Professional Identity Formation in Clinical Medical Education: A Multicenter Narrative Study of Contextual Mediation and Reflective Meaning-Making
15 affiliations
- 1Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey
- 2Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey
- 3Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
- 4Department of Medical History and Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey
- 5Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education, Sinop University, Sinop, Turkey
- 6Department of Medical Education, Institute of Health Science, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
- 7Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
- 8Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkey
- 9Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey
- 10Department of Medical Education, Institute of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
- 11Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey
- 12Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkey
- 13Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey
- 14Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
- 15Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, USA
Abstract
Introduction:: Understanding how physicians interpret their societal and institutional contexts remains crucial for addressing the complexities of professional identity. This study explores professional identity formation (PIF) in clinical medical education through learners’ narratives and the perspectives of their role models.
Methods:: Using a multi-center qualitative narrative design, data were collected from clinical-year medical students across accredited state and private medical faculties representing diverse geographical regions. Reflective narrative writing and in-depth interviews were analyzed through a staged contextual qualitative approach.
Results:: Findings indicate that PIF is shaped through the dynamic interplay between clinical environments, societal and systemic structures, role modelling, and learners’ reflective engagement. Narratives framed professional identity not only in terms of technical competence but also through relational, ethical, and humanistic dimensions. Contextual analysis revealed that tensions between service demands and educational engagement, hierarchy and learner agency, and technical efficiency and humanistic care significantly influenced identity development. Reflection and narrative meaning-making emerged as mediating processes through which learners interpreted and internalized these experiences.
Discussion:: Drawing on a socio-cultural paradigm informed by activity theory, the study proposes a conceptual framework positioning PIF as a relational and contextually mediated construction shaped by both planned and implicit learning processes. The findings underscore the need for medical education programs to intentionally integrate reflective, narrative, and context-sensitive approaches to support sustainable professional identity development.
Related
- Educational Interventions for Professional Identity Formation in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review
- From Academic Integrity to Professional Formation in Generative AI-Supported Nursing Education: Integrative Review.
- Entrustable professional activities in medical education: strategies and results - a systematic review
- Patient expectations and healthcare professional education in obesity care: A comparative qualitative study
- From a Reflective Inquiry to a Proposed Revised Moral Formation of Current and Future Health Professionals.
BibTeX
@article{akturan2026professional,
title = {{Professional Identity Formation in Clinical Medical Education: A Multicenter Narrative Study of Contextual Mediation and Reflective Meaning-Making}},
author = {Selçuk Akturan and Merve Saraçoğlu and Elif Deniz Şafak and Şükrü Keleş and Bilge Delibalta and Gökhan Kumlu and İnanç Sümbüloğlu and Beril Müge Güçlü and Hanife Suay Ayvat and Mehmet Hatip Coşkun and Mert Kaan Güven and Yasemin Güner and Aslı Boz and Türkkan Öztürk Kaygusuz and Selma Aydın and Mehmet Ali Gülpınar and Timothy Fredric Murphy and Ara Tekian},
journal = {Perspectives on Medical Education},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.5334/pme.2658},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.2658},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Professional Identity Formation in Clinical Medical Education: A Multicenter Narrative Study of Contextual Mediation and Reflective Meaning-Making
AU - Selçuk Akturan
AU - Merve Saraçoğlu
AU - Elif Deniz Şafak
AU - Şükrü Keleş
AU - Bilge Delibalta
AU - Gökhan Kumlu
AU - İnanç Sümbüloğlu
AU - Beril Müge Güçlü
AU - Hanife Suay Ayvat
AU - Mehmet Hatip Coşkun
AU - Mert Kaan Güven
AU - Yasemin Güner
AU - Aslı Boz
AU - Türkkan Öztürk Kaygusuz
AU - Selma Aydın
AU - Mehmet Ali Gülpınar
AU - Timothy Fredric Murphy
AU - Ara Tekian
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Perspectives on Medical Education
DO - 10.5334/pme.2658
UR - https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.2658
AB - Introduction:: Understanding how physicians interpret their societal and institutional contexts remains crucial for addressing the complexities of professional identity. This study explores professional identity formation (PIF) in clinical medical education through learners’ narratives and the perspectives of their role models. Methods:: Using a multi-center qualitative narrative design, data were collected from clinical-year medical students across accredited state and private medical faculties representing diverse geographical regions. Reflective narrative writing and in-depth interviews were analyzed through a staged contextual qualitative approach. Results:: Findings indicate that PIF is shaped through the dynamic interplay between clinical environments, societal and systemic structures, role modelling, and learners’ reflective engagement. Narratives framed professional identity not only in terms of technical competence but also through relational, ethical, and humanistic dimensions. Contextual analysis revealed that tensions between service demands and educational engagement, hierarchy and learner agency, and technical efficiency and humanistic care significantly influenced identity development. Reflection and narrative meaning-making emerged as mediating processes through which learners interpreted and internalized these experiences. Discussion:: Drawing on a socio-cultural paradigm informed by activity theory, the study proposes a conceptual framework positioning PIF as a relational and contextually mediated construction shaped by both planned and implicit learning processes. The findings underscore the need for medical education programs to intentionally integrate reflective, narrative, and context-sensitive approaches to support sustainable professional identity development.
SN - 2212-2761
SN - 2212-277X
ER -