Doing, being, becoming and belonging in forging professional identity: Lived experiences of occupational therapists’ professional identity currently working in physical health community roles in the UK

Abstract

Introduction: Professional identity is a multifaceted conceptual term combining behaviours, knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, contextual and socio-cultural factors with personal and group identity. The historical underpinning of occupational therapy is partly attributed to the difficulties occupational therapists face articulating their unique identity and the profession being misunderstood by others. Little is known about how occupational therapists working in community physical health settings experience their professional identity. Method: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to understand how five occupational therapists interpreted and made sense of their experiences of professional identity working in community UK physical health settings. Interviews were carried out following social media recruitment and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis guidance. Findings: Participants identified that their professional identity was forged through experiences over time developing skills, confidence and their inner understanding of who they were as an occupational therapists. Maintaining a secure professional identity was attributed to building their community of practice and creating a sense of belonging. Conclusion: Professional identity was forged through time and experience of ‘doing’, ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ occupational therapists. Building a community of practice and creating a sense of ‘belonging’ were key components of how these occupational therapists working in community physical health roles sustained their professional identity.