Medical manners: medical students' perceptions of their own

Because good interpersonal skills are essential for successful careers in primary care, we investigated senior medical students' (SMS) perceptions of the impression they leave with patients.

To assess the key elements that define the impression we make on others, we developed measures for self monitoring/social desirability, sensitivity, and Machiavellianism. These scales were used to predict SMS' attitudes toward various patient problems and their residency choices.

Lower sensitivity scores and higher Machiavellianism scores predicted negative attitudes toward patients with psychologic problems. Positive attitudes toward elderly patients were predicted by higher self-monitoring/social desirability scores and lower Machiavellianism scores. Overall, women scored higher than men on self-monitoring/social desirability and sensitivity and lower on Machiavellianism.

Among SMS, impression management's dimensions are readily measured and the students with the best scores tend to choose primary care careers.