Answer to the 5-10 years after medical school?

[bobthesun]

So I'm applying mainly to DO's school and have a mock interview with my school committee very soon. For the questions "where do you see yourself 5-10 years after medical school?" I want to answer:

"5-10 years from know I hope to be working as an psychiatrist working in undeserved patient populations and also hope to be doing clinical research work simultaneously. What has drawn me to medicine originally is the very first hand and immediate impact my work can have on peoples lives. After shadowing a neuro surgeon I saw after merely 1-2 days how much more mobility people had and also how they were able to get on with there lives relatively quickly for the severity that is removing a brain tumor. That was an amazing experience however Psychiatry piqued my interest because it gives me the opportunity to develop a real relationship over many years with the patient and also the ability to improve mental health of patients. Before I decided to apply to medical school I spent time working in finance as a banker. The greediness and general culture motivated me to look for something else. I began working at a local homeless shelter. As XXXX homeless shelter I was working with many people with mental illness' and drug addictions and helping them find get proper medical care and education if needed. It was amazing to help people get off the street and into real working jobs. As a psychiatrist working in undeserved area I really hope my work can improve the lives of those who need it most.

Furthermore my experience working for XXXX biotech company has shown me how medicine is really moving forward not only as an industry but how clinicians who are working in clinical research are having an impact on the medical field very broadly. I really have a passion for working in clinical research as it gives me the opportunity to touch an truly incredible # of patients as a byproduct of my work."

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[bobthesun]

I'm also thinking about becoming a primary care physician. For 2 big reasons.
1. I really to like the relationship building aspect of medicine. I believe in the importance of continuity of care.
2. Working in biotech I see that the future of patients care is going to be in the hands of the primary care physicians. With new technology specifically in the diagnostics tools area, disease prevention is going to be a huge. As a primary care physician it will give me the opportunity to be the first line of prevention against disease.

My questions is this: How is my answer?

 

[cliquesh]

Sounds like bull****. It sounds like your saying what you think they want to hear. If you're being 100% sincere I apologize.

I'm sure I wrote some similar BS too, so I'm no better.

 

[costales]

Man, you're all over the place. If I were your interviewer, I'd ask: "So, which is it? What is it that you REALLY want to do?"

Adcoms don't base their decisions on what you want to do 5-10 years after graduation. Furthermore, many if not most med students change their minds once or twice about what they want to do during med school.

You're making this too hard on yourself. I'd suggest that you stick with the clinician theme and give them a simple answer.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

if you said that in an interview i was in, i would think it sounded too rehearsed and i would question picking a specialty this early in the game. you need to be yourself. i would say something like, "i am not completely sure as i am interested in a few specialties, but one route would be to be working as a psychiatrist helping underserved....." and then wing the rest. You want to have a backbone to your answer, but you have to be able to think quickly and form a coherent answer on the fly. then it becomes genuine.

 

[bobthesun]

if you said that in an interview i was in, i would think it sounded too rehearsed and i would question picking a specialty this early in the game. you need to be yourself. i would say something like, "i am not completely sure as i am interested in a few specialties, but one route would be to be working as a psychiatrist helping underserved....." and then wing the rest. You want to have a backbone to your answer, but you have to be able to think quickly and form a coherent answer on the fly. then it becomes genuine.

thanks for advice and I'm probably just over thinking.

Sounds like bullcrap. It sounds like your saying what you think they want to hear. If you're being 100% sincere I apologize.

I'm sure I wrote some similar BS too, so I'm no better.

And yes I do agree it doesn't sound genuine but I hope that's just because I was typing it out. I want to ask how to sound genuine. Should I not even mention anything about undeserved populations? Seems like that is a must for DO schools?

However, I wasn't kidding about the clinical research aspect. (i have 2 publications so hopefully that backs my interest) As a banker I've helped raise hundreds of millions for companies so they can recruit and proceed with clinical trials. Ive raised money for some of the smartest and most innovative people people in the industry. These people really inspired me to become a doctors. They are the ones out there day in and day out making sure these new drugs are actually safe for patients and not just big pharma trying to make a quick buck. These guys are truly helping and pushing patient care to a new era and I want to be there with them.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

I guess I would be terrible in these interviews because I would answer that question with a simple sentence by saying: "I see myself building solid relationships with my patients within my community"... Again , I am 99.99% into family medicine. Maybe that is why my answer would be so simple.

 

[DrEnderW]

In my opinion, that answer is way to long and rehearsed. If someone wants to hear your resume and ECs they'll just read your app. I think succinct, passionate, and open minded answers are best. If I was interviewing you, I'd fall asleep listening to all that. Answer in a few sentences and don't sound like a robot. Keep it short and sweet. Your experience at a food shelter, if you're being totally honest, probably has very little with your true interest in psychiatry.

 

[Columbia09]

My answer would be, I don't know what field I'll be in but I see myself taking care of my patients in whatever field I'm in. Maybe even going to a med conference or two to talk to other physicians about new methods and scientific discovers related to medicine. That's all and some small talk. I'm being honest and I'll try not to throw in underrepresented areas because now it just sounds like, as someone else said, i'm just saying what they want to hear.

 

[mommy2three]

I think you are okay talking about wanting to serve under served and maybe psychiatry as long as you say you know it is early in the stage to know what you want to go into and can keep an open mind

The thing I think is most important is to be honest, truthful and speak about things which you are passionate about
Interviewers can tell when you have a true passion for something vs you are saying what they want to hear. So if you are truely passionate about under served medicine then state that. There is a gal in my class who has wanted to go into geriatrics since day one of medical school but you could tell it was something she was very passionate and dedicated to and was honest about and was not simply saying something to say something that someone may want to hear