Physiotherapy students' professional identity on the edge of working life

Market expectations of physiotherapists reflect changing demands of health care for client centred, community based management of chronic disease in an ageing population. This study forms a component part of a longitudinal study of students' socialization throughout their education programme examining the outcome of professional identity throughout professional socialization processes. The aim of this study was to explore characteristics of graduating physiotherapy students' professional identity before leaving the University. An interview guide, agreed between the Swedish and UK researchers, was used to focus the semi-structured interviews. The phenomenon of professional identity of 18 students was studied through their perceptions of their role, practice, vision, beliefs and scope of practice as physiotherapists. A phenomenographic approach was taken to analysis and identified three qualitatively different categories of professional identity as a physiotherapist which are described as the Empowerer, the Educator and the Treater. A variation of concepts in professional identity at graduation questions the extent to which educators consider how they guide the development of professional identities which fit the expectations of stakeholders and which are able to respond to promotion and development of the profession of physiotherapy in the changing fields of health care over future years.