Understanding that your role is more important than your job title is a surefire way to make career decisions.
Job titles often have a tribal aspect that entails unofficial hierarchies and unnecessary conflicts between clinicians. It can create confusion for people choosing a career path, but also for patients. How can clinicians decide what a job title means in their careers and patients decide which clinician to see?
Go beyond the technical name moniker
Terms such as “specialist”, “extended scope”, “highly specialist” or even “very specialist” cause confusion not only among colleagues in our profession, but also externally. How does the MDT know who to contact when working on a ward, and when working in the community, how does a colleague know who to discuss the patient with?
Ultimately, these titles actually mean, apart from the fact that they offer the possibility to inflate the ego or to insert unhelpful and unclear hierarchies in teams. We all single-mindedly want the same thing to help our patients get better and to strengthen our health system. Does it really matter what our badge says, or do actions speak louder than badges?
The problem with titles and badges is that they don't set expectations very well because titles don't describe the level of practice at which we are working. We can see this in the example of a “specialized physiotherapist”. If someone is a specialist, what does that mean for their level of practice? It is more about saying that they are working in an area of practice than what to expect from their level of performance.
As there is a lack of consistency in regional and national training programs, job titles lose weight and therefore the scope and skills of clinicians vary in different situations.
As an argument in favor of using job titles, there is probably a subgroup of patients who respond well to job titles. Some patients may want to be screened by an "elderly" or "specialist" team member and there may be an associated placebo effect. In reality, the title does not reflect years of clinical experience or clinical expertise. For example, some clinicians have played a more “younger” role than an older one for reasons of work-life balance, etc.
Different types of clinicians
Let us break down this title a little further. Clinician identity is important to all of us, but should not be used as a hierarchy or one-upmanship. No clinical role is better than the other. Everyone has their own aspirations and some roles are more highly regarded and sought after than others, but that doesn't mean one is better than the other. Take a moment to think of someone in a role that you see as ambitious. It is likely not the title you are looking for but its knowledge and skills that you want.
We can expand this idea of the title “specialist physiotherapist” by looking at it from a role perspective, in particular from the depth and breadth of the skills required. We can also add some other roles for context, generalist and versatilist. Each of these roles has beginner, intermediate, and expert levels and re-adjusts the perspective of a role, not a title.
Role-specific attributes
Specialist – focuses on a specific area with deep technical skills in a narrow area or activity. Peers are often known within their specialty, but unknown outside of it. An example is a clinician whose clinic list is limited to a particular joint or disease.
Generalist – wide range of exercises with an intermediate level of qualification that enables you to react quickly and flexibly to different scenarios. Knowledge and competence are consistently solid. An example is someone who switches between a variety of different subject areas / areas of activity.
Versatilist – Broad and deep skills with a broad scope and experience. Often known outside of their specialty. An example could be someone playing a role that requires a deeper understanding of a broad subject or some subject areas.
Each of these roles is a type of role, not the level of practice. There are different levels of practice in each of these areas, e.g. B. You can have an inexperienced specialist or an experienced generalist. One is no better than the other! Certain professions and specialties require you to take on a different type of clinical role and hopefully this has helped clear this up for you.
Values> Title
The humble Twitter poll often sheds light on situations. It turns out that people who responded to this survey preferred a direct title very much. But what do you think
AHP job titles are fun, aren't they? Can be confusing to colleagues and patients. What do they mean anyway?
What would you rather than …
other is an option… reply as a comment! #AHPs #physiotherapy @AHPsinBSW #OT #SLT #Dietitian #Podiatry
– Scott Buxton (@ ScottBuxton_1) October 1, 2020
Ultimately, your personal beliefs as a clinician are the most important part of your professional identity.
Leadership – Personal Values and Beliefs
Personal values are broad goals that represent what is important to someone. Beliefs are thought constructs that people apply to themselves, others, the world, or the future. Personal values and beliefs help guide our behavior and our decisions. A person's beliefs can be positive or negative and true or false. By analyzing beliefs based on their polarity and accuracy, one can see where improvements can be made in their lives. This can be achieved by reformulating untrue beliefs and recognizing negative, true beliefs as an opportunity for change.
Personal values and convictions
