Common Interview Questions

[Darkskies]

Hi,
There are some run-of-the-mill interview questions that I find can be difficult to give good answers to. I was wondering what kind of responses everyone here would use.

1. "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" Obviously I would envision myself as a doctor but there are so many specialties and practice options at the end of one's residency that it would be nearly impossible for me to already have a concrete idea of what my life would be like ten years down the road.

2.'Why do you desire to be a physician over careers in other healthcare fields(mid-levels, nurses, pharmacists, etc.). It seems that as a P.A.,nurse,etc. you're not granted the same autonomy as a doctor and your knowledge base is lacking compared to the expertise, serious dedication, and gargantuan fund of knowledge with respect to his specialty that a physician is supposed to possess. The other fields would limit you. Saying this as a reply to your interviewer might come off as pompous even though you aren't and don't mean it that way.

3.'Healthcare debate' Although I am informed of the two sides on this issue, it's such a controversial topic, it's hard to relay an answer that shows your neutrality without making some sort of faux pas. Besides, why is this even a legitimate interview question when it's clearly concerning politics?

I would really appreciate it if forum members could give me some perspective as to how to properly tackle these questions! Thanks so much!

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[Whatyousay]

Hi,
There are some run-of-the-mill interview questions that I find can be difficult to give good answers to. I was wondering what kind of responses everyone here would use.

1. "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" Obviously I would envision myself as a doctor but there are so many specialties and practice options at the end of one's residency that it would be nearly impossible for me to already have a concrete idea of what my life would be like ten years down the road.

Even if you don't have a specific field/area of interest in mind, the key here is to let the interviewer know that you have at least put some thought into the medical field beyond getting into medical school. How have your clinical experiences / research / other ECs up to this point guided your vision for your future?

2.'Why do you desire to be a physician over careers in other healthcare fields(mid-levels, nurses, pharmacists, etc.). It seems that as a P.A.,nurse,etc. you're not granted the same autonomy as a doctor and your knowledge base is lacking compared to the expertise, serious dedication, and gargantuan fund of knowledge with respect to his specialty that a physician is supposed to possess. The other fields would limit you. Saying this as a reply to your interviewer might come off as pompous even though you aren't and don't mean it that way.

I want the highest level of training and the highest level of responsibility. I want to be the one making the call on someone's life at the end of the day.

3.'Healthcare debate' Although I am informed of the two sides on this issue, it's such a controversial topic, it's hard to relay an answer that shows your neutrality without making some sort of faux pas. Besides, why is this even a legitimate interview question when it's clearly concerning politics?

Give a reasonable, rational, and well thought out response. Demonstrate that you have the capacity to form intelligent opinions about relevant medical issues, and don't worry about any bias that the interviewer may have, because that's out of your control.

 

[gmcguitar4]

just some rough short answers..

1. "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"

-i teach guitar and LOVE it so maybe academic medicine could be interesting
-interested in doing bench research after taking some courses and from previous experience
-like interacting with patients after previous experience as research coordinator

So like most people, I don't really have my heart set on any specific route so I am keeping my options open.

2.'Why do you desire to be a physician over careers in other healthcare fields(mid-levels, nurses, pharmacists, etc.)

For me, I have seen and dealt with people in all different types of fields within healthcare. What I value is the relationship that a physician develops with their patient. Over time patients instill their complete trust in their physician and develop a bond that is completely unique to that profession. Also it is way more interesting/stimulating than those other professions.

3.'Healthcare debate'
Healthcare debates, in my opinion are a way for the interviewer to set a fire up some peoples *****'s. Some people get really worked up over their view of a political topic. Definitely best to remain neutral. Also, by giving an answer that clearly expresses a negative opinion toward one side of the argument, the interviewer then has an endless supply of questions to pin you down. It is best not to express a strong opinion unless you know EVERYTHING about that topic.

.

 

[Darkskies]

Thanks guys! How about these ones?:
'Why should I pick you out of all the other people sitting in the waiting room?/I have 30 secs to present you to the committee. What would you have me say to them?'
Questions like these usually leave me bewildered and usually I don't even know how to start off. If I talk about my volunteering,shadowing, foreign language abilities,etc. the adcomms should already be familiar with these activities but that's really all I could expound on it seems like...

 

[kpcrew]

Thanks guys! How about these ones?:
'Why should I pick you out of all the other people sitting in the waiting room?/I have 30 secs to present you to the committee. What would you have me say to them?'
Questions like these usually leave me bewildered and usually I don't even know how to start off. If I talk about my volunteering,shadowing, foreign language abilities,etc. the adcomms should already be familiar with these activities but that's really all I could expound on it seems like...

"In my ten years on this committee, I have rarely seen an applicant as qualified to be a physician as Darkskies. He has a 4.0 GPA, his MCAT is phenomenal and he is passionate about bringing affordable healthcare to the underserved. I believe that he will be a fantastic doctor and he will be a fine asset to our school as a member of the class of 2016."

 

[Darkskies]

"In my ten years on this committee, I have rarely seen an applicant as qualified to be a physician as Darkskies. He has a 4.0 GPA, his MCAT is phenomenal and he is passionate about bringing affordable healthcare to the underserved. I believe that he will be a fantastic doctor and he will be a fine asset to our school as a member of the class of 2016."

We could do without the sarcasm please...Seriously, Is asking for help with certain interview questions out of line here or something?

 

[Ebola4Breakfast]

We could do without the sarcasm please...Seriously, Is asking for help with certain interview questions out of line here or something?

I don't know if I'd call it out of line, but it's a bit like asking people to do your homework for you. The point is that, at some point or another, most of us have sat down and attempted to think our way through kinds of questions. There really isn't a right or wrong way to answer most of these questions. The only "right" answer is the answer that's applicable to you and your application... which none of us can give you. Have a little more confidence in yourself and your answers and you'll do fine.

 

[jesse120]

Find a quiet place where you won't be bothered and spend time self reflecting. Giving genuinely honest answers beats telling them what you think they want to hear.

 

[Darkskies]

Thanks guys! How about these ones?:
'Why should I pick you out of all the other people sitting in the waiting room?/I have 30 secs to present you to the committee. What would you have me say to them?'
Questions like these usually leave me bewildered and usually I don't even know how to start off. If I talk about my volunteering,shadowing, foreign language abilities,etc. the adcomms should already be familiar with these activities but that's really all I could expound on it seems like...

Sorry for bumping this thread again but I was wondering if someone would still give me advice on how to start off if I encounter this question. It usually catches me off guard. I'm not expecting anyone to spoon-feed me the answer and the answer itself would be specific to myself and my ECs,etc. but how should I begin and what sort of outline should I have in my answer?

 

[topconlacj]

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

This link below can show more info, you can find them at: Medical coordinator interview questions

Goodluck.

 

[Bluvip]

2.'Why do you desire to be a physician over careers in other healthcare fields(mid-levels, nurses, pharmacists, etc.).

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[candav]

I was always asked, "Is there anything else not on your application you'd like me to know?" and was never entirely sure how to answer this question. I ended up just updating them on various things I'd been involved with since submitting my primary application in June.

ETA: Ooh, and the "greatest challenge" question! The first time I was asked this question, I had never even thought about it previously. I ended up talking about something very personal, and not academically-related at all. Hope it didn't weird my interviewer out too much!

 

[candav]

My wishy washy "I'm not really sure.. I feel that I'm hardworking but I know everyone else also is" answer, while not good, still showed a lot about my character, which very importantly, was in line with what my committee letter and recommenders said about me (they used 'shy,' 'genuine' and 'humble' to describe me, as I learned in a later interview).

I agree. I think as you interview at more schools and meet more amazing applicants, you come to realize that you're not as hot as you thought you were, and that most applicants share many common threads.

On a related note, I was once asked to describe three things that separated me from other applicants. That was difficult.