Research Involvement, Career Determinants, Study Experiences, and Personality Traits of Health‐Care Students and Workers: The Research In‐Depth Study Protocol
Yassar Alamri, Silvia Caldaroni, Nicole Stormon, Robert Cloninger C, Diann Eley, Erik Monasterio, Danilo GarciaABSTRACT
Background and Aims
Medical students and junior doctors undergo rigorous acad emic, clinical and personal demands during early adulthood, a period characterized by identity formation and major life transitions. These pressures contribute to high rates of burnout, diminished motivation and impaired professional development. Personality traits and integrated personality profiles are increasingly recognized as influential factors shaping individuals' responses to stress, sense of vocational calling and career trajectories. However, few studies have simultaneously applied both variable‐centered and person‐centered approaches within a theoretically grounded framework. This study aims to examine how Cloninger's temperament and character dimensions, as well as validated personality profiles, relate to burnout, sense of calling, research proclivity, and career preferences among medical students and junior doctors in New Zealand.
Methods
This cross‐sectional study surveyed medical students from all three campuses of the University of Otago and junior doctors working at Health New Zealand—Christchurch hospitals. Participants completed validated measures of burnout, personality (TCI‐R) and sense of calling, alongside demographic and career preference items. Two‐Step Cluster Analyzes were used to derive temperament, character and integrated personality profiles, constrained to replicate Cloninger's empirically established configurations. Personality profiles were validated using multivariate analyzes of variance. Associations between personality, calling and burnout were examined using correlations, ANOVAs and multiple regressions. Hierarchical regressions assessed whether sense of calling explained additional variance in burnout beyond personality traits.
Conclusion
This study provides a comprehensive investigation of the interplay between personality, sense of calling, and burnout within a large cohort of New Zealand medical trainees. By integrating established personality profiles with contemporary educational outcomes, findings are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the associations between these factors, and to inform future research and educational strategies aimed at supporting well‐being, professional identity and sustainable career development.