Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions



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CURRENT ISSUE BACK ISSUES SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE ABOUT JCEHP FOR AUTHORS JCEHP AWARD SEARCH (Members only) FULL-TEXT		Volume 22 (1) Volume 22, Issue 1, Winter 2002 J Contin Educ Health Prof 2002; 22(1):3-10 THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS Developing professional judgment Coles C A b s t r a c t The concept of professional judgment is considered, including its theoretical foundations, how it is developed, and how it may be assessed. Professionals are asked to engage in complex and unpredictable tasks on society's behalf, and in doing so must exercise their discretion, making judgments--decide what is "best" in the particular situation rather than what is "right" in some absolute sense. Inevitably, some of these judgments lead to "error," which is endemic to professional practice. This challenges some current ideologies in health care regarding the primacy of evidence-based practice and the application of protocols. At the foundation of professional judgment is a form of knowledge--called practical wisdom--which is not formally taught and learnt but is acquired largely through experience and informal conversations with respected peers. Wisdom develops through "the critical reconstruction of practice," including deliberation, which is distinguished from mere reflection. Professionals need to engage in the appreciation of their practice--not just to understand what informs their own practice but to consider critically the contestable issues endemic to practicing as a professional. Lessons for Practice Professionals engage, on society’s behalf, with people who present them with complex, indeterminate problems. Professionals work with high levels of uncertainty. Professional practice fundamentally involves making judgments. Professional judgment is based on "practical wisdom". Professional judgment is acquired through experience and conversations with respected peers. The learning process that underpins this is the critical reconstruction of practice. This involves “deliberation,” which is more than “reflection.” Deliberation involves consideration of the contestable issues endemic to practicing as a professional. Professional education and development require professionals to engage in the appreciation of their practice through deliberation. The assessment of practice should focus on the judgments that professionals make and will inevitably involve making judgments about them, which, in turn, requires deliberation. MeSH Terms: Decision Making; Education, Continuing; Education, Professional; Judgment; Professional Competence; Staff Development
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