ABSTRACT

A professional association is usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interest of individuals engaged in that profession and the public. The roles of these professional associations have been variously defined. Activities and events organized by these organizations facilitate better interaction amongst members while at the same time providing opportunities for promoting and identifying common professional or industry interests. Association of Radiographers of Nigeria (ARN). The professional organization representing radiographers and radiation therapist in Nigeria, strives to uphold the professional, public workplace interests of her members by encouraging the seeking and sharing of knowledge.

The radiographers in Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital (ABTH) and National Ear Care Centre (ENT) stand tall in the practice of radiography in Nigeria were under studies as to identifying the factors that influence the attitude of radiographers to their professional body.

The findings of this research reveals that all the respondents are Nigeria (100%), most of the respondents, 97%, have acquired at least BSC degree in radiography. Majority of the respondents, 76.1%, have voting right in the association meeting the respondents 93.9% (31/33) registered with the professional body.

Handful of the respondents 27.3% attended update courses, workshop or special trainings organized by the association often the reason for attending was given as to gain more knowledge and skill (71%) and some were mandated to attend (22.6%).

Most of the respondents did not know the law establishing the professional body since only 33.3% actually knows and can quote the decree.

Majority of the respondents, 66%, were of the opinion that the professional body has not done much for the profession. Thus more is needed to be done.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1       INTRODUCTION

A professional organization (also called a professional body professional organization, or professional society is usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession and the public. Examples include Association of Pathologist of Nigeria (ASOPON), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Medical Laboratory Scientist of Nigeria (AMLSN), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) etc.

The roles of these professional associations have been variously defined. A group of people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitimate practice of the occupation, also a body a body acting to safe guard the public interest, organization which represent the interest of the professional practitioners, and so act to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling body activities and event organized by these organizations facilitate better interaction amongst members while at the same time providing opportunities for promoting and identifying common professional or industry interests. This, in turn, places the burden of enforcing a profession ban upon these associations as well though professional bodies often acts to protect the public by maintaining and enforcing standards of training and ethics in their profession; they often also act like a cartel or a labour union (trade union) for the members of the profession, though this description is commonly rejected by some of the body concerned.

Trade unions laws in the UK and Nigeria defines  trade union as any combination whether temporary or permanents, the principal objectives of which its constitution are the regulation of the relation between workmen and workmen or between master and masters or the imposing of restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and also the provision of benefit to member also to be main power resource of working people.

The history of trade union in Nigeria started on 19th August, 1912 with the formation of southern Nigeria Civil Service Union. The name was later changed to Nigeria Civil Service Union after the amalgamation of the southern protectorate of Nigeria. Thus, she serves as the first union characterized by wage employment that exists in Nigeria. The union was concerned with efficiency in the civil service and intensified nationalization of the service. This put her in a disadvantaged position since the she was not concerned with the hand core unionism. As a result other works unions emanated from her. Later on, the unions were legalized with the enactment of the trade union ordinance in 1938 and its consequent execution on the 1st April, 1939. Ubeku saw this as a milestone in the activities of trade unions since it ensured that the trade unions were duly registered before they could engage in collective bar gain with their employers besides, the ordinance eventually brought the workers unions closer to one another as a result, many central labour organizations were formed between (1942 – 1975). These union proffered strategies for sustained trade unionism, promotion of workers welfare and general national development. This made the leaders to think of the need to have a centralized organization of the various trade unions especially in the struggle to rid the economy of the bad leadership and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) was formed in 1975. This become the strong back bone of the other unions it co-ordinates the affairs of all their unions and these unions are deemed to be affiliated to the NLC. Through there were some specifications and guidelines in the procedure for such affiliation. The affiliated trade unions must make some reservation to the NLC from the monies collect red from their members. It is the NLC that has in a long run intervened in the government face off will the skilled/professional workers in the country given the central organization of trade unions, any union which fails to pay its contribution is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fire of twice the amount of the contribution.

Subsequently, there was proliferation of other unions according to profession occasioned by the regional government, bitter experiences of some of the members political interference and poor foundation of the labour movement. Professional association operates with in industrial relation system where the employer and government are also actors its concerned with collective strength of the members thus it tries to replace the worker's bargaining power at work with group power thus joining a professional association or institution might just be a launch pad for a career. As a result, Association of Radiographers of Nigeria (ARN), the professional organization representing radiographers and radiation therapist in Nigeria, was founded in May 1958 at a meeting of a handful of radiographers working in the University College Hospital and Adeoye General Hospital both in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria in the western region as an independent national association. The ARN was originally conceived as a branch of the society of radiographers of the United Kingdom since almost all radiographers in Nigeria then, trained in Britain and were members of the British society.

The association become a foundation member of the international society of radiographers and radiological technologist in 1961 and has continually played significant roles on the international scene. It was recognized as a professional organization by the federal ministry of health in 1962 and granted a learned society status by the federal ministry o education in 1973. The association strives to uphold the professional, public and workplace interests of here members by encouraging the seeking and sharing of knowledge. It also ensures representation areas related to the practice of medical imaging, radiation therapy and public health policy formulation and implementation thus it is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that radiography is practiced according to the prescribed ethics of the profession and enhance the image of radiography profession in Nigeria and in the West African sub-region therefore, for the effective management of the association was formed and managed by radiographers, led to the establishment of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN), a parastatal under the federal ministry of health, was established by laws of the federation of Nigeria 1987. The board is changed with overall objective of ensuring the availability and provision of quality radiography services to Nigerians. Never the less, ARN is the professional association of all radiographers in Nigeria through that follows after due certification from the RRBN.

Conversely, there is perceived inactive participation of the members in the activities of the ARN ranging from non registration of some radiographers to poor attendance to the activities association. This adversely affect the aims, objectives and progressive existence of the association thus, with the words of Arnold J. Roynbee, apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal with takes the imagination by storm, and second; a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice, it is about time this ugly menace is fought with the aim of eliminating it among radiographers.

This research, therefore, aims at identifying the factors influencing the attitude of radiographers to their professional body (ARN) the result will be of immense help to the association in understanding the mind of their members and take proper measures to ensure increase in the participation of its members thus, it will help the association to ensure active participation of the radiographers to national conference, workshops and other activities of ARN.

1.2       STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The relationship between radiographers in Nigerian and ARN is not as strong as it should and this is shown in the following ways:

There is little co-operation of some radiographers and their professional body for effective practice in Nigeria.

There is increase in the number of radiographers who practice without license.

ARN and RRBN are coercing radiographers to live up to their various professional responsibilities.

1.3       PURPOSE OF STUDY

This study is aimed to identify the factors influencing the attitude of radiographers to their professional bodies.

1.4       OBJECTIVES

To determine the numbers of radiographers who are registered with their professional bodies.

To identify the possible way of ameliorating apathy of some radiographers to the professional bodies.

To identify the reason for the apathy noticed in some radiographers.

To assess the radiographers knowledge of the decree establishing the professional body.

To assess the willingness of radiographers to update their knowledge the effective practice.

1.5       SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

To increase the awareness of radiographers on the importance of their professional body in effective practice.

It will highlight the importance of radiographers attending conferences, scientific workshop and seminars.

To highlights the duties of radiographers to the profession.

1.6       SCOPE OF STUDY

The research is to be carried out in the tertiary heavy providers in Kaduna State namely;

National ear care centre

Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital Zaria

1.7       LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The researcher encountered some problem that posed a challenge thus limiting the effectiveness of the study, the includes;

The first challenge is time. The time for the study was not favourable to the researcher at the time of the research yet he has to embark on the study.

Finance if another major limitation as the researcher ha to frequent the hospitals selected looking for radiographers to fill his questionnaire which actually paid off.

There is in adequate written materials available to the researcher at the time of the research.

The reluctance of some radiographers in filling the questionnaires thus, distribution of the questionnaire was done side by side with persuasion.

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