How professional identity shapes youth healthcare

Professional identity research in the health professions-a scoping review

Professional identity impacts the workforce at personal, interpersonal and profession levels however there is a lack of reviews of professional identity research across practising health professionals. To summarise professional identity research in the health professions literature and explore how professional identity is described a scoping review was conducted by searching Medline, Psycinfo, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and Business Source Complete using "professional identity" and related terms for 32 health professions. Empirical studies of professional identity in post-registration health professionals were examined with health profession, career stage, background to research, theoretical underpinnings and constructs of professional identity being extracted, charted and analysed using content analysis where relevant. From 9941 studies, 160 studies across 17 health professions were identified, with nursing and medicine most common. Twenty studies focussed on professional identity in the five years post-entry to the workforce and 56 studies did not state career stage. The most common background for the research was the impact of political, social and healthcare reforms and advances. Thirty five percent of studies (n = 57) stated the use of a theory or framework of identity, the most common being classified as social theories. Individual constructs of professional identity across the research were categorised into five themes-The Lived Experience of Professional Identity; The World Around Me; Belonging; Me; and Learning and Qualifications. Descriptions of professional identity are broad, varied, rich and multi-layered however the literature is under theorised with current theories potentially inadequate to capture its complexity and make meaningful contributions to the allied health professions.

Shifting Professional Identity Among Indonesian Medical Practitioners During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on medical practitioners' professional identities due to its novelty and intensity. Using constructivist grounded theory, we investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic shifted individuals' identities as medical practitioners in Indonesia, where the pandemic caused high death rates among healthcare workers, particularly medical practitioners. By interviewing 24 medical practitioners and analyzing relevant documents and reports, we developed a grounded theory of professional identity shifts. We found two patterns: (1) identity growth, in which the medical practitioners thrive and claimed stronger professional identities, and (2) psychological and moral distress leading to attrition, facilitated adaptation, or professional identity collapse. We also found several primary protective factors including religious beliefs, good leadership, team cohesion, healthy work boundaries, connection to significant others, and public acknowledgment. Without adequate protective factors, medical practitioners experienced difficulties redefining their professional identities. To cope with the situation, they focused on different identities, took some time off, or sought mental health support, resulting in facilitated adaptation. Others resorted to attrition or experienced professional identity collapse. Our findings suggest that medical practitioners' experience of professional identity shifts can be improved by providing medical practitioners with opportunities for knowledge updates, better organizational leadership and work boundaries, strategies to enhance team cohesion, and other improvements to medical systems.

Understanding practitioner perspectives of youth healthcare using thematic and lexical analyses

BACKGROUND

Youth health issues represent a "wicked problem" - they are complex and multifaceted. Furthermore, they are likely to require novel approaches to understand their complexity and develop novel solutions.

OBJECTIVE

Given the importance of youth healthcare, and the need for novel approaches, the aim of this article was to demonstrate the innovative use of two research methods - thematic and lexical analyses - to better understand practitioner perspectives of youth healthcare. It clarifies the factors that shape practitioner ability to support young people and opportunities to improve practice.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 37 youth health practitioners. They represented government and non-government services; hospital and community services; and metropolitan and regional services.

RESULTS

Thematic analysis highlighted the complexity of participants' work and the judgements made as they negotiated relationships with young people and ancillary services. Lexical analysis revealed two hitherto neglected dimensions of the complexity of youth healthcare - uncertainty and corporeality.

DISCUSSION

In addition to affirming the complexities of youth healthcare, this study revealed how practitioners (can) negotiate these complexities. These findings were only possible because of the innovative use of the two research methods.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has important theoretical, methodological and practical implications. Theoretically, it is the first to view the complexities of youth healthcare through the wicked problem lens. Methodologically, it highlights the complementary value of thematic and lexical analyses. Practically, it reinforces the importance of policy support and professional development to enable practitioners to grasp the complexities of their work.

Multi-professional teamwork in human services

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.

Integrated care: mobilising professional identity

Purpose Integrated care has been identified as essential to delivering the reforms required in health and social care across the UK and other healthcare systems. Given this suggests new ways of working for health and social care professionals, little research has considered how different professions manage and mobilise their professional identity (PI) whilst working in an integrated team. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative cross-sectional study was designed using eight focus groups with community-based health and social care practitioners from across Wales in the UK during 2017. Findings Participants reported key factors influencing practice were communication, goal congruence and training. The key characteristics of PI for that enabled integrated working were open mindedness, professional trust, scope of practice and uniqueness. Blurring of boundaries was found to enable and hinder integrated working. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted in the UK which limits the geographic coverage of the study. Nevertheless, the insight provided on PI and integrated teams is relevant to other healthcare systems. Practical implications This study codifies for health and social care practitioners the enabling and inhibiting factors that influence PI when working in integrated teams. Originality/value Recommendations in terms of how healthcare professionals manage and mobilise their PI when working in integrated teams are somewhat scarce. This paper identifies the key factors that influence PI which could impact the performance of integrated teams and ultimately, patient care.