From Curriculum to Clinic: Centering Professional Identity to Advance Equity in Medical Training

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Advancing Equity through Instructional Design and Technology

Abstract

Despite widespread inclusion of equity content in residency curricula, clinical behavior often fails to reflect these principles. This paper explores why knowledge alone is insufficient to drive change, arguing that professional identity formation (PIF) is a critical mechanism that shapes whether and how residents enact equity at the bedside. Drawing on behavioral and social theories, I present a conceptual model in which attitudes, modeling, and reflection shape identity. And identity, in turn, moderates the translation of training into action. This model emphasizes the importance of training programs moving beyond knowledge transmission and extrinsic motivation to foster identity-based alignment with equity values among physicians-in-training.

Author

• Koya Ferrell, University of Michigan