Influence of medical students' families in shaping professional identity

Although theoretical scholarship has examined professional identity formation (PIF) as an objective and outcome of medical student education, few empirical studies exist to support these models. Medical students' families have been identified as an important source of identity; however, PIF frameworks provide limited elaboration on the roles of family in identity formation. This study examined how medical students perceive the influence of their families on their PIF.

In this retrospective, qualitative study, data were drawn from recorded transcripts of semistructured interviews performed in spring 2019 with 53 graduating students from 4 US medical schools regarding factors influencing their PIF. After students identified family as a contributor to PIF in early transcript reviews, secondary analysis identified interview excerpts relevant to families of origin, families of procreation, and extended families. Open coding was used to categorize the impact of family members and family relationships on medical students' PIF. After initial group coding training, pairs of investigators coded transcripts independently, compared codes, and resolved differences through discussion with the entire team.

Of the 53 students, 52 (98.1%) referred to their family during interviews. Family of origin was referenced in 207 of 289 excerpts (71.6%), and family of procreation was referenced in 96 of 289 (33.2%). Families affected medical students' PIF by providing support; influencing students' motivations, skills, and attitudes affecting their socialization in medicine; and providing reference points from which students marked their PIF progress. Families could also set expectations that contributed to tension as students' PIF evolved.

This study found that medical students' family relationships have a substantial influence on their PI development. This enhanced understanding of influences can enable students and educators to facilitate the positive impact families can have and explore ways to mitigate the challenges students experience as their PI develops throughout medical school.