Healthcare students’ perceptions of professional identity and program support

To assess the self-reported professional identity of healthcare majors at a large public university, and to understand the degree to which the students perceive their healthcare programs support the development of this identity. An online, modified version of the Professional Identity Five-Factor Scale was completed by 588 respondents with majors in dietetics, nursing, social work, and speech-language pathology. The 551 respondents who completed all survey items were included in the statistical analysis. Self-reported measures of students’ professional identity during preparation for practice were captured along with perceptions of program support. Findings indicated: (1) professional identity and perceptions of program support increase with age; (2) first-generation college students are more likely to have a professional role model and feel positive about program support for having a role model and in developing professional self-efficacy; (3) monolingual English-speakers had a higher professional identity and more positive perception about program support than multilingual students; (4) White students showed a higher sense of professional identify than non-White groups; and (5) there was no significant difference in professional identify or program support between genders as well as between four sexual orientation identities. Healthcare training programs benefit from supporting professional identity among pre-professionals to better prepare the workforce of tomorrow. Non-White, multilingual, and first-generation college students would especially benefit from professional role models and targeted programming to increase their sense of professional identity. Such efforts may support their persistence in healthcare fields where they are often underrepresented.

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