Personality predictors of surgical specialties choice among students of nursing

Abstract

Background Holland’s theory of congruence, according to which one’s career choice is an expression of personality traits common to a given profession, constitutes a theoretical background for this research. The construct of the Distinct Surgical Personality (DSP) is an exemplification of the idea of a congruent match between one’s personality and the requirements of the medical environment. In previous studies the authors revised their proposition concerning the DSP concept to include not only personality traits but also preferred values. This paper aims at verifying the proposition that this concept may also refer to students of nursing who select surgical specialties. Participants and procedure The study involved 163 students of nursing at the Medical University of Lublin aged 21-29 (M = 23.19, SD = 3.67). Students who opted for surgical specialities constituted the criterion group (N = 98). The study employed the Polish versions of the Personality Inventory NEO-FFI and the Schwartz Value Survey. Results There are two significant predictors of surgical specialties choice in nursing: a higher-level value of openness to change and extraversion. The tested model, which incorporates personality traits and preferred values, has proved congruent with the data, and allows for the proper classification of 79% of students who declared surgical specialties. Conclusions The results suggest the existence of a specific personality of surgical nurses. While clear adaptability to the specific environment has been determined, there are differences with respect to the concept of DSP, referring to doctors, widely discussed in the literature. In both cases these constructs look different, and are dependent on various types of professional activities within the therapeutic team.

Keywords

• John L. Holland’s theory of congruence
• specialty in nursing
• personality traits
• preferred values