Interview question: Why physician instead of NP, PA, etc.

[antizaitsev]

So I got asked this question during an early assurance interview, and I sorta floundered with it. I said that I wanted a "greater breadth and depth of basic science knowledge" and that even though I like working in a team and mobilizing others to their full potential (in the context of working with other health professionals), I ultimately wanted to be able to make the final decision on the patient's health outcomes.

(Med student) Interviewer raised his eyebrows at the first one and asked me if I seriously believed that physicians learn more about basic science than NP's and PA's. I tried to explain that I didn't think that they weren't as intelligent as doctors or anything, but that the schooling focused more on clinical applications than basic science (interviewer still didn't seem convinced).

How would you guys respond to this question in an interview? I figure I'll just drop my first response because it sounds like BS (even though I love science, I'll probably end up hating having to memorize all the minutiae from med school textbooks haha), but I'm wondering how to phrase the part about having the ultimate responsibility/final word without screaming megalomaniac...

Thanks guys!

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[compstomper]

I got a similar question along the same lines on my interview trail. I tried to first give a short explanation of my own understanding of the differences between NPs, PAs, and MDs. Then I explained why I felt so passionate about the parts of medicine unique to MDs.

I personally felt I needed to avoid at all costs that I was giving any hints of putting down NPs/PAs and putting MDs on a higher level, as medical schools puts a heavy emphasis on the ability to work well in a team setting in today's medical settings with other non-MD health providers.

 

[primadonna22274]

Longtime PA here, BS biology. I absolutely know more basic science now after M1-2 than I did as a PA. Which is way more than most NPs and nurses know. So your med student interviewer was trying to trip you up and see if you really knew the difference in curriculum--or s/he's been brainwashed by a PA/NP friend/partner/parent whatever to think they're the same course of study. They're not. You answered fine.

 

[Mad Jack]

I don't want to spend my whole life wondering just how much I don't know that I don't know.

 

[bambam92]

Okay, not to be blunt here. But if you are landing MD interviews haven't you sacrificed more than perhaps future nurses, pa's, and NP's? I have respect for all three of the careers, as they all are fundamental to the full scope of health care. However, as a pre-med I work harder than my friends who are set to be RN's and pre-PA. At my UG we (pre-meds) take completely different analytical chem series, and organic chemistries that are MUCH more demanding. I.e. nurses and pre-pa's take a one semester watered down orgo whereas pre-meds, pharm.D's, and chem E's take a two semester series that is wayyyy different. Essentially pre-meds have it a lot harder (just being honest) so if you push through all of that and maintain a 3.7+ GPA, manage a 30+ MCAT I think just the effort that person put forth deserves to be an MD. The road to getting into med school is so demanding. In a time when this country is heavily short on primary care docs, reimbursements declining, med school tuition soaring through the roof I find it discouraging that many adcoms seem to be wanting to grill a prospective MD who has all of his/her accolades straight on "why MD though?" Many bright, motivated people are declining to pursue medicine because of the declining reimbursements, grossly inflating tuitions, and subpar lifestyle. I am interested in it regardless of income, but just saying we need more docs! Especially in the primary care arena. It would be nice to have interviewers be more encouraging towards students. I say this because I had a friend get GRILLED at an MD interview @ northeast school about why he didn't pursue nursing or NP, and interviewer tried to make him feel like he had some superiority complex. This is a kid with a 3.9 GPA, great MCAT, stellar EC's etc. This kid flat out busted his butt for four years! Maybe he strived harder to be an MD and through his arduous effort just flat out deserves it.

Lets extend this idea to sports, i.e. an all American football player coming out of college meeting up with prospective coaches prior to the NFL draft. And the coach asks why the NFL? Why not the CFL? Don't you love this game? It shouldn't matter your income, you will still be playing ball, thats all that matters right? Or do you think you're too good for the CFL? Lol this coach would get flamed and told to GTFO! The player would get drafted by another team at an early spot regardless. Granted my analogy was a bit of a stretch, but I am trying to just draw on the fact that many people think medicine is philanthropy. Maybe the person wants to be at the pinnacle of health care, and thats why MD! What is so wrong with that if they went through all the hurdles to meet the achievement. Its like people who are striving for the best get shunned. Not the best direction for society in my opinion.

 

[DokterMom]

All members of the healthcare team have important and valuable roles to play. But who's the 'captain' on the healthcare team?

No matter how much training and expertise an individual RN, NP or PA might accumulate, the physician is always captain of the team. My personality is such that I would always seek to learn as much as could be known and develop my skills to their highest level, and as such, I could not knowingly sign up for a role that meant I would never be able to be 'captain'.

Just my truth -

 

[1012526fs]

As a current PA/pre-Med (Biology/Chemistry)/and accepted future MD student, I'll throw my single-minded two cents into the pot. I agree with Primadonna above; you will likely learn (and forget) much more of the basic sciences in medical school than you will in PA school (and far more than NP school). It's just the nature of the strategies in each system of education. But I don't understand the point of view that bambam92 has in all honesty. But that's just my opinion; I don't feel as anyone that works their ass off simply "deserves" to be an MD. There are plenty of hard working pieces of $&it out there that shouldn't feel deserving of their title, regardless of what it is.

As for the OP, I can tell you I've personally had to answer this question at each interview due to my own experience directly, and I answer something like this: I want more autonomy, greater responsibility, and more breadth of knowledge and medical skills; there are certain skills PA's are not authorized to perform, and I never want to be limited on what I can learn and ultimately do simply because of the degree I hold. And by the way, while I think your answer was just fine, the part about "making the final decision on the patient's health outcomes" can seem a little naïve if you can't articulate how PA's work fairly independently in many situations with a lot of that "final say" on their own shoulders... not to mention my own philosophy that the ultimate outcome is carried quite heavily by the patient as well. 😉

And Mad Jack... you should probably always wonder how much you don't know about what you don't know... that's medicine for ya. 🙂

 

[GoPelicans]

I got asked this once, I said something along the liens of my personality is too type A to be happy in a limited role as part of the health care team. I ultimately want to make the diagnosis, do the procedure, etc. I also said I want to do research in the future, which is more conducive to MD training than either a nurse or PA.

And besides, my Asian tiger parents would probably disown me if I became a male nurse haha (don't say that in an interview 😛).

 

[type b pharmD]

Lets extend this idea to sports, i.e. an all American football player coming out of college meeting up with prospective coaches prior to the NFL draft. And the coach asks why the NFL? Why not the CFL? Don't you love this game? It shouldn't matter your income, you will still be playing ball, thats all that matters right? Or do you think you're too good for the CFL? Lol this coach would get flamed and told to GTFO! The player would get drafted by another team at an early spot regardless. Granted my analogy was a bit of a stretch, but I am trying to just draw on the fact that many people think medicine is philanthropy. Maybe the person wants to be at the pinnacle of health care, and thats why MD! What is so wrong with that if they went through all the hurdles to meet the achievement. Its like people who are striving for the best get shunned. Not the best direction for society in my opinion.

Bambam , that is one great analogy!

I got asked why pharmacist and not pharmacy technician at a pharmacist JOB interview .. I was a little flabbergasted and it made me upset with the interviewer - long story short I didnt get that particular job.

Interviewers will ask inane questions, sometimes cause theyre stupid, having a bad day, or even just to try to trip you up. Gotta say this is one of the worst. But you guys in the previous posts nailed it!

 

[bambam92]

Bambam , that is one great analogy!

I got asked why pharmacist and not pharmacy technician at a pharmacist JOB interview .. I was a little flabbergasted and it made me upset with the interviewer - long story short I didnt get that particular job.

Interviewers will ask inane questions, sometimes cause theyre stupid, having a bad day, or even just to try to trip you up. Gotta say this is one of the worst. But you guys in the previous posts nailed it!

Yeah, its almost obscure and irrelevant to the interview. They are trying to put the interviewee in an awkward and "bad guy position" so to speak. Would love to see an interviewee with multiple acceptances role up to an interview and get asked this ? by interviewer, and just see the interviewee put her/him on BLAST. Make for a great youtube clip. lolz. I can definitely understand your frustration with that bizarre approach used by your interviewer. Im sure you found a job elsewhere!

 

[MDforMee]

Bambam , that is one great analogy!

I got asked why pharmacist and not pharmacy technician at a pharmacist JOB interview .. I was a little flabbergasted and it made me upset with the interviewer - long story short I didnt get that particular job.

Interviewers will ask inane questions, sometimes cause theyre stupid, having a bad day, or even just to try to trip you up. Gotta say this is one of the worst. But you guys in the previous posts nailed it!

Interviewers throw questions like this to feel out applicants, not because they're interested in the answer. They want to see things like who's been pushed into medicine by their parents, if the premed has an attitude or ego, things like that.

It's a garbage question and one I don't like answering, too. But, it is what it is. I'm sure I'll be asked the same question during my interviews since I dropped out of nursing school. I imagine that I'll say something like "After doing a year's worth of independent research in pharmacology, and working as a CNA in long term care, I knew that I'd never be able to provide the level of patient care I'd prefer to without an advanced science background. So, I earned a biochemistry degree, then went earned a masters in pharmacology and toxicology, sacrificing years and years to become the best doctor that I can be; since I was earning a 4.0 in nursing school, I could have easily just finished the degree and done a post-baccalaureate program for 1/2 the time and 1/2 the stress... blah blah blah).

 

[sakata8242]

NPs and PAs are generally good at what they do, but their scope of knowledge is usually limited in that they know a lot about maybe 5 or 6 things. Ultimately they help the MD be more efficient with his time: taking H&Ps, writing notes, placing orders, assisting a surgeon in the OR when there are no residents, or communicating the MD's plan to other clinicians. Generally, they do not get to make final medical decisions or develop treatment plans for patients. That is still (at least for now) the role of the MD.

 

[deleted407021]

I want to go into medicine to be a leader in healthcare and have the knowledge and authority to affect crucial change in an ever evolving and complex system. Proceed to discuss how well versed you are on current health/policy issues.

Or something to that effect, (probably not so concise).

 

[Psai]

"Because I don't want to spend the rest of my life quoting dubious statistics from flimsy studies in an attempt to convince people that my doctorate means that I'm basically a doctor."

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I hate stupid questions like that. You answered fine. Besides who the hell wants to be a PA or a noctor if you can be the real deal? There's nothing dishonest or boastful with admitting medicine is a bigger, harder challenge.

 

[dancingmate]

I was asked this question as well. I described my experiences with NPs and physicians and the differences I saw between the two professions. I have received care from both types of health professionals, and I currently work with both types. So I was able to distinguish the differences between the two, which is basically along the lines of what everyone said. Scope of NP is limited and they have a more broader/general understanding of things, where as physicians have a larger and more indepth scope. Ofcourse, I see NPs doing a lot of work and believe their are vital to our healthcare system. So, my answer was more along the lines of the differences in quality and involvement that each have in care of patients.

 

[newborn11]

I was asked this question once and I responded "I would like to receive the highest level of training and exercise the highest level of leadership." My response was well-received (reflected by the fact that I was accepted to the school and received an invitation to their scholarship interview day).

FYI The interviewer was mainly interested in why I would prefer to be a doctor as opposed to a nurse if I enjoy patient contact and cultivating a meaningful relationship with patients.

 

[Doudline]

Okay, not to be blunt here. But if you are landing MD interviews haven't you sacrificed more than perhaps future nurses, pa's, and NP's? I have respect for all three of the careers, as they all are fundamental to the full scope of health care. However, as a pre-med I work harder than my friends who are set to be RN's and pre-PA. At my UG we (pre-meds) take completely different analytical chem series, and organic chemistries that are MUCH more demanding. I.e. nurses and pre-pa's take a one semester watered down orgo whereas pre-meds, pharm.D's, and chem E's take a two semester series that is wayyyy different. Essentially pre-meds have it a lot harder (just being honest) so if you push through all of that and maintain a 3.7+ GPA, manage a 30+ MCAT I think just the effort that person put forth deserves to be an MD. The road to getting into med school is so demanding. In a time when this country is heavily short on primary care docs, reimbursements declining, med school tuition soaring through the roof I find it discouraging that many adcoms seem to be wanting to grill a prospective MD who has all of his/her accolades straight on "why MD though?" Many bright, motivated people are declining to pursue medicine because of the declining reimbursements, grossly inflating tuitions, and subpar lifestyle. I am interested in it regardless of income, but just saying we need more docs! Especially in the primary care arena. It would be nice to have interviewers be more encouraging towards students. I say this because I had a friend get GRILLED at an MD interview @ northeast school about why he didn't pursue nursing or NP, and interviewer tried to make him feel like he had some superiority complex. This is a kid with a 3.9 GPA, great MCAT, stellar EC's etc. This kid flat out busted his butt for four years! Maybe he strived harder to be an MD and through his arduous effort just flat out deserves it.

Most nursing students at my institution have 30+ hours of mandatory CLASS ATTENDANCE every week, and I personally know a hardworking few who had 40+, whereas the average premed doesn't have more than 22 hours per week or something (again: at my institution). Their basic science classes aren't as thorough? Probably, yeah. But from my experience, they often work just as hard as premeds, and they do sacrifice a lot to succeed. Plus they have to do many internships in a difficult and sometimes malignant environment for long hours, which takes its toll on one's sanity infinitely more than volunteering does. Get over yourself already.

 

[Microglia]

Enjoy leading a team, want to do research, interested in pushing the limits of current medical knowledge, etc.

 

[Chipster.]

Most nursing students at my institution have 30+ hours of mandatory CLASS ATTENDANCE every week, and I personally know a hardworking few who had 40+, whereas the average premed doesn't have more than 22 hours per week or something (again: at my institution). Their basic science classes aren't as thorough? Probably, yeah. But from my experience, they often work just as hard as premeds, and they do sacrifice a lot to succeed. Plus they have to do many internships in a difficult and sometimes malignant environment for long hours, which takes its toll on one's sanity infinitely more than volunteering does. Get over yourself already.

I think what bambam was trying to say is that pre-meds sacrifice more than those who are pre-pa or pre-nursing. The rigor of these professional schools is vastly different and it doesn't make much sense to compare nursing school with undergrad.

 

[Goro]

"Medicine is knowing more and more about less and less"
Neil Flomenberg, MD

I knew Neil, a pediatric Hem/Onc, at Sloan-Ketetring where I worked some 30 years ago. His observation was true then, and just as true now.

I don't want to spend my whole life wondering just how much I don't know that I don't know.

 

[shenellica]

"Medicine is knowing more and more about less and less"
Neil Flomenberg, MD

I knew Neil, a pediatric Hem/Onc, at Sloan-Ketetring where I worked some 30 years ago. His observation was true then, and just as true now.

@Goro I'm interested in what you would look for in an answer if you asked this question. Of course, I'm not looking for an answer to copy but I would like to know why you ask this question & what does the answer say about the person

 

[ChiapetBrownie]

So I got asked this question during an early assurance interview, and I sorta floundered with it. I said that I wanted a "greater breadth and depth of basic science knowledge" and that even though I like working in a team and mobilizing others to their full potential (in the context of working with other health professionals), I ultimately wanted to be able to make the final decision on the patient's health outcomes.

(Med student) Interviewer raised his eyebrows at the first one and asked me if I seriously believed that physicians learn more about basic science than NP's and PA's. I tried to explain that I didn't think that they weren't as intelligent as doctors or anything, but that the schooling focused more on clinical applications than basic science (interviewer still didn't seem convinced).

How would you guys respond to this question in an interview? I figure I'll just drop my first response because it sounds like BS (even though I love science, I'll probably end up hating having to memorize all the minutiae from med school textbooks haha), but I'm wondering how to phrase the part about having the ultimate responsibility/final word without screaming megalomaniac...

Thanks guys!

I got this question recently at an interview and I answered that I believe working as a physician would give me the greatest # of opportunities to develop an effective balance of clinical research pursuits and time actually working directly with patients.

That answer is a bit ambiguous, but it totally worked in my interview. ( I think)

 

[Goro]

I'll typically ask it if I see a parent or close relative is a PA/RN etc. I'm expecting that the interviewee will understand the differences in the three professions. and explain clearly why MD or DO >> NP/PA. Obviously, one can always "help people" or "help patients" in all three, but a good candidate why the MD/DO choice is superior to the other two in what they expect to get out of it.

By the answers one gets, one can also get a sense if the candidate is being forced into a medical career by an over-acheiving or high-expectations parent.

@Goro I'm interested in what you would look for in an answer if you asked this question. Of course, I'm not looking for an answer to copy but I would like to know why you ask this question & what does the answer say about the person