From College Graduate to Physician: Professional Identity Formation

Abstract

A newly matriculated medical student must transition from college student to physician in four short years. The call has been made to help students in this transition. There is little data on how this can occur and how the system of medical education can guide students. We set out to describe and understand medical students' process of professional identity formation (PIF) longitudinally from first-year to fourth-year students. Using a qualitative thematic analysis of 58 survey responses from the anatomy dissection laboratory (1st and 2nd year students), 78 clerkship reflective practice essays (3rd year students), and 26 survey responses to a realistic field exercise (4th year students) we developed a grounded theory: We found four developmental/transformational stages (Building, Becoming, Bridging, and Being) in PIF of a physician with the end result that the physician is confident, resilient, and embraces his/her identity. Additionally, there were three longitudinal supports identified that faculty provide: promoting self-reflection, promoting mastery of difficult tasks, and being available. Successful transition is tied to transformational experiences that with the faculty support propel the student toward PIF. These findings serve as a framework for medical educators to develop a curriculum that supports positive PIF in medical students.

Keywords

• professional identity formation
• transformative experience
• thematic qualitative analysis
• medical students