at interviews, why present a case?

[gimmedog]

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Just wondering what the interviewers are looking for when they ask you about "your most interesting pt" or whatever. Are they really looking for how well you present (as if you were on a shift)? I stumbled a pllenty on that one because it caught me by surprise. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[DrQuinn]

Part of it may be to see your presenting skills (succinctness), how you react under stress, or they may just be bored and its a relatively PC question.

Q, DO

 

[southerndoc]

The question I hate is "tell me about when you went the extra mile for a patient."

I NEVER go the extra mile for a patient... if a patient needs something done, then it's our job to do it. That's not going the extra mile, that's doing what you're supposed to be doing. You know?

 

[ckent]

I got asked to present an interesting case at one of my 10 IM interviews. I completely blanked on all the normal cases, and ended up presenting a drug seeking patient who was going around steeling food from the staff in the ER. I don't know why, I guess those are the ones that tend to stand out in your mind.

 

[gimmedog]

Thanks all. I had such a lame nontechnical presentation when I was unprepared for the Q that it still makes me kinda squirmm thinking of it. Just wanted to see what they might have wanted from that kind of Q.