This book is an original interpretation of the professions and the role of the professional in Western industrial societies today.

In industrialized societies, professionals have long been valued and set apart from other workers because of their specialized knowledge and skill. But has their role in these societies declined? Of what significance are they today? In this concise synthesis of the major debates about the professions since World War II, Eliot Freidson explores several broad questions about professionalism today—what it is, what its future is likely to be, and its value to public policy. Freidson argues that because professionalism is based on specialized knowledge, it is distinct from either bureaucratic or market-based forms of work. He predicts a rebirth of the professions during which practitioners lose some of their independence and become more accountable to standards of a professional elite. And, defending professionalism as a desirable method of providing complex, discretionary services to the public, Freidson argues that market-based or bureaucratic methods would impoverish the quality of service to consumers, and suggests ways the virtues of professionalism can be reinforced. The most accessible survey available of almost fifty years of theory and research by the scholar whose own work helped define the field, this book will appeal to the growing international body of scholars concerned with studying and theorizing about the professions.

The Handbook of the Sociology of Health, Illness & Healing advances the understanding of medical sociology by identifying the most important contemporary challenges to the field and suggesting directions for future inquiry. The editors provide a blueprint for guiding research and teaching agendas for the first quarter of the 21st century. In a series of essays, this volume offers a systematic view of the critical questions that face our understanding of the role of social forces in health, illness and healing. It also provides an overall theoretical framework and asks medical sociologists to consider the implications of taking on new directions and approaches. Such issues may include the importance of multiple levels of influences, the utility of dynamic, life course approaches, the role of culture, the impact of social networks, the importance of fundamental causes approaches, and the influences of state structures and policy making.

As elected coroners came to be replaced by medical examiners with scientific training, the American public became fascinated with their work. From the grisly investigations showcased on highly rated television shows like C.S.I. to the bestselling mysteries that revolve around forensic science, medical examiners have never been so visible—or compelling. They, and they alone, solve the riddle of suspicious death and the existential questions that come with it. Why did someone die? Could it have been prevented? Should someone be held accountable? What are the implications of ruling a death a suicide, a homicide, or an accident? Can medical examiners unmask the perfect crime? Postmortem goes deep inside the world of medical examiners to uncover the intricate web of pathological, social, legal, and moral issues in which they operate. Stefan Timmermans spent years in a medical examiner’s office, following cases, interviewing examiners, and watching autopsies. While he relates fascinating cases here, he is also more broadly interested in the cultural authority and responsibilities that come with being a medical examiner. Although these professionals attempt to remain objective, medical examiners are nonetheless responsible for evaluating subtle human intentions. Consequently, they may end—or start—criminal investigations, issue public health alerts, and even cause financial gain or harm to survivors. How medical examiners speak to the living on behalf of the dead, is Timmermans’s subject, revealed here in the day-to-day lives of the examiners themselves.

Dr Godfred Boahen is a Policy and Research Officer at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), UK. Dr Fran Wiles is a qualified social worker registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the Open University, UK. What does it mean to be ‘professional’ in social work? Which professional skills and values should you develop as a social worker or student of the field? Can developing self-management help social workers to refine their professional skills? This accessible yet rigorous text, written by authors with extensive social work experience, advances the theory that there is one guiding thread behind the skills and capabilities associated with professionalism: self-management. This novel insight gains its relevance from the fact that social workers are increasingly expected to demonstrate high standards of professionalism when working with service users and colleagues but often lack the support to achieve this end. The authors also show that professionalism entails the deployment of appropriate skills to motivate and empower service users to change problematic behaviours. Whether the reader is a student of social work, working with children and families or with adults, or looking to draw on self-management skills in planning their continuing professional development (CPD), this concise effort offers the reader a rich exploration of professional practice. Divided into theory and practice, the book includes: • Sociological theories on professionalization and the role of values in practice. • Advice for developing self-management, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy through an exploration of evidence-based literature, research notes and case studies. • Guidance on professional social work communication skills, with particular attention to power relations in selecting appropriate communication methods in different contexts and with diverse people. • Safeguarding in the light of professionalism and critical analysis. • Leadership skills, and professional development to achieve leadership within a wider team or agency. *** This book forms part of the Social Work Skills in Practice series. The series focuses on key social work skills required for working with children and adult service users, families and carers. The books offer both theoretical and evidence-informed knowledge, alongside the application of skills relevant to day-to-day social work practice. They are an invaluable resource for pre-qualifying students, newly-qualified social workers, academics teaching and researching in the field, as well as social work practitioners, including practice educators, pursuing continuing professional development.

Until recently professionalism was transmitted by respected role models, a method that depended heavily on the presence of a homogeneous society sharing values. This is no longer true, and medical schools and postgraduate training programs in the developed world are now actively teaching professionalism to students and trainees. In addition, licensing and certifying bodies are attempting to assess the professionalism of practising physicians on an ongoing basis. This is the only book available to provide guidance to those designing and implementing programs on teaching professionalism. It outlines the cognitive base of professionalism, provides a theoretical basis for teaching the subject, gives general principles for establishing programs at various levels (undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development), and documents the experience of institutions who are leaders in the field. Teaching aids that have been used successfully by contributors are included as an appendix.

Professions have long provided a dependable body of expertise that organisations have relied upon to fulfil goals. Issues around equality and diversity alongside challenges to expert knowledge in the neo-liberal era have created profound challenges for this type of worker, even while creating opportunities for newer varieties of expert labour to establish themselves as professionals. This shortform book provides a critical synthesis of the current state of the field from an international perspective. It highlights the key opportunities and challenges for the professions and professionalism within both the public and private sectors as a field of research, practice and policy. The first half of the book deals with the comparative history, theories and inequalities of the professions. This provides a basis for our understanding of how the professions have had to adapt and how governance, management and leadership have come to shape the emerging and evolving models of professions and professionalism. The book draws on case studies and through its analysis illustrates the organisational and sociological dimensions of the field. This book will be of interest to scholars, academics and students in the fields of business, management and sociology, especially those conducting research and studies around the professions and professionalism.