Embracing Our Duty

Embracing our ethos, reclaiming our heart.

A profession's ethos is an interlacing of sentiment, value, and thought that describes its character, conveys its genius, and manifests its spirit. The ethos endures over time, serving as touchstone against which individuals may strike their actions to know their worth. As a profession's inner voice, the ethos inspires individuals and calls them back if they stray too far. This discussion of th...

Embracing diversity in our profession.

353 This is a reflective article that carries the discussion of cultural diversity from more typically considered arenas of clinical practice and education to a less-considered context: the occupational therapy community. The occupational therapy literature offers fine work that targets constructs related to diversity (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 1995, 1996; Black, 2002; C...

It's our duty!

What is our 'duty of care'?

Clinical scenario You have just started in post with a single-handed GP. You like the work, the patient group and all the staff you work with. After a while, however, you begin to feel just a little uneasy following a number of remarks from patients: “The doctor did not listen”, “I am not sure why the doctor prescribed this” and “I’d like a second opinion”. You have also noticed in passing on a...

Embracing our past, informing our future: a feminist re-vision of health care.

Using a feminist perspective, this paper explores the roots of the practice of healing and medicine. It traces the role of women in health care from prehistorical times, through the present, and into the future discussing the changing paradigms that the author identifies as (a) the Prototypic Paradigm: Mysticism and Healing; (b) the Scientific Paradigm: Curing; and (c) the Paradigm of Inclusion...