Thresholds of becoming: an exploration of threshold concepts as a means to support professional identity formation in competency-based curricula

AbstractInherent in every clinical preceptor ’s role is the ability to understand the learning needs of individual trainees, enabling them to meet their potential. Competency-based medical education frameworks have been developed to this end, but efforts to identify behaviours and activities that define competence are based on mapping knowle dge, skills and ability, which can be difficult to integrate into a comprehensive picture of who the trainee is becoming. Professional identity formation, in contrast, prioritizes attention to who trainees are becoming, but provision of detailed guidance to preceptors on how to best support this for m of development is challenging. The tension that results limits our ability to optimally support learners as strengths in competency development may mask professional identity development gaps and vice versa. To address this tension, this paper examines how the theory of threshold concepts – trou blesome ideas that, once appreciated, fundamentally change how you understand and approach a particular activity – can shine light on professional identity formation and its relationship with developing competence. The recognition and identification of threshold concepts is offered as a means to i mprove our ability to identify, discuss and support behaviours and actions that impact the learner’s capacity to act competently as they develop their identity at various stages of training.
Source: Advances in Health Sciences Education - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: research