(134) PIF: words and activities leading to increased PIF

Objective : To describe student pharmacists’ evolution of professional identity formation (PIF) through completion of year-specific activities in a professional develop curriculum.

Methods: During new student orientation, student pharmacists were instructed to identify five terms (ranked most to least important) that characterized their professional identity. Upon completion of year-specific PIF, professional development, and experiential activities, students reflected on their PIF evolution and the most influential activities. Researchers conducted a thematic analysis to determine trends in the terms and activities identified. Frequencies for the most common terms and activities were reported, including which activities are curricular/co-curricular compared to which are profession-related (e.g., work experience).

Results: “Student”, which included “pharmacy student” or “student pharmacist” was the most frequent term listed. The evolution of these terms was mostly likely due to involvement in work, introductory pharmacy practice experiences, service learning, and the curriculum (including specific courses or study techniques). Family-related terms, like “mother/father”, “sister/brother,” or “wife/husband” was the next top ranked theme. The development of these terms occurred due to family milestones (e.g., births/deaths, marriages/divorces). The final set of activities listed frequently included professional involvement and leadership; however, these activities were linked to a variety of terms, including “leader”, “organizational member”, or “student pharmacist”.

Conclusions: Professional identity formation is an important component for future pharmacists to understand. After the completion of intentional professional development activities, student- and family-related terms were most frequently noted by student pharmacists. Schools/colleges of pharmacy should be intentional in the development of activities designed to influence professional identity formation. Future research will continue to monitor the impact of professional development activities on the growth of PIF in student pharmacists.