Problem based learning plays a key role in facilitating the process of professional identity development in medical students: Assumption or truth?

Background: Professional identity development is acknowledged as a fundamental part of medical education and the topic has received much attention in the medical education literature in recent years. Despite the growing interest, only a few studies have examined the impact that problem-based learning (PBL) has on the development of professional identity.
Method: To understand how PBL influences the development of professional identity and be clear about what is known about the topic, a literature review concerning professional identity development was conducted. Using a full text search string comprising the terms identity, problem-based learning, and medical students, the following databases, were searched: Pubmed, Scopus, and Proquest.
Results: 438 articles were identified and 11 were considered relevant based on a review of their abstracts. While these articles investigated the influence of PBL on the development of such competencies as critical thinking, reflexivity, clinical problem solving, collaboration skills, and intrinsic motivation, all of which have been found to influence professional identity development, none of them were specifically concerned with how PBL impacts professional identity development.
Discussion: Rarely are the implications of the use of PBL discussed in relation to professional identity development. Even though PBL has become more common as the preferred pedagogical approach to medical education, its consequences for professional identity development are still vague. Despite, the growing interest for PBL as a pedagogy and the consensus among researchers that a strong sense of professional identity enhances the degree of preparedness to the transition from medical student to junior doctor, there is still a lack of scientific evidence supporting the idea that PBL contributes positively to the development of professional identity.
Conclusion: We believe that using PBL plays a key role in facilitating the process of professional identity development in medical students. Thus, we argue that the medical community should pay attention to the importance of using PBL as an effective way to facilitate the development of medical students' professional identity.