Business: The Crisis of Confidence in Professional Knowledge: Implications for Clinical Education in Speech-Language Pathology

Abstract

There is a growing crisis in the confidence that society places in the professions, of which speech-language pathology is one. One symptom of this crisis is the increase in calls for more person-centered care (PCC) throughout the health-care industry. The provision of PCC has been shown to have positive effects on treatment outcomes and perceived quality of care in a variety of disciplines within the healthcare community. Speech-language pathologists, however, appear to be more task-oriented and provide more structured rather than person-centered therapy. One of the underlying factors responsible for this trend is the almost universal acceptance of technical rationality as the dominant philosophy for professional education. This positivist philosophy places the clinician in the role of instrumental problem solver and leaves little room for the artistry of professional practice. For this trend to change, fundamental transformations in the way professional speech-language pathologists are trained need to occur, with a shift in focus from professional knowledge to the artistry of practice.