Objective To identify the influence of personality on medical students' career specialty choices.
Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 2 100 students randomly selected from a medical college using Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) to collect their demographic data and specialty preferences. The relationship between personality and specialty preferences was analyzed.
Results There were significant differences in the scores of E scale (extraversion-introversion) among internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and adjuvant diagnosis (respectively 11.34& #177;3.70, 12.31& #177;3.41, 12.26& #177;3.56, 11.88& #177;3.34, 10.93& #177;3.33, F=4.77, P<0.05). Multiple comparisons found significant differences in the scores among different specialties: internal medicine < surgery, internal medicine < obstetrics and gynecology, adjuvant diagnosis < surgery, adjuvant diagnosis < obstetrics and gynecology, adjuvant diagnosis < pediatrics, and therefore adjuvant diagnosis < internal medicine < pediatrics < obstretrics and gynecology < surgery. There were significant differences in the scores of E scale between males and females (12.30& #177;3.63, 11.56& #177;3.39, F=6.67, P<0.05), and in the scores of P scale (psychotism) between males and females (6.79& #177;3.56, 4.95& #177;2.79, F=67.20, P<0.05).
Conclusion The personalities of medical students can help to predict their career preferences. Career counseling from both schools and hospitals can help to relieve their employment stress.
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