Professional identities in progress – developing personal artistic trajectories

This chapter provides a historical overview of professional identity within the context of social work, what we mean by professional identity, how we measure it and how we teach it to students. Through exploring definitions of professional social work identity and findings from empirical research involving social workers and students, we identify challenges for educators, based on competing social work discourses and multiple identities of practitioner, researcher and educator. Findings from empirical research, conducted by the author in Northern Ireland, highlight the learning activities that student social workers found most useful in terms of developing readiness for practice competence and professional social work identity (Cleak et al., 2016; Roulston et al., 2018). This research offers insights into the differing perspectives of students based on the placement setting and stage of training, as well as the perceived usefulness of specific learning activities. This chapter concludes with some evidence-informed advice to curriculum developers.

This paper examines how professionals position themselves and negotiate their identity in the intersection of professional work and sales work in the context of two professional service firms. We propose the concept of camouflaging as identity work to illustrate how professionals (re)construct their identity and position themselves as professionals by integrating and blurring the lines between the various discourses of professionalism and sales in a way that makes sales work appear as a natural part of their professional work and identity. We identify four ways in which professionals position themselves in relation to sales work, namely, as relationship builders, trustworthy partners, problem solvers and helpers. The present paper contributes to 1) the literature on professional identity by emphasizing the importance of work for professional identity construction, 2) previous studies of identity tensions by illustrating camouflaging as a way to navigate and negotiate various discourses and 3) the literature on identity work by showing how a variety of available social identities propels identity work in unexpected ways.

Scientists and engineers are essential to Research and Development (R&D) organizations. Although the literature on technical professionals tends to characterize them in terms of dichotomies or even make no distinctions at all, it is known that human capital is more heterogeneous and nuanced. There is a need to revisit the underlying assumptions about technical professionals through deep empirical work to keep management connected to the reality of today's workforce. In this research, we explore different types of professional identities by examining the work motives and behavior of a group of employees in a scientific R&D organization. Using in-depth interviews with 25 scientists and engineers at a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) center, we develop a motive-based model of technical professionals' work identities. We found an overlapping spectrum of relevant work identities that go beyond the scientist versus engineer dichotomy. Our model suggests three dimensions of motivation (social orientation, temporality of reward, and involvement with technology) that define different technical professional's identity types--among them, enablers, bridgers, researchers, and intrapreneurs. Depending on their dominant motivations and behaviors, these identities react differently to incentives. This research offers a more current and grounded classification of technical professionals, which has implications for both scholars studying intellectual human capital and managers leading organizations.

In this article, we investigated individual-level mechanisms and organizational-level conditions to explain the emergence and unfolding of professionals’ identity conflict in ethically-charged situations. Specifically, we examined identity conflict in doctors as triggered by discrepant work and non-work identity values of moral nature, namely their professional and religious identity values. We conducted a multilevel analysis in a two-time-lagged, questionnaire-based study (N = 120 doctors) in 22 National Healthcare Service Trusts in England. We found that professional-religious identity conflict has a negative influence on psychological well-being, but does not mediate the relationship between the interplay of religious and professional identity values and psychological well-being. Furthermore, whilst hospital peer social support positively buffered the negative relationship between identity conflict and psychological well-being, hospital ethical climate negatively moderated this relationship. By incorporating both intrapersonal processes and socio-ethical boundary conditions surrounding identity conflict, we extended research on identity dynamics within organizational contexts shedding light on the implications of such dynamics for the psychological well-being of professionals.

To explore nursing home nurses' experiences and views of work identity. Nursing home nurses are in a unique position as they work at the interface of health and social care. Little is known about nursing home nurses' perceptions and experiences of working within this context. Evidence suggests that using the concept of work identity can support understanding of how workers make sense of their work. Hermeneutic phenomenological study. The study was carried out in seven nursing homes in North East England. Findings are based upon literary analysis of multiple episodic interviews with 13 nursing home nurses. Participants' responses suggested that nursing "residents" is different to nursing "patients," and nursing home nurses are required to modify their care activities to account for these differences. Participants also proposed that they are isolated and excluded from the rest of the healthcare workforce group. These issues led participants to feel uncertain about work identity. Many participants attempted to strengthen their work identity by aligning their role with what they perceived the "nurse identity" to be. Nurses' work activities and professional group identity influence their work identity. When work activities and professional group identity do not align with role expectations, as can be the case for nursing home nurses, work identity may be compromised. These nurses may attempt to change work practices to strengthen their work identity. Health- and social care providers need to account for work identity factors in the organisation of care, and planning and implementation of integrated health- and social care initiatives.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how refugees from a professional career domain restore a coherent narrative when confronting barriers to recognition of their former career status. It focuses in particular on the identity work in which they engage in order to reconcile tensions between their current status as refugees and their professional identity.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 15 refugees to the UK who were professionally qualified in medicine or teaching in their country of origin took part in interviews or focus groups exploring career barriers, plans and future aspirations. Initial inductive thematic analysis identified recognition of professional identities as a primary concern. Further analytic iterations between theory and empirical material sharpened the focus on identifying the tensions in their professional identity work.FindingsParticipants struggled both to restore their former professional identity and to develop alternative identities. Professional identity work limited, but also sustained them in the face of barriers they encountered as refugees.Practical implicationsMore support for refugee career development would facilitate adaptation to local job markets, thereby addressing gaps in education and health services in the UK.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the tensions in refugee professional identity work and particularly the challenges and rewards of professional identification in the face of employment barriers.

Professional identities may be viewed as narrative constructions in social situations but personal experiences and beliefs are fundamental influences in their development. Within Further Education colleges in England, mathematics teachers are typically expected to fulfil multiple roles, teaching a wide range of curricula and age groups, and this brings additional complexity to their professional identities. In this study, questionnaires and interviews with mathematics teachers in three Further Education colleges are used to examine their roles and professional identities. The findings show how teachers’ personal experiences of mathematics, in formal education and the workplace, influence their beliefs and are linked to their narrative and working identities. These teachers enact complex and varied roles but develop a ‘leading professional identity’ that can be linked to significant critical events in the past.

The mediated effect of youth council participation on the professional identity development of youth workers

This study responds to a recent call on coaches' professional identity work through a socially contextualised lens. Coaches, as the freelancer, encounter complex working relationships with clients due to multiple contracting entities; yet coaches' identity work has been neglected in the extant training and development courses. A total of 36 semi‐structured interviews with coaches and relational others (e.g., coachees and organisational stakeholders) were conducted to understand how coaches develop professional identity as part of their career development in responding to interactions with relational others. The research findings identify that learning facilitator is the core identity of coaches regardless of varied stages of the coaching process. Three layers of sub‐identity are distinguished for them to handle a multi‐level working relationship with clients. Coaches often ‘travel’ in‐and‐out between layers of these sub‐identities to incorporate micro‐personal career interests, meso coaching dyadic working relationships and the macro‐level organisational scope into their identity development and negotiation. Accordingly, coaches' learning agility is required to remain identity flexibility for coping with varied coaching scenarios. This study outlines a conceptual framework which illustrates coaches' identity work as a conscious cognitive learning process embedded social and psychological exchanges. This framework offers coaching professional development courses a groundwork to facilitate coaches' identity development.

Professional identity (PI) has been linked to job satisfaction and retention, with research suggesting that fostering a strong PI during nursing education can help mitigate burnout and reduce turnover. However, few studies have explored how various learning experiences contribute to PI development. The purpose of this study was to describe the connections between educational experiences and PI. An open-ended prompt was disseminated to prelicensure nursing students. Participants described an experience that connected them to their PI. Thematic analysis was used to analyze responses and identify key themes. Four main themes emerged as influential in PI development: relationships, confidence, autonomy, and hinge moments. Positive relationships with patients, preceptors, and colleagues were identified as critical in strengthening PI. Clinical and classroom experiences that boosted confidence and autonomy were also essential. Hinge moments, such as meaningful patient interactions or significant clinical events, were pivotal in shaping students' PI. Findings identified key factors that shape PI, emphasizing the need for hands-on learning experiences such as simulations and early clinical exposure.

Focussing on academics’ professional identity, this paper analyses the challenges academics experience when adopting new technologies in their pedagogical practices. Notions of ‘economies of performance’ and ‘ecologies of practice’ as well as the concept of liminality are employed to understand this identity work. The paper illustrates how academics welcomed the potential of the web, despite the possible challenge to their authority. The paper argues that the process of changing pedagogical practices is experienced as risky and uncertain by some academics, and that it is a commitment to being a ‘good teacher’ that helped these academics to overcome these feelings.

The study of professional identities in health and social care (H&SC) was last prominent in the 1980s, with social theorists and policymakers taking an interest the way in which identities and roles were formed. This thesis proposes that the study of professional identity in H&SC requires renewed attention, especially in the context of expectations that students will both train and work across professional boundaries. Specifically, the thesis questions whether experiences of interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice have any impact on perceptions of professional identity for those working in H&SC, and examines how socialisation processes influence the development of ‘professional identities’ as well as considering the implications for patient care. A case study of a large-scale interprofessional programme – the ALPS CETL – is also drawn upon to examine the long-term impact of IPE initiatives on the identities and roles of staff involved in interprofessional initiatives. The empirical elements of this study consisted of surveys of practicing (n=288) and academic (n=31) staff, and interviews with participants drawn from the same groups (n=33). Drawing upon both thematic and narrative analysis of the data, the thesis argues that previous conceptualisations of professional identity aligned to a ‘whole’ profession do not relate to the way in which H&SC professionals actually perceive their identities. As respondents were far more likely to identify as being part of a branch or sub-group of a profession, it is proposed here that the concept of an ‘intra-professional identity’ is a more useful way to conceptualise the identity of H&SC professionals. More ‘senior’ professionals appeared to be more comfortable with their own professional identity, and with working across professional boundaries, than junior colleagues. This has implications for the way in which IPE is ‘taught’. Finally, in order to address identified tensions between professional identities and cross-professional working, it is proposed that the concept of ‘interprofessional responsibility’ can and should be incorporated into the professional identities of all H&SC staff.

Research concerning professional development and its contribution to the formation of professional identity is prevalent in both general and music education. However, its implications for music educators in the context of graduate programs for music education are seldom discussed. This mixed-methods case study examined experienced music teachers' perceptions during and after participation in a two-year teacher-college graduate program for music education. These M.Ed. students ( n =22) underwent semi-structured interviews after Year 1 and completed closed and open questionnaires after Years 1 and 2, assessing students' evaluation of the experienced curriculum and of its contribution to their professional development, thereby eliciting biases regarding the characteristics of music teachers’professional identities. Content analysis of qualitative data yielded four global categories: music versus education, research relevance for music educators, desired curriculum, and community of learners. Qualitative and quantitative results revealed students' criticism of the experienced curriculum. Regarding the program's contribution (quantitative results), students reported developing more positive attitudes toward the pursuit of music education and research but reported only minimally changing their traditionally negative views about the relevance of research and educational theory to their training. Although students' behavioral practice changed significantly during graduate studies (quantitative results), changes did not achieve conscious awareness (thus were not evident in the qualitative and some quantitative results). Outcomes suggest that resolving the traditional conflict between the roles of educator and musician, and acceptance of the researcher role within one's multifaceted professional identity, may foster teachers' inquisitiveness and critical ability and may lead music educators to join in establishing a community that more unbiasedly espouses both music education and empirical inquiry.

This article applies insights from the social construction of professional identity to an understanding of the ‘professional service’ call centre representative (CSR). In this case, HR (human resources) practitioners found themselves in a CSR role in a newly constituted HR call centre and this research explores how they then (re-)constructed their role as professionals within this context. Through a longitudinal, ethnographic study, three key constructions are identified through which CSRs made claims for a professional identity: ‘our work is complex’; ‘our work adds value’; and ‘our work is unique’. The analysis highlights that a contemporary concern with re-orienting HR to a strategic role may lead to perceived segregation and the re-negotiation of professional identities vis-a-vis other groups of HR professionals. Overall, this research challenges accepted norms and definitions of both call centre work and professional identity, suggesting that both are contested and localized constructions achieved through identity work.

The professional identity of health care workers is in constant reconstruction. Since identity is fluid, it is easily influenced and the Covid-19 pandemic created change which affected the professional identity of health care workers. Based on structuration and positioning theories, the purpose of this paper is to answer the question: how has the Covid-19 pandemic influenced the professional identity of health care workers? The methodology applied was qualitative. Six individuals participated in 60-min semi-structured interviews. Three themes emerged from this study. These themes are; professional strain and identity management, crisis and reconstruction and experiences of Covid-19. The study found that through the challenges of Covid-19, the professional identity of health care workers was strained. To support the professional identities of health care workers, it is recommended that policies on creating and promoting identities need to be guided.