ABSTRACT
Professional identity formation of healthcare workers is vital if we are to successfully fulfill our responsibilities. It is incumbent on health professionals to use our privilege of higher education and the benefit of our patients’ trust and respect, to resist the role of biomedical technician and instead view ourselves as humanitarians and agents of social change. Our professional identity encompasses our perspectives, roles, values, and attributes. A critical prerequisite to adopting a professional identity is comprehensive understanding of one’s personal identity – thus allowing the personal and professional to integrate. In this chapter, identity is explored from several perspectives – Western philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and sociocultural influences. The multiple perspectives on identity are used to discern the influences on our personal identity, and the relationship between our personal and professional identity. There is discussion of the components of professional identity, and the experiences of health professionals who are racial, ethnic, and/or sexual minorities. Finally, the challenges to professional identity imposed by inter-professional education and practice are described. The chapter closes with exercises that provide opportunity for experiential learning related to identity, perspective, and role.
