Member-serving associations: the co-creation of professionalism and expertise within a field

Professional associations are charged with legitimising the fields they represent by attracting and serving members and establishing them as experts in a field. But how do professional associations support both field professionalisation and individual member expertise? Does membership of a professional association contribute to enhanced feelings of expertise? To explore these questions, participants from three allied health professions in the United States – registered dietitians, speech–language pathologists and International Board certified lactation consultants – were recruited to evaluate whether members feel as though their non-profit professional association is meeting these goals. Through a qualitative study involving 30 interviews with members and non-members, we found that professional associations are co-creating their fields with members through advocacy, promotion, education, feedback and adjustment. However, more work is needed to support efforts to co-create feelings of expertise among members. The findings provide insights for future research on member-serving associations.