I also work in healthcare and I absolutely have the same issues as you. Being an INTJ nurse has been an immense challenge for me. I actually chose to do it for that very reason - I wanted a challenge. At the time I decided on this career I didn't know about MBTI. However, I did know there was something very different about me. I was so introverted I thought it would be a good idea to learn some "people skills". While my introversion will never change being a nurse has taught me, especially as an INTJ, how to feel and display empathy. Do I get along with patients and their families? Shockingly, yes. I have become great at everything from day-to-day rounds to delivering terrible news. Can I deal with my peers? That's more difficult. I accepted a job as director of a facility about 6 months ago and am absolutely loving it. As a floor nurse though? Count me out. I never found anything in common with any of the other nurses. Doctors, sometimes. PTs, sometimes. Pharmacists, often. 90% of the time the other nurses were a pain to deal with. Every once in a while an INtuitive nurse comes along and it is excellent to learn from and share with them. Most of the time? Boooooooring. I've heard the "you're too pretty to be that smart" and the "you should smile more" so many times it barely registers. I come across as a "b" and I know it. That's the great thing about being in a leadership role: it is perfectly acceptable to be a "b" (as long as you also commend your stellar employees and so on). I agree that being an INTJ female is "painful, lonely, and frustrating". No doubt. Don't even get me started on my personal life. It seems to me that you should consider a way to move into management or out of the typical patient care setting. You are a "rare gem" and I'm sure you can excel in whatever really captivates you. Find it.
INTJRN (not verified)says...
I also work in healthcare and I absolutely have the same issues as you. Being an INTJ nurse has been an immense challenge for me. I actually chose to do it for that very reason - I wanted a challenge. At the time I decided on this career I didn't know about MBTI. However, I did know there was something very different about me. I was so introverted I thought it would be a good idea to learn some "people skills". While my introversion will never change being a nurse has taught me, especially as an INTJ, how to feel and display empathy. Do I get along with patients and their families? Shockingly, yes. I have become great at everything from day-to-day rounds to delivering terrible news. Can I deal with my peers? That's more difficult. I accepted a job as director of a facility about 6 months ago and am absolutely loving it. As a floor nurse though? Count me out. I never found anything in common with any of the other nurses. Doctors, sometimes. PTs, sometimes. Pharmacists, often. 90% of the time the other nurses were a pain to deal with. Every once in a while an INtuitive nurse comes along and it is excellent to learn from and share with them. Most of the time? Boooooooring. I've heard the "you're too pretty to be that smart" and the "you should smile more" so many times it barely registers. I come across as a "b" and I know it. That's the great thing about being in a leadership role: it is perfectly acceptable to be a "b" (as long as you also commend your stellar employees and so on). I agree that being an INTJ female is "painful, lonely, and frustrating". No doubt. Don't even get me started on my personal life. It seems to me that you should consider a way to move into management or out of the typical patient care setting. You are a "rare gem" and I'm sure you can excel in whatever really captivates you. Find it.