A schematic representation of the professional identity formation and socialization of medical students and residents: a guide for medical educators

Identity formation is a dynamic process achieved through socialization; it results in individuals joining the medical community of practice. Multiple factors within and outside of the educational system affect the formation of an individual’s professional identity. Each learner reacts to different factors in her or his own fashion, with the anticipated outcome being the emergence of a professional identity. The norms of medicine’s community of practice change over time as the social contract between medicine and society evolves, altering the expectations of patients, society, and physicians