Relationship between selected personality traits and citation for violating pharmacy board regulations

The relationship between certain personality traits and citation for pharmacy board violations was studied. The Gordon Personal Profile-Inventory (GPP-I) was mailed to three samples of pharmacists licensed in North Carolina (95 pharmacist leaders, 199 pharmacists who had been cited for violating one or more board of pharmacy regulations, and a random sample of 494 pharmacists licensed in the state). The pharmacists were asked to provide demographic information and to complete the 38-item GPP-I, which measures eight different personality traits (ascendancy, responsibility, emotional stability, sociability, cautiousness, original thinking, personal relations, and vigor). The response rates for the three samples were 78.9%, 23.6%, and 58.3%, respectively. Pharmacists who had been cited for one or more board of pharmacy violations had significantly lower scores on the GPP-I for the personality trait vigor than general pharmacists. They also had lower scores on the GPP-I traits of ascendancy, original thinking, and vigor than pharmacy leaders. They were less likely to have advanced degrees or belong to any pharmacy organizations. They tended to be male, older, and out of school longer than those pharmacists who had never been cited for violating one or more board of pharmacy regulations. Significant differences in personality traits were found between pharmacists who had been cited for violating board of pharmacy regulations and general pharmacists and pharmacy leaders.