Interview Freak Out

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I have an interview coming up in a few days, and I am freaking out about it. One of my friends did really well in his interview because he is so genuinely interested in the field and he just knows about the politics/policies behind the medical field. I feel like I don't know any of that stuff :(

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Just be yourself. I know that seems obvious...and hard, but don't pretend to know things you don't. None of my interviews have been stressful. Convince yourself the days leading up to your interview that this school is your number one choice. Research and get excited about all the great opportunities you would have as a student. If you want to read about some of the hot topics in medicine, a simple google search about issues such as Medicare/Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, etc would be helpful. Most of all, relax, smile, and be yourself. You are clearly qualified to be there or they wouldn't have invited you.

Good luck!
 
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Concur. Just know what's in your app and trust yourself.


Just be yourself. I know that seems obvious...and hard, but don't pretend to know things you don't. None of my interviews have been stressful. Convince yourself the days leading up to your interview that this school is your number one choice. Research and get excited about all the great opportunities you would have as a student. If you want to read about some of the hot topics in medicine, a simple google search about issues such as Medicare/Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, etc would be helpful. Most of all, relax, smile, and be yourself. You are clearly qualified to be there or they wouldn't have invited you.

Good luck!
 
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Just keep in mind that your interview doesn't have to be "perfect" - interviewers want to get to know who you are and how you'd fit with the school, not know that you can recite perfectly memorized statistics about health care policies. Some knowledge of what is going on in healthcare today will show that you are invested in the field we're all going into, but you certainly don't have to know everything in detail.

In one of my interviews, I was presented with a scenario that I knew nothing about - and after going through a sentence or two about what my thoughts on the issue would be, I told the interviewer I couldn't even begin to think of how I'd handle it. He told me how his office had handled it, and we moved on. I was ultimately accepted to that school. Obviously, "I don't know" shouldn't be your answer to everything, but don't feel like any one question is going to make or break your interview.
 
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It really doesn't have to be as stressful as many of us (myself included) make it. When I interviewed at Iowa, (2-on-1, closed file) while one of the interviewers was explaining how the interview was going to work, I was fighting nerves-related nausea so bad that I totally tuned him out and was just thinking "holy s**t, I'm going to be rejected from this school because I'm about to throw up all over this table. Maybe I should just get up and walk out." I drank excessively from a water bottle trying to get the feeling to go away (this actually helped significantly, but may have been purely psychological).

Finally he said, "okay, so, your turn, tell us about yourself." Somehow I forced my mind away from the puke-y feeling and started talking. I kid you not, over the next 5 minutes as I was able to answer their questions and perceived them as relatively benign rather than scary, the nausea slowly dissipated a good 80-90%. You just have to relax and be confident and enthusiastic about the good parts of your application. It's not as terrifying as it seems!

(Result: accepted OOS!!)
 
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The one school I've interviewed at so far asked a total of zero questions about healthcare politics. There was a bigger emphasis on the change in medical education (one of my interviewers focused on curriculum development is why, I suppose) and doctor-patient interactions.

I think it is just best to know what the school is about. After all, the interview will be testing your fit for the school.
 
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I have never once been asked a policy/ethics/politics question. The interview's about you.
 
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Was asked a single question about the ACA out of 5 interviews so far. Not as common as it used to be, it seems.
 
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Thank you so much guys for your responses! The comments are definitely calming my nerves.
 
Also, the interview is to find out whether you're a human that can talk to other people, not to figure out if you're smart enough to go to med school (the great weed-out by numbers does this) or if you're a policy wonk. Act like a person who can have conversations with others, and it will go fine (aka neutral or well).
 
5 interviews, no political or medicial ethics questions. The closest thing I got was "What's the biggest problem facing the world today?" which I took in a more philosophical direction.
 
13 interviews and 1 or 2 questions about the Oregon Death with Dignity Act (since I'm from Oregon) and medical marijuana. Some ethics in MMI, lots of behavioural/"recall a time when you..." sorts of questions in both MMI and traditional interviews... Nothing about the ACA though, and nothing ridiculous or super stressful. I did feel like I was going to throw up or pass out at my first interview though, so I totally empathise! But interviewers aren't scary and out to get you -- they want to support you and advocate for you on the committee, so give them good reason to fight for your admission! Be yourself and convince them you're a great fit for their school, and they'll be receptive to that.

Good luck! :)
 
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I was only asked 1 ACA question that was veryyyyy open ended and very vague (basically just wanted to see that I knew something, even a little bit, on the topic). My biggest advice is that the interview is a match-making system. It's supposed to see if you're a good fit for the school, but also that the school is a good fit for you! Don't be nervous because this is your chance to have some fun and show off your personality :) Over the course of the day, don't be worried about the interview and forget to soak in everything about the school and see if it's a good fit for you!
 
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I have been asked about the aca at four schools.
Did you write about it in your application? Have you worked in policy or worked professionally for a provider (e.g. in a clinic or medical office) or worked for a political campaign or for the government? I would direct a question on something like that to someone who has worked in the field but not to the average applicant.
 
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Only 1/4 of my interviews so far have brought up the ACA and politics in healthcare.

I have been sort of following along, but I'm not terribly interested in learning about problems in the affordable care act. Politics (especially our polarized 2 party system) frustrate me, and as a physician I will not make efforts to embroil myself in them. I can foresee my annoyance as a physician at bureaucracy, and I think the best way to circumvent that annoyance is to put my focus where it belongs - the patients. Law-makers, interested physicians and insurance companies can work out the details, but ultimately I just want to care for the patients.

Nevertheless, at my interview I gave my opinion on the ACA (which is from a very basic knowledge), and I listened to the interviewer's opinions. There were a couple questions the interviewer had about ACA that I simply didn't understand (either this betrayed my ignorance or the questions were poorly worded). Either way, I told the interviewer I didn't understand what was being asked, he rephrased the question and gave his opinion. I acknowledged his opinion and gave mine. The most important thing is just not to come off as being too opinionated. You want to appear open-minded and logical.

My number one advice is to take a deep breath and be yourself. 3/4 of my interviews have been super relaxed and free-form. Look into what interviews are like at the school where you're going. That should help you prepare, mentally.

There were a couple of fascinating pieces in The New England Journal about the ACA and physicians' responsibilities to the community. Someone who thinks like this might very well be your interviewer.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410509
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410288

Did you write about it in your application? Have you worked in policy or worked professionally for a provider (e.g. in a clinic or medical office) or worked for a political campaign or for the government? I would direct a question on something like that to someone who has worked in the field but not to the average applicant.

Knowing policies about insurance and payment reform, Medicaid expansion, etc. obviously matter for those interested in policy, but would you say it's probably more important to have a an understanding of the secular trends in medical practice (such as the ongoing death of private practice or growing team-based care)?
 
It really doesn't have to be as stressful as many of us (myself included) make it. When I interviewed at Iowa, (2-on-1, closed file) while one of the interviewers was explaining how the interview was going to work, I was fighting nerves-related nausea so bad that I totally tuned him out and was just thinking "holy s**t, I'm going to be rejected from this school because I'm about to throw up all over this table. Maybe I should just get up and walk out." I drank excessively from a water bottle trying to get the feeling to go away (this actually helped significantly, but may have been purely psychological).

Finally he said, "okay, so, your turn, tell us about yourself." Somehow I forced my mind away from the puke-y feeling and started talking. I kid you not, over the next 5 minutes as I was able to answer their questions and perceived them as relatively benign rather than scary, the nausea slowly dissipated a good 80-90%. You just have to relax and be confident and enthusiastic about the good parts of your application. It's not as terrifying as it seems!

(Result: accepted OOS!!)
Hey congratulations
 
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There were a couple of fascinating pieces in The New England Journal about the ACA and physicians' responsibilities to the community. Someone who thinks like this might very well be your interviewer.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410509
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410288



Knowing policies about insurance and payment reform, Medicaid expansion, etc. obviously matter for those interested in policy, but would you say it's probably more important to have a an understanding of the secular trends in medical practice (such as the ongoing death of private practice or growing team-based care)?

I do think that every applicant should have an idea about how medicine has been changing and is likely to change going forward. I'm always surprised at applicants who think that primary care is delivered in the hospital inpatient unit or that all physicians work in hospitals. I am also surprised by those who seem to think that solo medical practices will continue into the 2020s as they did in the 1920s.
 
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Is this your first interview? I was much more nervous for my first II than my later ones. I think it was because I hadn't gone through the whole routine before (ie. traveling, staying in hotel, getting to campus, touring campus, interviewing, etc.). I didn't really know what to expect.

Do your research on the school, know your app, and smile and be a normal human being. Interact and make friends with the other applicants. It's actually a lot of fun! Best of luck.
 
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As a physician, I plan to volunteer at free health clinics and do what I can to help out in my community. This is very different from being a part of health care reform. Though I think it's important to know the basics, I was just making the point that not all physicians want to be involved in making changes to our current health care system. In fact, most physicians don't have the power, time or money to do so. It's really in the hands of politicians, insurance companies, hospital administrators, and lawyers. It's clear that this isn't the best case scenario, but it's the reality of our current system. I will financially support physicians with that kind of energy and passion, but personally it's just not something I foresee as being a positive experience.

What's more, my application shows absolutely no interest or experience in health care politics or administrative work. Every applicant is different. Not every applicant can spend 2 years in the Peace Corp, publish scientific papers, volunteer 1000 hours, and have years of clinical experience. Each applicant brings their own interests to the table, and I think interviewers appreciate that. If you don't have an interest in being part of health care reform or getting an MPH (and/or don't have experience working in a related field), then I don't see why you shouldn't be okay with just a basic knowledge of health care reform.

If you care enough to work at a free clinic you should care about health care reform.

There's strength in numbers, that's why physicians organizations exist. Physicians have lobbying power too ya know.
 
Amazing how disarming it can be to say something like, "That's a thought-provoking question. I don't have a ready answer" and then consider the dimensions of the questions aloud. You are not expected to "know everything" in advance--I believe that the interviewers want to feel that the school can still teach you a little something! It is good to be prepared--and to know that you cannot prepare for every possibility. Interviewers want to see how you response to pressure and stress, how you consider both sides of a controversy or dilemma, how you share your thought process. In other words, they want to see capability to learn and to think and to solve problems logically without panic. You never had a prof who answered an inquiry with "That's a very good question. What do YOU think?" Most of the time those profs really don't KNOW the answer, whether they claim "pedagogical strategy" or not. It's okay to be ignorant and to recognize your ignorance, so long as you are not satisfied with it.

BUT do not beat yourself up or criticize yourself in your interview. "Oh, my gosh. What's wrong with me? I should know more about that!" does not endear an applicant to anyone, and shakes her/his confidence as well. You were invited to interview because some folks liked what they saw in your application. Let them keep liking you--you don't have to leave them awestruck!!

Anyway, that's my opinion.
 
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There were a couple of fascinating pieces in The New England Journal about the ACA and physicians' responsibilities to the community. Someone who thinks like this might very well be your interviewer.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410509
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410288



Knowing policies about insurance and payment reform, Medicaid expansion, etc. obviously matter for those interested in policy, but would you say it's probably more important to have a an understanding of the secular trends in medical practice (such as the ongoing death of private practice or growing team-based care)?

Thanks for those articles. I'm totally in agreement.

I don't think physicians can claim to work for the underserved without working to decrease the number of patients that fall into this population.
 
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Did you write about it in your application? Have you worked in policy or worked professionally for a provider (e.g. in a clinic or medical office) or worked for a political campaign or for the government? I would direct a question on something like that to someone who has worked in the field but not to the average applicant.

No to all the above questions.
 
I've worked in a hospital for 4 years. So yeah, I think I know what a physicians life is like. I agree that people think they to be superheroes, but it's possible to do a lot by lending support to causes you believe in. some people do research, Others prefer to teach. They can all rally behind colleagues working in reform if they believe in the message.

Yet, I still see many of them really behind others that are fighting for causes they support.

Healthcare reform affects physicians in profound ways, especially if their states fight it. Being part of the narrative means fighting for patient and self interest.

The physicians I work with spend hours a week fighting with insurance companies. If anything needs changing, it's that system. Putting it on patients doesn't solve the problem either.

The idea that some students and physicians have that it's not their business and they don't want to get involved in politics I'd hilarious to me. It's way too late for that.
 
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Yeah, sure.

There are many academic physicians and think tanks that research healthcare access for states that are still stalling access. They do feasibility and impact studies and physicians can join in on these. Other physicians can get involved in spreading the message.

The nejm articles were a good start.
 
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Only takes a full day of reading to know quite a bit about healthcare. Read the Healthcare Handbook written by the WashU students, and check out the Frontline documentary series (streamed by PBS for free) on how other developed nations have successful healthcare systems.

You'll come across much better in your interviews. If you have any MMIs there is an especially high chance of getting a policy-based scenario.
 
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