©2023 International Society of Arboriculture Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 49(3): May 2023 111 dissatisfaction, low morale, disillusion, lack of com- mitment, and reduced interest in their work. Formal higher education occasionally functions as creden- tialing, but fails to provide for continuing education or ethical accountability (Kirkpatrick et al. 2020a). ..e .ourt. .nd .n.l critic.l .unction o. credenti.l- ing is to provide some level of occupational closure .. re.uirin. minimum .u.li.c.tions .or .r.ctitioner competency. In addition to functioning as a barrier to entr. to .rotect t.e .u.lic .rom un.u.li.ed .r.cti- tioners. .i..li..tin. t.e .u.li.ed .r.ctitioners .nd e.cludin. un.u.li.ed .r.ctitioners .ro.ides ..lue to those who achieve the credential. This creates a shared purpose, which builds community and profes- sional identity, especially when the credential is e..licitl. n.med (e.... .erti.ed .u.lic .ccount.nt). In our examination of 11 well-established professions, we found no examples of professions using mislabeled credentials or borrowing those from other professions, which is common among urban forest professionals seeking to codify their expertise. Case Study Medical doctors are one of the oldest professions in our society, and the Hippocratic Oath from the medi- c.l .eld is t.e e.rliest .no.n e..m.le (.. ...) o. .ro.ession.l et.ics. .octors .re e..ected to o.er.te with near absolute autonomy and strict adherence to this ethical standard; as a result, they are held in high regard by the US general public (Funk et al. 2019) and are rewarded with respect, prestige, and high pay. However, Harris and Buchbinder (2021) discuss how they believe physicians are betraying the Hippocratic Oath through overdiagnosis and overtreatment, poor science literacy, the belief in personal experience over scienti.c e.idence. e..erness to inter.ene. .nd o.er- estimation of medical effectiveness. This perspective challenges a status quo and may signal a realignment is necessary (Craig et al. 2018; Gao 2021). Indeed, .ir. (.00.) .ound t..t medic.l sc.ools .re no. e..licitl. te.c.in. .ro.ession.lism. includin. selfless- ness, accountability, and ethical principles. This shows that instead of becoming complacent, the profession is in . const.nt st.te o. sel..reflection to im.ro.e delivery of essential services to society. Likewise, a requisite attribute for physicians pro- viding quality health care is not just mastering medi- cal knowledge, but the need for a lifelong-learning approach because the practice of medicine is con- st.ntl. .nd .uic.l. e.ol.in. (.ccredit.tion .ouncil human dimensions of natural resources and fostering a mindset of lifelong learning in undergraduates. Credentialing to Provide Self-Regulation Credentialing is a process used by professions to estab- lish key competencies and then grant a designation, suc. .s . certi.c.tion or .u.li.c.tion. to indi.idu.ls who demonstrate those competencies (Kirkpatrick et al. 2020b). Credentialing serves 4 critical functions. First, it is a tool used to determine which practitioners .re .u.li.ed to .r.ctice. .ro.idin. re.ul.tion (i.e.. . barrier to entry). Industries may be unregulated because t.e. .re not .ie.ed .s .osin. si.ni.c.nt ris. to soci- ety (e.g., society likely does not need to be protected ...inst incom.etent interior desi.ners or florists). .r they may be perceived as either too disorganized, requir- ing no particular skill, untrustworthy, or too irrelevant to bother. Self-regulation is a professional point of pride (Bayles 1986, 2003) and is administered by an organization composed of practitioners, very commonly a profes- sion.l societ. or .n ...li.te (.orm.n .0... .onteiro .0..). .ro.ession.l sel..re.ul.tion is . de.nin. c..r- acteristic of professionalism, maintaining professional .utonom.. .nd instillin. .u.lic con.dence (...les 1986). The alternatives are regulation by government, which is undesirable, as it shows the profession can- not be trusted, or going without regulation, which communicates unprofessionalism (or irrelevancy). Self-regulation communicates that a group of profes- sionals care enough about their work and are orga- nized enough to manage themselves in a manner that is consistently ethical and with regard for society. Credentialing serves a second critical function as a tool of ethical accountability (e.g., unethical actions result in a doctor losing their medical license). Main- tenance of a credential thereby communicates trust to public, peers, and employers that a given practitioner works with regard for society in addition to meeting ..sic .u.li.c.tions. ..e t.ird critic.l .unction o. cre- dentialing is maintaining practitioner competency. Credentialing is often the incentive for continuing education by requiring practitioners to obtain new knowledge or in some cases periodically reassess competency through examinations or evaluations. This ensures that practitioners maintain their connec- tion to the BoK and utilize it in their service to society. .ro.ession.ls .it.out t.is connection m.. e..eri- ence a decline in knowledge and skills, professional
May 2023
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