I. Professionalism

This section will have 7–10 questions and is worth about 10% of your exam.

I.1 Definition and Interpretation of Professionalism and Professional Status

The following is the definition of a professional as presented in the textbook, Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience.

Profession: A calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive preparation including instruction in skills and methods as well as in the scientific, historical, or scholarly principles underlying such skills and methods, maintaining by force of organization or concerned opinion high standards of achievement and con- duct, and committing its members to continued study and to a kind of work which has for its prime purpose the rendering of a public service.

Quick Tips: The provided definition for a profession is lengthy, general, and not confined to a specific context. Memorization of this definition will not be necessary for the exam.

You are expected to have a solid understanding of the essential components of the definition.

• Membership: indicates the participation of individuals in a particular group.
• Specialized knowledge: involves the application of skills and techniques that are essential for proficiency.
• Accountability: includes the aspects of self-regulation and governance.
• Continued study: represents an ongoing dedication to education throughout one’s life.
• Public protection: reflects the obligation to act in the best interest of the public.