Published by De Gruyter March 3, 2021

A conceptual framework of student professionalization for health professional education and research

Marilou Bélisle , Patrick Lavoie , Jacinthe Pepin , Nicolas Fernandez , Louise Boyer , Kathleen Lechasseur and Caroline Larue

From the journal International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2020-0104

Showing a limited preview of this publication:

Abstract

Objectives

To present a conceptual framework of student professionalization for health professional education and research.

Methods

Synthesis and discussion of a program of research on competency-based education.

Results

Competency-based education relies on active, situation-based group learning strategies to prepare students to become health professionals who are connected to patient and population needs. Professionalization is understood as a dynamic process of imagining, becoming, and being a member of a health profession. It rests on the evolution of three interrelated dimensions: professional competencies, professional culture, and professional identity. Professionalization occurs throughout students’ encounters with meaningful learning experiences that involve three core components: the roles students experience in situations bounded within specific contexts. Educational practices conducive to professionalization include active learning, reflection, and feedback.

Conclusions

This conceptual framework drives a research agenda aimed at understanding how students become health professional and how learning experiences involving action, reflection, and feedback foster that process and the advancement of professional practices.

Keywords: professionalization; competency-based education; meaningful learning experiences; conceptual framework

Corresponding author: Marilou Bélisle, Faculty of Education, Université de Sherbrooke, 150, Place Charles-Le Moyne, Bureau 200, Longueuil, QC, Canada, J4K 0A8, Phone: +1 450 463 1835x61559, E-mail: marilou.e.belisle@usherbrooke.ca

Funding source: Équipe FUTUR

Award Identifier / Grant number: N/A

Research funding: This work was supported by Équipe FUTUR, a research team receiving an infrastructure grant from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: None declared.
Ethical approval: Not applicable.

References

Abrandt Dahlgren, M., Hult, H., Dahlgren, L. O., Hård af Segerstad, H., & Johansson, K. (2006). From senior student to novice worker: Learning trajectories in political science, psychology and mechanical engineering. Studies in Higher Education, 31(5), 569–586. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600923400.Search in Google Scholar

Abrandt Dahlgren, M., Richardson, B., & Sjöström, B. (2004). Professions as communities of practice. In J. Higgs, B. Richardson & M. Abrandt Dahlgren (Eds.), Developing practice knowledge for health professionals (pp. 71–88). Edinburgh: Butterworth-Heinemann.10.1016/B978-0-7506-5429-6.50008-2Search in Google Scholar

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Search in Google Scholar

Bélisle, M. (2011). Perceptions de diplômés universitaires quant aux effets d’un programme professionnalisant et innovant sur leur professionnalisation en contexte de formation initiale [Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from https://savoirs.usherbrooke.ca/handle/11143/960.Search in Google Scholar

Bélisle, M. (2013). A study of the effects of curricular innovations on student professionalization in higher education. In Conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction. Munich, Germany.Search in Google Scholar

Bélisle, M. (2018). La professionnalisation des individus dans un programme de formation universitaire en approche par compétences. [Research Report].Search in Google Scholar

Bélisle, M., Boyer, L., Lechasseur, K., Goudreau, J., & Bouchard, L. (2014). A portrait of professionalizing practices in competence-based health programs. Conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Québec, Canada.Search in Google Scholar

Bélisle, M., Goudreau, J., Boyer, L., & Bastidas, P. (2017). Becoming a nurse: Student and teacher perceptions of professionalization in a competency-based program. In Conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction. Tampere, Finland.Search in Google Scholar

Bélisle, M., Mazalon, E., Bélanger, M., & Fernandez, N. (2020). Les stages cliniques dans les formations en alternance: Étude de la portée quant à leurs catactéristiques et leurs retombées sur la professionnalisation. Pédagogie Médicale, 21(1), 21–38. https://doi.org/10.1051/pmed/2020029.Search in Google Scholar

Blanchet Garneau, A., & Pepin, J. (2015). A constructivist theoretical proposition of cultural competence development in nursing. Nurse Education Today, 35(11), 1062–1068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2015.05.019.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Boyer, L., Pepin, J., Dubois, S., Descôteaux, R., Robinette, L., Déry, J., … Deschênes. (2020). Adaptation and validation of a nursing competencies framework for clinical practice on a continuum of care from childhood to adulthood: A Delphi study. Nurse Education Today, 93, 104530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104530.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Boyer, L., Tardif, J., & Lefebvre, H. (2015). From a medical problem to a health experience: How nursing students think in clinical situations. Journal of Nursing Education, 54(11), 625–632. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20151016-03.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Charette, M., Goudreau, J., & Bourbonnais, A. (2019). How do new graduated nurses from a competency-based program demonstrate their competencies? A focused ethnography of acute care settings. Nurse Education Today, 79, 161–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.05.031.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Deschênes, M.-F., Goudreau, J., & Fernandez, N. (2020). Learning strategies used by undergraduate nursing students in the context of a digital educational strategy based on scrip concordance: A descriptive study. Nurse Education Today, 104607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104607.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

de Swardt, H. C. R., van Rensburg, G. H., & Oosthuizen, M. J. (2014). An exploration of the professional socialisation of student nurses. Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 16(2), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.25159/2520-5293/28.Search in Google Scholar

Eraut, M. (1994). Developing professional knowledge and competence. London, United Kingdom: The Falmer Press.Search in Google Scholar

Frenk, J., Chen, L., Bhutta, Z. A., Cohen, J., Crisp, N., Evans, T., … Zurayk, H. (2010). Health professionals for a new century: Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world. Lancet, 376(9756), 1923–1958. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)61854-5.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Gohier, C., Anadón, M., Bouchard, Y., Charbonneau, B., & Chevrier, J. (2001). La construction identitaire de l’enseignant sur le plan professionnel: Un processus dynamique et interactif. Revue des sciences de l’éducation, 27(1), 3–32. https://doi.org/10.7202/000304ar.Search in Google Scholar

Goudreau, J., Boyer, L., & Létourneau, D. (2014). Clinical nursing reasoning in nursing practice: A cognitive learning model based on a think aloud methodology. Quality Advancement in Nursing Education – Avancées en formation infirmière, 1(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.17483/2368-6669.1009.Search in Google Scholar

Goudreau, J., Pepin, J., Dubois, S., Boyer, L., Larue, C., & Legault, A. (2009). A second generation of the competency-based approach to nursing education. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 6, Article 15. https://doi.org/10.2202/1548-923x.1685.Search in Google Scholar

Goudreau, J., Pepin, J., Larue, C., Dubois, S., Descôteaux, R., Lavoie, P., & Dumont, K. (2015). A competency-based approach to nurses’ continuing education for clinical reasoning and leadership through reflective practice in a care situation. Nurse Education in Practice, 15(6), 572–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2015.10.013.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Greenwood, E. (1966). The elements of professionalization. In H. M. Vollmer, & D. L. Mills, Professionalization. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Search in Google Scholar

Hager, P., Gonczi, A., & Athanasou, J. (1994). General issues about assessment of competence. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 19(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293940190101.Search in Google Scholar

Larue, C., Pepin, J., & Allard, É. (2015). Simulation in preparation or substitution for clinical placement: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 5(9), 132–140. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v5n9p132.Search in Google Scholar

Lavoie, P., Deschênes, M.-F., Nolin, R., Bélisle, M., Blanchet Garneau, A., Boyer, L., … Fernandez, N. (2020). Beyond technology: A scoping review of features that promote fidelity and authenticity in simulation-based health professional education. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 42, 22–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2020.02.001.Search in Google Scholar

Lavoie, P., Michaud, C., Bélisle, M., Boyer, L., Gosselin, É., Grondin, M., … Pepin, J. (2018). Learning theories and tools for the assessment of core nursing competencies in simulation: A theoretical review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(2), 239–250. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13416.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Lavoie, P., Pepin, J., & Cossette, S. (2017). Contribution of a reflective debriefing to nursing students’ clinical judgment in patient deterioration simulations: A mixed-methods study. Nurse Education Today, 50, 51–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.12.002.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Lavoie, P., Pepin, J., Cossette, S., & Clarke, S. P. (2019). Debriefing approaches for high-fidelity simulations and outcomes related to clinical judgment in baccalaureate nursing students. Collegian, 26(5), 514–521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2019.01.001.Search in Google Scholar

Lessard, C., & Bourdoncle, R. (2002). Qu’est-ce qu’une formation professionnelle universitaire? Conceptions de l’université et formation professionnelle. Revue Française de Pédagogie, 139, 131–154. https://doi.org/10.3406/rfp.2002.2889.Search in Google Scholar

Maclellan, D., Lordly, D., & Gingras, J. (2011). Professional socialization: An integrative review of the literature and implications for dietetic education. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 72(1), 37–42. https://doi.org/10.3148/72.1.2011.37.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Maginnis, C. (2018). A discussion of professional identity development in nursing students. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 6(1), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v6i1.302.Search in Google Scholar

Marañón, A. A., & Pera, M. P. I. (2015). Theory and practice in the construction of professional identity in nursing students: A qualitative study. Nurse Education Today, 35(7), 859–863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2015.03.014.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Merisier, S., Larue, C., & Boyer, L. (2018). How does questioning influence nursing students’ clinical reasoning in problem-based learning? A scoping review. Nurse Education Today, 65, 108–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.03.006.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Pepin, J., Goudreau, J., Lavoie, P., Bélisle, M., Garneau, A. B., Boyer, L., … Lechasseur, K. (2017). A nursing education research framework for transformative learning and interdependence of academia and practice. Nurse Education Today, 52, 50–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.02.001.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Prince, K. J. A. H., van Eijs, P. W. L. J., Boshuizen, H. P. A., van der Vleuten, C. P. M., & Scherpbier, A. J. J. A. (2005). General competencies of problem-based learning (PBL) and non-PBL graduates. Medical Education, 39, 394–401. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2005.02107.x.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Rochette, A., Brousseau, M., Vachon, B., Engels, C., Amari, F., & Thomas, A. (2020). What occupational therapists’ with a professional master say about their competencies enactment, maintenance and development in practice? A two-phase mixed methods study. BMC Medical Education, 20, Article 191. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02087-4.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Salisu, W. J., Dehghan Nayeri, N., Yakubu, I., & Ebrahimpour, F. (2019). Challenges and facilitators of professional socialization: A systematic review. Nursing Open, 6(4), 1289–1298. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.341.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Schmidt, H. G., van der Molen, H. T., te Winkel, W. W. R., & Wijnen, W. H. F. W. (2009). Constructivist, problem-based learning does work: A meta-analysis of curricular comparisons involving a single medical school. Educational Psychologist, 44(4), 227–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520903213592.Search in Google Scholar

Sorel, M., & Wittorski, R. (2005). Des définitions qui s’imposent. In M. Sorel, & R. Wittorski (dir.), La professionnalisation en actes et en questions (pp. 183–210). Paris: L’Harmattan.Search in Google Scholar

Tardif, J. (2006). L’évaluation des compétences. Documenter le parcours de développement. Montréal: Éditions de la Chenelière.Search in Google Scholar

Vaatstra, R., & De Vries, R. (2007). The effect of the learning environment on competences and training for the workplace according to graduates. Higher Education, 53, 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-005-2413-4.Search in Google Scholar

Vachon, B., Foucault, M. L., Giguère, C., Rochette, A., Thomas, A., & Morel, M. (2018). Factors influencing acceptability and perceived impacts of a mandatory eportfolio implemented by an occupational therapy regulatory organization. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 38(1), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.1097/ceh.000000000000018.Search in Google Scholar

Zarshenas, L., Sharif, F., Molazem, Z., Khayyer, M., Zare, N., & Ebadi, A. (2014). Professional socialization in nursing: A qualitative content analysis. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 19(4), 432–438.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2020-10-22

Accepted: 2021-02-03

Published Online: 2021-03-03