====== Professional identity ======

see What does it take to become a neurosurgeon?
A mixed methods cross-sectional analysis
of professional identity formation amongst
neurosurgical trainees

It is often mentioned that ‘being’ a [[neurosurgeon]] is about more than just performing surgery. Professional identity may be defined as
the ‘stable and enduring constellation of attributes, beliefs, values, motives and experiences in terms of which people define themselves in a professional role’
((Ibarra H. Provisional selves: experimenting with image and identity in
professional adaptation. Admin Sci Q 1999;44:764–91.)).
However, the concept of professional surgical identity and how it can be cultivated by [[trainee]]s has barely emerged in the neurosurgical community. This may be important as career success has been associated with successful professional identity formation
((Arthur MB, Inkson K, Pringle JK. The new careers: individual action
and economic change. London: SAGE; 1999.))
((Hall DT, Zhu G, Yan A. Career creativity as protean identity transformation. In: Peiperl MA, Arthur MB, Anand N, eds. Career creativity. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2002:159–179.)).
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Ever-developing changes to the [[working time]] of [[junior doctor]]s by the [[Europe]]an [[Working Time Directive]], the [[junior doctor contract]] of [[2019]] and most recently the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] have impacted the [[professional identity]] of doctors. There has been little [[investigation]] into its influence on the multifaceted aspects of [[postgraduate]] medical [[training]], which feeds into how [[trainee]]s consider themselves professionally and the concept of professional identity or 'being a doctor'. A review of the medical, socio-political and educational literature reveals that the impact on the professional identity development of trainees is influenced by several perspectives from the trainee, [[trainer]] and the public. Gross reduction in working hours has no doubt decreased the raw volume of clinical [[experience]]s. However, to counteract this, smarter [[learning process]]es have evolved, including narrative [[reflection]], supervised learning events, and a greater awareness of [[coaching]] and training among [[trainer]]s
((Mukherjee S, Meacock J, Kissane E, Pal D. Factors relating to working hours restriction that have impacted the professional identity of trainees in the last decade. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2021 Mar 2;82(3):1-10. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2020.0355. Epub 2021 Mar 13. PMID: 33792379.)).