Presentations on interviews?

[radonc09]

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In reading through some of the interview impressions, formal presentations at the interview were mentioned a few times. One comment made a note that the lack of formal presentation at that program was a nice change.

Any ideas on how common this is and which programs do this? I assume they would let you know in advance of your interview that they would like you to give a presentation...

Also, does anyone know what type of presentation this is supposed to be? An interesting clinical case? Or your research experience? Also, is this actually a powerpoint presentation or were people just referring to an interview conversation?

THANKS!

 

[clintpark]

In reading through some of the interview impressions, formal presentations at the interview were mentioned a few times. One comment made a note that the lack of formal presentation at that program was a nice change.

Any ideas on how common this is and which programs do this? I assume they would let you know in advance of your interview that they would like you to give a presentation...

Also, does anyone know what type of presentation this is supposed to be? An interesting clinical case? Or your research experience? Also, is this actually a powerpoint presentation or were people just referring to an interview conversation?

THANKS!

None of the programs I interviewed at asked me to do a formal presentation nor have I heard any other program do this.

Even if you have a good presentation, I would be weary to volunteer to do it because it just sounds... shall I say... too gungho.

In case you are not a fourth year applying this year, it is customary for a rotating medical student to do a formal presentation near the end of his/her rotation. However, I don't think that's what you were talking about.

 

[radonc09]

Thanks for your response! Yes, I am asking about presentations on the interview day. Don't worry, I wouldn't volunteer, just trying to find out how common this is for programs to request!

Anyone know which programs do this? Maybe it is not as common as was indicated previously on this board.

 

[Gfunk6]

One of the attendings @ Loyola asked applicants to present an interesting clinical case (can be anything, including non-cancer related). This was two years ago, not sure if this is still the case.

 

[napoleondynamite]

Yeah, that attending is still doing that at Loyola. I was asked to present a full H&P, off the cuff, on any patient I had seen during medical school. I thought it was the dumbest question ever asked and just can't see how that would really help you assess whether a candidate is qualified for a position..but my advice is, as ******ed as it is, if you interview there, just be ready for it cause it's coming!

 

[UrbanAmish]

Yeah, that attending is still doing that at Loyola. I was asked to present a full H&P, off the cuff, on any patient I had seen during medical school. I thought it was the dumbest question ever asked and just can't see how that would really help you assess whether a candidate is qualified for a position..but my advice is, as ******ed as it is, if you interview there, just be ready for it cause it's coming!

yea, fortunately in medical school particular cases can be very memorable. there are also cases you incorporate into a more formal powerpointy thingy. those cases are easier to remember the H&P and treatment planning and F/U of (bad grammar, sorry).

 

[CaptainXRT]

I never made a formal presentation on an interview. A couple people asked me to present a case however, and of course since I don't memorize case presentations I flubbed those questions up. So have one in mind, just in case!

 

[clintpark]

None of the programs I interviewed at asked me to do a formal presentation nor have I heard any other program do this.

Even if you have a good presentation, I would be weary to volunteer to do it because it just sounds... shall I say... too gungho.

In case you are not a fourth year applying this year, it is customary for a rotating medical student to do a formal presentation near the end of his/her rotation. However, I don't think that's what you were talking about.

When I said I never did a "formal" presentation, I meant a powerpoint-and-stand-in-front-people-type of presentation. There are a few who will ask you to present a memorable case. I had one such interviewer out of 11 interviews -- so, > 50 interviewers?), so it's not very common but, yes, it happens occasionally. I wouldn't stress too much about it, though. I think a much better use of time would be to rehearse talking about your research, learn about the research intersts of your interviewers or (I'm not kidding here...) have ready a city- or region-specific small talk...

 

[radiaterMike]

for what it's worth ....

In my opinion if an interviewer asks you to present a case, it's bad form. The interviewer should use the time to get to know you as a person rather than put you through a 2nd year medical student exercise. A program with several such interviews would wind up lower on my rank list.

Of course, my opinion does not help you to prepare for that situation, and it is probably in your best interest to have a case prepared.

 

[mikedc813]

I just interviewed at Loyola and was actually presented a basic case and asked to verbally work the patient up. This apparently is not the norm as the interviewer usually asks the applicant to present a case to him.

 

[goodluck888]

For such questions, is it usually cancer patient case and should be related to radiation treatment or can be just as an interesting general internal medicine case that has nothing to do with cancer?

Also, how detail do you need to go through the case?

 

[ABCXRT]

For such questions, is it usually cancer patient case and should be related to radiation treatment or can be just as an interesting general internal medicine case that has nothing to do with cancer?

Also, how detail do you need to go through the case?

I haven't been asked this quesiton, and I'd be suprised if I were... but off the top of my head I guess I'd talk about...

1) a patient with a rare cancer, or
2) a patient with a rare presentation of a common cancer, or
3) any patient that I found interesting and learned something from

I don't think it's a trick question. Just describe a patient you found interesting. If he really wants a detailed presentation from memory with the meds, social Hx, ROS, etc. the interviewer is crazy and there are bigger problems than this question.

 

[Thaiger75]

for what it's worth ....

In my opinion if an interviewer asks you to present a case, it's bad form. The interviewer should use the time to get to know you as a person rather than put you through a 2nd year medical student exercise. A program with several such interviews would wind up lower on my rank list.

Of course, my opinion does not help you to prepare for that situation, and it is probably in your best interest to have a case prepared.

Although not asked very commonly, I think it's a very fair question to ask and all applicants should have a case in their back pocket just in case. I could only guess why they would ask such a question: for example, get a sense of how you present patient cases, which will be a good bulk of what you will doing in residency..which I think is completely valid. Besides how many times have you all gone through interviews where you just sit there thinking of things to ask just to pass the remainder of the interview? I've certainly heard of whackier things being asked.

 

[stephew]

no place has time for a presentation for interviewees; as a med student you are generally asked to do one.

 

[CNphair]

I just interviewed at Loyola and was actually presented a basic case and asked to verbally work the patient up. This apparently is not the norm as the interviewer usually asks the applicant to present a case to him.

Yes, that attending in question figured out students were coming in with very rare, well-prepared oncologic cases to present (word of mouth). So, now he presents a basic oncology or nononcology case and asks workup questions. He says he does it because our morning conferences are structured in such a fashion. I agree with others that it is incredibly annoying, but I found much worse questions on the interview trail (Physicists, anyone?). Regardless, I don't think the presentation has much bearing on an applicants eventual rank.

 

[deleted4401]

You figure out if you like someone or not in about 30 seconds, based on body language/eye contact. You figure out if they are somewhat interesting after they open their mouths for a few minutes. The rest of the time is a dog-and-pony show: i.e. "Well, what weaknesses do your residency have?" or "Is there enough time for the residents to read?", or talking about sports, or some other innane thing that you talk about with someone you don't know ...

That being said, the case is a great idea. I don't understand the complaints. We're doctors ... interviewing for a doctor job. It's like if you're interviewing for the Cowboys job and they try to get to know "who you are" ... with questions about window treatments. Of course they'd want to talk about football!
-S

 

[radiaterMike]

I have to disagree with Thaiger and SimulD. If a medical student does not know how to present a case, that medical student would not be sitting in a Radiation Oncology interview because he/she wouldn't have gotten through clinical clerkships. I also think it is inappropriate to pimp interviewees with questions about work-up, diagnosis, management etc, unless the applicant has written a paper on the topic. This isn't the oral boards. Medical students are unlikely to have had comprehensive exposure to all disease sites in their rotations. That is the purpose of residency. Can an interviewer really assess a patients knowledge base or capacity to learn by pimping the applicant? There are enough other topics to disucss to help better know the applicant- hobbies, research (applicant's or interviewer's), personal statement, mutual aqcuaintances (which in Radiation Oncology is not uncommon), ask if the applicant had any bad/awkward situations in medical school (and how the they handled them), or what was their best medical school experience, heck even ask about the weather! If someone in interviewing for a spot, the program is interested in the applicant, and should make an effort to sell the program. Pimping the applicant is not achieving that end. Making an effort to know the person perhaps does.

 

[CNphair]

I have to disagree with Thaiger and SimulD. If a medical student does not know how to present a case, that medical student would not be sitting in a Radiation Oncology interview because he/she wouldn't have gotten through clinical clerkships. I also think it is inappropriate to pimp interviewees with questions about work-up, diagnosis, management etc, unless the applicant has written a paper on the topic. This isn't the oral boards. Medical students are unlikely to have had comprehensive exposure to all disease sites in their rotations. That is the purpose of residency. Can an interviewer really assess a patients knowledge base or capacity to learn by pimping the applicant? There are enough other topics to disucss to help better know the applicant- hobbies, research (applicant's or interviewer's), personal statement, mutual aqcuaintances (which in Radiation Oncology is not uncommon), ask if the applicant had any bad/awkward situations in medical school (and how the they handled them), or what was their best medical school experience, heck even ask about the weather! If someone in interviewing for a spot, the program is interested in the applicant, and should make an effort to sell the program. Pimping the applicant is not achieving that end. Making an effort to know the person perhaps does.

Can you name a program at which not a single faculty member pimped applicants? I went to 14 programs...there was always someone with something to prove. Physicists like to ask technical questions above most residents understanding, let alone students. Radiobiologists like to pimp on the biologic processes "loosely" linked to your research. Not to mention all the old guys from the days when good medicine was supposed to be painful.
I do not think hard core pimping is necessary in the least. But every program has somebody who feels it is their obligation.
Maybe there is such a warm, fuzzy program full of hugs at the end of the interview day...but I didn't interview there.

 

[deleted4401]

I don't think Dr. Melian was assessing knowledge. He's an expert at what he does. Not too many interviewees will impress him with their knowledge base.

If I was an interviewer asking a case, it would not be to 'test' the candidates radiation oncology knowledge. The whole point of it is to see how someone thinks - organizes, synthesizes, and presents their thoughts. Also, it's a moment to assess poise and verbal communication skills. Southwest Airlines utilized a similar technique - they ask the applicants to tell a joke. It's not that the joke is supposed to be funny. It's to show you can be put on the spot and deliver. I don't think they do it any more, partially b/c people rehearsed.

And, based on Dr. Melian's new technique, I think I'm at least partially right. When people came in with masterfully prepared cases, he decided to turn it around, so he could again assess how candidates thought about a problem.
I think it is naive to think that all fourth year students can present a case completely AND concisely. I think it's a stretch to say most can.

Looking back, I just can't believe that much of my time interviewing was, in fact, talking about the weather or wine or how great New Orleans was. That's how we're going to figure out if I'm worthy?

-S

 

[stephew]

to be honest, we often engage people in "off topic" conversation to open the person up. i can learn more when a person is enjoying a conversation and speaking with easy than when they are repeating the same shpeil- deliberately rehearsed or not- about why they want to be a radiation oncologist. Same with research. Plus frankly im not a lab person so i cant ask many questions that are useful to anyone about the molecule du jour. And to be honest the technique has worked really well. And its worked well for me. Heck its part of why I got the residency i did as a foreign grad. people get to see how you think what you think, your take on things, your general attitude. this is what I mean- you guys sometimes dont realize how much these interviews matter.

 

[Pewl]

Does anyone know the approximate number of rad onc applicants this year?

 

[clintpark]

Does anyone know the approximate number of rad onc applicants this year?

You may not realize it, but you have a bad habit of hijacking other people's threads before they have a chance to get their question answered.

Pewl, I'm not the first one to notice this, but, please stay with the topic of the thread. You should start a new thread if you have an unrelated, new topic. Thank you.

 

[radiaterMike]

Arguably you can assess how someone "organizes, synthesizes, and presents their thoughts" and assess "poise and verbal communication skills" by engaging in conversation directed at getting to know each other. Pragmatically, you can get a feel for how that person will interact with colleagues and patients. It is often forgotten that the applicants are interviewing the programs as well. Thus, the applicant can also get a feel for how the interviewer interacts with residents. An interviewer has 15-30 minutes to get to know the applicant. If the only way an interviewer is capable of doing this is to put an applicant through a mock oral boards, do you, as an applicant, really want to work with that person for 4 years?

I don't think Dr. Melian was assessing knowledge. He's an expert at what he does. Not too many interviewees will impress him with their knowledge base.

If I was an interviewer asking a case, it would not be to 'test' the candidates radiation oncology knowledge. The whole point of it is to see how someone thinks - organizes, synthesizes, and presents their thoughts. Also, it's a moment to assess poise and verbal communication skills. Southwest Airlines utilized a similar technique - they ask the applicants to tell a joke. It's not that the joke is supposed to be funny. It's to show you can be put on the spot and deliver. I don't think they do it any more, partially b/c people rehearsed.

And, based on Dr. Melian's new technique, I think I'm at least partially right. When people came in with masterfully prepared cases, he decided to turn it around, so he could again assess how candidates thought about a problem.
I think it is naive to think that all fourth year students can present a case completely AND concisely. I think it's a stretch to say most can.

Looking back, I just can't believe that much of my time interviewing was, in fact, talking about the weather or wine or how great New Orleans was. That's how we're going to figure out if I'm worthy?

-S

 

[stephew]

you can get a lot out of engaging someone in conversation.

 

[deleted4401]

Good point. I agree. I had some great conversations with people, too. I'm not anti-conversation 🙂

My point is, that the case question is not the great evil or a tool to weed out people who haven't studied. It's just another tool to assess someone. I hardly think it's a reason to not rank a place or think that it is in anyway malignant. I think it's another way of engaging an applicant ...

-S

 

[CNphair]

Good point. I agree. I had some great conversations with people, too. I'm not anti-conversation 🙂

My point is, that the case question is not the great evil or a tool to weed out people who haven't studied. It's just another tool to assess someone. I hardly think it's a reason to not rank a place or think that it is in anyway malignant. I think it's another way of engaging an applicant ...

-S

I agree with the above rationale that simple conversation and getting to know someone is the best way to judge how a candidate will fit into your program. And I think that is the style most interviewers prefer. But there is always that one person (at least) at each program...
Sim and I agree, if you are going to get asked medicine related questions - and you will - the case question would definitely be the lesser of evils.

 

[stephew]

Good point. I agree. I had some great conversations with people, too. I'm not anti-conversation 🙂

My point is, that the case question is not the great evil or a tool to weed out people who haven't studied. It's just another tool to assess someone. I hardly think it's a reason to not rank a place or think that it is in anyway malignant. I think it's another way of engaging an applicant ...

-S

well i think we're looking at this in context; that is, no one is getting interviews in radonc these days who haven't "Studied". They're all outstanding on paper. i dont do case questions for applicants. its uninformative. if they knew how to treat they wouldnt need residency. I will know more about them by letting them talk and listening. Not if they know how to stage rectal cancer.

However I agree that it doesnt necessarily mean its malignant if its done. one place asked me a few questions when i applied that actually has a very benign rep. but you can usually get a feel if a question is a "grilling" or not.