Clinical associate students’ perceptions of factors that influence their developing professional identity: a qualitative study

BMC Medical Education

Research

Ian Couper¹  Lakshini McNamee²  Aviwe Mgobozi³ 

[1] Department of Global Health, Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa;Department of Health Science Education, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa;Division of Clinical Associates, Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;Centre of Health Professions Education, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa;

关键词: Clinical Associate;    Physician Assistant;    Clinical Officer;    Mid-level health care worker;    Professional Identity;    Professional Identity formation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12909-023-04109-3

 received in 2022-05-25, accepted in 2023-02-15,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundNew cadres of clinicians, known as clinical associates, physician assistants, or clinical officers have evolved globally within many health systems to broaden access to care by increasing human resources. The training of clinical associates started in 2009 in South Africa, entailing the attainment of knowledge, clinical skills, and attitude competencies. Less formal educational attention has been focused on the process of developing personal and professional identities.MethodThis study utilized a qualitative interpretivist approach to explore professional identity development. A convenient sample of 42 clinical associate students at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg were interviewed using focus groups to explore their perceptions of factors that influenced their professional identity formation. A semi-structured interview guide was used in six focus group discussions, involving 22 first-year and 20 third-year students. The transcriptions from the focus group audio recordings were thematically analyzed.ResultsThe multi-dimensional and complex factors that were identified were organized into three overarching themes, identified as individual factors which derive from personal needs and aspirations, training-related factors consisting of influences from the academic platforms, and lastly, student perceptions of the collective identity of the clinical associate profession influenced their developing professional identity.ConclusionThe newness of the identity of the profession in South Africa has contributed to dissonance in student identities. The study recognizes an opportunity for strengthening the identity of the clinical associate profession in South Africa through improving educational platforms to limit barriers to identity development and effectively enhancing the role and integration of the profession in the healthcare system. This can be achieved by increasing stakeholder advocacy, communities of practice, inter-professional education, and the visibility of role models.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 2