Professional Socialization Process Research Articles

MENTORING IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

ANNOTATION Rationale. During the period of rapid development of science and medical technologies, the professional and working environment is faced with the urgent task of finding mechanisms and tools for increasing the level of professional competencies and practical skills of medical specialists in the process of professional socialization. The sociological study conducted by the authors was focused on identifying factors of successful/unsuccessful professional socialization of young medical specialists, one of which is mentoring. Purpose of the study. Determining the role of the mentoring institution as a factor influencing the success/failure of professional socialization of medical specialists. Materials and methods. A survey was conducted among clinical residents of the Far Eastern State Medical University. A total of 184 respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire using a Google form. To solve the research problems, methods of analysis, comparison and generalization of the obtained data, analysis of regulatory documents, survey results and secondary data from sociological research were used. At the level of data processing and work with source material, descriptive statistics methods provided by SPSS and EXCEL software were used. Results. In the course of a sociological study conducted by the authors, the most pressing problems of introducing and implementing mentoring practices in the healthcare system were identified. The role of the mentoring institution as a socializing factor influencing the success/failure of professional socialization of medical specialists is also determined. The study formulates tasks for further research into the process of professional socialization of medical specialists from the point of view of identifying factors of a positive and destructive nature, and the role of socialization institutions in this process. Conclusion. Problems in the implementation of mentoring practices in healthcare related to the low mentoring activity of practicing medical specialists have been identified. A special need for the implementation of mentoring practices was identified at the stage of postgraduate training (clinical residency) by 83% of respondents and at the stage of starting independent professional work by 61% of respondents. Respondents expressed a positive attitude towards the introduction of mentoring in healthcare: 90% of respondents indicated that having a mentor when obtaining a medical specialty is mandatory.

Exploring a guide for codes of ethics for the development of ethical competence in Iranian nursing students: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

BackgroundImproving the ethical competencies of nursing students, as an important dimension of professional competence, is a primary objective of nursing education. Thus, this study aimed to explore a guide for codes of ethics for the development of ethical competence among nursing students in the healthcare system of Iran.MethodsThis is a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies conducted in the healthcare system of Iran. The review included studies published between January 1, 2000 and March 2024. We conducted a comprehensive search in various international and national databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, Barakatns, MagIran and SID. Initially, 86 qualitative studies were identified, and after a meticulous screening process, 39 studies were carefully reviewed. Finally, 10 qualitative studies were selected for analysis. The meta-synthesis employed an interpretive approach by thematic synthesis.ResultsBased on our results, four main themes and 10 categories, along with summarized codes, were extracted as crucial elements of the codes of ethics for the professional competence of Iranian nursing students. The main themes identified were knowledge, standards, experiences, and attitudes (KSEA).ConclusionsThe concept of codes of ethics for developing professional competencies in Iranian nursing students was detected as a multidimensional concept with four major areas. By emphasizing the rights of clients and the standardization of nursing practice, this set of ethical codes can contribute to preventing clinical errors and legal issues at hospitals and educational settings. Furthermore, it fosters a positive environment that encourages professional behaviors among nursing students. Nursing students, as future nurses, should apply codes of ethics when facing emerging ethical challenges. Nurse educators have a crucial role in providing students with the necessary preparation and guidance during their professional socialization process in nursing schools.

Vaccine communication strategies among healthcare workers as a reflection of the Israeli Ministry of Health’s communication strategies before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundHealthcare workers play a central role in communicating information to the public regarding vaccines. Most of the literature has focused on healthcare workers’ hesitancy and doubts about getting the flu vaccine themselves. However, few studies have dealt with how they perceive their role in communicating information regarding vaccines, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.Objectives(1) To identify the communication strategies used by the Israeli Ministry of Health regarding vaccines during epidemic crises (before and after the COVID-19 pandemic); (2) To identify the communication strategies used by healthcare workers regarding vaccines before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA qualitative study based on in-depth interviews was conducted among healthcare workers and used a semi-structured protocol as a research tool. A total of 18 healthcare workers were sampled using purposeful and snowball sampling.ResultsDespite healthcare workers’ perception that there has been a decrease in trust in the Israeli Ministry of Health among the public following the COVID-19 outbreak, they still rely on the Israeli Ministry of Health as their primary source of information and use the same communication strategies (such as fear appeals and correcting information) as of the Israeli Ministry of Health to communicate with the public, healthcare providers, and other relevant stakeholders.ConclusionHealthcare workers have been shaped by the professional socialization processes within the health system, leading to a predominant reliance on established communication strategies and informational channels. This reliance underscores the importance of evolving these methods to better engage with the public. To address this, there is a compelling need to innovate and adopt new communication techniques that emphasize effective dialogue and transparent interactions. By doing so, healthcare professionals can ensure that their outreach is not only informative but also responsive to the diverse needs and preferences of the community.

Boundaries, barriers, or bridges? Unraveling the integration of doctoral students in the accounting academic community

ABSTRACT We aim to understand how the accounting academic community shapes and socializes doctoral students. From a critical-qualitative stance, the analyses found support in Étienne Wenger’s Social Learning Systems, focusing on the relationship between doctoral students’ socialization and the accounting academic community – understood as a Community of Practice (CoP). Our findings indicate that doctoral students, as Legitimate Peripheral Participants, do not become central members due to imposed communitarian limits. These limits work as an impediment to the relationship between the individual and the CoP. Some participants indicated a loss of meaning and episodes of epistemic violence that (re)produce community limits that define the ‘good accounting academic’, among other aspects, regarding boundaries and power dynamics. We contribute to expanding the discussion on Social Systems of Learning and CoPs by presenting empirical evidence of the barriers between CoPs and the professional socialization process.

Police as an Interpretative Community in the Policies of Combating Violence Against Women

The focus of this study is on the challenges that police encounter while combating violence against women, serving as the implementing entity with roles and responsibilities defined by Law Number 6284, also known as 'The Law on the Protection of the Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women,' and other relevant legislation. Rather than delving into detailed legislative discussions, this article treats the legal context and legislation as political documents. The concept of 'frame conflicts,' a term within interpretative policy analysis, has been employed to explore issues such as the meanings police attribute to the problem in practice, how they implement the policy within the framework of their defined roles, and the difficulties they encounter in this process. While combating domestic violence and violence against women, the practices developed by the police in their professional socialization process and the meanings constructed through these practices provide a 'mapping architecture of interpretation and meaning,' regarding the implementation process of the policy as referred in the interpretative perspective, especially concerning the police. It is believed that this type of analysis will fill an important gap in the literature. A sequential explanatory mixed method has been employed in this study. In this regard, exploratory quantitative research was conducted to define the problem. Qualitative research, built upon the problem areas/themes identified through the findings from the quantitative research, was completed by following the constructivist research process defined by grounded theory.

Undesirable or slightly desirable social position of Iranian nurses: A rising cause for concern of the Iranian nursing community

The meaning of nursing is different between cultures, and it seems hard to integrate nursing concepts. However, many studies evaluate the process of professional socialization [1]. Nurses' social position is one of the major factors affecting their quality of life, which may alter their job competency [2]. Being recognized as a doctor's assistant is not only limited to nurses in Iran but also in other countries; even doctors have the same view of nurses and ignore their art in patient care [3]. A study in Iran showed that most Iranian nurses were concerned of culturally based ‘poor’ attitudes of their job [1, 4]. Another study on nurses' social well-being showed a lower score of social acceptance among other variables. Also, have been shown that the mean score of social well-being was higher in male participants who had more experience [5]. “Nursing is not well perceived as a profession within this community”, this is likely the best description of Iranian nurses' social position from a study by Valizadeh et al. [6]. On the other hand, nurses' high rate of burnout is also related to their social position [7]. With all of these, few studies are addressing how to change this social image of nurses. One way is to use them without distortion, portraying their profession in the media [3]. Others suggest extending community-based services and replacing the style of nursing practice from routine-oriented to knowledge-based [4].

ИЗМЕНЕНИЕ ПАРАДИГМЫ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ СОЦИАЛИЗАЦИИ МОЛОДЕЖИ В КОНТЕКСТЕ АДАПТАЦИИ К УСЛОВИЯМ РЫНКА ТРУДА

The article examines the professional socialization process of the individual and the adaptation of young people to the impact of conjuncture-forming factors of the labor market from the perspective of the subject-subject approach. The object of the study is young people looking for a job after graduating from a university or recently involved in professional activity. The subject of the study is professional socialization and adaptation of young people to the conditions of the modern labor market. The purpose of the paper is to identify the factors that determine the choice of profession, as well as value orientations for the future professional activity of young people, with the help of which the author attempted to justify a change in the paradigm of professional socialization. The main research methods are analysis and synthesis, systematization and modeling, surveys, questionnaires, and personal individual interviews. Based on the results and conclusions of the study, the author attempted to substantiate the need to shift the vector of narrow professional education towards algorithmic variable-differentiated university education. The hypothesis was confirmed that the development of personal qualities implies the possibility of setting priorities in the ratio of Hard skills and Soft skills by each person independently, depending on value orientations, goals of professional socialization, and specific conditions of the labor market.

Navigating interprofessional boundaries: Midwifery students in Canada

The literature on professional socialization focuses on how students adopt and internalize professional identities and values, and assumes that boundary work is essential to learning how best to practice their profession. However, a focus on boundary work in the context of midwifery training - which is embedded in the gendered and hierarchical landscape of maternity care - is lacking. Thus, this article examines how Canadian student-midwives learn to navigate and negotiate interprofessional boundaries. Grounded in a symbolic interactionist approach, it draws on 31 semi-structured qualitative interviews from a mixed-methods national study on midwifery retention, explores how midwifery students make sense of the tensions among midwives, physicians, and nurses, and describes what strategies they utilize when navigating boundaries. Our analysis, based in constructivist grounded theory, revealed that participants learned about interprofessional tensions in clinical placement encounters via direct or indirect interactions with other healthcare professionals, and that strategies to navigate these tensions included educating others about midwifery training and adopting a learner identity. This article proposes that the process of professional socialization enables to reshape professional boundaries and that students are not only learners but also agents of change. These findings may yield practical applications in health education by highlighting opportunities for improving interprofessional collaborations.

“Its not a book; it’s a Bok”: social work students’ experience of using creative journaling practices as a pedagogical tool to develop transformative learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT This paper reports on an international research project designed to explore the relevance and impact of creative journaling as a pedagogical tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project involved seven social work and social policy educators from eight countries: namely, Canada, India, Israel, Jersey Island, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and United States of America. Our work comes out of a larger mixed-method project that aimed to understand how creative journaling may help to facilitate transformative learning experiences and professional socialization processes of social work students. The data used for this article explicitly interpret conversations from two transnational focus groups, comprising 15 students from six participating countries (Canada, Spain, Jersey, India, UK, United States of America) in 2020–2021. Five significant themes emerged: Remote Learning during COVID-19, Self-care during COVID-19, Learning through the use of the Bok, Personal and Professional Identities, and Pathways toward Transformative learning. The findings revealed that creative journaling practices were important components of students’ professional development processes. Our intention with this paper is to contribute conceptual and practical insights into the implementation and impact of creative journaling practices.

Senior nursing students’ experiences in internal medicine clinics: a qualitative phenomenological study

Introduction and Aim: Internal medicine clinics are one type of clinic where nursing students do internship. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the senior nursing students’ experiences in internal medicine clinics (IMCs). Methods: This study employed phenomenology, which is a qualitative research design. The study was conducted with 18 nursing students at the nursing department of a public university in Turkey. Three focus group interviews were held with six participants in each group. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics form, and a semi-structured questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results: Three themes evolved during data analysis: (1) description of an internal medicine clinic, (2) benefits of practicing in internal medicine clinics for their professional development, (3) difficulties in practicing in internal medicine clinics. Most students described IMCs as care-focused clinics for complex patients in need of care, especially elderly patients, with comorbidities and specific etiologies. Students stated that practicing in internal medicine clinics provided them with skills related to care practices and postgraduate professional competence. As for difficulty, students stated that they sometimes had difficulty collaborating with the health care team during care. Conclusions: A positive learning environment is important for the development of effective student performance skills, motivation for individual learning, and a successful professional socialization process. Academics should recognize the effect of clinical structure and healthcare professionals’ behavior on students and plan clinical interventions accordingly to make sure that students have positive clinical experiences.

Explaining Professionalism and Professional Socialization Process in Nursing Students

Background: Professional socialization is the process of accepting professional roles. Nursing students can undergo a transition from a student role to a professional nurse by gaining learning experiences and acquiring the necessary competencies of the profession. Accordingly, this study was conducted to explain the understanding of nursing students about the process of professional socialization. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis method. The participants included 18 students who were selected using purposive sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s qualitative content analysis method. Results: The analysis of the data led to the identification of one main theme and three subthemes. The core theme that emerged in this study was acquiring socialization skills and the subthemes included mental images and professional expectations, social status and professional values, and professional accountability and teamwork. These themes illustrate the participants’ perception of professional socialization. Conclusion: The findings showed that from the perspective of students, mental images and professional expectations as well as professional values and teamwork cause a sense of calmness, confidence, and professional belonging in them and improve their social responsiveness.

Professional socialization of hospital nurses: A scale development and validation study

BackgroundTools currently available to measure professional socialization are outdated or could not reflect various properties of professional socialization of nurses. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop and validate a professional socialization measurement instrument for hospital nurses.MethodsFifty-two items were initially extracted from literature reviews and in-depth interviews with 32 nurses. After content validity testing, 48 items remained. They were used to survey 881 hospital nurses in Korea in the testing phase for construct validity and reliability.Results: Four factors (21 items) were extracted: ethical practice and reflection, perception of respect and recognition, clinical competency based on leadership, and desires and motivation for professional development. These factors demonstrated good construct validity and reliability. Correlation coefficients of professional socialization with professional value, compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and burden were 0.58 (p < 0.001), 0.70 (p < 0.001), − 0.08 (p = 0.014), and − 0.56 (p < 0.001), respectively. Reliability had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.95. Test-retest reliability intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.90.ConclusionsThe four professional socialization scale factors in this study reflected attributes of knowledge, skills, values, and professional roles. Professional socialization of nurses can be continuously developed by emphasizing elements of the professional socialization scale in nursing education programs. Nursing managers should help nurses go through the professional socialization process. The professional socialization scale will serve as a tool for developing careers of hospital nurses.

Diversity of forms of socialization in science: Russian and world experience

The article reveals the main characteristics of the modern process of professional socialization of novice scientists, as it proceeds in Russia in comparison with foreign countries. It is shown that the widespread view of socialization as associated with the period of postgraduate studies and the preparation and defence of a dissertation for a degree does not correspond to modern realities in which socialization can be both early (postgraduate) and late (postdoctoral). At the same time, while in the countries of the European Union, obtaining a degree retains the role of a necessary condition for obtaining a research position in the academic environment, in Russia the share of researchers without a degree is more than 70%, and the number of decisions of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia on issuing a diploma to those who defended their PhD theses steadily decreased in the period 2010–2018. During the designated period, the Russian training system went through a transformation associated with a change in the status of postgraduate studies, but instead of the desired approximation to the European system, this led to the emergence of a unique combination of features. It is shown that in European countries, the USA, China, Japan, etc., the role of the institute of socialization is gradually shifting from postgraduate studies to postdoctoral studies. In this configuration, postgraduate studies contribute to the development of professional independence, while postdoctoral studies provide a chance to realize this independence on a wider range of tasks than conducting and defending a dissertation research. At the same time, the state of the postdoctoral institute in a number of countries, for example, in Japan, demonstrates that under certain conditions it turns into a form of precarious employment, breaking the synonymy between socialization as obtaining recognition of the scientific community on the basis of professional achievements and obtaining a stable position in the social research hierarchy. The directions of minimizing the risk of failure of scientific socialization in Russian science are systematized, it is proved that they lead to an expansion of the diversity of socialization practices of a young scientist and thereby transform the transition situation itself. It acquires a prolonged and, due to this, less labor- and emotionally costly character.

The place and role of field studies in teaching medical sociology

Introduction: The goals of the subject of Medical sociology are to familiarize and explain the relationships between social environment and health. The theoretical and practical elements of the medical sociology education and the field studies that form a part of practical work serve these goals. During filed studies, we build on the previous knowledge and experience of thestudents. Method: The themes of the field studies change from semester to semester. From the series of studies we picked three themes that were connected to and built on each other. We present the role of field studies through their description and the explanation of our experiences. Results: Field studies add empirical skills and experience to the knowledge acquired during thetheoretical and practical training of medical sociology. The field study assignments also serve to strengthen the effects of the “hidden curriculum”, the process of the indirect professional socialization at the medical school. Furthermore, the new knowledge and skills give the students a better understanding of the scientific literature helping them in the interpretation of statisticaland methodological aspects of biomedical results and concepts. Conclusion: Our experiences show that field studies are an efficient teaching method. Its most important outcome is sensitizing medical students towards health related social problems and helping them to understand and handle such problems.

Locating Themselves: Black Womxn’s Geographies of Professional Socialization

This paper presents findings from a larger study that explored the relationship among Black graduate womxn’s (BGW) geospatial and social locations in their academic organizations, their professional socialization processes, and their abilities to access their desired career pipelines upon program completion. More specifically, it is concerned with manners in which Black womxn (co-)construct geographies for their professional growth that (a) retain Black womxnhood at their centers – and in doing so, (b) challenge academia’s dominant discourses about students’ socialization processes and outcomes. The study took place in a highly ranked college of education (“the College”), at a highly regarded predominately-white public research institution in the American Midwest (“Midwest”). I conducted the study using a bricolage approach. Black Critical Race Theory, postcolonialism, and ideas about everyday resistance informed the paper’s methodology. The findings illustrate a theorizing of Black womxn’s created geographies as sites of resistance, and their liberatory imaginations, against anti-Black and colonial violence in the education academy. They also offer implications for how academia must evolve its understandings, structures, locations, and practices of graduate studies to be more responsive to the evolving needs of a diversifying population of learners and professionals.

Development of ownership of patient care during clerkship.

Ownership of patient care is a concept that embodies a number of professionalism attributes and involves a feeling of strong commitment and responsibility towards patient care. Little is known about how the embodiment of this concept develops in the earliest stages of clinical training. The goal of this qualitative study is to explore the development of ownership of patient care in clerkship. Using qualitative descriptive methodology, we conducted twelve one-on-one in-depth semi-structured interviews with final-year medical students at one university. Each participant was asked to describe their understanding and beliefs with regards to ownership of patient care and discuss how they acquired these mental models during clerkship, with emphasis on enabling factors. Data were inductively analyzed using qualitative descriptive methodology and with professional identity formation as the sensitizing theoretical framework. Ownership of patient care develops in students through a process of professional socialization that includes enabling factors such as role modelling, student self-assessment, learning environment, healthcare and curriculum structures, attitudes of and treatment by others, and growing competence. The resulting ownership of patient care is manifested as understanding patients' needs and values, engaging patients in their care, and maintaining a strong sense of accountability for patients' outcome. An understanding of how ownership of patient care develops in early medical training and the associated enabling factors can inform strategies aimed at optimizing this process, such as designing curricula with more opportunities for longitudinal patient contact and fostering a supportive learning environment with positive role modelling, clear attribution of responsibilities, and purposefully granted autonomy.

Women’s role in nation building: socialising Saudi female preservice teachers into leadership roles

ABSTRACT This paper is about socialising Saudi female preservice teachers (PSTs) while they are attending university into the role of educational leadership. This leadership role should be broadened to include nation building per the tenets of Saudi Arabia’s national development plan, Vision 2030. After discussing nation building and profiling the Saudi educational context (including educational reform initiatives), and after explaining Islamic understandings of educational leadership (values and traditions), an overview of the intentionally planned professional socialisation process is presented. The paper culminates in ideas around what an aligned curriculum might contain so Saudi female PSTs are exposed to educational leadership for nation building while at university. With intentional socialisation into this role, upon graduation, they should be more inclined to assume a role in nation building by (a) influencing the educational sector, players, and policies to benefit the nation and (b) convincing other sectors of the value of women and the education sector in ensuring an ambitious nation. Insights apply to other nations engaged in nation building including Arab nations.

“School of precariousness”: the production of consent to precarious work in administration internships

PurposeThis study aims to understand the production of consent to precarious working conditions in administration students' internship experiences.Design/methodology/approachA total of 13 students of an undergraduate program in Business Administration in a private university were interviewed. The students' perceptions about the dynamics of the internship and their engagement in this experience were explored through thematic analysis.FindingsInternships became more than spaces to learn about the world of work. They are also the locus of professional socialization toward precarious work. The detachment of internships from their educational scope is mediated by neonormative control mechanisms that subjectively mobilize the interns, producing the institutionalization and appreciation of the precarious experience, resignified as something that leads to autonomy, learning and a job position.Practical implicationsThe article can help students, universities and companies to assess the role of internships in training future professionals.Social implicationsThe research problematizes the internship as a form of professional socialization toward precarious work and its detachment from the original educational purpose. The article critically contributes to the debate about the current professional socialization process of young students.Originality/valueThe article highlights the subjective dimension that supports students' consent to dysfunctional internships, discussing both the experience of work precariousness and exploitation, and the terms of the students' engagement in such dynamics, bridging consent to neonormative controls.

Socialization at Universities: A Case Study

Socialization process has a significant impact on learning, which is a basic requirement for both the organization and the role performance of the newcomer to the organization. It is considered very important for a new member to socialize organizationally and professionally. This paper focuses on revealing the process of organizational and professional socialization of academicians. In accordance with this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 research assistants from various fields as representative of the academician group. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed by content analysis method and some conceptual determinations were generated. According to the findings, almost all the academicians did not encounter any practice or socialization tool that would make them feel belonging to the profession and the organization or that would ensure their harmony with the institution they were in. The participants, who stated that they try to learn both the requirements of the profession and the problems they encounter in the organization mostly by their own individual efforts, stated that they achieved satisfaction far below their expectations, especially at the entry stage. As a result, it has been revealed that academicians are mostly alone in the process of learning academic life from the pre-entry stage to the settlement stage. It is necessary to establish certain programs at each university in order to socialize research assistants, who are in the first phase of the path to becoming faculty members, both in the organizational and professional context. It is further recommended that activities should be organized that will provide the following: direct assistance for time management, understanding scientific/academic processes, and learning organizational norms and values.

Where are the missing girls? Gender inequality, job precarity, and journalism students’ career choices in China

This study aims to explain the puzzling discrepancy between the large number of female journalism students and the comparatively fewer female journalists in the workforce in China today. Based on in-depth interviews with 20 graduates in journalism from the same class, we investigate the female students’ professional socialization process and analyze the external and internal factors that led most of them to choose a journalism major but not to join the journalism industry. Along the three significant phases in a funnel-shaped model—admission, college education and internship, and job market—we identify the combined influences of structural gender inequality and female students’ increasing gender awareness and agency. We further examine female students’ situation through the conceptual lens of precarity and discuss how it is manifested in ways that differ from those in the West. Our findings reveal a mixed picture of gender reality in Chinese journalism and in Chinese society.