Predicting Physician Assistant Students’ Professionalism by Personality Attributes (original) (raw)

The study investigates the relationship between personality traits and professionalism in physician assistant (PA) students. Using the Millon College Counseling Inventory and a professionalism scale, the research analyzes the personality characteristics of 82 PA students from the University of Detroit Mercy. The findings reveal that students with 'healthy' personality traits, such as conscientiousness and outward-directedness, tend to exhibit higher levels of professionalism. In contrast, those with 'unhealthy' traits show a negative correlation with aspects of professionalism. The study suggests that personality profiling could enhance admissions processes in PA programs to better select candidates who embody professionalism.