A professional body or professional organization is an organisation, usually non-profit, that exists to further a particular profession, to protect both the public interest and the interests of professionals. The balance between these two may be a matter of opinion. One the one hand, professional bodies act to protect the public by maintaining and enforcing standards of training and ethics in their profession. On the other hand, they may also act like a cartel or a labor union (trade union) for the members of the profession, though this description is commonly rejected by the body concerned. Membership of a professional body does not necessarily mean that a person possesses qualifications in the subject area, nor that they are legally able to practice their profession - although in some countries and professions, membership of a professional body is required for somebody to legally practice.
Many professional bodies also act as learned societies for the academic disciplines underlying their professions.
A professionalbody or professional organization is an organisation, usually non-profit, that exists to further a particular profession, to protect both the public interest and the interests of professionals.
Membership of a professionalbody does not necessarily mean that a person possesses qualifications in the subject area, nor that they are legally able to practice their profession - although in some countries and professions, membership of a professionalbody is required for somebody to legally practice.
In countries where the legal system entitles defendants to a jury by their peers, the general public may not be considered sufficiently knowledgeable in a field of practice to act as a peer in some legal cases.
Professionalbodies are most energetic when promoting their respective professions, but many are now starting to establish themselves as life-long learning providers.
Professionalbodies are generally organisations that act as an intellectual and professional link between members of a particular profession.
Professionalbodies are also involved in the establishment of post-graduate programmes and continuing education programmes.
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