Ask the expert: What role does personality profiling play in hospitalist recruitment?

In addition to a mentoring program and feedback forum, there are other strategies that can help minimize physician turnover. Personality and behavior profiles can be very useful in understanding how a person will react to a given situation, and therefore a very useful management tool. For example, there are good profiling instruments, such as one by DiSC and the Myers-Briggs test, which can help a practice manager or hospital administrator predict with some degree of accuracy how a physician will react under stress, how they best communicate, or how they are motivated. Being aware of a person's communication and personality profile can help minimize misunderstanding, which in turn can help minimize turnover.

This week's question and answer are from Practical Guide to Hospitalist Recruitment and Retention by Kirk Mathews.