In a recent issue of the CJMLS, an important topic that I have spent considerable time reflecting on was highlighted — our professional identity (PI). While PI has received considerable exploration in other professional fields, including nursing and education, its understanding remains limited among medical laboratory professionals (MLPs). Recent certification changes adopted by the Canadian Alliance of Medical Laboratory Professional Regulators (CAMLPR), and their adjustments to the examination process, have introduced a novel variable regarding our PI.

1. What do we mean by professional identity, and why does it matter?

Various definitions can be applied to the concept of PI, but generally speaking, PI can be considered one component of our total sense of self and is composed of the values and beliefs that guide the understanding of our role as health professionals,1 and by extension, within the health care sector, our interactions with patients and colleagues. PI is distinct from professionalism, as it is much more personal, and the development of PI can be considered a form of learning that occurs upon exposure to a particular occupation2. That is, PI is more complicated than simple professionalism norms, as occupationally connected beliefs and values are not inseparable from our personal core identity and serve to shape our perceptions outside of our working life. Given that over a 35-year career, a lab tech will spend an average of a full seven years with our specimens, it should not be surprising that our PI can have a tremendous impact on our personal sense of belonging. Importantly, while PI can be understood through this individual lens, it is also essential to consider that our profession itself has a collective identity, and its success and strength are important contributors to our individual professional selves. Unfortunately, despite best efforts on the part of some of our institutions, our collective PI has, likely in part due to our limited public visibility, demonstrated considerable difficulty in establishing itself against its contemporaries, such as nursing or other allied health professions. Why this has continued to occur is beyond the scope of this brief narrative, but needless to say, despite a global pandemic that brought the voice of MLPs to the forefront, the pandemic is now over, and the conversation regarding the importance of the MLP, at least in the public discourse, appears to have moved on, raising all the more reason to continue discussion of our collective PI.