The MBTI assessment should only be administered and interpreted by an individual who has completed training and certification through either the Center for Application of Psychological Type (CAPT) or the Myers-Briggs Company. If no one on the medical school faculty or staff holds this certification, you might find an MBTI practitioner through your university career or counseling center. The MBTI can be a beneficial self-assessment tool under the guidance of these individuals.
Rather than using MBTI results in pointing students towards a specific specialty, consider using type to help students explore broader decisions such as providing diagnostic-oriented care versus performing procedures, dealing with breadth versus depth of patient problems, providing short-term versus long-term or continuous care, and having direct versus indirect communication with patients. This can be particularly effective with first- and second-year students as they explore and narrow options. The MBTI results can also identify a students’ “career satisfaction priorities” based on type preferences as well as aid in making decisions about practice environment.
When using personality type to evaluate career options, students should be encouraged to ask questions such as:
• How well does this specialty make use of my preferences?
• How well does this specialty make use of my skills and abilities?
• How well does this specialty make use of my work-related strengths?
• How well does this specialty meet my criteria for career satisfaction?
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