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Developing Professional Identity in Health Professional Students

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Clinical Education for the Health Professions

Abstract

Professional identity formation is a relatively new area of interest within health professional education, gaining academic attention after the Carnegie Foundation Report on Medical Education of 2010 called for its introduction into medical curricula in the United States. This chapter presents a critical discussion, introducing various schools of thought, and provides theoretically informed suggestions for practice. The authors explore both conventional identity formation and more complex modern reconfigurations of healthcare professional identity. The chapter starts with an overview of different stances on what professional identity means, drawing on a variety of literatures including sociological and organizational scholarship. Next, a range of theories of identity formation are presented, including socialization and transformation. A matrix model is introduced to inform curricular planning, which can be used flexibly within different institutions or contexts. The authors discuss and critique a number of focused strategies for educators including role modeling, mentoring, reflective practice, responding to the hidden curriculum, authentic role experiences and simulation-based education, communities of practice and activity theory, student engagement, and assessment practices. The chapter concludes with possible future directions in healthcare professional identity education. Kathleen Leedham-Green is a research fellow in the Medical Education Research Unit at Imperial College London with interests in the social and behavioral aspects of clinical practice as well as healthcare innovation and quality. Alec Knight is a postdoctoral researcher and educator at King’s College London with interests in health services research, applied psychology, medical education, public health, health policy, and implementation science. Rick Iedema is professor and director of the Centre for Team-Based Practice and Learning in Health Care at King’s College London.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Education Research Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Kathleen Leedham-Green

  2. School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences, King’s College London, London, UK

    Alec Knight

  3. Centre for Team-Based Practice & Learning in Health Care, King’s College London, London, UK

    Rick Iedema

Authors
  1. Kathleen Leedham-Green
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  2. Alec Knight
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  3. Rick Iedema
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathleen Leedham-Green .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Debra Nestel

  2. King's College London, London, UK

    Gabriel Reedy

  3. School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia

    Lisa McKenna

  4. Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Manchester, UK

    Suzanne Gough

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Leedham-Green, K., Knight, A., Iedema, R. (2020). Developing Professional Identity in Health Professional Students. In: Nestel, D., Reedy, G., McKenna, L., Gough, S. (eds) Clinical Education for the Health Professions. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6106-7_46-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6106-7_46-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-6106-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-6106-7

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