Linking Job Satisfaction and Career Choice With Personality Styles: An Exploratory Study of Practicing Pharmacists

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1 Linking Job Satisfaction and Career Choice With Personality Styles: An Exploratory Study of Practicing Pharmacists Patrick C. Hardigan Nova Southeastern University Stanley R. Cohen Nova Southeastern University Manuel J. Carvajal Florida International University Abstract This study found that personality types are linked to career choice in pharmacy practice, helping to confirm past research; but personality and job satisfaction were not related. An exploratory study investigated the relationship of MBTI type to job satisfaction and career choice in pharmacists. A mail questionnaire designed after the causal model of job satisfaction assessed job satisfaction. Statistical analysis of 216 returned questionnaires (45%) revealed that personality types are linked to career choice in pharmacy practice, helping to confirm past research. However, personality and job satisfaction do not appear to be related. A pharmacy manager who would like to develop superior customer relations may want to take advantage of a pharmacist's personality by giving pharmacists job designs appropriate to their personality types. O'Connell (1991) asserted that if an individual's personality is incongruent with others in the same field, the mismatch can cause alterations in behavior. If the difference is too great, the individual may not be able to respond appropriately. As a result, the person will not be able to work in that career successfully or find much enjoyment. Mathews (1992) and Stewart and Felicetti (1992) supported O'Connell's thesis on personality congruence when they confirmed that people with specific personality styles tend to choose particular professions. Mathews (1992) discovered that mathematics majors had personality styles different than the styles of education majors. Stewart and Felicetti (1992) found differences even within majors- students pursuing marketing management degrees had personality styles different from students seeking advertising degrees. Additional evidence for O'Connell's thesis comes from Rowe, Waters, Thompson, and Hanson (1992). Using the MBTI, Rowe et al discovered that vocational teacher education students preferred sensing-judging (SJ), whereas marketing educational majors reported a higher intuitive-thinking (NT) temperament. The MBTI has been used in pharmacy education to establish a database of pharmacy students' personality styles as they relate to vocational choice. Thus, Hardigan and Cohen (1998) found that pharmacy students' personality styles differ from students enrolled in osteopathic medical, physical therapy, physician assistant, and occupational therapy programs. The authors Page 30 Journal of Psychological Type, Vol. 57, 2001

2 reported that pharmacy attracts all personality types but is particularly attractive to students with introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging personalities. Rezler, Mrtek, and Manasse (1976) found that two career areas, hospital pharmacy and pharmaceutical research, were characterized by specific personality profiles. Hospital pharmacy was attractive to introverted and judging male students, whereas thinking female students were more attracted to hospital pharmacy and industrial research. A review of the pharmacy literature reveals that most research involving vocational choice and personality style has involved students, and little has used practicing pharmacists. Thus, we do not know whether there is congruence between the interests of practicing pharmacists and the average interests of others in the field. The present study was designed to examine the congruence between the interests of practicing pharmacists and the average interests of others in the field. Method As part of a larger study examining job satisfaction among practicing pharmacists, the present work was designed to assess the relationship of personality with job satisfaction and work site selection of practicing pharmacists in South Florida. The study tested these null hypotheses: (1) "There is no relationship between personality style and job site selection among practicing pharmacists"; and (2) "There is no relationship between personality style and job satisfaction among practicing pharmacists." The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (Form F) was used to assess personality type. A mail questionnaire designed after the causal model of job satisfaction (Agho, Mueller, & Price, 1993) assessed job satisfaction. As part of a southern health science school's core curriculum, the MBTI is administered to pharmacy students during the first semester of the second professional year. The purpose of administering the MBTI is to give students insight into their specific learning and personality styles. Students are given class time to complete the MBTI. Explanations of the MBTI as well as an opportunity to ask questions are presented to students before the MBTI is administered. Participation is voluntary, and the results are confidential. After students have completed the MBTI, the results are scored and returned to the students with explanations; again, class time is used to present the results. Eight years of data from pharmacy students ( ) were used in the analysis. A job satisfaction survey was mailed to 476 practicing pharmacists who both completed the MBTI and graduated from the southern school of pharmacy. Six weeks later a follow-up mailing was sent. Questionnaires were coded so that MBTI scores could be matched with job satisfaction scores. Using a 5- point Likert scale, job satisfaction was measured using 5 items from the 18-item index developed by Brayfield and Rothe (1951). The validity and reliability of this 5-item, global satisfaction index has been demonstrated in previous studies (Agho et al., 1993). Demographic information including gender, age, ethnicity, yearly income, and practice site was also collected with the survey. Results Of the 476 questionnaires, 246 were returned, for a 52% response rate. Of these, 216 were used in the statistical analysis (45%). Thirty questionnaires were removed for missing or incomplete data. As measured by Cronbach's alpha, the internal consistency reliability was.94. Half the respondents were male, and half were female. The average age of the respondents was 33, with a range from The respondents had average yearly incomes of $65,000 and had worked at their present locations for an average of 3.5 years. Further demographic data are presented in Table 1, and the respondents' type table is presented in Table 2. Consistent with past pharmacy job satisfaction research (Chi, 1985; Pugliese, 1999; Schultz & Baldwin, 1984), the practice site selections examined were retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and other (consisting of nursing home, consultant practice, and teaching/research). To assess the relationship between job site selection and the MBTI preferences, four chi-square analyses were conducted. No significant relationships were found between job site and MBTI preferences. Expanding the analysis, layered chi-square analyses were calculated, with "gender" serving as the control variable. This is consistent with MBTI work conducted with pharmacy students by Rezler et al. (1976). Trends toward significant relationships were detected on the T -F and S-N preferences. Specifically, thinking males were attracted to retail pharmacy x 2 (2, N = 216) = 5.24, P <.10 and intuitive females towards other types of pharmacy practice, x2 (2, N = 216) = 6.53, P <.05. To determine if any specific MBTI dimension was related to higher job satisfaction, four t tests were calculated. No significant relationships were found between MBTI preferences and job satisfaction. Discussion In contrast to the findings of Rezler et al. (1976), specific personality types are not disproportionately choosing to work in specific pharmacy practice sites, Journal of Psychological Type, Vol. 57,2001 Page 31

3 Table 1. Frequency Distribution of Respondents' Demographic Information. Age Frequency Percent % % % % Ethnicity Frequency Percent African American 5 2.1% Asian % Caucasian % Hispanic % Other % Yearly Income Frequency Percent 25,000-50, % 51,000-75, % 76, , % 100, % Practice Site Frequency Percent Retail Pharmacy % Hospital % Other % Cumulative Practice Site Frequency Percent Percent Retail Pharmacy % 54.6% Hospital % 78.3% Other % 100.0% Page 32 Journal of Psychological Type, Vol. 57,2001

4 Table 2. Type Distribution of Practicing Pharmacists. N=216 + = 1% ofn The Sixteen Complete Types Dichotomous Preferences IS TJ IS FJ INFJ INTJ E n= 83 (38.4%) n = 57 n= 18 n=6 n=9 I n= 133 (61.6%) (26.4%) (8.4%) (2.8%) (4.2%) S n= 160 (74.1%) N n= 56 (25.9%) T n= 137 (63.4%) F n= 79 (36.6%) + J n= 145 (67.1%) P n= 71 (32.9%) ISTP ISFP INFP INTP n= 26 n=6 n=4 n=7 Pairs and Temperaments (12.0%) (2.8%) (1.9%) (3.2%) IJ n= 90 (41.7%) IP n= 43 (19.9%) ++ EP n= 28 (13.0%) EJ n= 55 (25.5%) ST n= 105 (48.6%) SF n= 55 (25.5%) NF n= 24 (11.1%) ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP NT n= 32 (14.8%) n=5 n=8 n=5 n= 10 (2.3%) (3.7%) (2.3%) (4.6%) SJ n= 115 (53.2%) SP n= 45 (20.8%) NP n= 26 (12.1%) NJ n= 30 (13.9%) TJ n= 89 (41.2%) TP n= 48 (22.2%) FP n= 23 (10.6%) FJ n= 56 (25.9%) ESTJ E SFJ ENFJ ENTJ n = 17 n= 23 n=9 n=6 IN n= 26 (12.0%) (7.9%) (10.7%) (4.2%) (2.8%) EN n= 30 (13.9%) IS n= 107 (49.5%) ES n= 53 (24.5%) + ET n= 38 (17.6%) EF n= 45 (20.8%) IF n= 34 (15.7%) IT n= 99 (45.8%) Jungian Types (E) Jungian Types (I) Dominant Types n % n % n % Patrick C. Hardigan, E-TJ % I-TP % Dt.T % Stanley R. Cohen, and Manuel J. Caroajal, E-FJ % I-FP % Dt. F % Linking Job Satisfaction and Career ES-P % IS-J % Dt. S % Choice With Personality Styles: An EN-P % IN-J % Dt. N % Exploratory Study of Practicing Pharmacists. Journal of Psychological Type, Vol. 57, 2001 Page 33

5 and marginally significant relationships appeared only when gender was included in the analysis. This may imply that students' choice of practice site may not be where they ultimately practice. Recent research indicates that both practicing pharmacists and recent graduates are able to choose their practice types and geographic locations (Knapp, 1999; Mott, Kreling, & Cain, 1995). Siegelman (1990) indicated that pharmacy workforce shortages, which range from slight to extreme depending on region and practice type, will persist beyond the year As such, pharmacists have great latitude in choosing where to work. Retail pharmacy is characterized by long hours with little patient contact (Ortmeier & Wolfgang, 1991). Communication skills are usually not rewarded. Moreover, research demonstrates that Fs, as opposed to Ts, are better at diagnosing and develop superior patient-professional relationships (Nelson & Stake, 1994). Thinking males may be attracted to retail pharmacy because of the retail pharmacy's work requirements. That is, retail pharmacy offers thinking males a more comfortable work environment- little patient interaction and greater emphasis on dispensing. On the other hand, intuitive females overselect nontraditional pharmacy practice environments. This includes nursing home, consultant, and research/teaching environments. These work environments are uncommon to pharmacy practice, as they require greater use of a pharmacist's expertise and communication skill (Ortmeier & Wolfgang, 1991). As the concept of pharmaceutical care continues to grow, intuitive females may be perfectly suited to work in these nontraditional settings. Conclusion The study's results provide evidence for a pharmacist's choice of practice si te partially based on personality. However, significant findings were only discovered when gender was entered into the statistical analysis. This suggests that a pharmacist's gender plays a significant role in a pharmacist's choice of practice site. That is, women may choose nontraditional practice sites for economic and social reasons (Carvajal & Hardigan, 1998). Nevertheless, variables such as work restrictions and life choices not included in the study may provide a better measure of practice site choice. Future research including these variables is recommended. This was survey research, and it possesses all of the limitations inherent in such work. Response rate and bias, geographical area, and sample size may have played a role in the results. A larger study with better geographical coverage may provide more evidence for the paper's main thesis. Nonetheless, pharmacy educators, counselors, and the pharmaceutical industry may benefit from this research. References Agho, A. 0., Mueller, C. W., & Price, J. L. (1993). Determinants of employee job satisfaction: An empirical test of a causal model. Human Relations,46,loo Brayfield, A. H., & Rothe, H. F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35, Carvajal, M. J., & Hardigan, P. C. (1998). First-job preferences and expectations of pharmacy students: Intergender and interethnic comparisons. Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, 39, Chi, J. (1985, May). Boost R.Ph. job satisfaction, today's employers are urged. Drug Topics, Hardigan, P. c., & Cohen, S. (1998). A comparison of personality types among students enrolled in osteopathic medical, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant and occupational programs. Journal of the American Osteopathic Society, 98, l. Knapp, K. K. (1999). Charting demand for pharmacists in the managed care era. American Journal of Health System Pharmacy, 56, Mathews, D. B. (1992). Learning styles of education majors: Are they similar to those of other students? SRATE Journal, 1, Mott, D. A., Kreling, D. H., & Cain, G. G. (1995). Relationship between internal rates of return, pharmacist supply and applications and admissions: Case study in Wisconsin. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 59, Nelson, B. A., & Stake, J. E. (1994). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Personality dimensions and perceptions of quality of therapy relationships. Psychotherapy, 31, O'Connell, M. L. (1991). Toward an understanding of the psychology of careers. Unpublished manuscript, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA. Ortmeier, B. G., & Wolfgang, A. P. (1991). Job-related stress: Perceptions of employee pharmacists. American Pharmacy, 31, 27-3l. Pugliese, T. T. (1999). Survey identifies critical issues facing pharmacist's ability to practice. Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, 39, Rezler, A. G.., Mrtek, R. G., & Manasse, H. R. (1976). Linking career choice to personality types: A preliminary analysis of pharmacy students. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 41, Page 34 Journal of Psychological Type, Vol. 57, 2001

6 Rowe, F. A., Waters, M. L., Thompson, M. P., & Hanson, K. (1992). Can personality-type instruments profile majors in management programs? Journal of Education for Business, 15, Schultz, R. M., & Baldwin, H. J. (1984). How to minimize employee turnover of practice settings. Current Concepts in Retail Management, 2, Siegelman, S. (1990). Pharmacist shortage is real. American Druggist, 202, Stewart, K. L., & Felicetti, L. A. (1992). Learning styles of marketing majors. Educational Research Quarterly, 15, Contact Dr. Patrick C. Hardigan College of Pharmacy Nova Southeastern University 3200 South University Drive Ft. Lauderdale, FL (954) * * * Journal of Psychological Type, Vol. 57,2001 Page 35