(149) Evidence of Professional Identity Formation in P1 Students’ Career Development Plans and P3 Plan Revisions

Objective : Incorporating self-reflection, P1 students crafted Pharmacy Career Professional Development Plans (Plan) that identified personal critical factors, established career goals, and included strategies to achieve those goals. Plans were revised in P3. We hypothesized that professional growth would occur from P1 to P3 manifesting as changes in career goals, increases in detailed strategies and professional identity formation (PIF). The objectives were to compare P1 to P3 Plans for growth, factors impacting growth, and evidence of PIF.

Methods: Of 120 students, 60 pairs of P1 and P3 Plans (500 words) were evaluated for professional growth: career goal changes; completion of P1 strategies; and/or increased detail in plan strategies. To identify factors impacting professional growth and evidence of PIF (think, act, feel statements), a priori themes from the literature were complemented with emergent themes using an iterative process. Three investigators coded 5 essays per round, taking 2 rounds to concur on themes. Two investigators coded Plans, with a 3rd reconciling discrepancies.

Results: In 60 Plan pairs, professional growth was evidenced in P3 career goal changes (28 {47%}), completed P1 Plan strategies (19 {32%}) and increased Plan detail (27 {45%}). Factors influencing growth increased in P3 plans: IPPEs (19), employment (39), professional organizations (20), and networking (15). Compared to P1 reflections, PIF themes identified in P3 reflections demonstrated increased growth in how students think (8,0), act (81,36) and feel (52, 42) like pharmacists. Emerging PIF themes included participation in professional organizations and non-patient care roles. Reflections included factors impacting growth: Intrinsic motivations, dissonance and negative experiences.

Conclusions: P3 Plans demonstrated professional growth through changed career goals, improved strategies and increased evidence of PIF impacted by numerous factors, as students honed career trajectories.