Emotional Intelligence Level Higher in Residents Who Took a Gap Year Before Medical School

INTRODUCTION: Emotional intelligence (EI) is the skill of understanding yourself, managing yourself, understanding others, and managing relationships. Studies have begun analyzing the level of EI demonstrated by resident physicians in various specialties. Very few studies have assessed EI levels of residents in multiple specialties within one institution. The purpose of our study was to assess the EI level of all residents at our institution and to determine which variables were associated with higher EI scores. METHODS: In 2018, residents voluntarily participated in the study by completing two online surveys. The first survey was a de-identified survey monkey asking demographic and other training information. The second survey was an online emotional intelligence survey assessing their EI skills, the Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0). RESULTS: A total of 176 of 486 residents (36.2%) completed the study. There was no significant association between EI level and age, gender, type of medical degree, having an advanced degree, or being in a specific specialty. We found that residents who took time off before matriculating into medical school had higher overall EI scores than those who did not take time off (p = 0.02). Similarly, those who took time off before medical school scored higher in interpersonal skills (p = 0.04), empathy (p = 0.03), decision-making (p = 0.02), and impulse control (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Residents who had taken time off before matriculating in medical school had higher overall EI scores and higher scores in the EI components of interpersonal skill, empathy, decision-making, and impulse control.