Socialization of health proffessionals in Israel: early sources of congruence and differentiation.

In the longitudinal study reported here a comparison was made of changes in basic professional orientations of students during the first three years of professional socialization four health fields in Israel: medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing. Data are analyzed from the same groups at three points: prior to entry, at the end of year one, and at the end of year three. The image of the "competent" professional is analyzed in terms of a set of underlying traits which in all four populations are shown to group themselves empirically into three dominant components: People, Science, and Status. The priorities accorded to these components are quite similar in all four professions, suggesting a common basic orientation among them. The analysis also points to different levels of absolute emphasis on the components and to changes in patterns of emphasis during the early stages of socilization.