Burnout and the Big Five
Burnout rates amongst health care professionals are very high. This is not just the result of high working pressure and responsibility. People working in medical fields also tend to score high on the trait of Neuroticism. This trait makes people more vulnerable to anxiety, anger, jealousy and depression and is very often seen in people who burn out at work.
Although all kinds of personality tests are on the market right now, the Big Five personality test which measures 5 predominant traits, remains one of the best and most valid tests around. Next to Neuroticism it also measures Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion and Agreeableness. Interestingly, Extraversion makes you less susceptible to burnout! You can fill in the Big Five yourself in one of these links below and see how you score on these traits.
Source: Prins, D. J., van Vendeloo, S. N., Brand, P. L., Van der Velpen, I., de Jong, K., van den Heijkant, F., ... & Prins, J. T. (2019). The relationship between burnout, personality traits, and medical specialty. A national study among Dutch residents. Medical teacher, 41(5), 584-590.
