Professional Identity Formation in Traditional Chinese Medicine Students: An Educational Perspective using Triple-Valued Neutrosophic Set

Professional identity formation (PIF) is a critical aspect of medical education, shaping how students internalize the values, knowledge, and behaviors of their chosen field. In the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where healing is deeply intertwined with philosophy, culture, and ethical practice, PIF takes on a unique and multifaceted character. This paper explores the educational structures, pedagogical strategies, and experiential components that influence the professional identity development of TCM students. It highlights the importance of cultural immersion, reflective practice, mentorship, and integrated clinical exposure in nurturing a cohesive sense of professional self within the context of TCM’s historical and philosophical underpinnings. This study uses the Triple-Valued Neutrosophic Set (TVNS) to deal with uncertainty and vague information. TVNS has five membership functions such as truth, indeterminacy for truth, indeterminacy neither truth nor falsity, indeterminacy for falsity, and falsity. We show case study with five criteria and ten alternatives.