Has anyone ever done a group interview?

[DoctorWannaBe]

Has anyone ever had a group interview for residency? One of my interviews is a group interview with the department head and program director. Will it be a free for all where they ask questions and the most assertive person gets to answer, or do they ask a question and then go around the group and let each person answer individually?

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[Blade28]

MGH has a panel interview. It's brutal.

 

[SBlanc]

Group interviews and Panel interviews are two different beasts; I've had friends who have experienced both this season.

One guy applying for radiology had a "group" interview with the program director at a program, where it was the PD and 6 applicants sitting around a table. The PD took out a sheet of paper, asked a question, and said "we'll start on this end" and they just went around the table taking turns answering the question. Next question, they went in reverse order. Yikes.

One gal applying for ophtho had a "panel" interview where the room was full of a panel of attendings and she was facing them. Most of the questions came from the 2-3 people in the middle, but she said she had to keep turning her head from one side to another so everyone could hear her answers...

 

[Dreemer005]

I've had several panel interviews for residency and fellowship. They tend to ask nastier questions than one on one interviews, particularly on the east coast (probably because it's a gang mentality). For one of my interview sessions, I had the most senior member pimping me on random medical facts and then grilling my research, while the other 3 panel members around him laughed when I missed the answers. It might have been to test how I react under stress, but it was unpleasant nonetheless.

 

[rechaim]

I've had several panel interviews for residency and fellowship. They tend to ask nastier questions than one on one interviews, particularly on the east coast (probably because it's a gang mentality). For one of my interview sessions, I had the most senior member pimping me on random medical facts and then grilling my research, while the other 3 panel members around him laughed when I missed the answers. It might have been to test how I react under stress, but it was unpleasant nonetheless.

Ouch! How unpleasant! I suppose you didn't rank them, did you?

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

Those sound like pretty tough situations! I wonder what specialties those interviews were for? Anyway, my "group" interview wasn't as bad as I thought it could be. It was really just a meeting with the PD and Dept. Head to tell us about the program and let us ask questions.