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The following is a summary of “Personality and interest in general practice: results from an online survey among medical students,” published in the December 2024 issue of Primary Care by Krauthausen et al.
The shortage of General Practitioners (GPs) in Europe, especially in rural areas, is exacerbated by an ageing workforce and insufficient training. Personality traits, as measured by the 5-Factor Model, influence medical students’ interest in pursuing General Practice as a specialty.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine how medical students’ personality traits influence their interest in GPs and their intention to pursue it as a specialty.
They conducted an online survey starting in March 2021 among medical students at the University of Würzburg, collecting cross-sectional data on the ‘Big 5’ personality traits and career choice aspects. By December 2022, they invited 3 cohorts of first-year students and one cohort each of third-, fifth-, and sixth-year students. Linear regression and path modeling were used to analyze the relationship between personality traits, interest in GP, and intention to choose it as a specialty, controlling for age, gender, and semester using covariates.
The results showed that higher levels of agreeableness and neuroticism predicted greater interest in GP, while higher levels of conscientiousness and openness predicted less interest. The effect of extraversion was unclear. Age was a significant predictor, with older age linked to greater interest in GP. Gender was not a significant predictor, and semester results were inconclusive. Interest in GP predicted the intention to choose it as a specialty. Personality dimensions indirectly affected this intention, mediated by interest in GP. R2 = 7.7% of the variance in interest was explained by personality dimensions and covariates.
Investigators found that students’ personality traits predicted their interest in GP and intention to choose it as a specialty. The study highlighted the potential benefits of integrating personality assessments into career counseling and medical school admission criteria.
Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-024-02682-0
