Impact of Pharmacy-Related Memes on Students’ Professional Identity Formation

ABSTRACT

Objective

Professional identity formation (PIF) is the process which one internalizes the values and norms of a profession, ultimately becoming a member of that profession. The objective of this study was to determine the perceived professional identities of pharmacists in memes and how pharmacy-related memes affect students' professional identity formation.

Methods

Student pharmacists from a single academic institution participated in focus groups to discuss the concept of professional identity, view self-submitted pharmacy-related memes, and reflect on the memes' impact on their PIF. An inductive, thematic content analysis was performed, and a theoretical model was developed to illustrate the themes observed.

Results

Twenty-six student pharmacists participated in the study. Before exposure to the self-submitted memes, participants described the professional identity of a pharmacist in a more idealistic way, noting pharmacist roles such as medication expert, educator, and patient care provider. After exposure to the memes, participant responses reflected a pharmacist identity based on feelings of being antagonized, overwhelmed, and misperceived. Despite these challenges, participants noted the importance of remaining professional.

Conclusion

When exposed to pharmacy-related memes, students' perceptions of the pharmacist identity changed from one based on idealistic roles, to an identity based on negative feelings and interactions. Due to memes' ability to reflect one's experiences, it is important to recognize the impact memes may have on PIF. Further research is needed to determine how pharmacy educators can help students navigate identity dissonances that arise from students' pharmacy experiences.