HaDSoc 7.2 Medical Proffession Flashcards
What is a profession?
A type of occupation able to make distinctive claims about it’s work practices and/or status.
Broadly, what is professionalisation?
The process of converting an occupation into a profession.
What are the process’ involved in professionalisation?
- asserting executive claim over a body of knowledge and expertise
- establishing control over market and exclusion of competitors
- establishing control over professional work practice
For example, we are heart surgeons, only we know how to do this surgery, only we can offer it to you and no one else knows how to do it except us.
What arguments did doctors have for self- regulation?
- only we have the knowledge and expertise to be able to regulate our practice,
- we are responsible enough that we can manage ourselves without evaluation
- if someone was to not act accordingly, we’re responsible enough to deal with it accordingly
What is socialisation?
Why was it important?
The learning how to act through the actions of others.
So with medicine, it’s learning how to act professionally, without being formally taught and tested, so by watching and being around other medical professionals.
It was thought that by this process, anyone who was a ‘bad apple’ would soon learn how to act in the correct manner.
What are some of the critiques of the professions?
- they are protected monopolies (they control over everything and are the only ones who can provide the service)
- claiming you’re of high morals is self serving and strategic
- professionals seek to optimise their own interests, not that of their clients.
What was one of the main criticisms of the self-regulatory model for doctors?
Because they were constantly praising themselves on how excellent they were, they were often overseeing any faults they had, which meant ‘bad apples’ were getting away with doing bad things.
If someone suspected an issue surrounding someone’s professional behaviour, what problems would they face addressing it?
- doctors shouldn’t really raise concerns about each other
- etiquette- shouldn’t monitor each other too closely
- evidence- difficult to provide evidence to support most claims
- vulnerability- if you went forward and were then known as a whistle-blower it could have huge effects on how people treated you
- support networks didn’t exist,
What are some of the roles of the GMC?
- control entry into medical registers and can remove practitioners from it
- inspects medical schools
- contains both lay and professional members, and evidence needed is of more of a civil standard, rather than criminal standard.
What reasons might someone be referred to fitness to practice?
- misconduct
- poor performance
- criminal record
- physical/mental health
What efforts have been out in place to maintain people are fit to practice?
- revalidation every 5 years, proving yourself to be fit to practice as of a standard set by medical royal colleges.
- annual appraisals
What are the Aims of revalidation?
- to reassure patients
- to encourage doctors to keep up to date with their practice
- to maintain/ improve the practice of doctors
- to identify any concerns early on
What evidence do doctors need to put forward to show themselves to be competent?
- portfolios of practice
- significant events, reflection
- review of complains, compliments
- recommendation by a responsible officer
- feedback from patients and colleagues
What is a responsible officer?
A clinician responsible for dealing with local performance/conduct issues, who keeps the GMC informed and shares information about any conduct/ performance issues which may put patients/the public at risk.
