title: Measuring professional identity formation early in medical school.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the feasibility and utility of measuring baseline professional identity formation (PIF) in a theory-based professionalism curriculum for early medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 132 entering students completed the professional identity essay (PIE) and the defining issues test (DIT2). Students received score reports with individualized narrative feedback and wrote a structured reflection after a large-group session in which the PIF construct was reviewed. Analysis of PIEs resulted in assignment of a full or transitional PIF stage (1-5). The DIT2 score reflects the proportion of the time students used universal ethical principles to justify a response to 6 moral dilemma cases. Students' reflections were content analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PIF scores were distributed across stage 2/3, stage 3, stage 3/4, and stage 4. No student scores were in stages 1, 2, 4/5, or 5. The mean DIT2 score was 53% (range 9.7?76.5%); the correlation between PIF stage and DIT score was ρ =  0.18 (p = 0.03). Students who took an analytic approach to the data and demonstrated both awareness that they are novices and anticipation of continued PIF tended to respond more positively to the feedback.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These PIF scores distributed similarly to novice students in other professions. Developmental-theory based PIF and moral reasoning measures are related. Students reflected on these measures in meaningful ways suggesting utility of measuring PIF scores in medical education.
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation , New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Adina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalet
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation , New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Buckvar-Keltz
authors.affiliation: b New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Harnik
authors.affiliation: c Monson Consulting and Evaluation , Minneapolis , MN , USA.
authors.forename: Verna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Monson
authors.affiliation: b New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation , New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crowe
authors.affiliation: d Department of Education , Georgian Court University , Lakewood , NJ , USA.
authors.forename: Hyuksoon S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: b New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.|e Department of Medical Education , University of Illinois College of Medicine , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yingling
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000068616:Professionalism; D012577:Schools, Medical; D012933:Social Identification; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult