Bringing Up Faith in Interview

[redmed143]

Hello,
I have an interview coming up and I have heard conflicting advice on this topic, so I would like to ask it on here though it has been asked before.
I am a Christian, and my faith in Christ is the root of my worldview and the foundation of why I want to go into medicine. I feel that if I do not discuss this in my interview, that I will be leaving out an integral part of a description of who I am. Just wanting perspectives on whether this would a problem to discuss. To be clear, I am talking about bringing up my faith on my own as an explanation of who I am/why I want to pursue medicine. Obviously the answer does not end at faith, but it is the foundation. Thanks in advance for the advice.

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[purkinjekitty]

sounds like it would be an important part of “tell me about yourself” so I would include it buddy

I’m sure lots of people in adcoms are religious as well. Tons of schools rooted in faith based missions as well!

 

[gyngyn]

There are many places where this would be well-received.

 

[pablo213]

There are many places where this would be well-received.

Especially the Jesuit schools

 

[sirspamalot]

Uh, best know your audience. If your recipient isn't religious, or plays for another team, might not be so well received.

Personally, faith is personal and best kept that way. Health care providers provide health care, first.

 

[gyngyn]

Personally, faith is personal and best kept that way. Health care providers provide health care, first.

Some schools see things differently (e.g. Loma Linda).

 

[Dral]

In a perfect world, I think this would not be a problem; just as in a perfect world, someone should not have to be wary of bringing up their sexuality to an interviewer if it is an important part of why they want to practice medicine.

As pointed out, there will be some places where this will be an advantage for sure.

To be safe, for other places, maybe you can come up with somewhat of an 'algorithm' to your interview. Early on in the interview, maybe bring up faith in a somewhat low key way and try to feel out how the interviewer responds. If you seem to get a positive response, then go with it. If you perceive a negative response, then you can attempt to downplay that part for the remainder of the interview.

 

[Goro]

Hello,
I have an interview coming up and I have heard conflicting advice on this topic, so I would like to ask it on here though it has been asked before.
I am a Christian, and my faith in Christ is the root of my worldview and the foundation of why I want to go into medicine. I feel that if I do not discuss this in my interview, that I will be leaving out an integral part of a description of who I am. Just wanting perspectives on whether this would a problem to discuss. To be clear, I am talking about bringing up my faith on my own as an explanation of who I am/why I want to pursue medicine. Obviously the answer does not end at faith, but it is the foundation. Thanks in advance for the advice.

As long as you back up your faith with acts of altruism, you'll be fine.

You might very well get questions on how you'll deal with topics like LGBT patients, assisted suicide, abortion, so be prepared.

 

[mnm10]

i am very similar to you. i've brought up my faith in my activities, secondaries, and most of my interviews and was recently accepted into 3 med schools where I did talk about faith (both jesuit and non-religious schools). The WAY you talk about it is important- it is essential not to shove ideas down someone's throat, rather, explain how it has shaped you and how you have used that to further your interests in medicine (maybe this can be backed up by a service/religious activity in your application). Good luck!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

To be clear, I am talking about bringing up my faith on my own as an explanation of who I am/why I want to pursue medicine.

How did your write about this in your PS?

How would you deal with someone who didn't want you as their provider because of your religion? Also Christianity is a really broad brush (too), and there is not always a consensus.

Showing cultural awareness and cultural humility is a Premed Competency (actually two). You may be secure with your identity, but you need to be receptive to other faith philosophies.

EDIT: Would you get vaccinated? What about...

States Reconsider Religious Exemptions for Vaccinations in Child Care - KFF Health News

Providers and health care advocates warn a proposed rule change in Montana would jeopardize immunity levels in child care centers and communities. Efforts to change vaccination exemption rules are underway in other states, too.

kffhealthnews.org

 

[Hollow Knight]

Hot take here.....

I'd avoid bringing it up it if possible. I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but I can't even count how many meetings I've been in with higher ed leaders/professors where the big wigs are sitting around bashing religion, and I just smile and don't say anything (I personally am a Christian). Now I can only speak for my undergrad and two med schools, but if that level of implicit/explicit bias is that rampant in the South/Bible Belt, I'd imagine more educated/wealthy/etc places like NY and California would be even worse. I can't speak for those schools because I don't live there.

If your interviewer was one of the kind faculty in this thread, you'd be completely fine. If your interviewer was someone from my college (some of my old college professors volunteer as med school interviewers) or some of my med school professors- your app would probably get trashed, or at least moved to the bottom of the pile. They wouldn't tell you that to your face of course.

It is also completely possible I'm just an unlucky duck in this regard and have had some atypical experiences. So take this with a grain of salt. You've got literal adcoms here saying it's fine, so it probably is. DM me if you want me to warn you about specific places I've been. I'd just name drop the institutions but I don't want to dox myself. And of course there are great people at said institutions who would get hit by association.

 

[GoSpursGo]

The safe thing is definitely not to bring it up. However, fundamentally you do want to come off as genuine when answering "tell me about yourself" or "why medicine," and if you think that your answer would come off as insincere if you left your faith out of your answer then I think most people will be fine with you bringing it up. I just would address it and then move on.

 

[LunaOri]

A lot will depend on how you present your relationship between faith and medicine. Describing how faith inspires you to a life of service will probably be fine, as long as you are speaking from a position of humility and can give examples of the service you have done. Any hint of holier-than-though arrogance, or lack of cultural humility, would raise concerns. Personally, I would like to see that some of your volunteer experiences and activities are not church-sponsored, so I get a sense of how you relate to people unlike yourself (same way we tell college students to volunteer off-campus).

 

[GoSpursGo]

, I would like to see that some of your volunteer experiences and activities are not church-sponsored, so I get a sense of how you relate to people unlike yourself

I strongly agree with and wanted to highlight the importance of this part

 

[ThanosThighs]

Hello,
I have an interview coming up and I have heard conflicting advice on this topic, so I would like to ask it on here though it has been asked before.
I am a Christian, and my faith in Christ is the root of my worldview and the foundation of why I want to go into medicine. I feel that if I do not discuss this in my interview, that I will be leaving out an integral part of a description of who I am. Just wanting perspectives on whether this would a problem to discuss. To be clear, I am talking about bringing up my faith on my own as an explanation of who I am/why I want to pursue medicine. Obviously the answer does not end at faith, but it is the foundation. Thanks in advance for the advice.

I am in a similar situation. I have openly talked about my faith and how it relates to medicine in most of my secondaries and all of my interviews and I have had 10 II and 5 acceptances so far. I think it is okay to talk about, especially since it is important to your why medicine. I want to echo what has been said previously that it is more the way you talk about it. Be genuine and understanding and talk about it with humility. I served a volunteer church mission for 2 years in Romania which has given me countless experiences with serving people completely different than me, so I think faith and religion can bring those experiences as well, not only outside experiences.

Interviewers should be culturally competent as well and respect each applicant in their beliefs. If they look down on you or negatively influence your app just because you mentioned your faith, then I'd say its not even a school worth going too if they cannot respect that.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Just dropping a mention, there are some programs (not all faith-based institutions) working on interfaith and medical professional identity development. I've been networking with them on behalf of HPSA. Their resources are really insightful.

Anyone interested in writing up an article about their experience navigating this intersection during applications (into professional school or postgraduate), please let me know.

Faith & Health - Interfaith America

Health professionals who have religious literacy can ensure productive, positive engagement at every stage of care.

www.interfaithamerica.org

 

[Robin-jay]

I wouldn't mention it, but it does depend on the audience. I wouldn't mind reading a personal statement that included faith, but I'm also a very practical guy who likes to hear what you actually bring to the table. It's still a couple years until I go over residency statements, but I definitely am more interested in accomplishments related to the field rather than stories about faith and that stuff.

but that's just me.