Attending to Self
The VITAL Profile
A Career Fit Instrument for Academic Physicians
This instrument measures five dimensions of professional identity and career fit. For each statement, choose the response that best describes your actual experience — not how you wish things were. There are no right answers; the most useful profiles come from honest, rapid responses. Plan for about 12 minutes.
- VVitality Pattern
Which kinds of work fill you up — and which slowly drain you. - IIdentity Construction
How actively you are constructing — not simply awaiting — your professional self. - TThriving Vision
How clearly you can envision what thriving looks like in your professional future. - AAffiliative Style
Where your interpersonal energy flows, and what kinds of relational work feel productive. - LLatitude Comfort
How well you function when success metrics, timelines, and feedback are self-defined rather than directed by others.
This instrument is descriptive, not prescriptive. Your profile describes patterns of energy, identity, and orientation — not your capability or potential. No dimension score represents a deficit.
Your VITAL Profile
Your VITAL Profile
A reading, not a verdict.
The VITAL Profile measures five dimensions of professional identity and career fit for academic physicians. Each dimension is scored independently on a 0–24 scale, grouped into Low, Mid, and High bands. Three items are Pattern Clarifiers — forced-choice questions that are not included in any subscale total but add directional meaning to a dimension’s score.
This is a descriptive tool, not a prescriptive one. It reports how you are currently experiencing your professional life, not a verdict on who you are. Change the role, institution, or career stage, and the profile will change.