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© jacoblund via Getty Images
Maintaining professional identity in a modern health and social care workplace
Aida Ward and Julie Pentney explore the key points from a recent major health conditions conference workshop , exploring the concept of professional identity for occupational therapists .
B uilding on the discussion of a strong professional identity , the workshop delved deeper into its dynamic nature within the ever-evolving healthcare environment ( Walder et al 2022 ).
Professional identity is constantly shaped by an individual ’ s values , beliefs and knowledge ( Souto Gomez et al 2023 ), as well as the surrounding environment and professional interactions ( Boehm et al 2015 ).
The modern healthcare landscape presents unique challenges for occupational therapists trying to uphold their professional identity .
While multidisciplinary teams are applauded for their positive impact on patient outcomes , being the sole occupational therapist within such a team can make it difficult to showcase the distinct value of occupational therapy , especially with today ’ s economic and workforce challenges .
Furthermore , the emergence of new roles in the healthcare landscape adds another layer of complexity . These roles may overlap with traditional occupational therapy responsibilities , blurring the lines and potentially leading to a dilution of the profession ’ s unique contribution , or add additional responsibilities and expectations to an already limited resource .
This creates a tightrope walk for occupational therapists – navigating collaboration within multidisciplinary teams or professional groups , while simultaneously preserving their professional identity .
We posed four questions to delegates , which are outlined below , examining these challenges , and exploring potential solutions .
What does professional identity mean ?
The first question was : What does professional identity mean to you ? Aligned with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges ’ ( AOMRC 2020 ) definition of professional identity as a source of meaning , belonging and self-perception , workshop delegates , representing a wide variety of clinical areas and experience levels from students to seasoned clinicians , identified a strong professional identity as both
November 2024 OTnews 33