Personality: A potentially untapped resource in the selection of postgraduate pharmacy residents

This study assessed whether personality testing of postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency applicants was feasible and predicted important selection outcomes, including interview offers.

Applicants to the PGY1 pharmacy residency program at a large academic medical center were invited to complete a 50-item online personality test based on the 5-factor model (ie, the "Big Five"). Scores were sealed until after matching, at which point they were compared to screening, interview, and ranking and match outcomes. Endpoints of interest included the feasibility of the test (eg, time required for completion, completion rate) and whether personality predicted the odds of an interview offer.

The personality test was taken by 137 PGY1 applicants (69.5%) and required a median of 6.8 minutes to complete. Openness to experience was associated with decreased odds of an interview offer (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.98), whereas conscientiousness and extraversion were associated with increased odds of an interview offer (conscientiousness: adjusted OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.02-1.55; extraversion: OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.03-1.31). When combined with traditional screening criteria (eg, awards, leadership positions), openness to experience and extraversion remained predictors of an interview offer (in the directions specified above), whereas conscientiousness did not. In an exploratory analysis of interviewees, agreeableness was a negative predictor of interview score. Personality did not predict screening scores or final ranking.

Personality testing, based on the traits desired at individual residency programs, could be a valuable addition to the methods used for selecting PGY1 pharmacy residents.