A survey of 1,208 professional employees showed that 90% had taken internal courses, 40% external courses. Greater participation was associated with more positive work attitudes, satisfaction, perceived higher quality of company services/products, and fewer barriers to service excellence. Better evaluation data were needed to determine the value…

Exhorts 1994 University of San Diego graduates to invest their talents in serving the common good, whatever their chosen professions. Professionals have the capacity for welcoming complexity, acquiring information without being overwhelmed by it, planning without being controlled by their plans, discovering relationships, and creating meaning from…

Discusses the study of libraries as complex organizations and describes theoretical organizational models that have been used to investigate libraries. The concepts of complexity, centralization, and formalization are examined; occupational specialty, professional training, and knowledge specialization are explored; and further research is…

Cluster analysis of responses from 551 veterinarians (63%) participating in continuing professional education supported Houle's typology of professionals as innovators, pacesetters, middle majority, or laggards, in terms of their attitude toward and previous participation in continuing education, expectations of significant others, and personal…

A survey of 927 registered nurses received 248 responses showing that more highly educated nurses engaged in more professional behaviors such as reading journals and updating skills. Attitudinal commitment to the profession did not differ significantly with educational level. (SK)

Develops a conceptual framework for applying schema theory to the appraisal of expertise in school administration and reports the results of a study conducted to investigate relevant variables. Results showed that attention to detail and abstraction level were both positively related to judged expertise. Professional experience in schools was also…

This commentary outlines the unique features of the profession of special education, such as its emphasis on the individual; teamwork with other school-based professionals; and the influence, both tangible and intangible, on children's development. The editorial concludes that there is "just enough wonderful" each day to encourage teachers to…

Interviews and a life-history questionnaire collected data from 21 retired and 30 employed professionals over 60. Both groups were involved in meaningful relationships and were satisfied with their lives. Those employed valued career prestige and challenge; the retired valued supportive relationships and task completion. (SK)

Introduction of men into nursing in the United Kingdom has given them excessive influence over nursing discourse, in terms of the numbers who write for professional journals. U.S. nurses should focus on building feminist strategies instead of expecting men's entry into nursing to improve the status of the profession. (Author/JOW)

An expanded model of learning upon which to base continuing professional education views knowledge as the social construction of information through constructivist and transformative learning. The model also depicts the effect of context on the process. Providers must change their mindset and become active facilitators of knowledge construction.…

Professional expertise and authority are increasingly eroded by the demands of the institutional delivery system in which they practice. Professional services are now typically delivered by expert systems not individuals. Continuing educators must reframe their understanding of context in order to address the new conditions of practice. (SK)

Five trends have influenced professional continuing education since 1980: (1) more workplace provision than any other kind; (2) more distance education; (3) increased university-workplace collaborations; (4) increased corporatization; and (5) more regulation of professional practice. Issues include updating knowledge versus improving practice,…

A study of 109 hospital employees found that those commitment to the organization and their careers had the most positive work attitudes and least intention to quit, although they also were most likely to engage in job search activities. No correlation was found between either type of commitment and job performance. (SK)

A model predicting relationships between professional expertise and three variables (social networks, training and development, individual career initiatives) was tested with data from 420 higher-level employees and 224 supervisors. Results showed differences in three career/age stages and significant contributions of training and individual…

Managers (n=143) completed a simulation exercise involving requests for employment assistance for the spouses of relocating employees. About one-third authorized specific actions. However, managers offered more extensive assistance to the spouses of female employees. (Contains 60 references.) (SK)