Abstract

Background: We are facing a global crisis that threatens the survival of the planet. Although during the last decades a set of measures have been suggested to tackle this global crisis, results have not been auspicious. State of the art: Given the important role of professionals in modern societies, in this work it is argued that a systematic development of professional identity during the initial training is key for sustainable development. It is proposed that this professional identity could be built based on the following dimensions: (a) integration of subjective, professional, and scientific knowledge, (b) creativity to address current and future problems, (c) prosociality, and (d) ecology. The objective of this work is to support such urgency in order to respond to the global crisis and provide suggestions that guide the systematic development of professional identity during the initial training based on these dimensions. Conclusions: From the review of scientific literature, the need to systematically form the professional identity based on the aforementioned dimensions is argued, and suggestions are provided in this regard.