@article {Flaming95, author = {D Flaming}, title = {Becoming a nurse: {\textquotedblleft}it{\textquoteright}s just who I am{\textquotedblright}}, volume = {31}, number = {2}, pages = {95--100}, year = {2005}, doi = {10.1136/jmh.2005.000202}, publisher = {Institute of Medical Ethics}, abstract = {In any research study, researchers situate themselves, either explicitly or implicitly, within a variety of frameworks when studying phenomena. From a research perspective, the study will be more robust if these frameworks and the accompanying assumptions are compatible with each other; otherwise, the project may lack coherence. Ricoeur offers a methodological perspective{\textemdash}that is, an interpretive theory as reflected in mimesis, which is congruent with his ontological theory of self identity (ipse- and idem-identity). To illustrate Ricoeur{\textquoteright}s frameworks when researching the self identities, I use examples from a research study in which I asked senior nursing students to explore their experience of becoming a nurse. I do not intend for this article to be a comprehensive research report, but I present it as an exemplar of how Ricoeur{\textquoteright}s ideas can guide other researchers studying self identity. I labelled my study a narrative research project and assumed that becoming a nurse means developing a self identity as a nurse. While self identity is often framed in psychological terms, Ricoeur uses a philosophical perspective when exploring this concept. I conclude the paper by suggesting (a) that Ricoeur can guide any project in which researchers ask participants to describe {\textquotedblleft}becoming{\textquotedblright} a person with illness, sickness or disease, and (b) that educators of healthcare professional students can improve the educative experience by purposefully considering how a student{\textquoteright}s ontological self affects that student{\textquoteright}s practice.}, issn = {1468-215X}, URL = {https://mh.bmj.com/content/31/2/95}, eprint = {https://mh.bmj.com/content/31/2/95.full.pdf}, journal = {Medical Humanities} }