Mentoring and professional identity formation for teaching stream faculty

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 282-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne H. Simmonds ◽  
Andrew P. Dicks

Purpose Peer-to-peer (P2P) mentorship has been identified as an important component of professional identity formation in higher education (HE). This may be especially true for education-focused or teaching stream (TS) faculty to thrive in times of changing organizational structures and work environments. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical reflection on the experiences in a faculty P2P mentoring for teaching program and considers the ways in which such programs can influence professional identity formation among TS academics. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a matched faculty mentorship pair from Nursing and Chemistry disciplines uses critical reflection as a process of inquiry to interpret their experiences of building and sustaining an effective mentoring relationship as part of the P2P program, and to consider implications for professional identity formation and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Findings Through the P2P program, the authors discovered that establishment of clear goals, a commitment to teaching and mentoring processes, and a mutual desire to build a relationship based on authenticity and reciprocity resulted in positive short- and long-term impacts on instructional practices. Professional identity was strengthened through intentional engagement and the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers, contributing to a renewed sense of confidence and commitment. Originality/value Interest in examining professional identity formation in HE has been growing over the past decade. This paper is novel in the critical reflection on a structured peer mentorship initiative through the lens of professional identity formation, with implications for planning and executing mentoring programs for TS faculty.

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 413-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron M. Pierson ◽  
Anne Goulding ◽  
Jennifer Campbell-Meier

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review literature on librarian professional identity to develop a more integrated understanding of this topic.Design/methodology/approachLiterature was retrieved and analysed with no date or geographic limit from nine databases on the subject of librarian professional identity. A combination of keywords and database specific controlled language was utilized to increase retrieval, as well as inspection of reference lists. Exclusion criteria were applied.FindingsThe review found 14 characteristics or themes relevant to librarian professional identity formation and development, understood as process over time. This process is in part defined by benchmark events, such as critical incidents, as well as highly personal aspects, such as perception of these incidents. This review also introduces an original conceptual model of librarian professional identity formation and development.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of this review was that only English-language literature was considered. A further limitation is the omission of works that have not been formally published. Additionally, the model introduced is untested.Originality/valueBy reviewing librarian professional identity literature, this paper offers an integrated understanding of this topic and introduces a new, original model to understand the process of librarian professional identity and development. It further offers an examination based on a sociological lens to examine this identity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-759
Author(s):  
Ulrica Nylén

Purpose This paper investigates the prospects and difficulties of multi-professional teamwork in human services from a professional identity perspective. The purpose of this paper is to explore the mutual interplay between professional identity formation and team activities. Design/methodology/approach This is a process study of two cases of multi-professional teamwork in family care. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with team members and managers. The analysis follows a stepwise approach alternating between the individual and team levels. Findings In showing the mutual interplay between teamwork processes and individual identity formation, the study contributes knowledge on professional identity formation of mature professionals; in particular showing how unique individual identification processes have different consequences for multi-professional team activities. Further, alternative shapes of interplay between individual identity formation and team-level processes are identified. Research limitations/implications Despite the fact that the sample is small and that collaboration intensity was relatively low, the paper succeeds in conceptualising the links between professional identity formation and multi-professional teamwork. Practical implications In managing multi-professional teams, team composition and the team’s early developments seem determining for whether the team will reach its collaborative intentions. Originality/value This paper is original in its exploration of the ongoing interplay between individual identity formation and multi-professional team endeavours. Further, the paper contributes knowledge on mature professionals’ identity formation, particularly concerning individual variation within and between professional groups.


Author(s):  
Shiva Sarraf-Yazdi ◽  
Yao Neng Teo ◽  
Ashley Ern Hui How ◽  
Yao Hao Teo ◽  
Sherill Goh ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Professional identity formation (PIF) in medical students is a multifactorial phenomenon, shaped by ways that clinical and non-clinical experiences, expectations and environmental factors merge with individual values, beliefs and obligations. The relationship between students’ evolving professional identity and self-identity or personhood remains ill-defined, making it challenging for medical schools to support PIF systematically and strategically. Primarily, to capture prevailing literature on PIF in medical school education, and secondarily, to ascertain how PIF influences on medical students may be viewed through the lens of the ring theory of personhood (RToP) and to identify ways that medical schools support PIF. Methods A systematic scoping review was conducted using the systematic evidence-based approach. Articles published between 1 January 2000 and 1 July 2020 related to PIF in medical students were searched using PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC and Scopus. Articles of all study designs (quantitative and qualitative), published or translated into English, were included. Concurrent thematic and directed content analyses were used to evaluate the data. Results A total of 10443 abstracts were identified, 272 full-text articles evaluated, and 76 articles included. Thematic and directed content analyses revealed similar themes and categories as follows: characteristics of PIF in relation to professionalism, role of socialization in PIF, PIF enablers and barriers, and medical school approaches to supporting PIF. Discussion PIF involves iterative construction, deconstruction and inculcation of professional beliefs, values and behaviours into a pre-existent identity. Through the lens of RToP, factors were elucidated that promote or hinder students’ identity development on individual, relational or societal levels. If inadequately or inappropriately supported, enabling factors become barriers to PIF. Medical schools employ an all-encompassing approach to support PIF, illuminating the need for distinct and deliberate longitudinal monitoring and mentoring to foster students’ balanced integration of personal and professional identities over time.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Mardiastuti H. Wahid ◽  
Ardi Findyartini ◽  
Diantha Soemantri ◽  
Rita Mustika ◽  
Estivana Felaza ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yayoi Shikama ◽  
Yasuko Chiba ◽  
Megumi Yasuda ◽  
Maham Stanyon ◽  
Koji Otani

Abstract Background Professional identity formation is nurtured through socialization, driven by interaction with role models, and supported through early clinical exposure (ECE) programmes. Non-healthcare professionals form part of the hospital community but are external to the culture of medicine, with their potential as role models unexplored. We employed text mining of student reflective assignments to explore the impact of socialization with non-healthcare professionals during ECE. Methods Assignments from 259 first-year medical students at Fukushima Medical University, Japan, underwent hierarchical cluster analysis. Interrelationships between the most-frequently-occurring words were analysed to create coding rules, which were applied to elucidate underlying themes. Results A shift in terms describing professional characteristics was detected, from “knowledge/skill” towards “pride [in one’s work]” and “responsibility”. Seven themes emerged: contribution of non-healthcare professionals, diversity of occupation, pride, responsibility, teamwork, patient care and gratitude. Students mentioning ‘contribution of non-healthcare professionals’ spoke of altruistic dedication and strong sense of purpose. These students expressed gratitude towards non-healthcare professionals for supporting clinical work, from a doctor’s perspective. Conclusion Socialization with non-healthcare professionals provides important insights into the hospital working environment and cultural working norms. Through role modelling altruism and responsibility, non-healthcare professionals positively influenced student professional identity formation, promoting self-conceptualisation as a doctor.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Nataly Rahimzadeh ◽  
David Lessard ◽  
Peter Nugus

Objective—This article provides a reflection on medical teaching opportunities for whole person care based on our experiences mentoring 2nd-year medical students through an Ethnography Practicum at a Canadian university.                                                                  Background—The Ethnography Practicum is a new addition to the Family Medicine Transition to Clinical Practice (TCP) curriculum introduced in the second year of medical school at McGill University. It involves 30 hours of instruction (6 hours in lectures with an instructor, and 24 hours in small-group tutorials with the authors), and 9 hours of fieldwork observations in various community health settings across Montreal, QC. The primary aims of the Practicum converge with those of the TCP generally in two important ways: to inculcate in students the concepts of patient centered care, and to promote family medicine as both an academic discipline and career option.                    Results and Discussion— Our experiences illustrate two tensions that shape students’ expectations and experiences throughout their involvement in the Practicum and, in turn, highlight the implications for teaching whole-person care. First, ethnography as a combination of different methods has itself been the locus of tensions between positivist and critical traditions in the three last decades. Second, the Practicum is situated precisely at the crossroads of key moments on the professional identity formation continuum for our students. Such a crossroads is disruptive to the status quo of medical traineeship characteristic of the first two years in medical school, and thus reorients professional identity formation. The above tensions reveal how ethnography is not only a revered research tradition in the humanities, but can also be a conduit to whole person care-inspired clinical practice.Conclusion—As instructors and mentors involved in this Ethnography Practicum, we are continually forging a new relevance for organizational ethnography in medical training, where medical students can reflect and act on competencies beyond clinical ones. The Practicum provides a space for students to wrestle with alternative epistemologies to understanding the social world in which medicine is embedded. We lastly provide pragmatic ways to better address these tensions in an effort to support students as they proceed through the (multifaceted) development of their professional identities as future physicians.


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