3.4.b Professional Worldviews and Identities

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Professional worldviews are shared values, beliefs, languages, identities, and accepted norms of conduct within a specific profession. These are usually hidden from people themselves but easily identified by others. Professional worldviews are often reflected by  the philosophy of practice and ethical guidelines described by professional associations or regulatory bodies.  Each health profession has its own professional worldview that is informed by the history of profession in the region, messaging and modelling during education, media portrayal, expectations of service users, practice experience, and the regulatory and organizational culture of the profession. This professional worldview affects the way people work, how they perform tasks, and the workplace culture. A common and shared professional language becomes the preferred method of communication, such as using the word ‘patient’ versus ‘client’.

Sometimes, differences in professional worldviews create barriers to sharing responsibility and teamwork because of conflicting values, beliefs, ethics, or norms. The degree to which you internalize the characteristics of your professional worldview is called your professional identity. A professional identity is shaped by your experiences and conduct within the group, and reinforcement and reward are used to align the shared characteristics of the professional worldview. When you internalize the characteristics of a group, you usually align with its values, beliefs, and norms. Yet, some people identify more, or less, with aspects of their professional worldview, so everyone within a profession cannot be assumed to have the same professional identity.  Becoming aware of your own professional identity may provide insight into misunderstandings and conflict areas when working with other providers.

As you will see in this case, Florence and her family become concerned about the differences in professional worldviews and priorities that align with their professional identities between Tasmin and Riann, and this has an impact on team functioning.