ABSTRACT
Earlier it was claimed that underlying every profession is a body of knowledge and that, in some ways, the occupation endeavoured to control the application of that knowledge in practice. The practice of the occupation, however, demands more than the mere possession of theoretical knowledge since this alone does not result in competency. Hence, it is now necessary to examine in some depth the elements of professional competency that were mentioned in the third chapter. Initially, the concepts of knowledge, skill and attitude are examined separately but it is necessary to understand their interrelationship. Additionally, in this chapter, these concepts are related to professionalisation, professionalism and continuing education.
