We continue with our Professional Identity and Medicines Development series. You may recall a previous End of Program Assessment essay prepared by Dr. Rachel Lawson, and we are delighted to share another of her well-written contributions to our community.

“Discuss the development and status of your own Professional Identity and what it means in terms of your job, your career, and future prospects.“

Rachel’s interest in Medicines Development dates back to her undergraduate days and prompted her to take up her first industry position as a development chemist at GlaxoSmithKline whilst studying for her undergraduate degree. Following her PhD and working as a research fellow in the UK and USA, Rachel initially moved into clinical research in the National Health Service before returning to industry in clinical operations. Five years ago, she had the opportunity to join Sanofi in Medical Affairs. She enjoys the patient-centricity and diversity of medical affairs activities and finds product launch activities particularly exciting. She found participation in the IFAPP course and the opportunity to meet virtually with other medical affairs professionals to be both valuable and enjoyable.

“Discovering and developing my own professional identity is something that I have not reflected on until now. Formulating a professional identity involves the shift from individual, intrinsic values and behaviours to adopting those of the profession (Cruess et al., 2015). A gradual process over time, mediated by interactions with others and the environment. Although I have worked in medicines development for several years, I performed different roles at various stages in the drug development process. My current role in medical affairs incorporates the knowledge and experiences that I had gained in the past albeit at a more superficial level. It has also involved learning many new things: brand planning and marketing activities for example. As a result, I have evolved, and my professional identity has changed. Thinking back, my preconceived idea of the professional identity for my role was based around expert knowledge on the disease and the therapy. This was narrow and has expanded considerably during the time I have worked in medical affairs.

Participating in the Academy course has been a welcome opportunity. Through the modular approach I have been reminded of things I have done, but long forgotten, learnt new things and, importantly, learnt the rationale behind what we do. Often in our fast paced, reactive world the rationale and justification get hidden. The formal education delivered in the form of lectures and assignments have therefore built my expertise and afforded me the knowledge to shift my professional identity to that of a medical affair professional. A greater understanding of elements such as health economics, which I had little previous exposure to, have been very useful and timely. I found that many of the elements I learnt I could directly incorporate into my work and this in turn reinforced my professional identity.

Course participation has involved not just the formal learning tasks. Through the discussion groups and interactive webinars, it has allowed me to gain exposure to other peoples’ views. Their shared experiences, different perceptions, understandings, and interpretations have also been very influential. I have welcomed the more interactive nature of these items. Points are raised that I had not even considered, and the weight placed on certain aspects by others has made me pause and reassess how I look at things. These informal interactions have contributed to the process of socialization, a key part of developing a professional identity (Cruess et al., 2015).

In part B1, I described how the development of a professional identity had many benefits including increased confidence, resilience, and integration into a multi-faceted team (Wilson et al., 2013; Madsen et al., 2009; Gilburt, 2016). Reflecting on my occupational activities I can see these three attributes in practice. Working in a high value area with small patient numbers the governance and legal aspects are highly influential and can sometimes be prohibitive. Working with people from other disciplines that have different priorities and concerns requires me to step outside my role, see the bigger picture and incorporate their views in decisions based on rationale. This is easier to write than to do! As my career progresses and I take on more leadership roles this is a skill and a professional attribute that will continue to develop. I found it interesting in the course how the role of medical affairs has the key concern of keeping the patient at the centre of activities. This resonates with me and is a strong part of my professional identity. Having clarity on my professional role does provide me with the confidence to do this despite opposing pressures, and I am grateful for that.”

References

  1. Cruess RL, Cruess SR, Boudreau JD, Snell L, Steinert Y. A schematic representation of the professional identity formation and socialisation of medical students and residents: A guide for medical educators. Academic Med. 2015; 90(6):718-725
  2. Gilburt H. Supporting integration through new roles and working across boundaries. 2016; King’s Fund, p35 [Accessed 30th Nov 2021 via https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/field_publication_file/Supporting_integration_web.pdf]
  3. Madsen W, McAllister M, Godden J, Greenhill J, Reed R. Nursing’s orphans: how the system of nursing education in Australia is undermining professional identity. Contemporary Nurse, 2009; p10
  4. Wilson I, Cowin LS, Johnson M, Young H. Professional Identity in Medical Students: Pedagogical Challenges to Medical Education, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 2013; p369

Disclaimers

  • The material in these reviews is from various public open access sources, meant for educational and informational purposes only
  • Any personal opinions expressed are those of only the author(s) and are not intended to represent the position of any organization(s)
  • No official support by any organization(s) has been provided or should be inferred