A new study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery investigates the use of personality scores in the selection of neurosurgical residents.
Here are six insights:
1. For the study, personality assessments were given to 54 neurosurgery applicants from the Cleveland Clinic Neurosurgical Residency Program.
2. Researchers examined the correlation between traditional measures used to evaluate a residency applicant — such as United States Medical Licensing Examination scores, number of publications and grades — and corresponding personality traits.
3. The study found that high performers remain calm under pressure, are compliant with rules, are sensitive to patient needs and stay current with medical trends.
4. Low performers, on the other hand, tend to overreact to stressful situations, are sensitive to criticism, are overly self-confident and make impractical decisions.
5. Additionally, high performers had a strong desire to help others, a need for structure to minimize risk, an appreciation of doing what's right for the patient and valued relationships more than profitability.
6. However, it is important to recognize that there is no "best" personality for a career in neurosurgery.
"When dealing with patients, particularly in neurosurgery, the stakes are incredibly high," says Edward Benzel, MD, chairman, department of neurological surgery, Cleveland Clinic. "Therefore, it was important for us to identify additional tools and methods to ensure our selection process was as accurate as possible when considering candidates for our neurosurgical residency training program."