Constructing professional identities during training : an audiologist’s perspective

Abstract

With the seemingly emerging need of audiologists in Malta, knowing how professional development is construed during training is essential. The overall intent of this study was to investigate which factors shape professional identity development of upcoming audiologists. It set out to identify the actual factors that promote or hinder professional identity development during training. The study adopted a mixed method design that included a phenomenological approach. . The 12 participants who were recruited were either in-training (N = 6) or had just finished training to become an audiologist (N = 6). The nominal group technique was used to elicit the skills that current in-training audiologists perceived to be important for their professional development. Interviews were later used to explore the variables that influenced in-training audiologists’ professional identity portrayal. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed to analyse the data obtained from the interviews. Three prevalent themes emerging from the gathered data were labelled as: ‘Who I am matters’, ‘A helping hand’ and ‘What influences me’. Results showed that the role of the personal self during professional development was very influential. When academic curricula take note of the trainee’s background, trainees’ professional development could be positively influenced. The practicum during training also influenced trainees’ professional development. In this study, participants denoted positive aspects of their practical experience and improvements that could have been applied to further improve it. Lecturers, clinicians, other professionals and clients that trainees encountered were also reported to play a pivotal role in shaping their professional identities. Recommendations for future improvements should serve as guidelines for prospective academic curricula in order to further enhance professional identity development of their trainees. Further research in this field of study is recommended. Due to the evolving nature of professional identities, there should be further studies, preferably longitudinal ones that attempt to identify other variables that influence professional identity development.