Department of Dental Hygiene, University of Shizuoka, Junior College, 2-2-1 Oshika, Shizuoka-Shi Suruga-Ku, Shizuoka, 422-8021, Japan.
Medical Education Development Center, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Sep 27;24(1):1035. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06027-4.
Dental hygienists play a crucial role in providing successful community-based healthcare for patients. They should perform expected roles to address various tasks, in response to changing social contexts and needs. The value created by the role of a dental hygienist closely relates to job satisfaction, which is formed through daily clinical experiences, and in the process of professional identity formation, learners must internalise a value system. This study examined how dental hygiene students developed their professional identities during their undergraduate education.
This study adopted a case study approach based on an interpretivist paradigm. Ten dental hygiene students in their final year were selected, and semi-structured interviews were conducted regarding changes in their views on dental hygienists and their identities as health professionals. The data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach to identify the components of their professional identities and the factors influencing identity formation.
Students pre-professional identities were transformed into inter-professional collaborators with a more patient-centric and generalist perspective. The following three aspects of professional identity were identified: their own roles in promoting oral and general health, broadening the perspectives on professional competencies of dental hygienists, and the context of inter-professional collaborative practice. Additionally, this study identified some key factors influencing their identity formation, namely role models, clinical experiences, health care system, and social relationships with others. Among these factors, role models and clinical experiences were the most influential.
This study suggests that recognition of professional roles during preclinical education, and collaborative opportunities in clinical education are necessary to promote professional identity formation. Such learning opportunities enable students to reflect on the kind of dental hygienist they want to become. Moreover, for the students to continuously pursue their profession with a sense of fulfilment, educators need to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges the students would encounter as they transition from their undergraduate degrees to employment. This understanding is essential for developing and supporting communities where dental hygienists connect, help, and learn from each other.
口腔保健员在为患者提供成功的社区医疗保健方面发挥着至关重要的作用。他们应该履行预期的角色，以应对不断变化的社会背景和需求。口腔保健员角色创造的价值与工作满意度密切相关，而工作满意度是通过日常临床经验形成的，在专业身份形成的过程中，学习者必须内化一套价值观。本研究考察了口腔卫生专业学生在本科教育过程中如何发展其专业身份。
本研究采用基于解释主义范式的案例研究方法。选择了 10 名即将毕业的口腔卫生专业学生，对他们对口腔保健员的看法以及他们作为健康专业人员的身份的变化进行了半结构化访谈。使用主题分析方法对数据进行分析，以确定其专业身份的组成部分以及影响身份形成的因素。
学生的前专业身份转变为具有更以患者为中心和更具通科性的跨专业合作者。确定了以下三个方面的专业身份：他们在促进口腔和整体健康方面的自身角色、拓宽口腔保健员专业能力的视角以及跨专业合作实践的背景。此外，本研究还确定了一些影响其身份形成的关键因素，即榜样、临床经验、医疗保健系统以及与他人的社会关系。在这些因素中，榜样和临床经验的影响最大。
本研究表明，在基础临床教育中识别专业角色以及在临床教育中提供合作机会，对于促进专业身份的形成是必要的。这种学习机会使学生能够反思他们想成为什么样的口腔保健员。此外，为了让学生在毕业后继续从事自己的职业并感到满足，教育工作者需要更深入地了解学生在从本科学位过渡到就业时可能遇到的挑战。这种理解对于发展和支持口腔保健员相互联系、相互帮助和相互学习的社区至关重要。
