Surgeons' personalities: the influence of medical school

Abstract

Does medical school shape surgeons' personalities? This research retrospectively compares personality test results of 17 surgical and 44 non-surgical specialists trained at the same medical school. Fifty-five standardized personality measures at two developmental periods (the outset and the conclusion of medical school) revealed no pronounced differences between surgeons and other specialists. Interviews with 30 academic doctors (10 surgeons, 10 anaesthesiologists and 10 psychiatrists) explore the apparent discrepancy between personality tests scores and commonly held opinions that surgeons' personalities differ from other doctors.