How future work self-salience influences occupational sense of mission among medical students in the post-pandemic era: a dual-perspective analysis from variable-centered and person-centered approaches based on professional identity

In the post-pandemic era, medical students' future work self-salience enhances their occupational sense of mission by strengthening professional identity; however, individual heterogeneity leads to differential effect magnitudes. Educational interventions targeting students with low occupational sense of mission should strengthen future work self-salience and professional identity training to elevate overall occupational sense of mission and support sustainable development of healthcare professionals in the post-pandemic context.