Personality traits and medical specialty preference among medical students and graduates: a scoping review

TL;DR

This review explores how personality traits might influence medical students' and graduates' choices of medical specialties.

Contribution

The study systematically reviews existing research on personality traits and specialty preferences, highlighting methodological gaps.

Findings

Most studies found associations between personality traits and specialty choice, though results were inconsistent.

Surgery was the most studied specialty, with traits like impulsivity and extraversion linked to it.

Methodological issues like cross-sectional designs and inconsistent tools limit the strength of evidence.

Abstract

To review the available research on the association between personality traits and specialty choice.

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 graduates using validated psychological tests. The protocol was registered at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/su6md). Screening, eligibility assessment, and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers.

A total of 9212 articles were retrieved, of which 61 met the inclusion criteria. Considerable heterogeneity in study design, instruments used, and outcomes assessed precluded quantitative synthesis. Most studies indicated 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 frequently examined, but associations varied across studies. Methodological limitations were common, including reliance on cross-sectional designs, inconsistent measurement tools, and underreporting of psychometric properties.

Evidence suggests a relationship between personality traits and specialty choice; however, this evidence remains weak due to methodological shortcomings. Future studies should apply standardized measurements for both personality traits and specialty choice, with larger and more diverse samples.

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