Short Communications
Specialty choices of postgraduate medical students: are they related to the kind of animal identified with oneself?
Authors:
Raman Deep Pattanayak ,
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, IN
About Raman Deep
Department of Psychiatry
Manju Mehta,
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, IN
About Manju
Department of Psychiatry
Rajesh Sagar
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, IN
About Rajesh
Department of Psychiatry
Abstract
Background: Research has pointed to a possible role of certain personality attributes in the choice of medical specialties, but not much is known about the Indian setting. Furthermore, most personality assessments are quite lengthy and time-consuming.
Objective: The study aimed to explore if the specialty choices of Indian postgraduate students are related to their personality attributes, using a brief projective animal question.
Methods: The study was carried out as a retrospective survey (n=450) of responses to a projective question, in which students were asked to name the animal they identified themselves with the most and their reasons.
Results: Mean age was 25.46±1.94 years (Males: 71.8% males; females: 28.2%). Reasons for identification with the stated animal were categorized as aggressive 11.8%, autonomous 40%, nurturing 30.4% and aesthetic 17.8%. Technology-oriented specialties were associated with aggressive/ autonomous responses (p<0.01), while pre/paraclinical specialties were associated with nurturing/aesthetic responses (p<0.01). Females had twice the odds (OR: 1.86) of choosing a personoriented clinical specialty over a technology-oriented specialty.
Conclusion: Research in this direction is needed to assist the career counseling of medical students.
How to Cite:
Pattanayak, R.D., Mehta, M. and Sagar, R., 2012. Specialty choices of postgraduate medical students: are they related to the kind of animal identified with oneself?. South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education, 6(2), pp.45–47. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/seajme.v6i2.169
Published on
29 Dec 2012.
Peer Reviewed
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