Abstract
Professional identity formation (PIF) is the process through which learners come to see themselves, and to be seen by others, as members of a profession. Interprofessional education (IPE) may support PIF, but this remains underexplored in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS), a less visible profession whose standing in interprofessional spaces cannot be assumed. This exploratory qualitative study, informed by the Landscapes of Practice (LoP) framework, involved three focus groups with 18 MLS students at Gulf Medical University, UAE, who had completed at least two IPE sessions. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were constructed: (1) Granted, not claimed: recognition as the condition for engagement; (2) Imagining a role that reaches the patient; and (3) Making the laboratory contribution count: the conditions for alignment. Engagement depended largely on whether peers recognised students’ contribution; students in all year groups recalled early exclusion, Year 4 students more often described recognition growing over time, and Year 3 students more often described episodic exclusion, in which recognition given in one discussion was withheld in the next. Imagination sustained a valued picture of their role against status threats, while orientation, case design, and facilitation shaped whether laboratory knowledge became credible across professions. Recognition, knowledgeability, and belonging appeared socially conferred and, for some students, fragile; these patterns may also reflect group composition, delivery mode, and the early stage of students’ profession-specific identity. Clear orientation, cases that require laboratory input, and facilitator preparation may support more equitable participation for less visible professions.