Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2025.66.321
Personality traits and medical specialty preference among medical students and graduates: a scoping review
Antonia Peroš
; Career Management Office, University of Split, Split, Croatia
*
Nensi Bralić
; Department of Research in Biomedicine and Health, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
Ivan Buljan
; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split, Split, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Aim To review the available research on the association
between personality traits and specialty choice.
Methods A systematic search of MEDLINE, ERIC, Scopus,
PsycINFO, and Web of Science was performed in June 2022
and updated on August 18, 2025. Studies were eligible if
they examined the association between personality traits
and specialty choice among medical students and gradu
ates using validated psychological tests. The protocol was
registered at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/
su6md). Screening, eligibility assessment, and data extrac
tion were performed independently by two reviewers.
Results A total of 9212 articles were retrieved, of which
61 met the inclusion criteria. Considerable heterogene
ity in study design, instruments used, and outcomes as
sessed precluded quantitative synthesis. Most studies indi
cated associations between personality traits and specialty
choice, although findings were inconsistent. Surgery was
the most frequently assessed specialty, with several studies
reporting higher impulsivity, higher extraversion, higher
openness to new experiences, and a lower desire to work
with people among students choosing surgery. Psychiatry,
internal medicine, and family medicine were also frequent
ly examined, but associations varied across studies. Meth
odological limitations were common, including reliance
on cross-sectional designs, inconsistent measurement
tools, and underreporting of psychometric properties.
Conclusion Evidence suggests a relationship between
personality traits and specialty choice; however, this evi
dence remains weak due to methodological shortcom
ings. Future studies should apply standardized measure
ments for both personality traits and specialty choice, with
larger and more diverse samples.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
352546
URI
Publication date:
22.10.2025.
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