This book guides the reader in discovering contemporary professions and the critical changes they have lived through after the post-industrial transformation of advanced capitalist societies. Two interrelated concepts are used to interpret what is happening in professional work: differentiation, namely the set of processes by which professions and professionalism have become more diverse, and heterogeneity, the outcomes of such processes. A novel analytical framework delves into differentiation and understands heterogeneity based on three dimensions: within (how professions are structured internally), between (how professions distinguish themselves from other occupations and from each other), and beyond (how professions govern societal changes and influence differentiation processes). The book presents a collection of studies covering different countries and professions to demonstrate the analytical potential of the within-between-beyond model. The conclusions show how neo-liberal professionalism is putting the very idea of collegiate professions at stake while exposing emerging professions to market risks. Lara Maestripieri is Ramon y Cajal Distinguished Researcher, IGOP/Department of Political Science and Public Right, Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona, Spain. Andrea Bellini is Assistant Professor of Sociology of Economic and Labour Processes, Department of Social and Economic Sciences (DiSSE), Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Monograph on sociological aspects of the relationship between professionalism and social change in the USA and UK - discusses employees attitudes and ethics of professional workers, covers social implications of professionalism among social workers, clergy, physicians, etc., and includes cultural factors. References.

Winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize in American History, this is a landmark history of how the entire American health care system of doctors, hospitals, health plans, and government programs has evolved over the last two centuries. "The definitive social history of the medical profession in America....A monumental achievement."—H. Jack Geiger, M.D., New York Times Book Review

If social work students are to flourish in their careers, and go beyond a basic sense of ‘competence’ in practice, it is essential to develop a sense of Professional Self. This book will help students develop critical understanding of their own social work practice, and the tools and skills required to become a professional social worker. It includes: Chapters on practising Reflexivity and the importance of Relationships in social work Contributions from leading social work academics A focus on building a professional identity through learning and practice The emphasis is on developing your professionalism, and how that journey translates into everyday practice. To help this growth there are further chapters on getting the best from continuing professional development, challenging poor practice and professionalism and ethics. Professor Jonathan Parker is Deputy Dean for Research and Enterprise and Director of the Centre for Social Work and Social Policy at Bournemouth University. He is currently conducting cross cultural research on learning and practice with colleagues in Southeast Asia. Professor Mark Doel is Professort Emeritus in the Centre for Health and Social Care Research at Sheffiled Hallam University, and a registered social worker. Mark′s research experience is in the fields of practice education, social work practice methods, and service user involvement.

What is Professional Social Work? is a now classic analysis of social work as a discourse between three aspects of practice: social order, therapeutic and transformational perspectives. It enables social workers to analyse and value the role of social work in present-day multiprofessional social care. This completely re-written second edition explores social work's struggle to meet its claim to achieve social progress through interpersonal practice. Important features of this new edition include: § practical ways of analysing personal professional identity § understanding how social workers embody their profession in their practice with other professionals § detailed analysis of current and historical documents defining social work and social care analysis of values, agencies and global social work. This new edition will stimulate social workers, students and policy-makers in social care to think again about the valuable role social work plays in society.

Bringing together the perspectives of an internationally renowned group of specialists, the collection addresses a range of issues associated with professional identity construction and 'being professional' in the context of a rapidly changing inter-professional environment. It explores traditional aspects of professional identity such as beliefs, values, in-group status and belonging, alongside themes of professional socialisation, workplace culture, group membership, boundary maintenance, jurisdiction disputes and inter-professional tensions with health, education and the police.

What are the future possibilities for the standing of professional practice as it faces growingly problematic markets for services, complex demands for managerial accountability and control, and problematic circumstances and expectations in its ethical and self-regulative governance? New sources of inspiration may be needed if professionalism is to be either a viable or desirable form for the social organisation of work in the coming years of potentially deep economic and social change. Set in the UK, South Africa, Australia and the USA, the empirical studies included elaborate problematic situations of professional practice concerning issues of identity and knowledge. The theoretical studies explore the notion of generic processes; elaborate the plurality of notions of professional practice; theorise the hybridisation witnessed in inter-professional and cross-disciplinary team work; and outline new theoretical departures relating to these. Elaborating professionalism also raises important methodological issues relating to professionalism as ethical practice. The book offers valuable resources to enrich practice, and provokes thought and new ideas about professionalism.