McCann, Leo orcid.org/0000-0002-0754-804X and Granter, Edward (2019) Beyond ‘Blue-Collar Professionalism’:Continuity and Change in the Professionalization of Uniformed Emergency Services Work. Journal of Professions and Organization. pp. 213-232. ISSN 2051-8811
Abstract
The sociology of professions has so far had limited connections to emergency services occupations. Research on emergency occupations tends to focus on workplace culture and identity, often emphasizing continuity rather than change. Police officers, firefighters and paramedics have their historical roots in manual, technical or ‘semi-professional’ occupations and their working lives still bear many of the hallmarks of blue-collar, uniformed ‘street-level’ work. But uniformed emergency services - like many other occupations – are increasingly undergoing processes of ‘professionalization’. The organizations in which they are employed and the fields in which they work have undergone significant change and disruption, calling into question the core features, cultures and duties of these occupations. This paper argues that sociology of work on emergency services could be helpfully brought into closer contact with the sociology of professions in order to better understand these changes. It suggests four broad empirical and conceptual domains where meaningful connections can be made between these literatures, namely: leadership and authority; organizational goals and objectives; professional identities; and ‘extreme’ work. Emergency services are evolving in complex directions while retaining certain long-standing and entrenched features. Studying emergency occupations as professions also sheds new light on the changing nature of ‘professionalism’ itself.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Keywords: | ambulance services; emergency services; firefighters; paramedics; police; professionalization |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > The York Management School |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 12 Jul 2019 11:40 |
Last Modified: | 07 Feb 2025 00:25 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/jpo/joz006 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/jpo/joz006 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:148516 |
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