PharmD Personality Types

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Since there is a lot of discussion about why someone would choose to pursue an MD/DO or PharmD, I was curious if any of you have observed and personality traits that tend to go with one group or the other. I'm not talking about career interests such as "I'm going into pharmacy because of shorter school, better hours and flexibility." I also know every profession has its outliers, but I curious about general personality trends.

For example, do you think pharmacists tend to be more introverted/extroverted, cognitive/hands-on, etc. Or perhaps you think there aren't any personality types that gravitate to one profession or the other. Just curious what people think.
 
This is a really interesting topic. I'm very much a creature of habit. I always sat in the same chair for class when I was in school. I always park in the same parking spot at work. Things that are repetitive don't really seem boring to me but are more comfortable since they are familiar. Adults throwing fits in front of me doesn't really bother me. I usually just let them finish the ranting and arm flailing then ask them with an amused smile if they are finished and ready to start acting like an adult so that I can help them. I think those two personality traits listed above will be helpful when I am working as a pharmacist. Repetition is just part of the game and grouchy people are just par for the course.

*Edit* I should probably also mention that the first time pharmacy was even mentioned to me was after I took a test in undergrad. It asked you a lot of questions about your personality/likes/dislikes and then matched your personality with different jobs. One was a hotel manager (already worked in hotels and I loved it), a physician (maybe if I was younger). Then pharmacist was mentioned. What? Like I'd want to stand around all day and count pills? Are they crazy?! Well after learning more about pharmacy and volunteering in a pharmacy I have to admit...the test was right.
 
Actually....I have lots of thoughts on this topic particularly since I'm a PharmD, my husband is a DDS & our daughter is an MS II.

I think all 3 of us reflect some of the personality traits which MIGHT be factors in what make one gravitate to one area or another...neither of us would be happy in the other one's shoes!

I'll try to expand later....but, I'm off to work.
 
At the beginning of fall semester at Shenandoah, we took the Myers-Briggs personality test. From what I gathered, it seems many pharmacists match up with the "ISTJ" personality type. Test results for me were of this type as well. Take a look below...

http://www.typelogic.com/istj.html
 
That's interesting you mentioned the Myers-Briggs test result. When I was a senior in high school, we were given that exam. I remember getting "ISTJ".
 
ISTJ here as well.
 
I think a lot of health care professionals are definetly Type A personality. I think some of it may be due to the classes you take before and during the training process, because you really need to make things happen during that time and not sit around, but then again, I think a lot of us are just naturally that way, too.

Oh, I think I'm an ENTJ...which if my memory serves me well, means: extraverted, iNtuitive, thinking, judging

I guess I may be the oddball.
 
I'm also ISTJ personality. It's so weird....
 
I truly don't have any idea what an ISTJ personality is....I guess I should read up on it.

However...from a practical perspective...the difference between my daughter & I mostly is her desire to learn to figure out WHY.....my desire is to learn to figure out HOW...

That may be difficult to distinguish, but once I know the why of someone is taking medications, I love to help patients understand the WHAT they are taking it, HOW to take it, WHAT to expect & WHEN to contact me or their prescriber.

As for the "why" one drug is used rather than another....I can help my daughter elicit why one can choose one ACE inhibitor rather than another or why one antibiotic is more appropriate than another. But...I can tel,l even into her second yea,r that diagnosis - or the figuring out of the disease process is more what she is interested in. She is more interested in what works - the detail, unless she specializes, right now is not so important. I find that to be true of my physician colleagues as well. They have their "favorites" which they prescribe first. If formulary or side effects require them to make another choice, they have a second line. However...the detail of the chemistry, stereospecificity, etc....are not important unless necessary. That is intended in no way to diminish their experience, education, good medical practice...it seems just to be the area of interest. They like to diagnose - I don't.

As for the education part...we'll see...she has good intentions, but I think physicians good intentions are compromised by economic realities. We'll see what happens to her as she progresses & matures in her career choice. I can & do have time to educate folks on their medications & their diseases as well.

As for dentists - they are a whole different breed. They love to work with their hands in little, tiny spaces. They obsess about the colors of white. They are extremely detail oriented & love to fine tune the little bits of anything which might simultate something realistic. They are also a bit artitistic (altho my husband would cringe if he knew I said that). These are all good traits in a dentist, but would drive me ABSOLUTELY crazy on a daily basis.

We, all three, are Type A personalities. However, we have a son who is absolutely NOT a Type A - he is laid back, easy going, doesn't obsess about grades or exams, may have worries - but won't trouble anyone with them and is pursuing digital media as a career. Go figure - genetics is an interesting thing!

That is my one tiny sample size of n=4. Take it for what its worth!
 
I'm ENTP, which isn't a good type for repetitive, tedious tasks. But, it is great for patient counseling. The best part of pharmacy to me is talking with people and listening to them. Many people who come into the pharmacy are elderly, lonely and want someone to listen.
 
I took that test with skeksis this semester 🙂 I think I was ENFJ... so 2 out of 4. Our class really did follow the trend for the most part. So I'm weird but that's okay 🙂
 
Interesting - I usually come up as an INTP. When I read the descriptors on that website, I still think that this is mostly right - although I think I might waver on the P/J part.

So far in pharmacy school and my experiences in shadowing and working in retail hospital, I've noticed all types of people - introverts, extroverts, etc. But I think that most of us all share something in common - the need for order. One of my professors said recently "you can't be a pharmacist if you aren't a little OCD." I think that this rings true.

Edit: I just took a test at http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp, and I came up as an ISTJ. Hmmmmm....
 
This is very interesting because this question reminded me of the Interest Inventory exam I took one year in college. I remember seeing a few of the following professions that the exam told me might suit me: Actuary 😕, Special Ed teacher 😱, Pharmacist 😳. My mother had been telling before I took this test of how she thought teacher or pharmacist might be a good route for me.... I was rather dismayed to see how well she knew me.

Anyway... 😀

This is a really interesting topic. I'm very much a creature of habit. I always sat in the same chair for class when I was in school. I always park in the same parking spot at work. Things that are repetitive don't really seem boring to me but are more comfortable since they are familiar. Adults throwing fits in front of me doesn't really bother me. I usually just let them finish the ranting and arm flailing then ask them with an amused smile if they are finished and ready to start acting like an adult so that I can help them. I think those two personality traits listed above will be helpful when I am working as a pharmacist. Repetition is just part of the game and grouchy people are just par for the course.
Click to expand...

Like Glowwyrm, I also am a creature of habit. I must be since I would sit in the same chair for class (or lunch) as well. Repetition doesn't bother me TOO much. People throwing fits and ranting does bother me but I just let them rant and nod and say, "I see. I know. I'm sorry to hear that. I'll do the best I can to help you." etc. I don't smile. 😛

I think I am ISTJ as well. What's a Type A personality?

I love to help patients understand the WHAT they are taking it, HOW to take it, WHAT to expect & WHEN to contact me or their prescriber.
Click to expand...
Like sdn1977 I would probably love to help patients understand the above. I like to instruct (but no, I don't want to be a teacher at this time), and the people I admire most in the office I work at right now is the RN (she knows so much! 😍 ) and one of the PA (he's so good and willing to explain things! but then again, he teaches at universities... 😍 ).


I love to learn. I always have a LOT of questions. I was a tutor in a tutoring program at my university, and the directors knew my name because of my questions. Every training session they would call on me even if I don't have my hand raised and ask, "So, do you have any questions? Or three?" And my coworkers and supervisor like to tease me sometimes: "I'm sure you have a list of questions you are ready to ask...".

I don't like not having anything to do when I am at work. When I first started out in this job, I would constantly ask, "Is there anything I can do?" They wanted to start me slow since I had no experience whatsoever. My supervisor was always telling me, "Don't worry. Take it easy. There will come a time when you've got so much work to do, you can't even think." :laugh: He's right.

I consider myself to be rather meticulous, detail-oriented, and orderly. I like organization. I like knowing exactly what I have to do. I have a bit of a perfectionist streak so if I make a mistake or something, it bothers me a lot.

I like to help out. I had wanted to be a doctor when I was younger to help care for my parents and my neighbors when they were older. I like being useful. In past forums I've registered for, I would jump to answer questions if I knew the answer.


Several months ago I was wondering whether I should be an accountant or pharmacist. I chose to study pharmacy because I wanted to help people and to instruct, and I didn't think I'd be doing much of either as an accountant.

That said, if my plans to go into pharmacy don't work out, I'll probably go into teaching. I think I might like teaching high school math, elementary school, theology, or do research on religious education.


...
So far in pharmacy school and my experiences in shadowing and working in retail hospital, I've noticed all types of people - introverts, extroverts, etc. But I think that most of us all share something in common - the need for order. One of my professors said recently "you can't be a pharmacist if you aren't a little OCD." I think that this rings true.

Edit: I just took a test at http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp, and I came up as an ISTJ.
Click to expand...

heh. I didn't see this post until after I posted. Anyway, I don't consider myself OCD, although I find I don't feel I can work without a bit of organization in my life. When my desk got too messy, I took nearly half the day to tidy things up. There is no official training program in place here (or organized training in general) so I started typing up the notes I have for future coworkers and myself.
Also, I just took that test above and came up with ISFJ.

Edit: Reading the description for ISFJ, I think it fits me quite well. Too well in fact. -_-;
 
I'm an ESFJ (though my career councelor stated that I am about equal on the sensing and intuition)..😀
 
Moxxie said:
Interesting - I usually come up as an INTP. When I read the descriptors on that website, I still think that this is mostly right - although I think I might waver on the P/J part.

So far in pharmacy school and my experiences in shadowing and working in retail hospital, I've noticed all types of people - introverts, extroverts, etc. But I think that most of us all share something in common - the need for order. One of my professors said recently "you can't be a pharmacist if you aren't a little OCD." I think that this rings true.

Edit: I just took a test at http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp, and I came up as an ISTJ. Hmmmmm....
Click to expand...

Just took it for the fun of it. INTJ, relative strenghts 78, 11, 25, 12. So I'm pretty close to borderline on N/J, Hardcore introvert. Though there were a few false dichotomies. Careful planning vs going off emotions. Don't most people do a little of both. Yet, only yes or no. And quite frankly I find books and parties equally worth avoiding (I know it sounds odd from someone who's been in school for so long.) How does a strong introvert find wanting to work in a field where you can't not talk to someone? Anyway, just oddities of "scientific" personality profiling.
 
I'm kind of laughing to myself that so many of us are ISTJ. I can just imagine my first year of pharmacy school. Everyone sitting around staring at each other but no one being extroverted enough to actually talk to each other. haha I know we aren't really *that* introverted but it's funny to think of it to an extreme like that.
 
Julianne said:
ISFJ here, too -

What an interesting thread!
Click to expand...

I'm either ISTJ or INTJ. For me, I think (although I'm rather introverted) there's a difference between being introverted in a work situation and in a social situation. I can be more extroverted when I need to be, and more extroverted when I'm in a position of knowledge. However, I will never truly enjoy having to make a lot of phone calls or being in large groups of people. In fact, I find that sometimes just being in my pharmacy class (148 people) irritates me - I'm used to much smaller classes.
 
ISTJ here as well 🙂
 
ISTJ, perhaps there is something to this!!?!
 
Rxgrrl said:
I'm an ESFJ (though my career councelor stated that I am about equal on the sensing and intuition)..😀
Click to expand...

Same here, I'm ESFJ! 🙂 From what has been said here, it makes me wonder why the introverted types are the majority (so far).
 
INTJ

This describes me to a t "When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know."
 
I've noticed a large amount of J's (judging) , where I'm the only P (perceiving). I'm like 100% P with no J at all. I went to a seminar on Meyers-Briggs personality testing. Perceivers are "go with the flow" type of people where Judgers like to have strict rules. Maybe there are so many J's in pharmacy because it is fairly disciplined. Where as I hate rules and discipline. If there's an easier way to do something, I will find it and get around the restrictions somehow. Maybe I chose the wrong career.
 
INFJ according to the link posted above.

A part of me almost wonders if the whole science thing has anything to do with all our introvertedness. From what I've seen, people who enjoy science/math are more likely to be introverted than people who prefer english/art/etc.
 
senzabee said:
Same here, I'm ESFJ! 🙂 From what has been said here, it makes me wonder why the introverted types are the majority (so far).
Click to expand...

Yay! I'm so glad I'm not the only one! *hugs* 😀
 
Don't know what type of personality i have, but i can tell you that i am pretty cool most of the time. The key word is "most", not "all". As long as you don't push my button, i treat you nice, kindly and respect. Once the button is pushed too hard and too far away, I won't hesitate to give a middle finger to you.:laugh: even if u're my boss.
 
ESTJ

I feel alone. 🙁
 
This isn't the actual Myers-Briggs test--but it's based off of it--and can give some an idea of what they are--I got the same result as what I did when I took the actual Myers-Briggs test 😀 :

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
 
Samoa said:
ENTJ. I was definitely the ugly duckling in pharmacy school, and I feel much more at home as a med student.
Click to expand...

That girl scount cookie avaitor makes your posts so long...weird.

That's odd that you say you were the odd ball with ENTJ, because that's what I am, and it seems that a lot of pharmacy students have the same type of personality as me. I definetly agree with you on the med. student comment.
 
ENTP.

I guess I knew that before I took the test. I like the talking with people and helping them understand more than anything. That's the job to me more than anything.
 
Hey azncrusador your not the only one, ESTJ here too.
 
rxlynn said:
I'm either ISTJ or INTJ. For me, I think (although I'm rather introverted) there's a difference between being introverted in a work situation and in a social situation. I can be more extroverted when I need to be, and more extroverted when I'm in a position of knowledge. However, I will never truly enjoy having to make a lot of phone calls or being in large groups of people. In fact, I find that sometimes just being in my pharmacy class (148 people) irritates me - I'm used to much smaller classes.
Click to expand...

I think I am both ISTJ and ISFJ. I agree with you about there being a difference between being introverted in one situation as compared to another situation.

I find that when I am in a position of knowledge, I am more confident, more likely to take the initiative, and perhaps more extroverted. When I am in unfamiliar grounds, I stay quiet and uncertain.

I don't like making a lot of phone calls or being in large groups of people either. Unfortunately in my job, I make LOTS of phone calls. 🙁
 
dgroulx said:
I've noticed a large amount of J's (judging) , where I'm the only P (perceiving). I'm like 100% P with no J at all. I went to a seminar on Meyers-Briggs personality testing. Perceivers are "go with the flow" type of people where Judgers like to have strict rules. Maybe there are so many J's in pharmacy because it is fairly disciplined. Where as I hate rules and discipline. If there's an easier way to do something, I will find it and get around the restrictions somehow. Maybe I chose the wrong career.
Click to expand...

I'm the same as you...but pts will love you (or at least not be pissed off at you, which is the same in my book) if you work in retail. I would always try my best to figure out ways for pts to get around obstacles like PAs and whatnot. Well, until my manager started using ridiculous phrases like "we can't do that" and "that's insurance fraud".
 
dgroulx said:
I've noticed a large amount of J's (judging) , where I'm the only P (perceiving). I'm like 100% P with no J at all. I went to a seminar on Meyers-Briggs personality testing. Perceivers are "go with the flow" type of people where Judgers like to have strict rules. Maybe there are so many J's in pharmacy because it is fairly disciplined. Where as I hate rules and discipline. If there's an easier way to do something, I will find it and get around the restrictions somehow. Maybe I chose the wrong career.
Click to expand...

I came up with the same score/title (ENFJ). I mean I agree somewhat with it and the interpretation of the results by Keirsey did ring some bells with my personality but it got me to wondering: do most people answer honestly or instinctively answer the way that they perceive themselves as? and If so, does this test take that into account? (hmmm, I should ask my Biostats professor when I get back from vacation) I tried to answer as honestly as possible but like you I cant explain some of the conclusions that it came up with:I coundnt care less for rules yet it scored me w/ 44% judging. So Either that info from your seminar about perceivers vs. judgers is flawed or this test is. I know this isnt a "real" test but I was just wondering.
 
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