Doing, being, becoming and belonging in forging professional identity: Lived experiences of occupational therapists' professional identity currently working in physical health community roles in the UK.
Emily Rosalyn French, Channine Clarke
PMID 40336879WHAT IT FOUND
Five UK occupational therapists in community physical health roles described professional identity as built over time through experience.
They maintained this identity via peer support and networks, while battling role blurring and undervaluation by other professions.
Key findings
01Participants attributed their secure professional identity to time, experience, and the alignment of their ideal role with the reality of practice.
02A sense of belonging, maintained through peer supervision, networking, and communities of practice, was essential for sustaining professional identity.
03Participants experienced discord between their ideal identity and practice due to role blurring and a lack of recognition or understanding of occupational therapy by other healthcare professionals.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n=5), limiting the transferability of the findings. All participants were female, so the experiences of male therapists are not represented. Recruitment via social media may have biased the sample towards those already engaged with the profession or having a strong sense of identity, excluding those who are struggling or disconnected. The study explored how participants interpreted their experiences, not why those experiences occurred, and findings are subjective to the researcher's interpretation. The context was specific to UK community physical health roles, so findings may not apply to acute settings, mental health, or other countries.
Declared interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that specific interventions improve professional identity or patient outcomes. This is a small qualitative study describing the lived experiences of five therapists, not a test of a training programme or support model.