title: An exploratory study on the contribution of graduate entry students personality to the diversity of medical student populations.
abstract: Studies conducted in medical education show that personality influences undergraduate medical students academic and clinical performances and also their career interests. Our aims with this exploratory study were: to assess the contribution of graduate entry students to the diversity of personality in medical student populations; to assess whether eventual differences may be explained by programme structure or student age and sex. We performed a cross-sectional study underpinned by the five-factor model of personality, with students attending three medical schools in Portugal. The five personality dimensions were assessed with the Portuguese version of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory. MANOVA and MANCOVA analyses were performed to clarify the contributions of school, programme structure, age and sex. Student personality dimensions were significantly different between the three medical schools [F (10,1026)  = 3.159, p < .001, [Formula: see text] = 0.03, π = 0.987]. However, taking sex and age into account the differences became non-significant. There were institutional differences in personality dimensions. However, those were primarily accounted for by sex and age effects and not by the medical school attended. Diversifying age and sex of the admitted students will diversify the personality of the medical student population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal. jpmarvao@ualg.pt.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marvão
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castelo-Branco
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ponte
authors.affiliation: School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Portela
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: Patrício
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: Manuel João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Costa