What is autonomy?
Autonomy means self-government. It contrasts with the term hegemony, which means the domination of one state or group by another. An autonomous profession is one in which the practitioner has the qualifications, responsibility, and authority for the provision of services which fall within its scope of practice. Autonomy does not mean complete freedom from all monitoring and regulation. Even the most entrenched professions are closely scrutinized and their practices repeatedly reviewed by bodies established by federal and state statutes, accrediting agencies, consumer groups, and peers. Dental hygiene in California will not be free from external review and regulation. The profession is responsible for formulating standards for independent practice, for the definition of the appropriate scope of its professional practices, and for the development of individual and institutional standards for the delivery of services to the public. Is dental hygiene a profession or a career? Professions t
