The Patterns of Professional Identity Development among Medical Graduates of a SPICES Curriculum

Objective: This paper describes the patterns of professional identity development (PID) among medical graduates of a SPICES (i.e., Student-centred/teacher-centred; Problem-based/information gathering; Integrated/discipline-based; Community based; Elective/uniform; and Systematic/ apprenticeship-based) curriculum implemented by the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Methods: The phenomenological study design evaluated 50 medical graduates of USM who underwent housemanship at government hospitals in the Peninsular of Malaysia. Focus group interviews (FGI) were conducted to explore and capture the experience of the participants in relation to PID during medical training. Eight FGI sessions were conducted at a specific place as agreed by both researchers and participants. A thematic analysis technique assisted by Atlas.ti software was used to analyse the qualitative data. Results: The thematic analysis revealed that there were two themes: self-development and professional development. The self-development theme was represented by four categories: self-confidence, internal and external motivation, communication skills, and problem solving. The professional development theme was represented by five categories: social adjustment, leadership skills and management, team work, hands-on skills, and creativity. Conclusion: The formation of professional identity among USM medical graduates was related to self-development and professional development. This suggests that the USM medical curriculum is vital in shaping professionalism attributes among its medical graduates that are balanced among knowledge, skills, behaviours and values. Producing balanced medical graduates will ensure the highest quality of healthcare services provided to the country. The implications of this study and recommendations are discussed.