{"id":5416,"date":"2024-03-21T00:23:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T00:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jugular.org.au\/?p=5416"},"modified":"2024-03-21T00:23:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T00:23:22","slug":"will-i-be-a-good-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jugular.org.au\/index.php\/2024\/03\/21\/will-i-be-a-good-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"Will I be a Good Doctor?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 28 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

Written By: Patrick Zhang, Edited By: Vivian Xu<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amidst the confusing deluge of all things anatomy, histology and biochemistry, there was one thing that I found enjoyable in my first five weeks of medicine (apart from hearing Reza say esquamous over and over). The event in question occurred during none other than Professor Melissa Green\u2019s lecture \u201cPsychiatry: Introduction to Human Behaviour\u201d. To save you from rewatching an hour\u2019s worth of Foundies content, the lecture was essentially on genetics and different personality theories. The part my friends and I decided to focus on was something called the \u201c\u2018Big 5\u2019 Personality Traits\u201d. Developed by D. W. Fiske in 1949 and expanded on later by a lot of other random people, this theory divides an individual\u2019s personality into five different aspects: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism (I just realised that spells ocean). Each of these traits reflects continuous distributions, in other words, it\u2019s a spectrum. Most of them are pretty self-explanatory, for example, achieving 80% in the openness measurement would mean you\u2019re pretty open to new experiences and ideas. Perhaps the only mystifying trait is neuroticism, but that means you\u2019re prone to feelings of anxiety impulsiveness and vulnerability.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve taken other personality questionnaires before like MBTI (Myers-Briggs) or the Enneagram Personality Test, one difference you may have noticed is that the \u2018Big 5\u2019 doesn\u2019t diagnose you with a \u2018type\u2019. What surprised me the most about Fiske\u2019s theory itself was its inclusion of \u2018neuroticism\u2019 as a characteristic. All of the other traits are positively connoted, or neutral at the very least, with similar personality tests choosing to use the terms \u201cemotional stability\u201d or \u201csteadiness\u201d instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, being the diligent students we are, my friends and I decided to take matters into our own hands and took the \u2018Big 5\u2019 test to truly personalise our understandings (Melissa would be proud). Feel free to have a go at it yourself, after you finish reading my article of course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.truity.com\/test\/big-five-personality-test<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The figure above shows my results (I didn\u2019t legally obtain consent to use my friends\u2019 \u2018confidential\u2019 results). My scores were pretty much in line with my expectations – just a bit more extreme than anticipated. All my friends unsurprisingly received varying results, with the only real similarity being that we all scored decently in the neurotic trait (go us?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okie dokie, that\u2019s cool and all, but what are the ideal qualities of a doctor? A French study compared unselected first-year medical students with \u2018successful\u2019 third-years (to qualify for full-time medical training in France, one must finish in the top 15% of the cohort). The study found that the latter group scored relatively lower on Agreeableness and Openness (Plaisant et al, 2011). However, this is expected, due to the need for fierce competition and a narrow academic focus to \u2018succeed\u2019. When compared with another study on Flemish medical students in Belgium, the results differed significantly. In the selection process, Flemish students undertook video-based situational tests in addition to traditional cognitive ability measures, taking into account interpersonal and communicative skills (Plaisant et al, 2011). Therefore, it makes sense that the selected medical students achieved higher Agreeableness and Extraversion when compared with the general population. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what\u2019s the takeaway from this? Entry and selection tests vary depending on the institution and its assessment criterion. However, most schools would agree that a \u201cgood personality mix\u201d is desirable. At the end of the day, the most important quality a medical practitioner should have is the ability to provide the right diagnosis, making the patient feel comfortable whilst doing so. There are many avenues to achieve this, with no set mould of what makes a good doctor. What\u2019s more, one\u2019s personality can change significantly over time and the \u2018Big 5\u2019 test is definitive by no means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plaisant, O., Courtois, R., Toussaint, P.-J., Mendelsohn, G., Oliver, J., & Moxham, B. (n.d.). Medical students\u2019 Big Five Personality scores and the effects on the \u201cselection process.\u201d<\/em> Retrieved March 17, 2024, from https:\/\/hal.science\/hal-02864299\/document<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 1<\/span>\n \n 100<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
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\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written By: Patrick Zhang, Edited By: Vivian Xu Amidst the confusing deluge of all things anatomy, histology and biochemistry, there was one thing that I found enjoyable in my first five weeks of medicine (apart from hearing Reza say esquamous over and over). The event in question occurred during none<\/p>\n

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