By S.L. Page

ESFP personality types are very compatible with many areas of nursing. As an ESFP, you’re full of energy and a zest for life. You genuinely enjoy being around people, and you are a true people-person. In fact, some people call your type the “parties,” as you always seem to be looking for a new social event to attend. When there, you can talk for hours and you enjoy being the center of attention. Other personality profiles refer to your type as the “Entertainer” or “Artisan.”

ESFP Overview: What is an ESFP Personality?

An ESFP is one of the main 16 personality types.  An ESFP will have scored the following dominant characteristics on a personality assessment: Extroverted (E), Sensing (S), Feeling (F), and Perceiving (P).  The breakdown and description of each of these dominant characteristics is listed below:

Extroverted (E): As an extrovert, you enjoy a lot of external stimulation. You love hanging with friends, meeting new people, or engaging in external things that stimulate your mind. When you’re isolated for too long at home, you’ll soon begin saying to yourself, “I’ve got to get out of this house!” In fact, you may say that after only one day alone at home!

You probably have a wide circle of friends, and you love getting together for a meal, hanging out, or just striking up a conversation with a random person. Because extroverts tend to enjoy talking and engaging in social situations, they often get labeled as “social butterflies.” You may have even been called a “people person” or “outgoing.” In fact, introverts sometimes get a bad rap due to extroverted people, as people often quip, “Why does that introvert keep to themselves so much? I wish they were more talkative and outgoing.”

You probably dislike writing or reading too much, and you’d much prefer to pick up the phone and make a call as opposed to writing an email. Some extroverts loath writing, although not all feel this way. Some extroverts make great writers, but most prefer face-to-face communication if given the choice. Some extroverts tend to have difficulty expressing their ideas in written form, as their minds are wired to work while engaging. ESFPs can spend a lot of time text messaging contacts, however, because they love to keep up with their friends and acquaintances.

Being an extrovert doesn’t mean that you dislike alone time, it’s just that it tends to suck the life out of you after a while. You get energized and feel most comfortable around other people, especially many friends or family members.

You think better while talking, as opposed to writing or thinking alone. In fact, some of your best solutions or ideas have probably come to you while talking to others. You also tend to blurt out the answer if asked a question. In contrast, introverts hate being put on the spot, and prefer to mull over a question before replying.

Sensing (S):  As a sensing person, your mind tends to think of more rigid “here and now” concepts. You generally tend to think about the “what ifs” only rarely. You tend to notice minor details that other people may overlook. In fact, some people are quite shocked at the fact that you can sometimes make really keen observations. This can be a big benefit in nursing, as you may notice that a patient suddenly doesn’t look so well.

To illustrate how a sensing person things, consider an example of a large container sitting on the edge of a counter.  You would probably look at the large container of fluid and think, “That’s an interesting color. I wonder what this fluid is?” You may also examine the lettering used for the logo, and so forth. You’d probably read the details on the packaging and think about those things.

This type of thinking is in direct contrast with people who have the “intuitive” characteristic. Using this same illustration, an intuitive person may look at the same container you looked at and think thoughts like, “That may fall down. Then it could make a mess. Someone could slip and fall and hurt themselves. We could even be sued.”

That’s not to say that sensing people can’t have moments of intuition, or that people with intuition won’t see more concrete details. But generally speaking, sensing people are very in-tune with details and facts, and tend to not think of the possible scenarios that could happen.

Feeling (F):  As a person with the “feeling” characteristic, you have a strong inclination towards considering how things may affect people or society. When considering a decision, you tend to think of how other people may react, or how other people may be impacted by the consequences. As a result, people (or society in general) can be a big part of your decision making process. This can be a good characteristic to have as a nurse dealing with patients whose lives may be greatly affected by your actions.

Feelers have a very deep and empathetic heart to help people, and they genuinely care for others. If someone asks you how their new haircut looks, you’ll likely be very polite and try to focus on the positives to avoid hurting their feelings–even if the haircut looks terrible.

As a feeler, you also tend to have a strong need for happy relationships, both with yourself and people around you. If people aren’t getting along, it will tend bother you quite a bit. You’re a happy-go-lucky person who enjoys keeping in good standing with people. You also tend to have a natural affection for animals or pets.

This characteristic is in contrast to the “thinking” characteristic, in which people tend to make decisions based on logic, facts, or truth.

Perceiving (P):  As a person with the “perceiving” characteristic, you generally like to live life in a care-free manner. You usually don’t like to make extensive plans, and you prefer to just “wing-it.” You tend to be very adaptable to any given situation. This adaptability and spontaneity gives you a reputation of being a fun and exciting person to hang around.

You are likely to live a somewhat disorganized life, at least internally. You probably have a relatively messy or unorganized home or office space, although this is not true for all ESFPs. This personality characteristic is in contrast to the “judging” type, in which people tend to live in a more organized and controlled manner.

You also tend to procrastinate with deadlines and tasks, but will get a burst of energy when something has to be done. Some ESFPs have a wild side, and are sometimes referred to as “daredevils.” You may enjoy activities such as skydiving, rollercoasters, surfing, or other similar activities that give you that “thrill.”

Nursing Career Possibilities for ESFPs

You are a fun and entertaining “people-person.” You like to live life in a fun-loving way. This can help you quickly and easily connect with patients. You also have the ability to focus on details, and you can easily empathize with other people’s problems. As you make decisions, you ponder how they may affect other people. This means you are likely to keep your patients best interests at heart.

For this reason, there are many areas of nursing that may appeal to you. Floor nursing, pediatric nursing, ER nursing, and other exciting areas may be of interest. For ESFPs who have a daredevil side, you may also enjoy flight nursing. Being a camp nurse is also a good possibility. If you have a strong faith, Parish Nursing may also be a good fit, as you’d love interacting with people on a spiritual level.

There are a few pitfalls you’ll want to avoid on the job. First, ESFPs tend to dislike having to do routine tasks. You like to be stimulated in your environment, and if you have to do dull tasks, you’ll get bored quickly. You also dislike having to read long documents or write reports.

Another area of frustration for ESFPs is working alone. You enjoy the company of people, and if confined to an empty office all day, you’d probably get very exhausted. You get energized talking and engaging with people. You enjoy team settings.

You dislike organizing things due to your spontaneous nature. You like to experience things in real time, and you don’t like to ponder the “what-ifs” in life. You also may struggle clocking in on time.

Possible Nursing Career Matches for ESFPs

• Home Nursing/Private Duty Nursing
• ER Nurse
• Parish Nurse
• Hospice Nurse
• Travel Nurse
• General Floor Nurse
• Ambulatory Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse
• Flight Nurse
• Camp Nurse
• Oncology Nurse

Are You an ESFP? Share Your Input

What areas do you hope to work as an ESFP? What jobs have you loved? What jobs have you hated? Please consider sharing your experience in the comment section below, as this may help other ESFP nurses in their careers.

Source: registerednursern.com