TYPOLOGY OF DEFINITIONS OF THE DOCTOR’S PROFESSIONAL IMAGE IN MODERN UKRAINIAN SCIENCE

Abstract

The general development of society necessarily leads to taking into account the individual needs of consumers of any product or service. In turn, this causes the need to form and maintain an appropriate professional image of a person or organization that interacts with clients. These trends are fully manifested in such an important field, as medicine. Definitions of professional image and its semantic content offered by researchers differ significantly. Thus, the article typologizes the definitions of the professional image of a doctor in modern Ukrainian science. The conducted analysis revealed that the existing definitions of the professional image of a doctor can be classified into five main groups: 1) definitions of a definitive nature; 2) definition of a descriptive nature; 3) definition through a simple enumeration of the components of a doctor’s professional image; 4) definition through the enumeration of components with their details; 5) definition through a structured enumeration of the components of a professional image. Examining the concept of image based on the materials of Ukrainian-language dictionaries, we came to the conclusion that it can be characterized as an artificially formed image of a subject or an object of action, which has an additional semantic load and is intended for regulated perception by the individual psyche and the public. Based on this definition, as well as taking into account the analysis of existing definitions of the professional image of a doctor, we formulated our own definition: the professional image of a doctor is a specially formed image of a doctor, aimed at creating a positive impression on patients, colleagues and the public as a whole. The most significant components are: 1) professional competence; 2) communicative competence; 3) value orientations. The best professional image requires a high level of all three components.