Similar personalities in certain fields?

[Tapepsi]

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I remember telling one of my friends that I wanted to become a pediatrician and he said "Yeah I figured. You're pretty laid back and friendly". I thought it odd that he would base what he thought I would enter based on my characteristics rather than my interests. I also remember that whenever I shadowed surgeons last summer (it was the only medical shadowing experience I could get and I was surprised by how much I got out of the experience) I observed that in general certain surgeons had similar personality types (ex: ophthamologists were more reserved whereas orthopaedic surgeons were more outspoken).

Thoughts on this? Are certain personality types drawn to certain fields within medicine?

 

[slatermd]

Yes. There's a chapter on this in the book The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty (or something like that...too lazy to Google)

And there are threads on here with personality tests that tell you what specialties purportedly fit you. It isn't an exact science but there are some trends.

 

[Tapepsi]

Yes. There's a chapter on this in the book The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty (or something like that...too lazy to Google)

And there are threads on here with personality tests that tell you what specialties purportedly fit you. It isn't an exact science but there are some trends.

See to me that's really interesting, because I never really considered personality being an important factor when choosing a specialty. But now that I think about it, it makes sense.

 

[eli20]

See to me that's really interesting, because I never really considered personality being an important factor when choosing a specialty. But now that I think about it, it makes sense.

I think the biggest effect is probably having to deal with other doctors in your field. The more alike your personality is to your mentor physicians, the more likely you're going to feel like that field matches you.

 

[Wolfman89]

UVA's med school actually has a personality test online for this. http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/QuestionList.cfm

 

[mdtothepowerof2]

UVA's med school actually has a personality test online for this. http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/QuestionList.cfm

That link didn't work.

 

[Wolfman89]

That link didn't work.

Ok. This link does work lol.

http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/

 

[CaliGirl14]

Not really. My best friend's dad is an ER doctor and he's the most laid back person I've ever met. He's so chill and down to Earth. He's totally the opposite from the ER doctor I dated who was completely spastic and very wild.

 

[cowme]

There's some examples.

Radiology tends to attract Tech geeks (work with computers)
Anesthesia tends to attract lazy people and party animals (work with narcotics)
Plastic surgery tends to attract superficial people (work with fake breasts)
Ortho attracts meatheads (work with athletes)
Path attracts introverted people (work with dead people)

Obviously, these are stereotypes, but Ud be shocked at how much truth these there is to these stereotypes.

 

[Tapepsi]

Ok. This link does work lol.

http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/

Wow cool test! Thanks for sharing. 👍 My top 3 were: 1. Pediatrics (44), 2. Rheumatology (43), and 3. Hematology (43). I have definitely considered all 3 fields. I wonder what the numbers stand for?

I have to admit though that I laughed at some of the questions like "I tend to want to help people". Hopefully people wanting to enter medicine have this desire.

 

[Tapepsi]

I took the test twice (because I can't seem to sleep for some reason and b/c I wanted to see if the test was reliable) and got: 1) Pediatrics (46), 2) Med Oncology (45) (which should've been included with the last test since I got a 43 on that as well), 3) Rheumatology (44). The results stay pretty consistent.

Great find Wolfman89.

 

[lavinia]

.

 

[Tapepsi]

I don't know how accurate this test is, but I found my results quite interesting. My top 6 results were (in this order): pathology, physical med/rehabilitation, neurosurgery, hematology, endocrinology, allergy/immunology.

Most of my research & clinical experience is in pathology, hematology, and immunology. Pretty cool.

That is really cool. I wonder if other people who take the test are getting specialties that they have interests in.

 

[epsilonprodigy]

Too funny! Neurosurg is the specialty I always go back to, yet I often worry that I am not the right personality type. I tend to be sort of "bubbly" for lack of a better word, and always figured it will be difficult for me to be taken seriously. But neurosurg was the top-scoring specialty by a long shot. Peds was way down there, and I'm currently a pediatric nurse!

 

[drizzt3117]

I'd be interested to see how it correlates with what people actually go into.

 

[afugazzi]

Wow cool test! Thanks for sharing. 👍 My top 3 were: 1. Pediatrics (44), 2. Rheumatology (43), and 3. Hematology (43). I have definitely considered all 3 fields. I wonder what the numbers stand for?

I have to admit though that I laughed at some of the questions like "I tend to want to help people". Hopefully people wanting to enter medicine have this desire.

I think the numbers represent some measure of difference between your answers and the average for that field. It has always worried me that my lowest number is 51. I wonder if that means I don't have the personality of a doctor.

 

[Frazier]

Radiology.

 

[Geekchick921]

Not really. My best friend's dad is an ER doctor and he's the most laid back person I've ever met. He's so chill and down to Earth. He's totally the opposite from the ER doctor I dated who was completely spastic and very wild.

*Reads post*
*Reads age on MDApps*
*Reads post again*

I think that's kinda gross.

 

[Torr]

*Reads post*
*Reads age on MDApps*
*Reads post again*

I think that's kinda gross.

You made me look too.

Maybe he was a rreeaaally young ER doc. I'm going to assume the dating went on after your 18th bday? 😀

 

[Yakko]

And of course the most reliable one- the pretty blondes end up in Dermatology.

 

[Geekchick921]

And of course the most reliable one- the pretty blondes end up in Dermatology.

Erm... we're talking about personalities, are we not?

 

[muhali3]

I think physical appearance is somehow related to personality. Maybe not hair color...but I don't think its a coincidence that tall people tend to take up leadership roles and buff guys end up in Ortho.

edit: just found an interesting article http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091210130000.htm

 

[CaliGirl14]

You made me look too.

Maybe he was a rreeaaally young ER doc. I'm going to assume the dating went on after your 18th bday? 😀

It was legal and yes he's young.

 

[ridethecliche]

Not really. My best friend's dad is an ER doctor and he's the most laid back person I've ever met. He's so chill and down to Earth. He's totally the opposite from the ER doctor I dated who was completely spastic and very wild.

Musta had fun then.

It was legal and yes he's young.

Guess so!

I think physical appearance is somehow related to personality. Maybe not hair color...but I don't think its a coincidence that tall people tend to take up leadership roles and buff guys end up in Ortho.

edit: just found an interesting article http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091210130000.htm

Or they're interested in sports?

 

[muhali3]

Or they're interested in sports?

yeah, that was a bad example.

 

[bucks2010]

So where do all the ugly docs end up?

 

[cowme]

So where do all the ugly docs end up?

Philadelphia

 

[Torr]

Philadelphia

 

[mdtothepowerof2]

yeah, that was a bad example.

Don't buff guys usually enjoy sports?

 

[tikanisynaru]

My top three!

1. Nuclear Med
2. Dermatology
3. Radiology

 

[muhali3]

Don't buff guys usually enjoy sports?

yeah, i'm saying my example was bad, since the physical appearance of buffness is a result of sports/working out.

 

[Bayonetwork]

the physical appearance of buffness is a result of sports/working out.

It is more recently the result of roids, tanning, manscaping, eating copious amounts of meat and proteins shakes and sitting around in front of gym mirror for 3 hours with a cutoff shirt waiting 10 minutes between sets doing the same weekly routine that provides little to no progression towards fitness itself.

There is an idea of fitness...some kind of abstraction...but there is no real fitness. Only an entity. Something illusory. And though they can hide their cold gaze, and you can shake their hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense your workout is comparable, they simply are not there.