Professionalism and Professional Identity Formation

Research in the domain of Professionalism and Professional Identity Formation focuses on the processes whereby the knowledge, attitudes, values, norms and beliefs that underpin the health professions are taught, learnt and negotiated by students as they develop their own professional identity. Specific areas of research within this domain include: exploring the socializing forces that act upon learners in the health professions (e.g., health care systems, role models); determining the most effective strategies for teaching professionalism to health professions students at various stages of their development (e.g., role modeling, longitudinal mentorship groups, reflective portfolios); and understanding how professionalism lapses can be reliably identified and remediated in a timely fashion. Scholarship in this domain serves to both advance the theoretical understanding of professionalism and professional identity formation by the HSE community and inform curricular development at undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and faculty levels.