Harris, Joanne;
(2023)
Professional identity formation at medical
school: a qualitative study to explore the effect of cultural factors on professional identity formation of medical undergraduates.
Doctoral thesis (Ed.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Medical education is subject to competing discourses; the discourse of standardisation which promotes competencies and the discourse of diversity which celebrates inclusivity and difference. Recently the diversity discourse has encouraged widening participation to ensure the gender, social class and ethnicity of medical students reflects the composition of the population. However, this initiative is subject to the standardisation discourse often delivered by the hidden curriculum. Culturally diverse students experience dissonance from negative experiences and are expected to conform in ways that challenge their underlying identity. This study sought to explore the culture-related experiences of medical students and how they negotiated the discourses as they developed a professional identity. Student data was collected at two contrasting medical schools in the UK via an online survey (n=79) and semi-structured interviews (n=12). Students described how cultural factors affected their experience at medical school and development of professionalism. Responses were analysed using Bourdieusian concepts of habitus, capital and field. The students’ use of social constructivism to manage professionalism was explored through the lens of Goffman’s performance theories. Using Bourdieu’s theory, medical school was considered as subfields of education and care giving. Students reported incidences of classism, sexism and racism particularly in the field of care giving and this challenged their habitus. The students demonstrated options including (i) maintaining their original habitus (ii) changing their habitus to match that expected by the discourse of standardisation or (iii) using social constructivism to manage their responses through impression management. I observed some students acknowledging the competing discourses and using social constructivism to form emerging professional identities. As educators we can enable students to maintain this critical reflexivity and develop confidence to recognise the gaps in the system and adapt in appropriate ways. Students will therefore gain from being active participants in the system and can effect change.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ed.D |
| Title: | Professional identity formation at medical school: a qualitative study to explore the effect of cultural factors on professional identity formation of medical undergraduates. |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | professionalism, identity, intersectionality, culture, competing discourses |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10174736 |
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