SOCIAL PORTRAIT OF A MODERN NEPHROLOGIST

Significance. The shortage of nephrologists and the annual increase in kidney diseases bring this problem up to the social level: development of a social portrait gives an insight into main difficulties associated with both choosing the profession of nephrologist and realizing professional opportunities. The purpose of the study is to create a social portrait of a modern nephrologist to address the issue of improving professionalization of activity with due regard to value orientations of doctors and their perception of specifics of the profession. Material and methods. An empirical sociological study (2019-2020) based on semi-structured interviews with doctors-nephrologists from four regions of Russia (N=30); and the use of biographical method (N=54). Results. The study shows that when creating a social portrait of a nephrologist a special role is played by value orientations of the personality, manifesting in care for patients, a healthy lifestyle, however, professional attitudes also are very important: willingness to improve skills, commitment to self-education, the study of complex cases in clinical practice, etc. The analysis of gender and age differences of doctors, coupled with the assessment of their curriculum vitae (biographies), made it possible to focus on the role of the nephrologist in successful treatment of patients not suffering from kidney diseases alone, but having other diseases. Generally, nephrologists are ready to rely on best practices in medicine in their clinical practice, yet they are perfectly aware of the complex problems experienced by the domestic healthcare hampering the use of this potential in full. Conclusion. The possibilities of using the nephrologist’ social portrait to improve professionalization of activity and quality of appropriate medical care in nephrology have been determined.