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Medical schools must use selection methods that validly measure applicants' noncognitive qualities, but primary-care (PC) schools have a particular need. This study correlated entering students' personality and values scores with their professed interest in PC. 93 medical students completed instruments assessing personality (16PF & PSP), values, and specialty interests. Resulting scores were used to predict students' primary-care interest (PC) or non-interest (NPC) using logistic regression analysis. About 80% were correctly categorized into PC or NPC based on these variables. The strongest noncognitive predictor was Warmth, measured by either the standardized, psychological instrument (16PF) or the non-standardized, self-assessment survey (PSP). Dutifulness and Trusting Nature significantly added to PC prediction, if measured by the 16PF but not the PSP. When personality scores (16PF/PSP) were not entered into the analysis, service and prestige were significant predictors. These noncognitive variables were significant even after accounting for gender, race, and physician parents. Candidates describing themselves as warm and attentive to others during interviews or in their personal statements may be expressing an accurate self-assessment, because Warmth scores from both self-report and standardized measures similarly predicted PC interest. Predictive validity of these noncognitives throughout medical school should be examined. (Contains 1 table.)

This study is a continuation of an earlier investigation of personality and medical specialty choice. The earlier study determined that personality differences existed among family practitioners, anesthesiologists, and general surgeons. Based on this initial research, an attempt was made to answer the question of how the personality factors of premedical students who later chose the medical specialty of family practice compared to the personality factors of current family practitioners. The student group consisted of 75 premedical students who chose the medical specialty of family practice. The physician group consisted of 58 family practice physicians. Analysis revealed that the personality profiles for both premedical students who chose family practice and for family practitioners were within the average range on all 16 factors except for Reasoning. Family practitioners are more abstract than concrete in their reasoning abilities. Premedical students fell within the average range for Reasoning and are thus more closely related than the family practitioners to the general population norm group. The results lend support for linking personality and medical specialty choice. Information about personality and medical specialty could be integrated into career development courses for premedical students and used as a mechanism for improving professional identity. (JDM)

Medical school admissions committees are expected to select physicians with specific attributes such as intelligence, altruism, dutifulness, and compassion. Besides basing these attributes on the best professional judgment of the physicians and medical school faculty, there has been little quantitative research to determine the psychological factors that predict success as a physician, medical student, or premedical student. It was hypothesized that a combination of preadmission factors and psychological variables would predict academic performance in premedical studies better than preadmission alone. Participants (n=371) were premedical students in a combined bachelor's-M.D. degree program. Preadmission factors were obtained from student records and included high school grade-point averages (GPA), American College Test Composite scores, gender, and racial/ethnic classification. Psychological factors were measured using 40 variables from Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Lanyon's Psychological Screening Inventory, the California Occupational Preference System Inventory, and a modified Thematic Apperception Test. Results show that psychological factors improved the prediction of overall GPA and college science-mathematics GPA. Multiple correlations for the overall GPA increased from .33 using only preadmission variables to .42 when personality variables were added to the analysis. The science-mathematics GPA correlations showed a similar improvement going from .33 to .43 when the psychological factors were added. Contains 22 references. (EMS)

A study investigated the relationship of financial aid to persistence/academic performance of 42 medical student recipients of financial aid. Results indicate receipt of aid did not correlate significantly with graduation rate or class rank. Financial aid provided capable students, who could otherwise not afford it, opportunity to attend medical school. (Author/MSE)