Personality Characteristics of Orthopedic Surgery Residents and Faculty: Cross-Sectional Study From the Profiling Orthopaedic Surgery Trainees (POST) Study Group

OBJECTIVE: There is growing interest in the assessments of noncognitive and affective domains in orthopedic trainees to aid in resident education, improve interpersonal relationships between residents and faculty, and improve physician leadership skills.^1-5 The purpose of this study is to examine personality traits of orthopedic trainees and faculty using the Big Five personality dimensions. DESIGN: The Big Five was administered to residents (n = 151) and faculty (n = 57) at 10 academic medical institutions. Descriptive statistics were analyzed including the means of each Big Five dimension among residents and faculty. Independent samples t-tests and chi-square analyses were performed. RESULTS: Faculty were significantly greater on Conscientiousness compared to residents (M = 74.7 vs 69.8, d = 0.33) and significantly greater among seniors than juniors (M = 74.0 vs 68.0, d = 0.42). Juniors demonstrated greater Extraversion compared to faculty (M = 61.9 vs. 52.2, d = 0.30). Faculty demonstrated greater Agreeableness than seniors (M = 68.5 vs 63.0, d = 0.44). CONCLUSION: There are significant differences in certain Big Five personality dimensions between orthopedic residents and faculty. Better understanding of how these differences could influence interpersonal communication during orthopedic training is critical to improving interconnection in residency programs.