowledge base

When professions start losing their control or monopoly over their knowledge base for their occupation
1) public may feel the profession is not working out of our best interest
2) see that there are changes in their authority
Ex: medical profession – concerns about the deprofessionalization
Because patients are becoming more knowledgeable about medical information, looked as consumers instead of clients

Done through the access to technology
-We are looking at how an occupation has lost control or monopoly over its knowledge base
-Lost their relationship to -technology – people go to google
Lose control over their client base

Technology is changing – access to more information and losing control over the knowledge base and authority in the relationships with their clients

Technology – being monitored
-Ex: electronic patient files – allows other peoples to evaluate physicians and their decision making

Question 39

Proletarianization and corporatization

Answer 39

Work by themselves or work with collogues that work together for a clinic

• Referring to when what happens when professions see members as now salary employees of large organizations
• Lose control over the work process
• Follow rules and procedures that are set out by their employers
• Large bureaucracies may have different expectations – efficiency and profit
• Larger companies what efficient patient care
• Hate when you cant solve a problem in 10 mins