JCPSLP Vol 14 No 1 2012

Professional issues

Around the journals

Professional confidence Holland, K., Middleton, L., & Uys, L. (2011). Professional confidence: A concept analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy , Early Online, 1–11. doi:10.3109/ 11038128.2011.583939 Natalie Ciccone This study investigated the concept of professional confidence which is thought to be important in attaining professional competence. While professional competence is a well-defined concept, professional confidence has not been widely researched and is yet to be clearly defined. A systematic review was completed focusing on four health science specific databases. The review yielded 21 articles deemed to be appropriate to be included in the analysis. These articles came from a range of health professions, including one from speech pathology. Following the review, a theoretical thematic analysis was completed in order to sort data into the following categories: ‘the attributes of, antecedents for and consequences of professional confidence’ (p. 3). The authors found four attributes or components of professional confidence; these were: • affect – feeling comfortable within a professional situation; • reflection – being able to reflect on own practice and on feedback; • higher cognitive functioning – use of knowing, believing, accepting, feeling comfortable, and reflecting on performance to develop confidence and; • action – ‘doing, taking the initiative, and engaging’ (p. 6). Within the article these concepts were linked within a single, spiralling diagram showing how each attribute influences the next attribute and so on. Holland, Middleton, and Uys reported certain personality characteristics such as seeking out leadership opportunities and taking initiative are needed in order to develop professional confidence. However, a supportive and encouraging relationship with peers, colleagues, tutors, etc., is needed in order for professional confidence to develop optimally. The results of the review suggest there are positive and negative consequences of professional confidence. A realistic level of professional confidence was linked with positive outcomes as well as underpinning professional competence. Being over- or underconfident, however, was linked to negative consequences. For example an underconfident clinician may not trust his/her own clinical reasoning and an overconfident clinician may make more errors. The article ends with a case study of one person’s experience of becoming an occupational therapist. It relates the student’s journey, from the end of her studies and into her first job as an occupational therapist, to the development of professional confidence. The findings of the study are demonstrated through the exploration of the case.

How to learn to work on teams Morrison, S., Lincoln, M., & Reed V., (2011). How

experienced speech-language pathologists learn to work on teams. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology , 13 (4), 369–377. Abigail Lewis Teamwork is valued as an entry-level skill, especially the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams, and yet this is rarely taught at an undergraduate level. In the new Competency-based Occupational Standards for Speech Pathologists (Speech Pathology Australia, 2011), working in teams is mentioned under six of the seven units of competency but is particularly referred to in Unit 6 (Professional and Supervisory Practice) where element 6.1 is “Develop, contribute to, and maintain professional and team based relationships in practice contexts” (p. 10). Despite the strong emphasis on the importance of team skills there is little in the literature on how to develop team skills in speech-language pathologists (SPs). This study seeks to address this deficit by exploring how experienced SPs developed their team skills. Ten SPs, five from Australia and five from the US, completed a semi-structured interview, exploring how they developed team skills and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they felt were required for effective team working. The resulting qualitative data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological approach. The SPs reported learning their team skills on-the-job often with the support of a mentor. Some incidental or curriculum-based experience at university was mentioned but was not felt to be adequate. An interesting finding was that participants clearly linked their good experiences of teamwork to remaining in employment and their bad experiences to leaving employment – a strong indicator of the importance of good teamwork skills for job satisfaction and retention of employees. In terms of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required many useful pointers were given. Knowledge required was an understanding of other disciplines’ roles (including assess­ ment and intervention), knowing when to refer to others, and understanding team responsibilities. Under attitudes, SPs needed to value themselves and the other team members and seek information from them. Finally, the skills of careful listening, giving of appropriate information, and being able to clearly explain the role of a SP were all described. Despite the small number of participants, the wide age range, years of experience, and client population ensured a spread of views across the SP field. This study describes the key knowledge, skills, and attitudes that undergraduate curricular and team-based organisations need to include to ensure good teamwork skills in students or employees and the long-term retention of SPs in the profession. Reference Speech Pathology Association of Australia. (2011). Competency-based occupational standards for speech pathologists (CBOS) . Melbourne: Author.

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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 1 2012

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology