Exploring the effective elements on the personal and professional development among health‑care providers: A qualitative study

A new domain of “personal and professional development” was introduced as a core competency of health‑care providers. This study aimed to explore the experiences of learners and faculty members about what competencies or skills were essential for the professional development and success of health‑care providers.

This is a qualitative study using an inductive content analysis approach in 2019–2020. In the present study, 58 academic faculty members participated by purposeful sampling including ten associate professors (17.24%) and 24 assistance professors (41.37%), in addition to 23‑year medical residents (20.65%) and 4th‑year nursing students (20.65%). Individual and group interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed by the inductive content analysis approach introduced by Graneheim and Lundman.

The qualitative data were classified in 953 open codes and eight categories, which were further divided into four main categories: “socio‑emotional skills,” “life‑long learning skills,” “coping skills,” and “well‑being strategies.”

The present results showed socioemotional and coping skills affect interpersonal and professional interactions that contributed to their improved health‑care providers’ capabilities. Participants also considered lifelong learning as influential in developing professional capabilities and keeping their knowledge and skills up‑to‑date for accountability to duties. Moreover, using well‑being strategies protects the mental and physical health of health‑care providers. These skills are synergistic, and their combination can have a significant role in improving the personal and professional capabilities.