The development of particular expertise plays an integral role in becoming a professional. Furthermore, I believe that becoming a healthcare professional requires skills of acquiring knowledge and applying this to a range of situations. The ability to adapt to change is thus a quality that all professionals should develop, especially as the diversity of patients augments.
The thought of becoming a professional can evoke an optimistic attitude and a sense of job satisfaction. For example, a survey conducted by the school of public health at Harvard University, (Anon, 2014) found that patient satisfaction, commitment levels and job satisfaction were the most favourable aspects of working in that sector. As a result, I feel that with clear job satisfaction, one can be motivated to develop the skills necessary to become an effective professional and to deliver high quality health care to patients.
There are also limitations of becoming a professional. For example, research postulates that stress induced by the increasing demand for health care by patients can have a negative effect on health professionals, causing psychological stress and an increased risk of suicide. Additionally, Murray et al., (2001) conducted a study on medical professionals in the USA and demonstrated that they became less happy about their job from 1986 to 1997. As a result, this suggests that the idea of becoming a professional can pose some disadvantages, particularly to the individuals who endeavour to embark on a career of this nature.
To conclude, it is evident that the idea of becoming a professional is both rewarding and gratifying for the qualified individual; however the role also comes with a sense of responsibility. For example, research demonstrates that there are many limitations that come with being a professional, the decline in mental health being a major concern in society, especially due to the rapidly increasing population requiring health care. As a result, it is important that students take careful consideration on what being a professional veritably entails, as the typical misconceptions of wealth, status and satisfaction of the role can prove misleading.
References
Anon, (2014). [Online] Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/114/2012/10/hrh_satisfaction_in_turkey__paper_salih.pdf [Accessed 6 Oct. 2014].
Rolfe, G., Jasper, M., Freshwater, D. and Rolfe, G. (2011). Critical Reflection in practice. 1st ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Shapiro, S., Astin, J., Bishop, S. and Cordova, M. (2005). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for health care professionals: results from a randomized trial. International Journal of Stress Management, 12(2), p.164.
Swick, H. (2000). Toward a normative definition of medical professionalism. Academic Medicine, 75(6), pp.612--616.
Tyssen, R., Vaglum, P., Gr\onvold, N. and Ekeberg, \. (2001). Suicidal ideation among medical students and young physicians: a nationwide and prospective study of prevalence and predictors. Journal of affective disorders, 64(1), pp.69--79.
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