“They are intriguing people. From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline”
~ Nathan Algren, The Last Samurai
What comes to mind at the utterance of the word professionalism? What images does it conjure? That of stoic men and women marching towards peril whilst many others fled in the opposite direction; such as firefighters and soldiers are often found to do. Or is it that individual, that singular individual who is usually the first to show up and the very last to leave a workplace; who constantly puts us all to shame simply because we are inclined to place them on a higher pedestal to begin with by virtue of their merit. Regardless of what that image is within your mind, I do believe it is safe to presume that the word professionalism impress upon us a notion of something pure, something noble, something sacred. When we think of professionalism, it is often linked with other adjectives like consummate, culminate, and apical; as in “Tom is the consummate professional, he has attained culmination in the arts and science of his chosen profession”. Yet, what exactly is professionalism? I shall endeavor to answer this here in the next few paragraphs using the structured offered by Dr. Loh’s article published in 2000.
In perusing the literature, there exists a plethora of definitions for professionalism. Amongst these, perhaps the most succinct and often cited definition comes from Dr. Loh’s 2000 article entitled ‘Professionalism, where are you?’ published in the Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. In it, Dr. Loh has narrowed the defining characteristics of a profession as follows:
1. A profession has a specialized body of knowledge that has value to a society
2. Entrance requirements include a single unifying academic degree, a defined level of competency, and a license to practice
3. Members uphold high ethical standards and adhere to code of conduct
4. Professionals function autonomously; they are defined by their specialized knowledge and the ability to make independent decisions and judgment about their own services
5. Professionals are accountable to the persons they serve, regulatory agencies and their peers.
So, what does that really mean? To understand professionalism, we must first examine the origins of the word, and the context in which it was created.
It begins with to profess, stemming from the Latin word professus, which translates to “declare openly”. In the early days, it was often defined as the act of openly declaring one’s allegiance to a religious order. Pay close attention here to the elements essential to this act:(a) an ardent believe of something higher and greater, and (b) a willingness to stand up publicly and declare it so. Even from the very start, a profession is meant to be in the public eye. It is a system of beliefs and knowledge (keep in mind in those early days, academia and religion were closely linked) given a voice by the individual who openly and willingly pursues it.
Taking the religious aspect out of the equation, to profess is quite an audacious act in of itself. Imagine someone who is about to profess something, be it an epiphany, or his undying devotion to the love of his life. In order for it to be even consider an act of professing, he will need to be standing before a crowd ready to boisterously make his claim. One cannot simply profess without conviction, otherwise what comes out would merely be a whimper prematurely heckled, leaving the audience unconvinced. One must also be able to back the claim with some form of compelling evidence or authority; after all, who would want to listen to charlatan? From where does the conviction and evidence come from? Through a little bit of faith, a whole lot of practice, constant vigilance and due diligence. By doing so they became the irrefutable expert, above reproach and accorded the esteem of professor. They are generally acknowledged as the gate-keeper of the specific knowledge to which they profess.
Yet, one person alone professing is not enough. As word of mouth travels from one ear to the next, there is bound to be some mistakes made in the midst of transmission. I need not belabor you with the example of the children’s game “telephone pole”; rarely do we end up with the message that was originally sent. Over time, and through numerous retelling, that knowledge risks becoming distorted, or even worst - lost. Therefore it behooves those who possess that knowledge to band together to preserve the fidelity of their message. Here we start seeing the formation of guilds and apprenticeships, the early embodiment of today’s professions. The goal of apprenticeship is to ensure that a specific skill-set is preserved in its entirety from one generation to the next. It is also the culmination of numerous lifetimes of practice, and refinement, such that its true practitioners are indubitably bequeathed with a distilled understanding- untainted and unfettered.
Such knowledge accords a greater spectrum of choices, creates alternative courses of action; and with it, inherent responsibilities to its wielder. With this greater degree of choices come much improved odds of making more and grander blunders. This necessitates stringent codes of conduct and ethics to regulate the members so as to ensure that the profession is always accountable. Professional soldiers of old such as knights and samurai adhere to such iron code of ethics. To them, it is a matter of honor.
Unlike knights and samurais, however, you don’t need to be of noble lineage to become a professional. Professionals are not necessary any different from you or I. Often times, professionals are ordinary individuals who are simply more devoted and disciplined to refining themselves; ever perfecting the arts and science of their chosen trade for the sole purpose of being ready to deal with the extraordinary. They are individuals who have the audacity to believe that they have what it takes to make a difference; and the humility to serve faithfully. In this day and age, anyone can become a knight in shining armor insofar that they do not mind the vigorous training, became adroit in all areas expected, and willing to indulge in the immense amount of elbow grease necessary to keep his armor shiny.
In my endeavor to define professionalism, we have progressed from professing to becoming a professional, and to ultimately exemplifying professionalism. Professionalism in this sense can therefore be an adjective or a verb. I much prefer the latter as it implies it is a never ending quest. Culmination, consummation, apical should not be a destination, but rather a refining process. After all, for those of us within the doctoring profession, does it not strike us odd that as professionals we operate within a “practice” and not a “perfect”? That alone should serve as a reminder of what professionalism entails – constant improvement.
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