Profession

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It is an occupation or calling requiring advanced training and experience in some specific or specialized body of knowledge which provides service to society in that special field. Nursing is an occupation requiring unique body of knowledge and skills and which serves society. Criteria of a Profession (William Shephard) 1. A profession must satisfy an indispensable social need and must be based upon well established and socially accepted scientific principles. 2. It must demand adequate pre-professional and cultural training. 3. It must demand the profession of a body of specialized and systematized training. 4. It must give evidence of needed skills which the public does not possess, skills which are partly inherent and partly required. 5. It must have developed a scientific technique which is the result of tested experience. 6. It must require the exercise of discretion and judgment as to time and manner of performance of duty. This is in contrast to the kind of work which is subject to standardization in terms of unit performance or time element. 7. It must have a group of consciousness designed to extend scientific knowledge in technical language. 8. It must have sufficient self-impelling power to retain its members throughout life. It must not be used as a mere stepping stone to other occupations. 9. It must recognize its obligations to society by insisting that its members live up to an established code of ethics.