# Professional identity among forensic medicine students: a cross-sectional study in Jiangsu Province, East China

## TL;DR

This study explores how professional identity affects academic performance among forensic medicine students in Jiangsu Province, finding it positively linked to learning engagement and achievement.

## Contribution

The study introduces a focused analysis of professional identity in forensic medicine education, a niche area previously underexplored in educational literature.

## Key findings

- Professional identity is positively correlated with learning engagement and academic achievement.
- Learning engagement mediates 49.445% of the effect of professional identity on academic achievement.
- Factors like student leadership, specialty knowledge, and educational stage significantly influence professional identity.

## Abstract

Exploring the impact of professional identity on the academic performance of students is crucial for improving teaching effectiveness and educational outcomes in this field. Forensic medicine is a niche interdisciplinary discipline in the medical system. However, current educational literature on professional identity development does not adequately address forensic medicine students.

This study aimed to assess the professional identity among forensic medicine students, explore factors associated with professional identity, and determine the role of professional identity in shaping students’ learning engagement and their subsequent academic achievements.

A cross-sectional study was executed for forensic medicine students from a medical university in Jiangsu Province, East China between November and December 2023. Using the method of cluster sampling, 159 undergraduates majoring in forensic medicine were investigated. Data were collected using the demographic questionnaire, and the scales of professional identity, learning engagement, and academic achievement. Linear regression was used to explore professional identity-associated factors. Pearson correlation and mediation analysis were used to analyze the relationship between professional identity, learning engagement, and academic achievement.

The mean score of professional identity was 3.85. Grade (senior: β = 0.353, P = 0.004; fifth-year: β = 0.392, P = 0.001), student leader experience (β = 0.157, P = 0.037), specialty selection (major assignment: β=-0.215, P = 0.014), knowledge of the specialty before enrollment (β = 0.095, P = 0.033), and current knowledge of the specialty (β = 0.245, P = 0.000) were the statistically significant factors influencing professional identity. Professional identity, learning engagement, and academic achievement were positively correlated (P < 0.001). Learning engagement played an intermediate role between professional identity and academic achievement, accounting for 49.445% of the total effect.

These findings highlight the pivotal role of professional identity as a strategic mechanism for improving academic achievement in forensic medicine education, with learning engagement serving as the primary mediating factor. As a multifaceted and evolving construct, professional identity is shaped by an interplay of personal, specialty and perception factors. Generating awareness and taking measures among forensic educators to enhance students’ professional identity across stages may be crucial for promoting the quality of forensic talent training.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-07387-1.

Forensic medicine students exhibited a moderate level of professional identity (Mean Self-Rated Score: 3.85).

Professional identity varies across educational stages, and is affected by various factors such as student leader experience, specialty selection, and knowledge of the specialty.

Professional identity is positively correlated with both learning engagement and academic achievement. Learning engagement plays an intermediate role between professional identity and academic achievement, accounting for 49.445% of the total effect.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-07387-1.