Facilitating the initiation of the physician's professional identity: Cornell's urban semester program

The Professional Identity and Career Attitude of Chinese Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey in China

BACKGROUND

Although professional identity is a strong predictor of career choice, only a few studies have reported on medical students' career attitude during a public health emergency. This study investigates the changes in medical students' professional identity and career attitude during the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluates their mental health and social support system under stress, and explores the relationship between their career attitude and other factors.

METHODS

An online survey of 6,226 Chinese medical students was conducted to collect information on demographics, professional identity, and career attitude. The collected data were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale.

RESULTS

The results revealed that most (80.8%) of the participants did not change their career attitude and the professional identity of most participants strengthened, and they preferred to participate on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students was 22.86% and 35.43%. Low social support, depressive symptoms, male gender, and higher grades were factors that negatively affected career attitude.

CONCLUSIONS

After the outbreak of the pandemic, it was necessary to conduct diversified professional identity research to support medical students, especially those with low social support and depressive symptoms.

MPRO: A Professionalism Curriculum to Enhance the Professional Identity Formation of University Premedical Students

Limited opportunities exist for university premedical students to gain exposure to the realities of clinical practice through physician shadowing or through a formal curriculum. Medical Professionalism and Observership utilizes didactics, reflective writing, small- and large- group discussions, and clinical observerships to enhance the process of professional identity formation during a critical developmental window of late- adolescence. The pilot semester included a sample of 135 students, all in their sophomore, junior, or senior years of study at Rice University. Students were selected through an application process and paired with physicians at Houston Methodist Hospital based on specialty preference and availability. Students were required to participate in biweekly lectures and discussions and to submit a weekly reflection on topics discussed in the course and their shadowing experiences. Student evaluations were administered to survey changes in students' knowledge and perceptions of the curriculum. Selected reflections were read for evidence of professional identity formation. Lectures increased students' exposure to core competencies within the medical profession and influenced their desire to become physicians. Reflective writings demonstrated integration of these core competencies into the professional identity of students. Structured reflection and didactics, when coupled with physician shadowing, appear to promote integration of the values, beliefs, and attitudes of medical professionalism. Future studies should seek to demonstrate how such a curriculum affects professional identity formation through established measures, and to assess whether such a curriculum may influence students' preparedness for medical training and practice as they progress along their careers.

Peer-to-peer shadowing as a technique for the development of nurse middle managers clinical leadership

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and impact of peer-to-peer shadowing as a technique to develop nurse middle managers' clinical leadership practices. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to gain insight into the experiences of nurse middle managers using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed into codes using constant comparison and similar codes were grouped under sub-themes and then into four broader themes. Findings Peer-to-peer shadowing facilitates collective reflection-in-action and enhances an "investigate stance" while acting. Nurse middle managers begin to curb the caring disposition that unreflectively urges them to act, to answer the call for help in the here and now, focus on ad hoc "doings", and make quick judgements. Seeing a shadowee act produces, via a process of social comparison, a behavioural repertoire of postponing reactions and refraining from judging. Balancing the act of stepping in and doing something or just observing as well as giving or withholding feedback are important practices that are difficult to develop. Originality/value Peer-to-peer shadowing facilitates curbing the caring disposition, which is essential for clinical leadership development through unlocking a behavioural repertoire that is not easy to reveal because it is, unreflectively, closely knit to the professional background of the nurse managers. Unlike most leadership development programmes, that are quite introspective and detached from context, peer-to-peer shadowing does have the potential to promote collective learning while acting, which is an important process.

Knowledge Production and Emancipatory Social Movements from the Heart of Globalised Hipsterdom, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

The nature of capitalism in its neoliberal form is decreasing higher education’s exclusive domain of knowledge production by exposing students to and exploiting local knowledge production. This has created a paradox. Experiential learning is being supported as ‘academic’ because students learn skills, values and perspectives by engaging in communities of practice. Through community service learning and social justice oriented internships, students learn about emancipatory social movements while simultaneously providing their intellectual capital. Urban Semester Program students participate in the movement for affordable housing, with its origins in post-war Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where many Puerto Ricans settled. Engaged in a struggle against displacement, for self-determination and developing community sustainability by advocating and winning low and moderate income housing, residents are determined to remain in their neighbourhood. Students are engaged in this struggle and connect this exposure to their internships, and the globalising world economy, the role of the state, and corporate power.