Personality and Interviews

[darthia]

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I'm a pre-med student and I want to get some insight on what to expect from my future med school interviews. My issue is that I am a bit reserved and quiet by nature(some people would call me shy, but I dispute that)...will this have a negative impact on the image I will project to an interviewer?

Also, does a person necessarily need to be talkative and extroverted to be a good doctor? I'm just a little concerned that my reserved demeanor might give interviewers the wrong impression that I would not be well suited for dealing with and talking to patients, which is most definately not the case...

any advice?

 

[criminallyinane]

I'm a pre-med student and I want to get some insight on what to expect from my future med school interviews. My issue is that I am a bit reserved and quiet by nature(some people would call me shy, but I dispute that)...will this have a negative impact on the image I will project to an interviewer?

My advice is to expect every type of personality. You could get anything. My interviewers ranged from a kind and welcoming pediatrician, to an 80-year old debonaire Southern internist, to an arrogant, nasty, sneering orthopedic surgeon at an NYC school. The students ranged from kind to arrogant. You'll get some people who want to learn about you and some who want to quiz you and pressure you. At one interview, I was asked where Croatia was and to define the color green. At others I was asked about my family and my hobbies. It's all dependent on who you get. It even varies tremendously

Also, does a person necessarily need to be talkative and extroverted to be a good doctor? I'm just a little concerned that my reserved demeanor might give interviewers the wrong impression that I would not be well suited for dealing with and talking to patients, which is most definately not the case...

any advice?

You don't need to be talkative to be a good doctor, you just need to be able to ask the necessary questions and to put the patient at ease. If you are comfortable with that and with who you are, that is good enough. At the interviews, it is fine to show your true personality. If you're naturally quiet, then just answer the questions, show your kindness, and don't try to act bubbly if it's not who you are - it will come off as fake. It is fine to be a quiet individual as long as you can carry on the conversation and not appear too nervous or uninterested.

 

[shiraz84]

I am a little reserved, as well, but usually only around large(r) groups of people.

Slight shyness shouldn't have a negative impact on your interview. You do not have to talk the interviewer's ear off, but at the same time you can't just give one-sentence responses.

I do not think that a person has to be extraverted in order to be a good physician. Communication is, of course, essential, but I believe that the physician-patient relationship is unlike most other kinds of dyads and that minor shyness is not an issue.

 

[xSTALLiONx]

I'm a pre-med student and I want to get some insight on what to expect from my future med school interviews. My issue is that I am a bit reserved and quiet by nature(some people would call me shy, but I dispute that)...will this have a negative impact on the image I will project to an interviewer?

Also, does a person necessarily need to be talkative and extroverted to be a good doctor? I'm just a little concerned that my reserved demeanor might give interviewers the wrong impression that I would not be well suited for dealing with and talking to patients, which is most definately not the case...

any advice?

you could play the humble card.. but some schools have panel interviews WITH some 2nd year med students.. and, personally, if you can't be talkative (not too talkative) and able to laugh with us.. I would cut you.. You're still in college.. break out of your shell...

Try drinking.. if it works.. drink a thimble of vodka or something before you come in for the interview

 

[Medic-to-MD]

My advice is to expect every type of personality. You could get anything. My interviewers ranged from a kind and welcoming pediatrician, to an 80-year old debonaire Southern internist, to an arrogant, nasty, sneering orthopedic surgeon at an NYC school. The students ranged from kind to arrogant. You'll get some people who want to learn about you and some who want to quiz you and pressure you. At one interview, I was asked where Croatia was and to define the color green. At others I was asked about my family and my hobbies. It's all dependent on who you get. It even varies tremendously



You don't need to be talkative to be a good doctor, you just need to be able to ask the necessary questions and to put the patient at ease. If you are comfortable with that and with who you are, that is good enough. At the interviews, it is fine to show your true personality. If you're naturally quiet, then just answer the questions, show your kindness, and don't try to act bubbly if it's not who you are - it will come off as fake. It is fine to be a quiet individual as long as you can carry on the conversation and not appear too nervous or uninterested.

I disagree. You do need to be talkative to be a good clinical doctor.. There are three reasons that come to mind: 1) You have to be able to carry a conversation with your patients in which you obtain history of present illness as well as background medical history to help arrive at a diagnosis (this is the most non-personal portion) 2) Very importantly, you need to be able to build a rapport with patients. You are many times asking very personal questions about issues they may not even discuss with spouses or family. If a patient is going to open up to you, they have to trust you and feel comfortable with you (Ever had an experience with a cold or impersonal doc or clinician that left you wanting to get out of there?) 3) Also very important, you have to be able to get along well with all other colleagues and members of your "team." If nurses or techs dont like you, they are not going to want to deal with your. Believe me, there is nothing more difficult than a pissed off or annoyed staff that wont give you the time of day!

All this insight I have learned from working as a paramedic. If it is that important in my present job, it will be 10 times as important in the role of physician. In addition, working as a field training officer, I have had students who were not personable and often did not pass for qualification due to these reasons.

With that said, there are many jobs where doctors do not interact as much with people, such as research or pathology. You may already be inclined toward this type of work given your personality. If that is the case, they maybe highlight excellence in those areas and apply to schools known for them, and you may do better. Just my advice!

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm a pre-med student and I want to get some insight on what to expect from my future med school interviews. My issue is that I am a bit reserved and quiet by nature(some people would call me shy, but I dispute that)...will this have a negative impact on the image I will project to an interviewer?

Also, does a person necessarily need to be talkative and extroverted to be a good doctor? I'm just a little concerned that my reserved demeanor might give interviewers the wrong impression that I would not be well suited for dealing with and talking to patients, which is most definately not the case...

any advice?

Each interview is at most an hour -- so you just need to be able to be dynamic and interesting for that hour. Don't count on the interviewer being able to draw you out -- some are quite skilled, but most are primarilly hospital physicians without special interviewing skills who have just been inducted to help the admissions process out. Reserved and quiet have their place, but the interview is your only chance to make the schools see you as a person, so one word answers simply won't cut it. Most interviewers grade with a numerical score, with the high number being the most interesting, engaging and mature - so you want to rock this.
Much of medicine involves dealing with people. Sure, there are less patient intensive fields (path, rads), but you need to get through a certain amount of clinical training before you can settle in at one of those. At some point in your training, you will be dealing with patients (often scared or in pain), who expect you to exude confidence, intelligence, and some semblance a good bedside manner. This is why med schools have the interview (and to a lesser extent the LORs) in the first place -- they would rather not fill their classes with people with just high numerical stats, but no people skills. My advice to you would be to practice interviewing -- in front of friends, videotape, or even a mirror. If it's really an issue, maybe you want to consider taking a public speaking course, or toastmasters or Dale Carnegie, so you get more comfortable speaking in front of people. In my view, not everyone is born with the innate ability to speak comfortably and be engaging in front of people, but everyone has the ability to "fake it" for an hour or two if they work at it.

 

[criminallyinane]

I disagree. You do need to be talkative to be a good clinical doctor.. There are three reasons that come to mind: 1) You have to be able to carry a conversation with your patients in which you obtain history of present illness as well as background medical history to help arrive at a diagnosis (this is the most non-personal portion) 2) Very importantly, you need to be able to build a rapport with patients. 3) Also very important, you have to be able to get along well with all other colleagues and members of your "team." If nurses or techs dont like you, they are not going to want to deal with your. Believe me, there is nothing more difficult than a pissed off or annoyed staff that wont give you the time of day!

The ability to do these things is not necessarily correlated with being talkative "in real life." My dad is an excellent physician (this is not personal bias, but rather feedback I have gotten from his colleagues and most of all, patients and patient families who run up to me in the grocery store to tell me how much they LOVE my father.) And yet, he is VERY quiet in real life. When he is seeing patients, he is very able to ask them the questions he needs to ask and to establish a good rapport with them - they see him as a trustworthy, serious, and caring individual (which he is!), but he is uncomfortable in large groups, at parties, etc. He is great one-on-one and when he is talking about his passion: medicine. So I speak from personal experience when I say that if you can put aside your shyness in your physician role, that is more important than being able to socially emote and be talkative.

Many shy people are shy in social situations, but good doctoring isn't about being social, it's about being compassionate and able to elucidate findings from your patients. They're different, and many people with mild social phobia do just fine with patients and co-workers because the purpose is not to socialize, but to be a good physician.

And my father is not a pathologist, he is 100% clinician, and interacts with patients every day, 7 days a week. He does great.

Also, to address something else you said, being shy does not = being cold and impersonal. To the contrary, most shy individuals I know are highly sensitive and caring people who are just less outgoing than perhaps the average joe. I think it is far more cold to talk down to patients, be arrogant in your knowledge, and to be dismissive. Those things don't come with shyness -- they come with obnoxiousness!

As long as you can talk to patients, you'll be fine. Good luck.

 

[nina512]

Many shy people are shy in social situations, but good doctoring isn't about being social, it's about being compassionate and able to elucidate findings from your patients. They're different, and many people with mild social phobia do just fine with patients and co-workers because the purpose is not to socialize, but to be a good physician.

I totally agree. I know that I can come off as shy and quiet at times, but that only really happens in groups. I'm willing to listen rather than try to be the center of a conversation. Most of all I'm good one-on-one, and I feel like I have a certain quaility where people feel comfortable talking to me.

Being a doctor isn't a popularity contest. YES, you must get along with your colleauges, but that isn't synonimous with being a chatter box.

 

[UDbiochem]

As long as you smile and can carry on a conversation, I wouldn't worry about it so much. It's important to be friendly, but not obnoxious in the other extreme. I did well at most of my interviews, and I'm a decently quiet person.

Just don't be toooo quiet. I interviewed a couple places to meet quite a few premeds who just stared at the floor. A bunch of us in the waiting room went around saying names and where we were from, and she stared at the floor and didn't say a word. When I asked her where she was from, I got a one word answer, that's it. Yeah.... don't be like that.

 

[ChuckRock]

UDBiochem has the right idea. I've never been apart of Med school admissions, but I have interviewed other students for an organization on my campus. I can't tell you how many candidates put me to sleep with their poor interview skills. As long as you can project your voice, show good posture, and give a firm handshake, you can give a decent interview even if you arern't very extraverted.

 

[Neurolemma]

I'm a pre-med student and I want to get some insight on what to expect from my future med school interviews. My issue is that I am a bit reserved and quiet by nature(some people would call me shy, but I dispute that)...will this have a negative impact on the image I will project to an interviewer?

Also, does a person necessarily need to be talkative and extroverted to be a good doctor? I'm just a little concerned that my reserved demeanor might give interviewers the wrong impression that I would not be well suited for dealing with and talking to patients, which is most definately not the case...

any advice?

If you're a surgeon, I don't think your personality really matters. The only surgeon-patient interaction seems to be with the patient (for a consultation maybe)/patient's family. Your face is covered up during the whole operation; you signal for something with your hand. On the other hand, if you were to become a pediatrician, or go into internal medicine, then yes... it would be important for you to put the patient at ease. The last time I went to see a G.P., he explained systolic/diastolic pressure to me, which I thought was great. Anyhow... for the interview, there are obvious questions they will ask you. Why you want to be a doc. What kind of med you want to go into. Your hobbies. So figure out how to answer them before you go to the interview. Hesitation can give varying impressions.

 

[bbas]

As others have already pointed out, I think there is quite a difference between being shy in social situations and the interaction with patients that being a physician requires. A person may be shy in social situations because they are not sure of what to say or how to act, but as a physician you generally know what you have to say to a patient in order to obtain the correct diagnosis.

 

[Neurolemma]

As others have already pointed out, I think there is quite a difference between being shy in social situations and the interaction with patients that being a physician requires. A person may be shy in social situations because they are not sure of what to say or how to act, but as a physician you generally know what you have to say to a patient in order to obtain the correct diagnosis.

Well, if you've been around pediatricians... they ask a lot of questions, that aren't related to the diagnosis. Obviously, whatever speciality you choose, you can't hide in a corner with your prozac. There r radiologists you consult with, interns who follow you, the nurses, and of course the patient himself. Anyhow... this is why they do clinicals, to get you familiar with that kinda environment.

 

[Law2Doc]

If you're a surgeon, I don't think your personality really matters. The only surgeon-patient interaction seems to be with the patient (for a consultation maybe)/patient's family. Your face is covered up during the whole operation; you signal for something with your hand.

I disagree with this part of your statement. Actually, surgeons I've seen often tend to be the more boisterous, back-slapping non-shy types. That's probably due to the personalities of those picking residencies seeking carbon copies of themselves. Also probably because it's a very hands-on, gung ho, "roll up your sleeves and get messy" specialty (i.e. "a chance to cut is a chance to cure").

 

[Medic-to-MD]

So I speak from personal experience when I say that if you can put aside your shyness in your physician role, that is more important than being able to socially emote and be talkative.

Many shy people are shy in social situations, but good doctoring isn't about being social, it's about being compassionate and able to elucidate findings from your patients. They're different, and many people with mild social phobia do just fine with patients and co-workers because the purpose is not to socialize, but to be a good physician.

And my father is not a pathologist, he is 100% clinician, and interacts with patients every day, 7 days a week. He does great.

Also, to address something else you said, being shy does not = being cold and impersonal. To the contrary, most shy individuals I know are highly sensitive and caring people who are just less outgoing than perhaps the average joe. I think it is far more cold to talk down to patients, be arrogant in your knowledge, and to be dismissive. Those things don't come with shyness -- they come with obnoxiousness!

As long as you can talk to patients, you'll be fine. Good luck.

I think you misunderstood. All I was trying to say was what you have stated. you can be shy in your personal life, but you do need to rise above that in your interactions with patients. In addition, I did not mean to imply that shy = impersonal or cold. I merely offered this example to underline, that connecting with your patient is of the utmost importance. One can come across, as being impersonal or cold by saying nothing at all, or by being totally arrogant and demeaning.

 

[Neurolemma]

I disagree with this part of your statement. Actually, surgeons I've seen often tend to be the more boisterous, back-slapping non-shy types. That's probably due to the personalities of those picking residencies seeking carbon copies of themselves. Also probably because it's a very hands-on, gung ho, "roll up your sleeves and get messy" specialty (i.e. "a chance to cut is a chance to cure").

I didn't mean to imply surgeons were shy. Yep, I've also heard the thing about them being aggressive risk takers. What I meant to say was that the nature of interaction between a patient & surgeon is quite different from say, a pediatrician and a patient. Maybe you're saying the risky aggressive type is also the one thats not shy. Yeah, thats probably true. Then again, I personally have never met any type of doctor who's shy. Maybe medicine has a transforming effect.

 

[Law2Doc]

Then again, I personally have never met any type of doctor who's shy. Maybe medicine has a transforming effect.

I think that may often be the case -- once you've had someone's life in your hands, perhaps that builds confidence in other areas (or at least you realize that social situations just don't matter as much), and you become less inhibited and more outgoing.

 

[darthia]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I agree with the statement that just because someone is shy doesnt mean they are cold or insensitive...its most usually the exact opposite. My quiet personality mainly concerns being in social situations with new people or big groups...As a couple other people have said, doctors who may be shy during those times would be just fine in a clinical setting because they know what they need to ask the patients and are just as capable as a more socially adept doctor in doing what needs to be done... 😉

Just because I'm quiet doesnt mean I dont know how to say anything at all...geez...I do see the point that I would have to be able to talk the other doctors and nurses I'd be working with, but so far in my college experience most people dont seem to have a problem with the fact that it takes a bit longer for me to open up to them...so I would think that as long as my collegues are at least somewhat reasonable people, there shouldnt be much of a problem....

My only real concern from the initial post was about the med school interviews and whether or not I'd be a successful interviewee if I were to come off as quiet, demure and shy but also kind, compassionate, dedicated and articulate...I dont want an interviewer to merely say after I leave that I was shy and quiet and completely ignore the better qualities I have to offer...are there any ways I can make my potential to be a promising med student and future doctor(I'm planning on going into cardiovascular surgery) more prominent than the fact that I may not always have a lot to say when speaking socially?

 

[MaDe in Cali]

They want to know that you're a real and genuine person. They want someone to whom they would take their mother if she were sick, and someone who with whom they wouldn't hate to spend 24/7, someone they would be proud to call a collegue. So be your sweet self, and as long as you are able to articulate your ideas well and carry on a natural conversation with them, you should be fine. Unless you are an absolutely FABOO interviewee (which tend to be more outgoing and have the ability to quickly establish rapport with others), if you are a normal likable person, your admission will probably weigh more heavily on your application and your ideas about medicine than on your ability to be ms. talkative. Good luck! (All this said, by the way, doesn't mean that you couldn't stand to go through mock interviews and have someone point out bad habbits, etc. That could be helpful as well.)