'Re-placing' professional practice

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Professional Education
• Rural Studies

Background:

• Professional practice preparation is often conceptualized as placeless, yet occurs within specific environments.
• New professionals, particularly those transitioning from urban to rural settings, face a disconnect between their training and practice realities.
• Metrocentric training models can disadvantage professionals entering non-urban practice contexts, leading to feelings of inadequacy and devaluing rural practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the notion of 'placeless' professional preparation.
• To explore the dynamic, reciprocal relationship between professional practice and its geographical context ('place').
• To advocate for a reconceptualization of professional preparation that integrates a deep, dynamic understanding of place.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis drawing on the spatial turn in social theory.
• Social constructivist perspective on 'place' as a focal point for professional development.
• Interdisciplinary examination by practitioners and researchers across diverse contexts.

Main Results:

• The disconnect between training and practice environments leads to professionals feeling 'out of place' and questioning competence.
• This 'dis-join' negatively impacts the desirability of rural practice settings, hindering recruitment and retention.
• Current approaches to 'context' in professional preparation are often static, failing to capture the dynamic interplay of place and practice.

Conclusions:

• Place is not a static backdrop but actively shapes and is shaped by professionals and their practices.
• Professional preparation must move beyond accommodating context to dynamically engaging with place.
• A social constructivist approach to place offers a critical framework for enhancing professional preparation for diverse practice settings.