What Will You Protect? Redefining Professionalism Through the Lens of Diverse Personal Identities

Professional identity formation (PIF) encapsulates the process of incorporating a physician's professional identity into existing personal identity. Medical schools shape PIF by reinforcing professional norms defined by a historical physician phenotype. Increasingly, medical students who are underrepresented in medicine must confront the apparent contradictions between personal identities and the often-subjective definitions of professionalism endorsed by faculty, patients, and peers. The lack of a framework for negotiating these conflicts can create barriers to achieving full academic and professional potential.

We designed a 2-hour professionalism module during the first-year medical student orientation at one medical school. Participating students listened to a physician discuss a defining career moment that required reconciliation of personal and professional identities. Afterwards, students broke into small groups and discussed vignettes illustrating personal identities challenged by professionalism norms. Students then anonymously wrote a reflection about one aspect of their identity they intended to protect during their PIF process. An overwhelming majority of students posted their anonymous reflections on a wall for other students, staff, and faculty to view.

We analyzed the written reflective responses to the module. Several broad-ranging themes, including Mission, Identity, and Relationships, were identified. Both participant and facilitator evaluations were analyzed to determine the module's success.

This module provides a framework for faculty and administrators to create other curricular and pericurricular experiences that positively shape PIF. The session format utilized may generate greater interest in proactively supporting medical students as they navigate formation of their professional identities.