ISFJ/ESFJ and specialties

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Retirement Residence.

hi everyone, i know there are several threads dealing with the personality types, but i just want to gather all the isfj and esfj here and discuss what would the top/best specialties be for for each of these types, and the worst.

i'm isfj, but practically borderline with esfj. i'm a pre-nursing student starting ns in sept, and right now i'm doing a project on future career options and how personality and strengths/weaknesses tie into it all.

according to you or based on your personal experiences/knowledge:

-what do you think the top/good 3 to 5 specialties be?

-what do you think the bottom/bad 3-5 specialties would are?

i'm trying to figure out what the best/worst fit would be based on my personality type.

thanks in advance for everyone's input.:)

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Retirement Residence.

:eek: why is there a skull next to the title? :uhoh3: :confused:

mods, is it possible to remove it? Please?!? :)

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Could you please explain what the acronyms stand for? I've been in/around nursing for 20 years and have never seen them before...maybe then, we'll be able to better help you out!

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Just the fact that you are asking the question... I would say counseling would be a good career choice for you ... :lol2:

(yep... the skull is creepy)

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm just like you - ISFJ that was borderline ESFJ (also borderline ISFP). I love being an ICU nurse. Having more time to know my pt's history/VS/test results in depth works for "S" in me; it lets me figure out the big picture from knowing lots of facts. "F" works for nursing in general, I think, because it helps you see the whole pt, not just their medical diagnosis. Leaning towards "J" helps me organize my tasks and care. "I" works when my pts are intubated/sedated and can't talk to me, but I'm "E" enough to deal with families well, LOL.

Just my personal experience, YMMV.

:paw:

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hi everyone, i know there are several threads dealing with the personality types, but i just want to gather all the isfj and esfj here and discuss what would the top/best specialties be for for each of these types, and the worst.

i'm isfj, but practically borderline with esfj. i'm a pre-nursing student starting ns in sept, and right now i'm doing a project on future career options and how personality and strengths/weaknesses tie into it all.

according to you or based on your personal experiences/knowledge:

-what do you think the top/good 3 to 5 specialties be?

-what do you think the bottom/bad 3-5 specialties would are?

i'm trying to figure out what the best/worst fit would be based on my personality type.

thanks in advance for everyone's input.:)

hi there--

for those who are unfamiliar with the acronyms, they correspond to certain personality traits. for example, isfj would indicate (i) introvert (s) sensing (f) feeling (j) judging. esfj would indicate (e) extrovert (s) sensing (f) feeling (j) judging.

this is a personality test developed in the 1920's by carl jung and his daughter. while there is some evidence that it has merit, it has been criticized by others as lacking construct validity. here is a critique of the "myer's-brigg's type indicator (emphasis mine):

"the relevance of the mbti for career planning has been questioned, with reservations about the relevance of type to job performance or satisfaction, and concerns about the potential misuse of the instrument in labeling individuals.[34][42] in her original research, isabel myers found that the proportion of different personality types varied by choice of career or course of study.[1]:40-51[15] however, some other researchers examining the proportions of each type within varying professions report that the proportion of mbti types within each occupation is close to that within a random sample of the population.[34]

also, the efficiency of mbti in an organizational setting has been subject to scrutiny. in 1991 three scholars at the university of western ontario analyzed the results of 97 independent studies that evaluated the effectiveness of personality tests in predicting job success and job satisfaction ("personnel psychology," winter 1991). the results of the nationwide study challenged the effectiveness of the mbti when related to individual performance and satisfaction in a corporate setting.

“the validity coefficient for personality tests in predicting job success was found to average 0.29 (on a scale of 0 to 1). the corresponding average validity for the mbti, however, was a weak 0.12.
in fact, each study that examined the mbti found its validity to be below acceptable levels of statistical significance.”
[43]

however, as noted above under precepts and ethics, the mbti measures preference, not ability. the use of the mbti as a predictor of job success is expressly discouraged in the manual.[17]:78 it is not designed to be used for this purpose." souce: wikipedia with external sources.

bearing in mind that the myer's-brigg's type indicator measures preference, not ability, i would not think that relying on subjective mini-personality tests would be a wise measure of job satisfaction. other personality tests which are considered to be more reliable, such as the minnesota multi-phasic personality inventory have garnered more credibility as it is a more exhaustive test and has internal validity.

if you look closely at what jobs the mbti comes up with for your personality results, you will see that there are some careers that seem contradictory for this type. nursing, accountant, interior designer, librarian, typist, and artist.

there is much more criticism for the jungian personality tests than for other tests. in short, i wouldn't confine yourself to a career list based on a questionable "test". it's interesting that nursing comes up as a career choice for many personality types. i would take a look at the job duties of a rn and ask yourself if you would enjoy the duties. this, in my opinion, would be a much better indicator of your future satisfaction in a career.

it is also interesting to note that your two personality types are among the most common using this scale. approximately 14% and 12% respectively.

best wishes! ;)

p.s. the skull is cute...considering it is a graphic provided by allnurses, i don't see why the mods would remove it, unless there are certain rules that dictate what icons can be used for various topics.

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Retirement Residence.
Could you please explain what the acronyms stand for? I've been in/around nursing for 20 years and have never seen them before...maybe then, we'll be able to better help you out!

:)I was going to but DaFreak71 just did, below! If you google Myer-Briggs or Keirsey personality test you can do it and find out which one you are.:)

http://www.keirsey.com/sorter/instruments2.aspx?partid=0

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Retirement Residence.

Yeah, I must have clicked on the skull as I was scrolling down, and didn't notice, and then got all weirded out by the skull that just appeared outta nowhere! lol

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DaFreak 71~

Thank you for the detailed explanation and the link. I enjoy learning something new everyday. I can't believe I've not heard of this before.

mia13~~

For kicks and grins, I took the test in the link you provided.

According to the (free!!) results, I am a "guardian". May I just say that I saw a lot of myself in the analysis and really only disagreed with one or two characteristics mentioned.

Then it listed four types of guardian. I indentified with ESFJ (provider) and ESTJ (supervisor), both of which accurately reflect my career at this point in time.

I remember some years ago, before I was allowed to register for an LPN program, I had to take a similar test. (It may have been the MMPI mentioned in DaFreak71's post.)

I still remember the analysis revealing that I should have chosen a career as a chemist, a biologist, or an EMT/Paramedic. Nursing didn't appear anywhere on the list!

Further, the man interpreting the results emphasized that I was going to struggle in nursing school, as the "style/manner of thinking" involved in nursing was somehow different from the careers which the test suggested for me.

Well, I was 2nd in my LPN class (not to brag, honestly!) and had a blast in LPN school. The only struggle was having 2-4 tests every week, care plans due after attending clinicals and class, homework, and working as a nurse's aide in a nursing home.

I got my RN and will soon be applying for my MSN.

The point is, the results should be taken with a grain of salt, no matter how well intentioned they are. The results may open your eyes to careers you hadn't considered.

YOU will know best what is the best for you. In any case, it seems like any of the careers related to the helping professions will fit you. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with the Keirsey test, etc. to say what careers you should avoid.

Hope this helps even a little! ;)

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Retirement Residence.

Thanks MUUGUZI,

I know that I'm cut out for nursing, after a while of soul searching I have no doubts I want to be a RN, I was just wondering what the best/worst specialties people found to be for ISFJ/ESFJ personality types. :)

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I am an ESFJ. I became curious about the Myers Briggs test because I worked with an LVN who became an RN and was affected by this test greatly. She was required by the employer to take this test to get into the student nurse program and even tho she had worked for the employer for 10 years as an LVN they told her she didn't score right on this test to be an RN for them. Go figure! After 10 years! She can be an LVN for them but if she wants to be an RN she has to work somewhere else. I couldn't believe it, and it was all based on this personality test. She is fighting it right now, but I am dumbfounded that a big hospital system would use this one test to determine hiring, or not. Scary.

Sent from my iPad using allnurses.com

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