ArticleFrontiers in medicine2026
Measuring professional identity in health and social care students: single-item question versus the Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale (MCPIS-9).
Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Existing measures of professional identity often yield high scores among students that may mask differences. One frequently used measure of professional identity is the one factor 9-item questionnaire MCPIS-9 with a five-point balanced answering scale. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of the MCPIS-9 compared to a single-item question with five positively unbalanced response options. Methods: An explorative cross-sectional study inviting all students from all academic years in 11 health and social care programs at one university. Two instruments were used to assess professional identity (response options): the Norwegian version of the 9-item Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale (MCPIS-9) (strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, strongly agree), and a single-item question, "All things considered, to what extent do you identify with the profession you are training for?" (not at all, some¸ much, very much, completely). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation and multivariable regression. Results: A total of 864 students from 11 programs participated (mean age 24 years; 77% women). The MCPIS-9 had a mean score of 4.15 (standard deviation 0.54), and the single-item question lower mean score and twice the variation (mean 3.58, standard deviation 0.99). The two measures correlated (Spearman's Conclusion: The single-item measure showed comparable validity evidence to the MCPIS-9 and produced greater score dispersion in this sample. Given its simplicity and low respondent burden, it may be a useful alternative as and overall measure of professional identity.
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