Abstract
This thesis examines how sports doctors maintain professionalism in the ethically complex sporting environment. Using qualitative interviews with 19 New Zealand doctors 10 experienced and 9 novices the study explores differences in knowledge, skills, strategies, and professional identity profiles between these cohorts. Analysis, using informed and classical grounded theory, reveals that experienced doctors develop a Sporting Environment Specific Professional Identity (SESPI), comprising five attributes: knowledge, self-confidence, adaptability, resistance to pressure, and ecological awareness. SESPI enables doctors to maintain their professional standards despite significant environmental pressures, such as demands from coaches, team pressures, and cultural norms that prioritise performance over health and patient welfare. Novice doctors, by contrast, lack SESPI and may have naïve expectations, limited awareness of challenges, and may therefore be vulnerable to professional lapses. This research critiques existing literature’s reliance on environmental explanations and introduces professional identity development as a key determinant of professional practice. Recommendations include a SESPI-focused orientation program to better prepare novice doctors to work in this context.