“Biggest challenge” being coming out to my parents and being rejected?

[folgersormh]

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As I prepare for residency interviews, a common question I see is discussing challenges faced and overcame. My biggest challenge was coming out to my parents and facing their rejection. I learned how to navigate that relationship while staying positive and maintaining a good relationship. I gained skills I use with difficult patients to this day. It was extremely difficult to get to a point of feeling ok and accepting that we will agree to disagree.

Is it too personal/bad to use this answer during my interviews? My other example is growing up poor and relying on soup kitchens and food pantries, but I overcame that challenge by getting a job and getting loans to help cover those costs for my family. Not a very go-getter story or really showcases my ability to navigate a tough situation, which is why I don’t want to use this. It just sounds like a sob story.

 

[operaman]

Either/both are great so long as you’re genuine. Neither sounds like a sob story - sound like real challenges faced by many people.

Only caveat would be to avoid any hint of conveying an underlying mental illness. So if the first story resulted in severe depression requiring treatment then maybe don’t share that part. Still a lot of stigma around that I’m afraid.

 

[folgersormh]

Either/both are great so long as you’re genuine. Neither sounds like a sob story - sound like real challenges faced by many people.

Only caveat would be to avoid any hint of conveying an underlying mental illness. So if the first story resulted in severe depression requiring treatment then maybe don’t share that part. Still a lot of stigma around that I’m afraid.

Yeah, while the truth is a lot of that overcoming process came from lexapro and therapy, I still had to learn that it’s ok to agree to disagree, that their perception of me doesn’t have to be the truth, and that I can still care for them and place their wellbeing at the forefront of my mind. I have used these skills with patients who have been insulting and provocative and ultimately has resulted in my own wellbeing in those cases while still keeping patient care at the center. I’ll just leave out the therapy and meds part haha