scholarly journals 'I don't feel like I'm learning how to be a doctor': early insights regarding the impact of Covid-19 on UK medical student professional identity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Harvey ◽  
Megan EL Brown ◽  
Matthew H V Byrne ◽  
Laith Alexander ◽  
Jonathan CM Wan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Professional Identity Development ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Phenomenon Professional identity development is recognised as a core goal of medical education alongside knowledge and skill acquisition. Identity is a complex entity that can be conceptualised as externally influenced, but individually constructed. Integration from legitimate bystander to "old timer" of the medical community of practice provides a backdrop for individual negotiation of professional identity. During Covid-19, the medical community of practice and education experienced significant disruption. We sought to investigate how these disruptions impacted professional identity development by examining conflicts between students' identities highlighted by the pressures of the pandemic. Approach A mixed-methods survey was distributed to medical students in the UK. The survey was active from 2nd May to 15th June 2020, during the height of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. Operating within the paradigm of constructivism, we conducted a reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Analysis was focused around the disruption to medical education, actions taken by medical students during this disruption, and the tension between student actions where they existed in conflict. Findings Three themes were constructed to describe the identities that participants felt were in conflict during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic: Status and role as a future doctor; status and role as a student; and status and role as a member of the wider community. Students noted that lack of clinical exposure was detrimental to their education, implicitly recognising that many aspects of professional identity formation are forged in the clinical environment. Participants were keen to volunteer clinically but struggled to balance this with academic work. Participants worried about the risk to their families and the wider community, and wanted to ensure that their skills would add value to the clinical environment. Volunteers felt frustrated when they were unable to perform tasks which aligned with their identities future doctors, with the exception of participants who worked as interim FY1s (FiY1s), which aligned well with the roles of FY1s. Insights As hypothesised, the participants in this study experienced disruptions to their professional identity development during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. This work provides early evidence, collected at the beginning of the pandemic, that the effects of disruptions to professional identity development were wide-reaching, often negative, and represent an important topic for future exploration. Given that the pandemic has highlighted areas of identity tension, these findings have the potential to provide insight into how medical training can better nurture professional identity development during and beyond international crises.

scholarly journals The Importance of the Community of Practice in Identity Development

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janis Davis
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Professional Relationships ◽  
Professional Identity Development ◽  
Occupational Therapy Students ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Practice Methods ◽  
Cross Case Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine what processes facilitate, temper, or impede occupational therapy identity development in a community of practice. Methods: A multiple case design organized data collected from five in-depth interviews with occupational therapy students on level II fieldwork. A cross-case analysis was used to arrive at multiple case themes. Results: Themes emerged as responses to participation in a community of practice: a) professional relationships; b) supervision types; and c) responsibility for professional identity development. Results suggest that communities of practice have unique characteristics that either inhibit students from adopting professional identity or draw them closer to the center of the profession. Conclusions: Responsibility for professional identity development lies with both student and community of practice. These findings suggest attention must be paid to the quality of the community of practice if students are to experience a successful trajectory into the profession of occupational therapy.

scholarly journals 729 “I Don’t Feel Like I’m Learning How to Be A Doctor:” The Impact of Disruptions Due to Covid-19 On Professional Identity Formation in UK Medical Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Harvey ◽  
M E L Brown ◽  
M H V Byrne ◽  
J Ashcroft ◽  
J C M Wan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Professional Identity Formation ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Clinical Exposure ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Qualitative Responses ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Professional identity formation (PIF) is a priority of medical training. Covid-19 caused disruption to medical education. We ask how this disruption impacted PIF through the lens of the activities performed – or not performed – by medical students during the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic, and perceptions of conflicts between activities. Method A pragmatic survey was distributed in spring 2020. Thematic analysis was performed of qualitative responses to two open questions. A social constructivist approach linked participants’ comments to PIF theory. Results We analysed 928 responses. Three themes surrounding students’ activities during covid-19 and their impact on identity were constructed: Conflict arose at the intersections between these themes. Students noted lack of clinical exposure was detrimental, implicitly recognising that aspects of PIF require the clinical environment. Participants were keen to volunteer but struggled with balancing academic work. Participants worried about risk to their households and the wider community and wanted their skills to add value in the clinical environment. Volunteers felt frustrated when they were unable to perform tasks aligning with their identity as a future doctor. An exception was participants who worked as interim FY1s, aligned with the role of an FY1. Conclusions Medical students feel a duty to help during crises. Conflict arises when different aspects of their identity demand different actions. Care must be taken to nurture PIF during periods of disruption.

scholarly journals Medical students’ professional identity development in an early nursing attachment

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 674-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Helmich ◽  
Els Derksen ◽  
Mathieu Prevoo ◽  
Roland Laan ◽  
Sanneke Bolhuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Professional Identity Development

Positioning health professional identity: on-campus training and work-based learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Krogh Christensen ◽  
Jette Henriksen ◽  
Kristian Raun Thomsen ◽  
Ole Lund ◽  
Anne Mette Mørcke
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Positioning Theory ◽  
Professional Identity Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sports Science ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Drawing on positioning theory, the purpose of this paper is to characterize the activities and positions of students and supervisors at workplaces and on-campus skills training sites across the higher health professional educations of medicine, sports science, and nursing. Furthermore, the study explored the impact of work-based learning (WBL) and skills training on students’ personal professional identity development. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study was conducted across six workplace sites and three on-campus skills training sites with 20 days of observation and 21 in-depth interviews. The data were inductively analyzed resulting in the identification of 12 characteristic narratives. This was followed by abductive analysis using Harré’s concept of positioning as the theoretical framework. Findings Across the three higher health professional educations, work-based and on-campus skills training sites were characterized by two learning spaces with distinct positions, rights, and duties. The WBL sites gave the students rich opportunities to position themselves, act independently, and behave as professionals seriously striving for mastery. On the on-campus sites, the students behaved less seriously, and were conscious of their rights to try out things, get support, and have fun. Research limitations/implications The authors recommend that future studies explore aspects of professional identity formation due to its consequences for curriculum design, including the distribution of simulated spaces and professional spaces in students’ learning environments. Originality/value This study adds to the empirical evidence and conceptual frameworks of personal and shared professional identity development in the field of skills and WBL, and it underlines the ongoing value of Harré’s positioning theory in educational research.

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