How deep can one go in an interview?

[RH8448]

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The underling reasons for my desire to attend medical school are very personal. I had sexual problems (chronic pain) all my life until I had surgery at age 22. These reasons are relevant to discuss during the interview process. First, how in depth am I expected or should go when discussing this at the interview? Secondly, this would be impossible to discuss with a group interview. How common are group interviews and is it possible to request individual interviews?

Thank you

 

[Storph]

The underling reasons for my desire to attend medical school are very personal. I had sexual problems (chronic pain) all my life until I had surgery at age 22. These reasons are relevant to discuss during the interview process. First, how in depth am I expected or should go when discussing this at the interview? Secondly, this would be impossible to discuss with a group interview. How common are group interviews and is it possible to request individual interviews?

Thank you

I think more personal answers are better, but it really depends on whether or not you will be comfortable discussing it. I haven't had any group interviews where they asked something serious like why do you want to be a doctor; those things are all reserved for the one on one interviews or a station during an MMI.

 

[RH8448]

Thank you for responding. I am very comfortable talking about the subject now. (Before I never talked about it) In day to day life I cannot talk about this issue with anyone other than a very close friends and my parents. I have brought it up with some people before and they really don't understand. People might feel awkward discussing it and could think even think I'm strange. I had to learn to discuss difficult topics openly and others may find this strange but I think of it as a coping mechanism. The last thing I would want is the committee to judge me as socially strange because I am talking about a traumatic/personal experience with strangers. Is the committee expecting me to open up or are they expecting the type of business conversation that two strangers working with each other would normally have?

 

[RH8448]

Thank you in advance!

 

[bc65]

To me it sounds like way too much information. If it came up in an interview, I suggest that you just say that you had abdominal (or pelvic ) pain finally relieved by surgery. I think there's a risk of making the interviewer uncomfortable, given the nature of the interview, which could consiously or unconsiously be reflected negatively in your evaluation. And frankly, I think given the question "why do you want to be a doctor", going into detail like that is probably not appropriate. If asked to give more detail (although they would probably know better than to ask for more detail ) you can talk about it; alternatively, you can say that it's probably not appropriate to discuss in that setting.

 

[Pacna]

Usually, the more vulnerable you're willing to be, the better your story is received by the interviewer. I would suggest revealing as much as you're comfortable strangers knowing. If someone told me this story, I know I would feel more connected, not put off. Then again, I've been told I'm strange, so perhaps take some salt. 🙂

Edit: To be clear, details of the procedure are not what I'm talking about. Talk about how it emotionally affected you. Talk about how being treated well, poorly, or whatever the catalyst was that made this experience exceptional for you, not the medical grit.

 

[IlDestriero]

You can say that you suffered from chronic pain, etc. without revealing any details. If they ask, you can be as open as you want. That's not a follow up question that I would ask. I might ask other related f/u questions.
If I ended up being your boss or partner down the road, that's a level of detail that I don't want or need to know.

 

[swoopyswoop]

I feel like this is TMI for an interview. This person isn't your doctor, they're your colleague. Like the poster above said, no normal interviewer will probe past "chronic pain". You could even say "chronic condition."

 

[Winged Scapula]

Moving to Pre-Allo where I expect (and even demand) that the topic remain civil, mature and professional.

 

[mehc012]

I've always been a fan of letting the person you're talking to dictate the depth of the conversation, if you're the one with the personal information you feel like sharing. There are several topics which I do not personally consider 'secret' and am not really embarrassed to share, but I often refrain from doing so out of respect for the other person's comfort rather than my own. A conversation, whether interview or no, should be a mutual thing, otherwise you risk one party leaving the encounter feeling either unsettled or focusing purely on that one subject. When you do consider that it is an interview, keep in mind that while doctors often have to be able to discuss sensitive topics gracefully and calmly, you don't want the interviewer's overriding impression after you walk out to be "wow, that was a bit awkward" (and you wouldn't want to associate that impression with a doctor either.)

In my case, this means that I plan to find ways to allude to or vaguely describe some of my own personal history if it is required to answer a question, but I won't be throwing all of the details at them right off the bat. It may mean that some of my answers are slightly less specific than they could be, or it may mean that I get followup questions which probe deeper. I will be prepared to answer those followup questions - after all, don't open doors that you aren't ready to walk through - but that way it is the interviewer's choice whether to go more in depth on a touchy subject.

 

[organdonor]

I woukd just say that with this kind of topic you need to be well rehearsed. Decide exactly how in depth you want to go in all types of situations. What do you say in an interview when asked (and you will be) why do you want to be a doctor? Or what made you want to be a doctor?

How will you approach it if you get asked specific follow up questions? How will you respond if your interviewer seems uncomfortable halfway through your story? Is there a way to tailor your story and either tone it down for someone squeamish or go into further detail for someone with whom your story really resonates?

 

[Goro]

Depending upon the interview, you might not have the chance to offer this information. Not everyone gets asked "Is there anything you want to tell me that isn't in your app"? And under no circumstances, try to squeeze it into the answer for an unrelated question.

 

[LizzyM]

I feel strongly that applicants are not being interviewed to be selected as interesting patients or successfully treated patients or anything related to their clinical status. You wish to be selected to enter a profession that provides clinical services to those seeking care. Why do you want to provide clinical services to those requesting care? How does the care you received or the clinical condition you experienced have any bearing on why you want to spend thousands of hours learning to provide clinical care and to then devote decades to providing those services?

You know the difference that clinical care can make for those who are suffering and you want to relieve suffering? OK, then focus on the experiences you've had that dealt with others who were suffering and how you have tested your interest in a career that will focus on the relief of suffering. The nature of your own suffering and the treatments applied to relieve that suffering are not what is essential, or appropriate, to recount to an interviewer. Focus on why you want to treat others. As a physician you'll be treating others, not yourself.

If your interest in medicine is puzzle-solving and using knowledge of biological sciences to make diagnoses and apply treatments based on the cleverness of the physicians who diagnosed and treated you, then show how you have applied scientific principles to problem solving in a research lab or in identifying problems and providing services or referrals to individuals with social problems (e.g. counseling and referrals to shelter residents). Again, it isn't what you learned about physiology and anatomy based on your own illness but about being interested in learning and helping others through medical science.

 

[lightblueelephant]

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[ski89]

Moving to Pre-Allo where I expect (and even demand) that the topic remain civil, mature and professional.

Ahhhhh maaaaannnnnn!!! /leaves thread...