The Power of Belonging- ‘Arriving’ as a Core Member of a Clinician Educator Community of Practice’

<ns4:p>Introduction Professional Identity Formation represents an ongoing process of negotiation among Professional Identities. Graduate Medical Educators regularly negotiate among multiple PIs (e.g. clinician, teacher, researcher, leader). We set out to understand how Clinician Educators realized that they had “arrived”, which is to say become a core member of their Clinician Educator community, and how, if at all, did the core member identity affect how they presented in their professional lives? Methods We used reflexive thematic analysis with Communities of Practice as a sensitizing construct. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among clinician educators in Graduate Medical Education. Participants were recruited using the snowball method from among faculty who currently hold or previously held positions of leadership within Graduate Medical Education. Results Four themes emerged from our inductive coding: Clinical Educators “Triple Threat”; External Validation of Belonging; Release from Constraint; and Renegotiating Identity Relationships. Conclusion Clinician educators’ experience of “arriving” as core members of Clinician Educator Communities of Practice provides a window into what facilitates a sense of belonging in these communities. Additionally, these findings shed light on how achieving this milestone alters the valence of a range of professional identities as well as claims to the clinician educator identity. This understanding offers a range of tools to encourage active members of a Community of Practice towards full participation as core members. By assuring a sense of belonging within Clinician Educator Communities of Practice, we can release creative and dynamic energy to the benefit of the community and of learners alike.</ns4:p>