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Recruiting for success--the potential for using occupational personality questionnaires for the assessment of doctors
R Chambers1, D Wright, H Taylor
1School of Postgraduate Medicine, University of Keele, Stoke-on-Trent.
Objectives:
to evaluate the Saville and Holdsworth Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) to assess its potential and validity as a tool in the recruitment of doctors. To determine the range of personality characteristics in a group of general practitioners.
Design:
an administered commercially available questionnaire.
Setting:
general practitioners in North and Mid. Stafftordshire.
Subjects:
133 general practitioners or trainees.
Results:
44% of general practitioners agreed to participate. The majority found it useful and recognised its potential to increase self-awareness, highlight weaknesses that might be improved and for future recruitment of others to their teams. Doctors' personality traits were similar to those of managerial/professional norms. The validity of the OPQ was supported by (a) significant associations with subjects' previously reported mental health problems and (b) 83% of respondents confirming that their reports correctly described their personalities at work.
Conclusions:
OPQs have a place in the recruitment of doctors by identifying appropriate people to strengthen the team.