Week 9-1 Discussion Post 16 Document

Deprofessionalization in medicine. What is it? What risks does it create? Does it eliminate

the original profession? A professional is one whose occupation “maintains a monopoly

over a theoretical base of knowledge” Kritzer (2001). A professional also has the

expectation of autonomy in day-to-day work and an expectation of service to others above

self-interest and the obligation to uphold ethical duties (DeCamp, 2021). Medicine and

dentistry have always been considered a profession, but several specific developments are

creating a loss of those unique occupational qualities resulting in deprofessionalism

(Kritzer, 2001).

dual loyalty to their employers/ health systems and their patients.

competence, honesty, transparency, and good intentions. Efficiency and productivity and

value-based care are important, but they are secondary to serving the needs of the patient

(DeCamp, 2021). This is where, despite the push to deprofessionalize medicine, the

original profession must not be lost. Physicians/ dentists have an individual and collective

obligation to uphold their ethical duties that may conflict with other goals and practices

(DeCamp, 2021). It is this sense of professionalism, clinical integrity, and motivation of

service to others that must be the guide for their actions to preserve the patient-provider

relationship and be a voice for their patients above all else.

the profession itself. In pretty much any setting, especially the hospitals, and different

offices and medical centers, the "deprofessionalized" options usually work under the

doctor. In most cases, a report and consult would occur to ensure different systems of

checks and balances. Unfortunately, nurses and physicians maintain a type of control over

the "lower professions." For example, in other states, Critical care paramedics exist and

exist within the function to perform critical transfers usually overseen by a nurse. The

difference? Nothing except for the salary which for the medic is lower. Truth be told, the

word deprofessionalization is silly and should be dropped and forgotten. Less school,

me up! They may have a little less education but they have plenty of clinical time and less

Professor, is the term nurse, because now we have Advance Nursing, registered nurse,

licence practical nurse (LPN) nursing assistant, medical assistant (MAs). These terms can

be used interchangeably sometimes, which really devalues the term. I do think all of these

professions are needed and warranted, however, should not be interchangeable. When I

worked in the field, I worked specifically with a Physicians Assistant. He was great and

our patients loved him, but they would call him "doctor' and it always bugged me, because

he was NOT a doctor. It totally devalued the physicians that we did work for. We now call

people who work in healthcare as "healthcare providers". We throw this around and lump

everyone into one category. Physicians use to enjoy the prestige, power and autonomy but

now many doctors have loss their since of power and autonomy due to the control from

corporate entities (Marlow, 1997).

I believe this will continue. As our healthcare moves toward institutionalize medicine,

healthcare providers such as physicians, physician assistants, advance nurse practitioners,

etc will have to abide by what the corporate institution says then what medicine suggests.

"Economic, technological, and societal pressures will hasten and augment emerging low

price immediate access where healthcare providers with little to no close supervision by

physicians. This will result in a public image that all healthcare professions expertise and

advice are equally appropriate" (Nasca, & Thomas, 2015).

I found the research process for this week’s discussion topic to be very challenging. The

deprofessionalization of physicians relates to the demand that they take on more

managerial responsibility, which blurs the lines between a profession and an occupation

(Moller & Kuntz, 2013). However, you decide to define deprofessionalism in the medical

field, one truth remains: deprofessionalism is happening and is increasing. However, I do

not believe that it is eliminating the learned professional from the equation.

multidisciplinary teams led by physicians (Duvefelt, 2016). Less educated and less skilled

medical staff predominantly provide care based on established protocols and guidelines;

however, complex diseases cannot be handled by “one-size-fits-all” care protocols, and

this approach is detrimental to patient care outcomes (Duvefelt, 2016). As the medical

science field continues to expand and the knowledgebase grows, independent judgements

care models have shifted from the solo-physician model to the multidisciplinary team led

all medical professionals have been educated and trained for the goal of serving the world,

deprofessionalism does not remove the original profession within health care. Medical

practitioners have a primary responsibility to give the greatest service and care to the best

of their abilities. Medical personnel, particularly doctors, are being subjected to a

production and efficiency standard rather than individual patient care or ethics. The

Hippocratic Oath has been denied historical legitimacy, according to Trappenburg, Van

Beek (2019); each of its principles has been questioned, and its meaning is debatable or

seen merely as a shifting creation of cultural mores. This is an example of how medical

practitioners may hide their mistakes by presenting so many loopholes to hide the reality.

Nurses and doctors are still needed in healthcare, notwithstanding deprofessionalization.

Even though nursing assistants and medical assistants are being hired, the primary

phlebotomist, and a medical assistant for paperwork. There is so much that must be done

that one doctor and one nurse cannot possibly handle it all. This is unlikely to alter in the

future; the sector will continue to carve out jobs if it finds it efficient to have many distinct

layers of specialists. It may be preferable this way because if a patient can visit a nurse

practitioner or physician assistant instead of a physician, expenditures may be reduced.

Trappenburg, M., & van Beek, G. (2019). 'My profession is gone': how social workers

experience de-professionalization in the

Desdemona, M. & Kuntz, L. (2013). Physicians as managers: deprofessionalization versus

collaboration. International Journal of Management, 30(3), 86.

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A339919482/AONE?u=clemsonu_main&sid=googleScholar&xid=

ac934c7e. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.

Duvefelt, H. (2016). From Learned Professionals to Skilled Workers: The Dangerous De-

professionalization of Medicine. Retrieved March 1, 2022 from

https://acountrydoctorwrites.blog/2016/03/06/from-learned-professionals-to-skilled-

workers-the-dangerous-de-professionalization-of-medicine/

Erlich, D. & Gravel, J. (2021). Professional Identity Misformation and Burnout: A Call for

Graduate Medical Education to Reject “Provider”. J Grad Med Educ, 13(2), 167–169. doi:

https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-20-01100.1