What is Professionalism

In this section, both dictionary definitions of professionalism and the interpretations of prominent system safety professionals in the field are presented. 

System Safety for the 2i Century The Updated and Revised Edition of System Safety 2000, by Richard A. Stephans 

Merriam Webster (Merriam Webster 1993) defines a professional in part as characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession. The American Heritage Dictionary (Morris 1981) defines professionalism as professional status, methods, character or standards. 

According to Curt Lewis, System Safety Manager for American Airlines, A system safety professional is someone who not only who knows the job, but who also has integrity and who can communicate the importance of safety to the company s mission to those above and below. The professional continuously seeks to improve his/her knowledge and ability (C.E. Lewis, personal communication, August 13,2003). 

Perry D Antonio, a manager at the Sandia National Laboratories and a former International President of the System Safety Society, says that I view professionalism as transient in nature— much like an electrical circuit in which you need a continuous power source to ensure a fully charged circuit. In this metaphor, professional development is the power source. Professionalism is achieved when an individual s methods, behavior, skill, performance, and spirit of dedication to excel are commensurate with other recognized professional practitioners in the same occupation. Thus, the state of professionalism requires continuous dedication to appropriate professional development activities to ensure the professional practitioner maintains technical excellence in an ever changing world (P.E. D Antonio, personal communication, August 13,2003). 

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There are two words to watch out for or equivalent. What is called equivalent by a designer or contractor may not be equivalent to the laboratory operator. Sometimes this problem arises when a specified item has been superseded by a new and improved model. However new or improved the new model may be, there could be some reason why it would not be right for a particular application. Any substitution must be viewed as suspect. It is always wise, of course, to listen carefully to all suggestions from building professionals and evaluate the reasons they give for a proposed change, but nothing should go imquestioned. 

Eventually shopping lists were finished and sent out for quotations, which came as a pleasant surprise. Prices were well below those shown in the catalogs because of quantities ordered. Since the laboratory had not yet been finished, delivery dates were coordinated with estimated requirement dates. Manufacturers representatives, from whom information on instruments had been requested, were quick to show up. This resulted in many free lunches, but not one representative resorted to what is usually called hard sell . They were all very professional. 

Even in the eighteenth century, individuals were not expected to possess all the knowledge necessary for professional life, but were expected to have the skills required to find what was needed. The ability to find what is needed is an essential survival skill in today s world. Interestingly, today information management survival skills are essential to all individuals—in both our personal and our professional lives. Lyman et al. 

The latter view prevailed but generated yet another set of issues as to whether disclosure rules should be evaluated from the perspective of professionals or patients. Some courts took the narrower view of duty by ruling that professional standards should be used to determine what should be disclosed to patients. Although this theory of "lack of informed consent" was distinct from whether the health care provider had violated the standard of care, most courts, and many legislatures, confined the doctrine s operation to a very narrow set of circumstances consistent with the negligence standard underlying the standard of care in medical cases. Other courts took what is called the broader view and leaned toward the patient s perspective while requiring juries to impose the reasonable patient s view of risk rather than the particular patient s view of risks. 

What is the therapeutic model that the professional operates under, and how does that model determine the course of treatment ... 

The crossing of limits is really the professional s problem rather than the client s problem. It is, after all, the professional s limits that are being crossed, and because of this, it is the professional who responds, often with anger or discomfort toward the client. What a professional should realize is that the client likely has no idea that he or she has crossed limits in the relationship. How could a client know a limit has been crossed if she or he has not been told about that particular limit Limit violation by a client usually is out of ignorance rather than out of spite. However, the professional often responds quite humanly to such a violation as if it were a threat and becomes upset at the client. 

Barriers Participants noted many barriers to timely and effective information exchange and suggested approaches for reducing such barriers. For example, information must be provided in a way that is easily understandable. In scientific research, it is generally considered to be important to thoroughly explain the complexity of what is examined and to clarify levels of uncertainty. Technical jargon is used to thoroughly ensure that the complex issues are properly understood by other scientists. In contrast, decision makers tend to want information that is concise, clear, accurate, relevant, transparent, and readily understandable. They can be uncomfortable with uncertainty. Scientists also need to clarify information as to whether it is based on scientific consensus vs. professional opinion. 

One might ask, Why restrict it to professional employees and what is the legal basis for such restriction I think the answer to this is that ... 

The majority of healthy volunteer studies are conducted by contract research organisations (CROs), which recruit subjects from the general public by advertising and word of mouth. The composition of the volunteer database depends to some extent on the location, some being comprised mainly of students or the local residential population, others, particularly in large cities, having a preponderance of backpackers and temporary workers. The source of volunteers does have implications for safety, motivation and withdrawal rates. The more itinerant volunteers may not be available for follow-up and little may be known about their medical background. While the professional volunteer is wholly inappropriate, a stable population of volunteers who understand what is involved... 

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