Professional identity formation: preferences and assessments of the medical university students

Abstract

Introduction. Today’s world is facing more and more challenges, these are accidents and emergencies, the growth of infectious diseases, natural disasters and military conflicts. These conditions stipulate the medical education system to provide high-quality professional training of specialists in demand. The topicality of the study is associated with searching for effective ways of the medical students’ professional identity development. The purpose of the study is to identify the high medical school students’ preferences in the process of their professional training at the university. Materials and methods. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the study are based on student-centred and professional methodological approaches. The empirical base of the study includes the results of a group survey of the students of I.P. Pavlov Ryazan State Medical University (Russian Federation). It involved 146 respondents, among them 57 were the first-year students and 89 the thirdyear students. The methods of mathematical statistics: non-parametric criteria φ*-Fisher's angular transformation; Pearson's chi-squared test. The results of the study confirm the stability of professional interests and motivation of junior students. It was found that 3rd year students determined with the specialization, much more often than 1st year students (φ*emp = 1.851; p<0.05). The data obtained show the tendency of medical students to research and volunteer activities. Starting from the first year of studies, the students are eager to choose disciplines for specialty. The interest in mastering English-language scientific discourse is observed; this indicator is markedly higher among postgraduates. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the identification and analysis of pedagogical facts characterizing the stable attitude of junior medical students to professional self-development. The practical significance entails the possibility of using the obtained data for timely identification of medical students’ preferences and interests in their junior years. Conclusion. As a trend for further research, the development of an individual trajectory of education for medical university students in the process of their professional identity development can be proposed. Keywords: professional identity, personal qualities, research activity, volunteering, teaching and learning a foreign language, medical university students