Moving beyond professionalism: Pharmacy students understanding of professionalism and professional identity

Insights from a survey on professional identity formation activities in pharmacy skills laboratory courses

INTRODUCTION

Professional identity formation (PIF) is the process of internalizing a profession's values, norms, and standards to "think, act, and feel" like a member of that community, making it essential to incorporate into learners' development. The purpose of this article is to characterize how and to what extent PIF-related activities are currently integrated into pharmacy skills laboratory courses.

METHODS

An electronic survey was sent to pharmacy faculty who teach in skills laboratory courses about how PIF is described to students and its differentiation from professionalism, how it is integrated into the pharmacy curriculum, the type of pharmacy skills laboratory activities currently in the curriculum related to PIF, and how PIF is assessed in skills laboratory courses.

RESULTS

Survey respondents from all eight National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Districts provided with 34 individual responses representing 25 unique schools. Most respondents reported incorporating PIF into their curriculum, most commonly in experiential education (23.9 %), skills laboratory courses (21.1 %), and co-curricular activities (23.9 %). In skills laboratory courses, PIF development was included in lectures, individual activities, team-based activities, reflections, and small-group discussions. Descriptions provided by respondents mentioned prescription product preparation, patient counseling, patient cases, role-playing activities, reflections, cases with clinical uncertainty or ambiguity, interprofessional activities, and professionalism.

CONCLUSION

The incorporation of PIF-related activities into skills laboratory courses is not widespread. There is room for improving faculty understanding of PIF and differentiation from professionalism.

Exploring Professional Identity Formation among Pharmacists in Pakistan: Barriers, Enablers, and Recommendations

OBJECTIVES

Despite being the third-largest healthcare professional group globally, pharmacists often grapple with ambiguity surrounding their professional identity and role in the healthcare system. This study addressed the scarcity of data on factors influencing Professional Identity Formation (PIF) among pharmacists, focusing on the context of Pakistan.

METHOD

Utilizing a qualitative exploratory design, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 pharmacists in hospital, community pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry over six months. The data was transcribed, and thematic analysis was done after running two coding cycles. Three dominant themes emerged: pharmacists' perceptions of professional identity in Pakistan, attitudes towards professional roles and culture, and contextual influences on PIF.

RESULT

Barriers to Professional Identity Formation identified include identity splinting, insufficient knowledge and lack of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities, absence of incentives and mentorship programs, workplace power dynamics, suboptimal interaction with other healthcare professionals, negative feedback from physicians, unethical marketing practices by pharmaceutical companies, and unclear roles and responsibilities. Conversely, enablers encompass a supportive working environment, equal learning opportunities, effective communication skills, respect for colleagues, and adherence to moral and ethical standards.

CONCLUSION

The study emphasizes the significance of PIF for pharmacists in Pakistan and calls for collective efforts to empower and enhance the pharmacy workforce. Recommendations include incorporating educational practices, curricular reforms, and experiential learning to foster professional identity among aspiring pharmacists. Strengthening professional identities is considered as beneficial for the pharmacy profession, educators, regulators, and the community, ultimately improving patient care and community health.

Situational judgment test in pharmacy education: assessing professionalism capability among students

OBJECTIVE

Situational Judgment tests are recognized as a valid predictor of job performance. In the present study, the students' professionalism capabilities were investigated using the situational judgment test. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023-2024. The situational judgment test includes four scenarios in the faculty situation (classroom) and six scenarios in the workplace situation in the field (hospital and urban pharmacy) with the format of "selected-response format" examined. 160 pharmacy students in different academic years participated. The cut-off scorer of situational judgment test was determined using the Cohen method and the norm-reference method of standard-setting.

RESULTS

The results showed that the scores of students in the situational judgment test were reported as 14.13 ± 6.07. According to Cohen's method, the score of 60 pharmacy students (50%) is lower than the cut-off score. The cut-off score based on the norm-reference method of standard-setting showed that 33 students (20.6%) scored below the cut-off score. The results showed that the students who participated in the professionalism course scored an average of 2.62 higher than the students who did not participate in these training courses. (p-value = 0.015). The development of professional education as a longitudinal program in the pharmacy curriculum is suggested.

Performance, interpersonal relationships and professional satisfaction: determinants to support pharmaceutical reengineering

Professionalism represents the ethical contract that binds professionals and society. Its technical aspects, such as the professional practice model, form the foundation for attitudinal and behavioral characteristics, including the fiduciary relationship between pharmacists and patients. Despite significant interest in the topic, contextualizing professionalism proves to be a challenging endeavor, relying on collaboration among formal leaders, academics, and practitioners in the field. Consequently, defining, understanding, teaching, and evaluating pharmaceutical professionalism contribute to shape societal perceptions and the understanding of pharmacists and students, who may occasionally struggle to grasp the underlying rationale behind professional practices. Moreover, contextualizing professionalism entails addressing various challenges, such as fostering support for professionalism and its adaptation, which encompasses pharmacists' performance across diverse clinical services, their interpersonal interactions with patients, families, communities, and fellow healthcare professionals, as well as personal job satisfaction amidst obstacles as job insecurity, ethical dilemmas, and compromised autonomy.

Meaningful Connections: Exploring the Relationship Between Empathy and Professional Identity Formation

OBJECTIVE

To describe the literature on the connections between empathy and professional identity formation (PIF) in pharmacy and other health professions education. A PRISMA-Scoping Review methodology was used for this study. Searches were conducted in PubMed and CINAHL from 2010 to January 12, 2023, with English added as a limiter. Articles had to address empathy and PIF, whether implicitly or explicitly. "Theory talk" was modified and utilized with 6 levels of connectedness to assess article quality.

FINDINGS

A total of 419 articles were reviewed for inclusion into the study with a total of 45 articles being included. Seventeen (37.8 %) and 12 articles (26.7 %) included a definition for empathy and PIF, respectively. Thirty-eight articles (84.4 %) implicitly discussed a connection between PIF and empathy. Educational initiatives that fostered connections between empathy and PIF focused on classroom activities, clinical rotation activities, and assessments. Key elements to enhance empathy and PIF development across articles focused on mentorship, role models, and reflective practice, alongside intentional curricular integration. Similarly, barriers to empathy and PIF are multifaceted.

SUMMARY

Despite educational initiatives in the literature that attempt to foster connections between empathy and PIF in classroom activities, clinical rotation activities, and assessments, most connections are implicit, as opposed to explicit. This may be due to the multiple barriers, such as the hidden curriculum, which make the connection between empathy and PIF difficult. This area needs further research and development given the importance of empathy in all health care provider interactions.

Impact of Pharmacy-Related Memes on Students' Professional Identity Formation

OBJECTIVE

Professional identity formation (PIF) is the process which one internalizes the values and norms of a profession, ultimately becoming a member of that profession. The objective of this study was to determine the perceived professional identities of pharmacists in memes and how pharmacy-related memes affect students' PIF.

METHODS

Student pharmacists from a single academic institution participated in focus groups to discuss the concept of professional identity, view self-submitted pharmacy-related memes, and reflect on the memes' impact on their PIF. An inductive, thematic content analysis was performed, and a theoretical model was developed to illustrate the themes observed.

RESULTS

Twenty-six student pharmacists participated in the study. Before exposure to the self-submitted memes, the participants described the professional identity of a pharmacist in a more idealistic way, noting pharmacist roles such as medication expert, educator, and patient care provider. After exposure to the memes, the participants' responses reflected a pharmacist identity based on feelings of being antagonized, overwhelmed, and misperceived. Despite these challenges, the participants noted the importance of remaining professional.

CONCLUSION

When exposed to pharmacy-related memes, the students' perceptions of the pharmacist identity changed from one based on idealistic roles to an identity based on negative feelings and interactions. Owing to memes' ability to reflect one's experiences, it is important to recognize the impact memes may have on PIF. Further research is needed to determine how pharmacy educators can help students navigate identity dissonances that arise from the students' pharmacy experiences.

A Narrative Inquiry of Critical Events Supporting Professional Identity Formation in Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences

OBJECTIVE

Professional identity formation (PIF) is the process of internalizing a profession's core values and beliefs so that one begins to think, act, and feel like a member of that profession. PIF occurs over an individual's professional socialization in stages, precipitated by critical moments or experiences. The purpose of this study was to answer the following: (1) What are the critical events for pharmacy student PIF in introductory pharmacy practice experiences?; and (2) How do these events support or challenge PIF?

METHODS

This study used critical event narrative inquiry methodology. A critical event is an experience that creates a change in understanding and affects professional performance. Semistructured interviews were conducted with pharmacy students who completed introductory pharmacy practice experience rotations in community (first year) and hospital (second year) settings. Interviews were coded and analyzed using narrative analysis.

RESULTS

Twelve first-year and 10 second-year students participated in this study. Narratives revealed that common experiential education experiences resulted in a deeper understanding of core role elements (ie, professional autonomy, responsibility, interprofessional collaboration, and patient-centered care), leading to changes in agency, knowledge, and anticipated future behaviors. While first-year participants' narratives mainly focused on understanding pharmacist roles ("what"), second-year participants focused on understanding the process to fulfill those roles ("how to"). Emotions, assuming responsibility, external validation, and preceptor guidance supported these events.

CONCLUSION

Critical events in introductory pharmacy practice experiences affect and shape pharmacy students' PIF. These events are relevant to pharmacy education because these experiences can result in changes in knowledge, agency, or future behaviors for students.