2016 Annual Conference

Professional education fosters specialized skills and knowledge and also shapes an identity as the lay person assumes the values, beliefs, and underlying assumptions of the profession during training. This session examines the link between transformative learning and professional identity formation, with particular emphasis on healthcare and the helping professions.

Educators and students in the health and helping professions, including those who educate or are in training as teachers, counselors, doctors, nurses, dentists, occupational therapists, psychologists, allied health professionals, social workers, and other human service professionals.

The session will begin with a short PowerPoint to present a tentative framework that explores the link between transformative learning and professional identity formation through professional education. (10 minutes).

Session attendees will be quickly "sorted" into groups of 2-3 according to professional backgrounds and educational experiences. We have three questions to pose to the group, and intend to allow 8-9 minutes for discussion of each within the small groups. Attendees will record short answers from their discussions into a Google form that is accessible from any mobile device or laptop. (25 minutes).

Questions (provide short 3-4 word answers):
1. What are the particular beliefs, values, and assumptions that you/or society associate with your profession?
2. During your education to become a professional, what were the critical incidents that helped shape your identity during your training?
3. What was the role of critical reflection or self-reflection in the development of your professional identity?

We will involve the whole group in discussion of responses and summarize the themes, returning to the framework of transformative learning and professional identity formation to examine how well personal experiences fit or where they differ.