Health and Human Services Professional Development

Human Service Professionals Author: Mikki Sherwood I teach a course for graduate students that is called “Current Issues and Trends in Family & Consumer Sciences.”  At the beginning of each semester I teach about the history of FCS. I have sections about the scientific roots of FCS, the  early leaders  of the discipline, and how FCS has evolved in more than 100 years.  I also cover the basic philosophy of FCS, explain the importance of the integrative nature of the discipline, and describe  Bronfenbrenner’s Systems Theory  in detail. My students all ask me why I think they need to have this information. I tell them to consider the fact that at some point they will be in the job market, in competition with many other people. They will need to be able to explain their unique attributes to a potential employer. One of the unique attributes of someone that studied FCS is that he or she has the ability to look at various aspects of the functioning of...

Doing Professionalism Author: Jill Bowers Video of professionals on, “What is professionalism?” https://youtu.be/O3BG_47ZV8E According to these professionals, being a professional means having an understanding of what is expected of you in your field and having the skills, competencies or qualities that allow you to meet or exceed expectations of those who you are working for or with. We interviewed a few professionals in various fields and asked them to define professionalism and their advice for acting the part. Here are 15 tips that summarize professionals’ responses: • Be able to demonstrate your knowledge and articulate it • Know how to dress and use the language you are supposed to use for the industry you are applying or will be working in; be able to look like you belong in that industry • Follow through; do what you say you will • Know and understand the expectations for formality (how you address professors, employers, colleagues, or those...