Pimping at Interviews?

I remember interviewing with a pediatric surgeon at Nebraska. After the cursory review of my credentials, he said, "Why don't you tell me everything you know about neisidioblastosis." Of course I could give him an eloquent answer now, but at that point in my medical career I could sum that knowledge up in 3 words (I don't know). Come to find out, he always asked something that he was pretty sure no medical student could answer. He just wanted to see if you could admit that or if you'd try to dig yourself into a hole.

 

I have heard of people being pimped at Arkansas interviews (no personal experience).

Most places, an interviewer wanted you to recall an intersting patient/case; and I would occassionally get pimped about that. Of course, I usually knew the answers to those questions!

 

I recall getting "pimped" at U Miami. He threw a soft ball basic trauma patient at me. After saying my ABC's and mentioning rads and labs, he cut me off by saying that he just wanted to make sure I could "think on my feet".

 

No pimping so far.

 

what's pimping?

 

and why is this bad?

 

$hit happens.
Get over it.

 

Yeah my friend said they looked at her Personal statement and said "This is too long" and then put it aside and didn't speak to her anymore. Another said "your USMLE score sucked...why?"

 

It's not. It's a wonderful experience. It's especially great when you haven't studied the material in months and don't know the answers. I just love sitting there like a ******* saying "uh, I dunno" over and over. It's a distinctly edifying process.

 

I think I was at the University of Oklahoma interviewing with the program director. After some chit-chat, he said, "Given your background as an engineer, can you explain to me the physical and biomechanical elements or forces that would allow you to describe which is the best method to repair inguinal hernias?" That was fun.

 

Perhaps you should consider reviewing the material beforehand

 

I had the same exact experience at LSU-New Orleans.

 

Actually, I did. Out of fear of the afforementioned scenario, which hasn't occured yet. Thanks.

 

It's been two years since I interviewed, but from what I remember there was the occassional pimping.

At UCSD they asked me and basically everyone else to recall a recent memorable surgical case, and they wanted details like intra-op stuff, pre-op workup etc, etc. The idea (and they freely admitted this) was to hear how well you could speak the language and think on your feet: they would throw a few questions in there to see if you REALLY knew the case. But not bad if you prepared a case.

Colorado had the same thing

MGH most definately gets the pimping award; for one of your three interviews you sit around a table of 6-7 faculty who, after a brief couple of seconds of small talk, proceed to pimp you on all things general surgery for the next 20-40 minutes. Nerve racking, nothin else to say. They even had people read xrays! I'll admit that it was a little fun, nonetheless.

The following programs did not pimp me: UCSF (except about my research), UW, Emory, Maryland, Northwestern, WashU, Michigan (except research), Brigham, Wisconsin

 

MGH most definately gets the pimping award; for one of your three interviews you sit around a table of 6-7 faculty who, after a brief couple of seconds of small talk, proceed to pimp you on all things general surgery for the next 20-40 minutes. Nerve racking, nothin else to say. They even had people read xrays! I'll admit that it was a little fun, nonetheless.

So JC (and others who've been to MGH), how would you recommend preparing for this? Are the questions case based? Will a review of surgical recall do it? Many of us haven't been on surgical sub-i's for a few months, so don't know how much of that knowledge is still with me!

 

I'm with avgjoe - can anyone give ideas about the best preparation for this lethal pimp session??

I've tried studying the basic science behind anything that I mentioned in my personal statement, etc., and I prepared a couple of cases (on which I've already been pimped), but as far as prepping myself for a round robin oral exam, I've no clue what to do.

 

Just to be clear - by MGH you mean U of I metro group?

 

no Mass General

 

Hi there,

I was asked what structures would be hit by a bullet fired into the sixth ICS on the left at the midclavicular line.

I was asked to explain the types of thyroid cancer and rank them in order of incidence and mortality.

I was asked to explain how I would close a midline abdominal incision that extended from the xiphoid process to the pubis. Which layers would I have to close and with which sutures. How would I make the incision in the first place and what structures could be injured while making this incision?

That was the extent of my pimping.

njbmd

 

It's almost impossible to prepare for from a content standpoint. If you get visually flustered easily by pimping (i.e. you get flushed, voice changes, sweating, etc, etc) then it will show load and clear, to your disadvantage. Being relaxed is key, but hard to prepare for.

I was asked the following (these are what I remember)

name 6 reasons why someone would show up to a surgery clinic jaundiced

the initial management of someone with a massive GI bleed

the differences between internal/external hemorrhoids and management

the blood supply/venouse drainage to the colon

I was asked to read a CXR that was actually a barium swallow showing a paraesophageal hernia, then asked to describe the differences between sliding and para esophageal hernias and their management