The Patterns of Professional Identity Development among Medical Graduates of a SPICES Curriculum

Abstract

Objective : This paper described the patterns of professional identity development (PID) among medical graduates of a SPICES curriculum implemented by School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Methods: The phenomenological study design was carried out on 50 medical graduates of USM who underwent housemanship at government hospitals in the Peninsular of Malaysia. Focus group interviews (FGI) was conducted to explore and capture participants’ experience in relation to PID during medical training. Eight FGI sessions were conducted at a specific place as agreed by both researchers and participants. Thematic anlysis technique assisted by Atlas.ti software was performed to analyse the qualitative data. Results : The thematic analysis revealed there were two themes which were self-development and professional development. The self-development theme was represented by four categories that were self-confidence, internal and external motivation, communication skills, and problem solving. The professional development theme was represented by five categories that were social adjustment, leadership skills and management, team work, hands-on skills, and creativity. Conclusion : The formation of professional identity among USM medical graduates were related to self-development and professional development. These facts suggest that the USM medical curriculum is vital in shaping professionalism attributes among its medical graduates who are balanced between knowledge, skills, behaviours and values. Producing balanced medical graduates will ensure the highest quality of healthcare services provided to the country. Implications of this study and recommendations were discussed.