A Study of the Personality Characteristics of Medical Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory Hospitals.

Abstract

This study is aimed at determining the personality characteristics of medical doctors in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory hospitals and the extent to which these personality characteristics are appropriate for the medical profession. The instrument used was the ‘Self Directed Search' (SDS). It was administered to 116 medical doctors in the Federal Capital Territory, and the data obtained were analyzed using Chi Square. It was discovered that 44 percent of the sample had personality characteristics appropriate for the profession while 56 percent had personality characteristics that were inappropriate for the profession. The result thus revealed that a greater percentage of the doctors had personality characteristics that were not appropriate for the profession and more male doctors were found to have appropriate personality characteristics than the females. It is however recommended that there should be a review of the selection process of candidates going into the medical profession.

Keywords: Personality characteristics; Medical doctors, Hospitals

The Nigerian Journal Of Guidance And Counselling Vol. 12 (1) 2007 pp. 77-87