Abstract
There has been
increasing interest in the personalities of doctors. This study examined
whether personality differed based upon gender, level of training or medical
speciality among 200 physicians and 134 medical students. Post-internship
doctors scored significantly higher on conscientiousness (p=.001) than those pursuing basic medical training. Among those
pursuing basic medical training, females scored significantly higher than males
on agreeableness (p lt;.001) and
conscientiousness (p=.001). Among
post-internship respondents, females scored significantly higher on
agreeableness (p=.004). There were no
personality differences between post-internship doctors working in different
specialities. However, among those pursuing basic medical training, those
interested in person-focused medical specialities scored significantly higher
on extraversion (p lt;.001),
conscientiousness (p=.001), and lower
on neuroticism (p=.01) than those who
had no strong preference. These results suggest that there is no unique
personality profile associated with medical practice, or medical speciality.
Instead, it appears that medical school may shape personality.
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Irish Medical Journal |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2015 |
Authors (Note for portal: view the doc link for the full list of authors)
- Authors
- Lydon, S., OConnor, P., McVeigh, T., Offiah, G., Byrne, D.