MD & DO co'21 Residency Panic thread

Started by kraskadva
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^Is it weird I like those questions more? I had a "why DO" at a DO IM program. That threw me off. I've gotten medical questions and so has my rad and fm friends.


Seriously the best part of zoom interviews is not traveling for this IM prelim BS. Like I can’t believe people in a normal year are booking a flight so some jackass can ask “Describe yourself as a color.” Just screw all the way off dude. Best one is “What questions do you have for me?” Like they don’t even try to get to know anything about you. Laziest bunch of **** I’ve ever seen! Oh I also got “Describe a time when you contributed positively to the team during your rotations in a way that had significant impact on patient care.” Pfft! I’m lucky to get EMR access so what the **** you talking’ ‘bout?

And let’s be real, this is for a PRELIM! We both know what’s up. I need to get through yet another hoop and you want an indentured note ho. Let’s stop acting like this is more than what it is. We’re only hovering millimeters above the respectability of Tinder here. I’ve looked up your hospital and you’ve got my app. Let’s just swipe the way we swipe and move on.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
 
It’s funny that I’m literally suffering through my weakness that I said to the program today during the interview, and it’s caused by said interview. I can’t stop fixating on a couple times I wasn’t as sharp as I would have liked, how my dogs were barking a few times during the general zoom room (not the actual interviews of me), and how I was asked medical questions which I was only able to muster a vague response for. (Especially after the program said 5 times between interview scheduling, interview confirmation, zoom links, and the PD welcome today that we wouldn’t get any medical questions at all.)

TLDR: can’t stop think about my interview performance and now it’s making me so anxious my skin hurts and I feel sick to my stomach.
interviews don't afffect you very much girlfriend!!!! with only 10 minutes per interview they can't. it's more to screen to make sure you ain't crazy!
 
Quick funny story about my interview yesterday... In the midst of the panel interview, there was a loud bang in the living room. Totally threw me off while I was answering a question. Turns out one of our cats jumped into our christmas tree and the tree fell right on over lol. These cats can be so obnoxious sometimes
omg i had to take them out of the bedroom because one of my cats started FLINGING her body against the bedroom door super loud when i was interviewing in the living room and she was going to injure herself smfh. this same cat then started getting too close to my interview so I had to position the spray bottle where she can see it. ugh :dead: I'd leave her with a friend but this same cat has anxiety with other people including my parents smfh.
 
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Seriously the best part of zoom interviews is not traveling for this IM prelim BS. Like I can’t believe people in a normal year are booking a flight so some jackass can ask “Describe yourself as a color.” Just screw all the way off dude. Best one is “What questions do you have for me?” Like they don’t even try to get to know anything about you. Laziest bunch of **** I’ve ever seen! Oh I also got “Describe a time when you contributed positively to the team during your rotations in a way that had significant impact on patient care.” Pfft! I’m lucky to get EMR access so what the **** you talking’ ‘bout?

And let’s be real, this is for a PRELIM! We both know what’s up. I need to get through yet another hoop and you want an indentured note ho. Let’s stop acting like this is more than what it is. We’re only hovering millimeters above the respectability of Tinder here. I’ve looked up your hospital and you’ve got my app. Let’s just swipe the way we swipe and move on.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Haven't attended any prelim interviews yet but I'm dreading pretending I give a **** about the program other than # of electives and if they give me free food and parking. I hope every patient is the same gomer rock with the same 3 problems but now I need to pretend that I care about diverse pathology that will help me in my actual specialty. Yeah, that's not a real thing but ok I'll repeat it over and over. #noteho
 
Haven't attended any prelim interviews yet but I'm dreading pretending I give a **** about the program other than # of electives and if they give me free food and parking. I hope every patient is the same gomer rock with the same 3 problems but now I need to pretend that I care about diverse pathology that will help me in my actual specialty. Yeah, that's not a real thing but ok I'll repeat it over and over. #noteho

My TY interviews have been my most strict and formal interviews so far...mainly just peppering with me interview questions lol so be prepared

I’m sure it’s different for everyone tho
 
Had a stealth hard interview yesterday. They all said it was chill, and ended up asking lots of hard interview questions. Sometimes i wonder if they havent read your application and just ask those questions to see you sweat a little.
I was sold that the only thing important during these interviews is to come off as normal, and not necessarily have to slam dunk it every time. Lets see how this cycle ends up.
 
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Dang. DR interviews are so much more chill than that lol.

Most clinical question I've gotten after 7 DR interviews: "you're presented with a patient you have very little information on, what do you do?"

Me: "um... probably... get more information?"

Interviewer:
Unknown.jpeg
 
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It’s funny that I’m literally suffering through my weakness that I said to the program today during the interview, and it’s caused by said interview. I can’t stop fixating on a couple times I wasn’t as sharp as I would have liked, how my dogs were barking a few times during the general zoom room (not the actual interviews of me), and how I was asked medical questions which I was only able to muster a vague response for. (Especially after the program said 5 times between interview scheduling, interview confirmation, zoom links, and the PD welcome today that we wouldn’t get any medical questions at all.)

TLDR: can’t stop think about my interview performance and now it’s making me so anxious my skin hurts and I feel sick to my stomach.
I wouldn't stress over it too much. My one-year-old was screaming her head off during my one on one with a PD so much so that I stopped answering questions and had to apologize. Luckily she had kids and was really understanding. I mean there is literally nowhere else I can go during the pandemic to interview. If a program considers me unprofessional for not being able to keep my dogs or kid quiet then that is 100% someplace I don't want to be. Everyone says stupid things and fumbles a bit in an interview its normal.
 
Hey all, I've been using SDN for so many years but this is my first post 🙂

I'm panicking a little, I'm a DO applying IM. I've only got 9 interviews so far, and mostly at smaller hospitals. My scores are 235-248 range for Step 1 and 2. I have some publications, good LORs and did in-person 4th year rotations despite the pandemic.

Is it normal to be getting so few interviews? I was hoping for at least 12+.

Thank you!!
 
Hey all, I've been using SDN for so many years but this is my first post 🙂

I'm panicking a little, I'm a DO applying IM. I've only got 9 interviews so far, and mostly at smaller hospitals. My scores are 235-248 range for Step 1 and 2. I have some publications, good LORs and did in-person 4th year rotations despite the pandemic.

Is it normal to be getting so few interviews? I was hoping for at least 12+.

Thank you!!

So tough to say. How many programs did you apply to? And was it a good mix of community/uni/uni-affiliate? It's such an unpredictable year.
 
Hey all, I've been using SDN for so many years but this is my first post 🙂

I'm panicking a little, I'm a DO applying IM. I've only got 9 interviews so far, and mostly at smaller hospitals. My scores are 235-248 range for Step 1 and 2. I have some publications, good LORs and did in-person 4th year rotations despite the pandemic.

Is it normal to be getting so few interviews? I was hoping for at least 12+.

Thank you!!
I think you are more that fine right now. Some of my DO IM applicant friends are sitting on ~5 invites with slightly higher scores that you
 
when the program last minute decides it's an MMI when you show up . lol . was not prepared for the one today D:
 
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I’d say DNR but this isn’t a normal year so rank last lol. My SO is in IM and that turned her off so bad she didn’t rank them. In addition to the fact that this was the same program that told her “If I could get rid of all MDs in this hospital I would. They have no idea what they’re doing”.
Yeah they were my pre-interview last, and the interview just solidified it. They also indicated that they go over caps, do scutwork, and the salary isn’t enough for COL in the area.
 
Been on a handful of interviews now and my opinion that the online interviews are going to be useless to change my pre-IV rank is unchanged. The only way I see it changing anything is if the program just looks completely incompetent or unable to even put on a good face for a few hours. I don't feel like I come out of these with anything strong enough to change my opinion one way or another tbh.
 
omg i had to take them out of the bedroom because one of my cats started FLINGING her body against the bedroom door super loud when i was interviewing in the living room and she was going to injure herself smfh. this same cat then started getting too close to my interview so I had to position the spray bottle where she can see it. ugh :dead: I'd leave her with a friend but this same cat has anxiety with other people including my parents smfh.
I sit in another room with the door open. If a cat walks in I warn the person I am talking to. “9 months wasn’t long enough to train my cat, so you may see or hear them!” Seems worlds more comfortable to sorta embrace it for what it is. My cats are 10x louder behind a closed door...!
 
Been on a handful of interviews now and my opinion that the online interviews are going to be useless to change my pre-IV rank is unchanged. The only way I see it changing anything is if the program just looks completely incompetent or unable to even put on a good face for a few hours. I don't feel like I come out of these with anything strong enough to change my opinion one way or another tbh.
The only thing I'd add to this is in the circumstance that a program answers a question that is really important to you and how you rank, like certain scheduling set ups, EMR program, etc etc, that you can't already find out from their website. Even that though isn't a real result from the interview, it's just that's when you find it out.
 
So tough to say. How many programs did you apply to? And was it a good mix of community/uni/uni-affiliate? It's such an unpredictable year.
I applied to 91 programs, and a huge mix of university and community programs, with a ton of programs DOs have traditionally matched at. I'm hoping a few more trickle through...I'm hoping there will be a few more invites and that this isn't the tail end :/
 
^Is it weird I like those questions more? I had a "why DO" at a DO IM program. That threw me off. I've gotten medical questions and so has my rad and fm friends.
Haha.....try getting the "Why'd you go back to medical school? You had it made as a PA." I've gotten on every interview so far.
 
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Just finished an interview for a prelim program that's giving off ~malignant~ vibes. The location and COL are fair, but something about the culture there seems...off. I also didn't get to talk to any residents. Should I still rank it anyways? I only have 7-8 prelims so far and I don't know if I'll get any more, eep
Rank it on the bottom of your list, just in case.
 
Haha.....try getting the "Why'd you go back to medical school? You had it made as a PA." I've gotten on every interview so far.
As a prelim, these rapid fire interview days are spent hearing "so your application looks great, what went wrong last year?" every 15min and trying to find a way to tell SOMEONE, ANYONE, anything more interesting about me than my most recent major failure 8 times in a row.

Seriously, it's just hours of "why didn't you match? Oh, ok...do you have any questions for me?" on repeat. Someone please change the channel before I fall asleep. Or at least move the programming later so I don't have to wake up at 3am for this nonsense.
 
As a prelim, these rapid fire interview days are spent hearing "so your application looks great, what went wrong last year?" every 15min and trying to find a way to tell SOMEONE, ANYONE, anything more interesting about me than my most recent major failure 8 times in a row.

Seriously, it's just hours of "why didn't you match? Oh, ok...do you have any questions for me?" on repeat. Someone please change the channel before I fall asleep. Or at least move the programming later so I don't have to wake up at 3am for this nonsense.
Did not match is a big red flag though...so it is obvious why they ask you. Also, you have to remember yes maybe you explain to your first interviewer but your second interviewer did not hear that...Also, it is better that they ask now, understand it, and can vouch for you later on...because it will for sure come up when they try to rank you. More people hear about it and vouch for you...the better

But I totally see why you feel annoyed about it....suck!!!!!
 
I sit in another room with the door open. If a cat walks in I warn the person I am talking to. “9 months wasn’t long enough to train my cat, so you may see or hear them!” Seems worlds more comfortable to sorta embrace it for what it is. My cats are 10x louder behind a closed door...!
my cat popped into the interview today. nothing that could be done lol. learned some cool facts about Persian cats in the process hahhah. that's smart and i will use that
 
Did not match is a big red flag though...so it is obvious why they ask you. Also, you have to remember yes maybe you explain to your first interviewer but your second interviewer did not hear that...Also, it is better that they ask now, understand it, and can vouch for you later on...because it will for sure come up when they try to rank you. More people hear about it and vouch for you...the better

But I totally see why you feel annoyed about it....suck!!!!!
i don't see how it's a BIG red flag. literally not her fault some PDs have giant egos and didn't want her to rank them low on the list as a back up. She is clearly smarter and better than me in every category :dead:
 
How you guys handling thank you emails?

To each individual interviewer? Or just to the PC?

One place I forgot, the other the PD, and I’m just going to send one to the PC for the one I did today (didn’t have any contact info for anything else).

Honestly I will probably just send them to the PC from here on out. The entire practice is very dumb IMO.
 
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people ask medical questions???????? Thats insane.
If an IM program is pimping you during an interview, it's a massive red flag. Like, it's them waving one in front of your face. The programs I've interviewed at that are GOOD are all conversational, they clearly read my application, and want to know more about me. The programs I interviewed at that SOAP every year asked a barrage of behavioral questions and didn't even bother trying to get to know me. I personally think behavioral questions are on the edge of being a red flag but that's a rant for another day.
 
If an IM program is pimping you during an interview, it's a massive red flag. Like, it's them waving one in front of your face. The programs I've interviewed at that are GOOD are all conversational, they clearly read my application, and want to know more about me. The programs I interviewed at that SOAP every year asked a barrage of behavioral questions and didn't even bother trying to get to know me. I personally think behavioral questions are on the edge of being a red flag but that's a rant for another day.
Amen! When are these programs going to learn— the more of an interrogation it feels like or if behavioral type of questions take up the majority this will inevitably lead applicants with plenty of choices to presumably rank them far lower than originally expected.
 
Did not match is a big red flag though...so it is obvious why they ask you. Also, you have to remember yes maybe you explain to your first interviewer but your second interviewer did not hear that...Also, it is better that they ask now, understand it, and can vouch for you later on...because it will for sure come up when they try to rank you. More people hear about it and vouch for you...the better

But I totally see why you feel annoyed about it....suck!!!!!
I mean, I get it. But that doesn't mean it isn't annoying af to have the same conversation back to back 8 times in a row. Maybe try talking to each other so you can get 8x as much information instead of one REALLY WELL EMPHASIZED point. Also, dear interviewers in shotgun interview-style programs: by the 3rd interview slot, your interviewee has already asked all of their questions, twice over. By the 5th, that question has them screaming internally. By the 8th, you're just being lazy and your poor interviewee's head is about to explode. Stop. Asking. This. 5min. Into. Your. 15min. Session.
 
i don't see how it's a BIG red flag. literally not her fault some PDs have giant egos and didn't want her to rank them low on the list as a back up. She is clearly smarter and better than me in every category :dead:
I mean, it IS a red flag. But that's a clue to look closer, not an immediate DQ.

I think of it like when I first started dating my now-fiancée. I had to tell her, at some point, that she was the first person I'd ever gone out with (as in, my first date with her was my first first date, ever), even though I was in my late 20s. Things were going well, but that admittedly set off some warning bells in her head just because it was unusual. She talked it over with her friends, though, and the conclusion was that if I had a few flags, that'd be an issue, but if this was my only one and it was just unusual/improbable, not overtly problematic, she should ignore it and move on. And now we're getting married (if COVID and surgical intern year during re-application season ever lets us). So...

Dear programs: I've never Matched anyone before you. But that doesn't mean I'm not Match-worthy, it just wasn't my time. Please, if you look past this one bizarre thing, I promise you'll get a kick-ass intern out of the deal.

And hey, if it turns out I'm just a **** interviewer, that honestly just makes your decision easier later, right?!
 
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