How to Measure the Value of Professional Identity in Work
Can you measure how integral professional identity is to your occupation? It turns out, yes you can!
In June 2023, a new research article was published in BMC Medical Education that addresses this question, and the results are stunning!
This research validates ideas I've been sharing about the power and importance of professional identity. However it is a quantitative and statistically validated study, whereas my research is qualitative and phenomenanlogical.
METHOD
The study focused on emergency physicians and how well they conceptualized their professional identity in their work. They created the Emergency Physician's Professional Identities Value Scale, a multidimensional tool.
Through this tool, they analyzed interrelations and correlations between four different factors:
skill acquisition, capabilities, and practical wisdom;
coping ability and resilience;
professional recognition and self-esteem;
well-being and quality of life
These factors were developed from interviews on physician beliefs (and there were multiple items assessed within each factor).
Importantly (in alignment with my work), the researchers noted there is no general consensus on what comprises professional identity. Therefore, a set of professional values had to be ascertained to help measure what's important to each individual in their work because this is how we construct our professional identity.
RESULTS
The research shows correlations that emergency physician's professional identity has implications on the following:
increased morale in their work,
increased levels of job satisfaction,
how they assigned meaning to their professional practice,
decreased burnout rate,
and decreased likelihood to make medical errors
The results are noteworthy because we know these are the biggest factors employers and companies are struggling with today. If professional identity can be quantitatively assessed and its value to the individual increased, then employers very likely would be able to improve employee retention, turnover, recruitment, engagement and management strategies.
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY
The reason this study and values-scale is important is that the researchers were able to show not what a group of individuals in a shared profession believe and hold true to be important in a field of work.
Instead, this research measured the internalized value and beliefs that shape an individual's sense of purpose and sense of themselves within their chosen profession.
No identity scale has measured perceived values before, and the perceived values varies between individual to individual.
FUTURE OF WORK
For implications for the future of work, this values-based scale has the potential to be used across industries and professions to help assess and understand the internalized values and patterns people have regarding their identity development through their career.
The scale can capture a current snapshot of the physician's professional identities as well as help monitor long-term changes. Hence, opportunity for professional development as well as navigating other career changes and life stages.