How to structure “Why medicine?” response?

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SeaHusky

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Is it better to begin with a narrative of where our journey began and culminating in the specific aspects of the profession that is appealing (leadership/autonomy, problem-solving, physician-patient relationship, etc.)? Or should we cut to brass tacks and simply state the specific aspects that appeal to us while tying those aspects to our personal experiences?
 
Is it better to begin with a narrative of where our journey began and culminating in the specific aspects of the profession that is appealing (leadership/autonomy, problem-solving, physician-patient relationship, etc.)? Or should we cut to brass tacks and simply state the specific aspects that appeal to us while tying those aspects to our personal experiences?

I structured mine like the latter, but that’s simply because I have a thousand little “why medicine?” reasons and no single experience that definitively drew me into medicine (e.g., a personal experience with illness, former healthcare career). If you can craft a compelling narrative/story, I think that’s going to be more interesting to read, IMO.
 
I structured mine like the latter, but that’s simply because I have a thousand little “why medicine?” reasons and no single experience that definitively drew me into medicine (e.g., a personal experience with illness, former healthcare career). If you can craft a compelling narrative/story, I think that’s going to be more interesting to read, IMO.
Thanks! I actually meant more in the context of answering this question during an interview. Do you still it would be prudent to go with the narrative approach? I have a story, but I get worried when I see some people suggest keeping our response to 2-3 minutes. That's why I'm going back and forth between telling a story or just jumping straight into the profession's aspects that resonate with me.
 
I’m doing a more bullet point/ listed response. Basically giving the 5 reasons to why medicine and how medicine is the only career that has these 5 things I’m looking for.
 
This is my structure. List 3 reasons and briefly explain each then go back and elaborate on all 3 in a bit more detail. In total my response is somewhere between 5-7 min but thats fine I think.
 
I went and am going with the narrative approach. Started with the spark that began my interests, and showed how my experiences then compounded and cemented that interest

All in all, about 5 minutes probably
 
"Why medicine" is not the same as "Tell me about your journey to medicine". The interview is meant to be a conversation, so avoid giving long monologues. Also, the longer you take to answer a question, the more diluted your answer becomes. So aim to be succinct and focus on the main reasons (rather than all of the reasons) for pursuing medicine. Just my thoughts.
 
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