3. Authority: Professionals can expect compliance with their orders

Question

from clients and subordinate occupational groups. Authority is
derived from mastery of the body of specialized knowledge.
– Authority and Clients: Authority is usually understood to be part of
the relationship between a professional and a client. (p 263)
– In the Doctor-patient relationship, the doctor usually have the authority
to advise the patient on treatment and medication, perform
examination and ask intimate questions, patient is expected to trust
and comply with the doctors advice.
– Clients do not always accept their authority, keep smoking despite the
advice from the doctor. Compliance is a major problem for
professionals.
FOUR HALLMARKS OF PROFESSION
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3. Authority (continue):
– Authority Over Other Occupations: Most professionals interact with various
occupational groups, some of which are subordinate to them. (Such as a dental
hygienist employed by a dentist.) (p 263)
– In other cases, subordinate occupations are established by large organizations,
such as a hospital. The physicians have authority over registered nurses,
therapists and pharmacists.
– The dominant profession often delegate what is considered its dirty work to
subordinate occupations. (Feeding, bathing and bedpan handling delegated to
nursing staff – freeing the professional for the more highly skilled work.) (p 264)
– Professionals direct the work and take responsibility for it.
– A study shows that there is relatively little conflict among groups (physicians
and nurses) and more within groups (between nurses).
FOUR HALLMARKS OF PROFESSION
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3. Authority (continue):
– Professional associations, which are organizations consisting
of the members of a specific profession, help maintain the
authority of the profession by seeking laws that establish
licensing and prohibit practicing the profession without a license.
– Professions attempt to extend their sphere of authority into new
areas while at the same time reinforcing their claims to authority
and preventing other occupations from competing in their
area/field.

summarise the info

Answer 1

The text discusses the concept of authority as a hallmark of a profession, focusing on its relationship with clients and subordinate occupational groups. Key points include:

1. Authority and Clients: Professionals, such as doctors, possess authority derived from their specialized knowledge, which allows them to advise clients (e.g., patients) on treatments and expect compliance. However, compliance can be problematic, as clients may not always follow professional advice.

2. Authority Over Other Occupations: Professionals often have authority over subordinate occupational groups, such as nurses and dental hygienists. Within large organizations like hospitals, physicians direct the work of nursing staff, enabling them to focus on more specialized tasks by delegating less skilled work.

3. Collaboration and Conflict: Generally, there is less conflict between different occupational groups (e.g., physicians and nurses) and more conflict within groups (e.g., among nurses).

4. Professional Associations: These organizations support the authority of professions by advocating for licensing laws that restrict practice to licensed professionals. Professions aim to expand their authority while preventing competition from other occupations in their field.

Overall, authority in the professional context emphasizes the expectation of compliance from clients and the hierarchical relationships among various occupational roles within the healthcare system.