Formation of Professional
Identity in Student Doctors and Dentists
Dr Pirashanthie Vivekananda-Schmidt (Medical School)
What is this about?
Recently, several authors have called for a better understanding
of the processes by which healthcare students develop their professional self
identities (PSI). Here, we report a model of PSI formation in healthcare
students using a grounded approach.
Through analysis of interview data from 17 student doctors and dentists who had
indicated substantial changes in their PSI, we developed a theoretical
model. Two overlapping frames of
reference affect PSI formation: the students’ self-perception and their
perception of the professional role; both are ‘learnt’; neither is static.
Through participation in the profession, students learn by trying out their
competencies in the real world and finding out to what extent they work, and by
trying to visualise themselves in the role.
When others acknowledge students as quasi-professionals students
experience transference and may respond with counter-transference to meet
expectations. They may also dry-run
their professional role in safe settings.
How will colleagues
benefit?
It is now recognised that supporting students in their development
of professional identity is an inherent part of supporting their developing
professionalism. The presentation will outline the relationship between
professionalism and professional identity. It will capture recent
discourse in the professional identity development process in healthcare
students. It will provide participants with a theoretical model of professional
identity that was derived through data collected from a purposive sample of student
doctors and dentists. We will explore the implications of this model to
curricular development; and especially to the professionalism curricula.
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