Page:A short history of nursing - Lavinia L Dock (1920).djvu/351

The Past and Future 335 services to society and because their members were generally reputed to be men of superior learning and character. All useful occupations may be said to render valuable service to society, but it is only those which deal with the more vital issues of human life and welfare, which are usually included among the professions. To be a "professional" rather than an "ama- teur" means that one must be a recognized expert in the field in which he professes to practise and this implies not only a broad and sound preliminary education but also the mastery of a fairly large body of professional knowledge and a rather high degree of professional skill. It is not expected that professional men and women shall be merely routine, rule-of-thumb workers. They must be ready to work out their problems in the light of established principles and to a large extent, by the use of their own knowledge and judgment. No short superficial training will enable any one to meet these requirements and no merely technical training will suffice ! Since the public places such heavy trusts in the hands of professional men and women, and since it looks to them for community service and leader- ship, it expects them to justify this trust by main- taining a high standard of professional conduct