What Does It Mean to Be a Profession?
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Wendy Beattie, |
Education, continuing education, and examinations to test competency are necessary for a profession. One does not become a professional simply with desire, but with the knowledge and skills that may only be attained through appropriate schooling. The requirements for practice have changed, and our educational requirements are following suit. As schools transition to master's programs, many will need assistance. The orthotic and prosthetic profession is supported by our educational institutions, and the institutions must be supported by the profession.
"You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That's the mark of a true professional." —Joe Paterno
We are different from others who are only peripherally involved in our field. We provide a service, not simply a device. Our patients appreciate our knowledge, including the understanding of the diagnosis, our knowledge of what is available from various manufacturers, and our knowledge of how to make what is not commercially available for a particular individual. We must continue to perform at this higher level despite increasing competition from those who do not provide the service we do. Competitive bidding looms dark in our future. Will we be "competing" with Wal-Mart or CVS? We can never dream of matching this type of delivery model with price. It is our unique niche to provide care to the patient requiring orthotic and prosthetic services that we must defend.
"The ultimate purpose of a profession is to develop a knowledge base that will maximize the effectiveness of practice." —Portney and Watkins
We need to increase our knowledge base. Orthotists and prosthetists are by nature researchers and inventors. Despite this, we have, for the most part, failed to document what we have done. This must change. While it is unrealistic to think all clinicians will devote time and resources to publishing legitimate studies, it is not unreasonable to imagine our practitioners facilitating these studies. Clinicians can partner with researchers, where we can provide not only the patient population necessary for studies, but also the clinical knowledge to make the studies pertinent to orthotic and prosthetic practice today.
"The mark of a true professional is giving more than you get." —Robert Kirby
We give to our patients. Our services provide mobility, independence, and pain reduction. We give to our residents. We share the intricacies of our practices, our successes, and our failures. It is, unfortunately, also true that we are getting less. When I first read Kirby's quote, my first thought was of HMOs and diminishing reimbursement. While we do not want to decrease the amount we give, we also must continually fight for what we get—and what we should get.
"The best augury of a man's success in his profession is that he thinks it the finest in the world." —George Eliot
As with most in our profession, being a prosthetist/orthotist is more than what I do. It is an integral part of who I am.
We should be viewed as professionals providing professional services, rather than dispensers of devices. From the minor humiliation of having to wear a "vendor" badge at hospitals, to being labeled a "supplier" by Medicare, there are reminders daily that we are not viewed as professionals, and these examples reflect a lack of acknowledgement that orthotics and prosthetics is a profession.
"A professional is someone who can do his best work even when he doesn't feel like it." —Alistair Cooke I
But being a profession involves much more than respect from the outside world. Being a profession has responsibilities above those of appearances and conduct. The true essence of a profession is being part of a community larger than one's self. A profession is committed to creating an ever-increasing body of knowledge. A profession has a shared vision of the future and shared goals to reach this future. The profession must adopt this vision and these goals and work together to realize them. I invite you to join the Academy as we work toward our vision and goals for this great profession.
