Professional and Ethical Practice in Sports Therapy - Coursework Example

REGULATION OF PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL PRACTICE IN SPORTS THERAPY: A REVIEW OF GOVERNMENT COMMAND PAPER Introduction There are numerous definitions of the concept of ethics. One definition indicates that it is “a set of moral principles that govern a persons behaviour or the conducting of an activity.” (Kaptein, 2010, p. 51). Ethics are used to regulate and control the conduct of persons in various fields and professions and this ensures that people carry out their actions according to a set standard of care and sensitivity (Ciulla, 2013; Rowan & Zinaich, 2013). This is because there is the need for consistency, objectivity in assessing ethics and universalism in the application of professional ethics (Cory, Cory, Cory, & Callanan, 2012; Davson-Galle, 2010). In recent times, the UK government has sought to put together a framework and system through which ethics are to be institutionalised in the healthcare and allied services like sports therapy. This paper examines the Coalition government command paper on the regulation of sports therapy. The paper titled Enabling Excellence: Autonomy and Accountability for Health and Social Care Staff critically presents a proposal for the shift from statutory to voluntary regulation in sports therapy. This paper examines the impact of the command paper in relation to education, employability, inter-professional relationships, governmental and professional bodies, public safety and how they give directions in the regulation of affairs of sports therapists Education & Employability Sports therapists are somewhat specialised professionals who need to meet various targets and ends in their practice (Masters, 2013). This is because sports comes with different technical requirements and that implies that sports practitioners have to get a completely different perspective and view on how to carry out their professions (Zachazewski & Magee, 2012). It therefore follows naturally that the technical components is not enough and there is the need for ethics to be formulated that are relevant to sports therapy and its related fields (Mills & Parker-Bennet, 2012). There is a major issue of the lack of training and consistency in the training and practice of these sports therapists. The command paper focuses on the need for high quality education and the merger of different associations and groups that are related to sports therapy and other allied fields. To ensure that a high quality educational system is put in place, the command paper suggests that there is the need for setting standards that will be utilised by all sports therapy unions and all related fields. Sports therapists do not go through a unified form of quality control and this is to be done by system regulators who will have various quality control standards. These standards will imply that sports therapists will be given targets and standards that they need to adhere to. Quality control in education is done through calibration, implementation, assessments and reviews (Koper & Karemba, 2012). Quality control standards and rules can be based on the needs and standards that are relevant in the field of sports therapy and sports management (Haider & Asif, 2012). This will be translated to various targets that will be utilised in the professional development of qualified persons in order to provide practical and hands-on training to these members of the society. The final end will include the creation of a framework for the guarded training and the guarded development of the newly trained professionals. This is the same with various associations including medical students who go through two years of residency after graduation. This is a mandatory system that runs through various professional bodies where professional development is seen as an important way of learning that will link theory with practice in order to create a competent system of learning and practice. After training, when someone becomes a practitioner, there must be various levels of practice and this must be tied to educational standards. These educational standards are to become the basis for registration at each stage. These registrations will be done in such a way and manner that will involve some degree of regulation that will be based on the circumstances in the existing year. The process will be presented in such a way that members will be reviewed on a regular basis and their career progression will be based on the achievement of a person within a given set of categories that will progress through the ranks of sports therapy practice. Inter-Professional Relationships Inter-professional relationships are important in the attainment of various ends in sports management and allied health practices (Neil, Hanton, Fleming, & Wilson, 2012). This is because collaboration is important and there is the need for different professionals in the field of sports management and sports kinetics to work with each other to attain optimal ends (Pedersen & Lucie, 2010). This means that there is the need for the attainment of a high level of collaboration between sports therapists and other fields. The command paper puts forward a series of propositions about how to improve current practice through inter-professional collaborations. The paper proposes that it will be best to develop the rules and regulations of the principles in a collaborative manner so that all the needs and demands of all constituents and all stakeholders in practice are integrated and added to the new principles and rules that are emerging. First of all, collaboration will involve the sharing of costs and integrate all the different fields in order to attain optimal ends and objectives. This means that there will be the integration of the overheads of various related entities so that the sports therapy profession will not have to bear all costs. Secondly, inter-professional practice will help to create a good atmosphere within which sports therapists can cooperate and work with other professionals in order to attain the best results. Most professions make way for the preparation of their professionals to work with members of other professions. Doctors and nurses are trained to cooperate with other healthcare professionals as well as other mainstream professionals like lawyers and accountants. This means that sports therapists will have to build learning relationships that will enable them to work with other people in different specialisations. Governmental and Professional Bodies The main professional bodies that are coming together include a number of different associations and entities that are being streamlined by the command paper. With the streamlining, these associations will become somewhat recognised entities and associations that can administer rules and regulations relating to ethics. This implies that they can have the power of parliament and the government to carry out regulation and oversight power and authorities. This is no different from the work of the Medical Association and Dental Association which have the power and the right to regulate conduct. With the institutionalisation and acceptance of these institutions, there is the tendency for them to gain the credibility and authority necessary to administer the various ethics. The authorisation of a single umbrella body will imply that the public and all potential sportsmen who will use their services will gain adequate protection through the institution and oversight of ethics and standards. Ensuring professional and ethical practice in sports therapy Professional ethics are steeped in the English Law of Tort and this involves exercising the appropriate level of care required of a profession in the category in question (Groza & Rosenberg, 2010; Robinson & Reeser, 2010). This implies that a practitioner in healthcare and related fields will have to be held accountable in his personal capacity and this is the essence of the professional body a professional belongs to. These principles require that medical professionals and professionals in allied medical fields like sports therapy adhere to the principles of due diligence and competence (Sanbar, 2007). The command paper presents a situation where sports therapy practitioners can be given independence as a fundamental basis for demanding accountability on their part. This will mean the sports therapists and even unregulated workers can be tasked with a set of minimal standards that can be used to carry out their practice. This will include the presentation of different rules and regulations that will keep the practitioners to a certain standards. This will provide the basis for checking and controlling the affairs of sports therapists. Recommendations/Conclusions The command paper tries to create a framework for the unification of practice and the agglomeration of different persons and groups related in healthcare and allied practice including sports therapy. This provides guidelines for the formulation of ethical and educational standards that guide the conduct of such professionals. The main motivation for the attainment of a new ethical system is one that will guide the public safety of persons that will be treated by these therapists. This will put sports therapists in a framework that will enable them to carry out their works competently like other professionals in the healthcare industry like medical doctors. The ethical system will enable the practitioner to gain some kind of independence that will make them accountable for their practice. With the recognition of a central system of practice, the different practitioners including sports practitioners can get a standard for training, development and regulation in their practice. This will help to guide the conduct of these persons and standardise the practice of these professionals. This will prevent issues and enhance the supervision of practitioners. Bibliography Ciulla, J. B. (2013). Ethics, the Heart of Leadership. 2nd Edition Darby, PA: Greenwood Publishing. Cory, G., Cory, M., Cory, C., & Callanan, P. 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