An abolitionist view of restorative justice

Penal abolitionism is known for its unconventional analysis of crime, the law and punishment. Some critical views of restorative justice emerge when the alternatives to imprisonment advocated by abolitionists are examined. This paper discusses such views, highlighting their critique of professionalism and their emphasis on community conflict regulation

An abolitionist view of restorative justice

Penal abolitionism is known for its unconventional analysis of crime, the law and punishment. Some critical views of restorative justice emerge when the alternatives to imprisonment advocated by abolitionists are examined. This paper discusses such views, highlighting their critique of professionalism and their emphasis on community conflict regulation

Teacher Professionalism: What Educators can Learn from Social Workers

Although there are numerous calls to enhance the professionalism of teachers, there is little empirical research in the United States that examines educators’ understanding of the concept. This exploratory case study compared the conceptualization of professionalism by faculty and students in a college of education vis-à-vis the conceptualization of the construct by faculty and students in a school of social work. Findings revealed that participants in the education program expressed individualistic and somewhat restricted views of professionalism. Social work faculty and some social work students, on the other hand, expressed a collective and extended view of the concept. These findings suggest that in order to empower teachers to be full professionals, a deliberate attention to the development of their professionalism is needed

The views of medical students on professionalism in South Africa

An article on medical professionalism was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in February 2002 outlining a charter, and the fifth-year medical students of the Medical School of the University of Pretoria were asked to comment on the charter. The question was asked whether the principles and responsibilities as set out in the charter could also be applied to the South African context. The responses of the students could be divided into three groups with overlapping themes: 15,64% of the students felt that the charter was not at all applicable to our country because of its diverse cultures and languages and the variety of social classes and religions; 24,02% of the students felt that the charter was a universally acceptable document; and 60,34% of the students felt that, to a great extent, the charter was the ideal and the goal to strive for, although they only accepted some of the principles and responsibilities while having serious doubts and criticism of others. In conclusion, the majority of the medical students felt that the charter was noteworthy and commendable in principle, but not totally applicable in our country with its unique problems and challenges. Our challenge is to take what resources we have and use it to the benefit of all. Keywords: Medical Professionalism, Patient welfare, Autonomy, Social justice, Continued medical education, Confidentiality and privacy, Financial considerations, Rights of doctors, Cultural differences, Government support For full text, click here:SA Fam Pract 2004;46(1) :28-3

Patient perspectives: Four pillars of professionalism

Professionalism is a core component of healthcare practice and education; however, there is often not a consistent description of professionalism, and current definitions lack a key perspective: that of the patient. This study aimed to deepen understandings of patients’ perspectives on how professionalism should be enacted by healthcare providers. Using a phenomenological approach informed by constructivist theory, the study team conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 21 patients to ascertain their views on professionalism. Data analysis was conducted using a constant comparative approach wherein initial analysis informed subsequent data collection. Participant themes fell into four pillars of professionalism: taking a collaborative human-first approach; communicating with heart and mind; behaving with integrity; and practicing competently. This study highlights patient perspectives on professionalism and examines consistencies and differences between those perspectives and those of healthcare providers, which are extensively described in the literature. While published literature highlights competence and communication as main aspects of professionalism which our participants also focused on, participants in this study emphasized integrating patients into care teams, employing empathy, and demonstrating integrity. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Implementing professionalism by deprofessionalized strategies: a moral quandary

Monetary fine proceedings has been one of the methods of upholding professionalism amongst health care professionals. Professionalism as a concept is multifaceted and fragmented and it has become symbolic to the extent that, unfortunately, some traits of professionalism showcase the whole concept. It seems fair to interpret the symbolic views on the concept of professionalism as means to capitalize on certain aspects of professions such as commercial profitability for the employer and respected status for the profession. Evaluation of professionalism is often implicit and inadequate; and assessing professionalism by relying on abstract and idealized definitions implies that professionalism is a compounded composite of certain set of stable traits. We suggest to refer to the theory of values-based practice so as to achieve collocated views on professionalism among employers and health academics. Instead of capitalizing on certain traits of professionalism to project the whole concept of professionalism, we may need to relook at the traits of professionalism as values. It is extremely crucial to internalize the values of the health profession in the future health professionals, so that the future health professionals imbibe the professionalism through dialog and democratic methods of sharing values during the course of professional developmen

Through the Eyes of Novice Teachers: Experiences with Professional Cultures Within and Outside of Neoliberal “No-Excuses” Charter Schools

As neoliberal education reforms spread globally, including the development of school choice pathways that create different types of schools, a reexamination of teacher professionalism may be in order. Current literature about teacher experiences with neoliberal reforms often focuses on negative aspects of organizational professionalism and managerialism, describing shifts in professionalism as stifling teacher autonomy and diminishing satisfaction through increased accountability, standardization, and supervision. However, studies often only examine single school sites and the views and experiences of veteran teachers. This study considers two novice teachers' experiences as they transition between schools, one with more traditional professional cultures and the other within the hyper-neoliberal professional contexts of 'no-excuses’ charter schools, contrasting how they interpreted aspects of professionalism, development, and satisfaction in different environments. Compared to more traditionally professional school environments, novices’ experiences with managerial approaches to teacher professionalism served to accelerate their development while having drawbacks in terms of workload and turnover. The collaboration and collegiality, bounded autonomy, and shared accountability to mutual goals at these “no-excuses” charter schools seemed to create occupational professional subcultures where novice teachers feel simultaneously challenged and supported. The paper discusses implications for reexamining neoliberal approaches to teacher professionalism, mobility, and school organization.&nbsp

The Hidden Curriculum of Veterinary Education: Mediators and Moderators of Its Effects

The “hidden curriculum” has long been supposed to have an effect on students' learning during their clinical education, and in particular in shaping their ideas of what it means to be a professional. Despite this, there has been little evidence linking specific changes in professional attitudes to the individual components of the hidden curriculum. This study aimed to recognize those components that led to a change in students' professional attitudes at a UK veterinary school, as well as to identify the attitudes most affected. Observations were made of 11 student groups across five clinical rotations, followed by semi-structured interviews with 23 students at the end of their rotation experience. Data were combined and analyzed thematically, taking both an inductive and deductive approach. Views about the importance of technical competence and communication skills were promoted as a result of students' interaction with the hidden curriculum, and tensions were revealed in relation to their attitudes toward compassion and empathy, autonomy and responsibility, and lifestyle ethic. The assessment processes of rotations and the clinical service organization served to communicate the messages of the hidden curriculum, bringing about changes in student professional attitudes, while student-selected role models and the student rotation groups moderated the effects of these influences

How do midwives in Slovenia view their professional status?

Objective: the aim of the study was to explore Slovenian midwives' views of their professional status. The influence of participants' educational background on their views was also examined, since higher education is related to professionalism. Design: this was a quantitative descriptive survey, using postal data collection. The questionnaire comprised of six elements crucial for professionalism - three elements distinctive of 'old' professionalism (power, ethics, specific knowledge) and three characteristics of 'new' professionalism (reflective practice, inter-professional collaboration and partnership with users). Participants: a total of 300 midwives who were registered in a national register of nurses and midwives at the time of the study. The response rate was 50.7% (152 returned the questionnaire). Participants that were on a probationary period were excluded, leaving 128 questionnaires for analysis (43%). Some 40.9% participants had secondary midwifery education, 56.7% had higher midwifery education and only few (2.4%) finished postgraduate education. Findings: the majority of participants did not consider midwifery to be a specific profession. Midwives with secondary education were more likely to consider practical skills to be important than theoretical midwifery knowledge. In general midwives did not feel enabled to practice autonomously; and this caused them to face ethical dilemmas when aiming to fulfil women's wishes. All participants with midwifery secondary school education thought that obstetrics jeopardises midwifery scope of practice, but only half of the BSc participants thought this. One-fifth of all participants estimated that midwifery is also threatened by nursing. The respondents reported feeling a lack of control over their professional activity and policy making; however the majority of midwives claimed that they were willing to take on more responsibility for independent practice. Key conclusions: Slovenian midwifery cannot be considered to be a profession yet. It faces several hindrances, due to its historical development. Implications for practice: in order to develop a specific professional identity for midwives, the content and structure of education should be analysed and changed in order to improve socialisation and professionalism. In clinical settings, the scope of midwifery practice and responsibilities, as defined by EU directives, should be agreed by all professional groups

Deconstructing and reconstructing professionalism: the 'professional' demands of the PCET teacher education programme in the UK

Professionalism has assumed the level of obligation in both the training and practice of teachers in the Lifelong Sector (LLS) in the UK. Responding to the demands of professionalism has been seen both by teachers and trainees as a source of tension and distress. In effect, many practitioners and trainees in the field have become less enthusiastic and less attracted to work in the field because of the culture of performativity that some elements of professional demand attract and in some cases, fail to see themselves as professionals. This paper responds to this situation in two ways. First, it offers a new construct of understanding the multiple demands of ‘professionalism’ which categorises elements of professionalism into three categories of subject knowledge, pedagogical and procedural professionalism. Second, it reports the findings of a small pilot research on the disposition of trainee teachers towards the professionalism module of their training programmes. Though only a pilot study, the research found a paradoxical relationship between trainees and professionalism as trainees felt less like professionals because of the demands and imposition of conditions of procedural professionalism. Also, the pilot study established that among the group investigated, the major source of tension and distress is the demand of procedural professionalism. Finally, the study suggests that trainees are better able to accommodate the demands through appropriate classification that is offered by the new construct