Interview question - dietary restrictions?

[sunandmoon7]

Anyone have any experience with dietary restrictions and how that worked on the interview trail? Nervous about that.. I'm both vegan and gluten free and I feel like it's going to be impossible/awkward during interviews but I also don't want to have to not eat/explain why I'm not eating?! Any tips?

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[mcl]

Anyone have any experience with dietary restrictions and how that worked on the interview trail? Nervous about that.. I'm both vegan and gluten free and I feel like it's going to be impossible/awkward during interviews but I also don't want to have to not eat/explain why I'm not eating?! Any tips?

Just tell the PC when you accept your interview invitation.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Just tell the PC when you accept your interview invitation.

This. It is not unusual for people to have dietary restrictions.

 

[hamstergang]

I feel like it's going to be impossible/awkward during interviews

Why?

 

[Ironspy]

Anyone have any experience with dietary restrictions and how that worked on the interview trail? Nervous about that.. I'm both vegan and gluten free and I feel like it's going to be impossible/awkward during interviews but I also don't want to have to not eat/explain why I'm not eating?! Any tips?

Tell the PC when you accept the invite but also pack a snack (granola bar, nuts, etc) in case they get the food wrong so you're not hungry.

 

[sunandmoon7]

Why?

During med school interviews I felt like it was a huge ordeal and I don't necessarily want to make me coming to interview any more complicated or be remembered in that way, I just want things to be easy really! Vegan and gluten free isn't the easiest combo for people to know what to order

 

[clausewitz2]

During med school interviews I felt like it was a huge ordeal and I don't necessarily want to make me coming to interview any more complicated or be remembered in that way, I just want things to be easy really! Vegan and gluten free isn't the easiest combo for people to know what to order

As someone who also had significant dietary restrictions during residency interviews, you should definitely tell them when you are invited to interview. Learning to ask respectfully but firmly for accommodations around things that are important to you is a very valuable skill to learn. Remember, being invited to a residency interview means they think you are a plausible fit for their program. While they still have more power, it is not nearly as unbalanced as when you were applying for medical school.

How they respond to the request will tell you something about the program as well. If they make a good faith effort to accommodate you, even if they mess it up, that's probably a good sign for their future willingness to work with you. If they decline to even try or simply tell you it can't be done, assume this is how they will respond to you at any point in the future if you ask for assistance or support outside the ordinary.

But also bring backup non-perishable food because you don't want to be hangry during interviews.

 

[sunandmoon7]

Awesome advice - thank you!!!! That's such a good point!

 

[rkaz]

This. I definitely took note of which fellowship programs that I interviewed with asked me about my diet and cared to accommodate. If they can't be bothered to have some gluten free or vegan options, it says something about the program and how much they are willing to respect you as one of their incoming residents. I realize that a person can't ask for so many accommodations to the point of annoyance, but in this day and age, gluten free and/or vegan should be pretty reasonable requests. (Maybe it would be difficult at catered events if you are strict celiac, due to contamination issues, but they should at least try their best to get you a salad.) You don't want to have to go through your entire residency training having to sit out at all of the program-sponsored meals, just because they don't care enough to get you something reasonable you can eat.

How they respond to the request will tell you something about the program as well. If they make a good faith effort to accommodate you, even if they mess it up, that's probably a good sign for their future willingness to work with you. If they decline to even try or simply tell you it can't be done, assume this is how they will respond to you at any point in the future if you ask for assistance or support outside the ordinary.

But also bring backup non-perishable food because you don't want to be hangry during interviews.

 

[killerleaf]

I always ask. If you tell me you are vegan, I am going to come back and ask if you eat fish, eggs or dairy. (because I have had people with varying answers to that question). I may ask you to define "gluten free"--because I have had varying answers for that, too. ("I cant have anything with wheat in it" "I can't eat anything with wheat, rice or corn in it" "I can't eat anything with corn in it") I will then try my best to make sure that there is something you can eat on the menu!! Then, if you match, that goes in my master file, so I can make sure that you can eat at any future meals that I have a hand in arranging. It is important that you are comfortable, and not having to scramble for food. However, if you tell me that you have 14 different restrictions, then that may be difficult to pull off. There is a point where I would have to say, "I am sooo sorry, I just can't do it". And I don't mean allergies...I mean preferences. Allergies are always taken care of!

 

[dienekes88]

Anyone have any experience with dietary restrictions and how that worked on the interview trail? Nervous about that.. I'm both vegan and gluten free and I feel like it's going to be impossible/awkward during interviews but I also don't want to have to not eat/explain why I'm not eating?! Any tips?

I can understand the unwillingness to be annoying. However, it's all in how you ask. Be nice to the program coordinator when you're invited to an interview and inquire about the menu. Let them know that you're vegan and gluten free.

If a program is unwilling to adapt to your minor dietary requirements when they're already trying to put their best foot forward and impress you, then I'd think twice about that place.

 

[killerleaf]

My biggest frustration during interview season is when I would notice someone just eating salad....
Me: Why are you eating just salad?
Them: O, I am vegetarian
Me: back at my desk, frantically looking thru emails...and not finding any that said they were vegetarian
Me: Why did you not tell me??
Them: I did not want to be annoying
Me: AARRGGHHH (on the inside)

In my email that I send, with all the details (hotel info, where to be when to be escorted to dinner, interview the next day, etc) I explicitly ask if they any allergies, or food preferences. Sometimes, it is tricky to make sure that I have something appetizing for them to eat besides a salad--you would be amazed at how eggs sneak into a lot of foods...but I do my best. And have managed to do pretty well so far.

 

[sluggs]

I have a standard e-mail where I insist on only organic produce, free range fowl and scotch that is at least 12 years old...

 

[FrkyBgStok]

If you order vegan/gluten-free, at most, the residents you are with will think, “hm, kind of odd.” If you don’t eat say anything and you don’t eat at all during your interview dinners and lunches, people will remember that with a “wtf is wrong with this person?”

 

[killerleaf]

sluggs...I would then make sure that you are interviewing when the dinner is at a certain faculties' home...he is known for the bar he keeps. and I would make certain that beef is on the menu, not chicken!! LOL

 

[killerleaf]

If you order vegan/gluten-free, at most, the residents you are with will think, “hm, kind of odd.” If you don’t eat say anything and you don’t eat at all during your interview dinners and lunches, people will remember that with a “wtf is wrong with this person?”

I keep the information confidential. I don't let every body know what the restrictions you may have given me are. When I let everybody know what is for lunch, I point out things like, "this dish is vegetarian, this one is vegan, this one is glueten-free" The announcement is made to everyone so no one is singled out. UNLESS YOU HAVE AN ALLERGY. Then I will quietly let you know while you are in line if there is a dish to avoid. (If someone is there that has a food allergy, then I do my best to make sure it is not on the menu at all. For instance, no pad thai if anyone has a peanut allergy. )