MD what do IM interviews ask about your research?

[Uncle Albert]

How in-depth do I need to know the research I've done? I am co-authored on several publications in IF 3-4 journals with a mix of clinical and basic science. I have a great understanding of the overall project and results/discussion sections but I don't have a good grasp on the methods and specific design of the projects. Do interviewers go in on research questions? For instance, do I have to know why we did one type of PCR over another or why we included one group of patients over another etc?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ChrisMack390]

My inclination is that you should know it all cold, but I'm interested in what more experienced people have to say.

 

[MrSunny1]

Definitely not.. They have no time for that, but it would be good to know at least the title of your paper or project cold.

 

[ewax]

Of the twelve medicine ivs I went on, I got asked about my research twice (basic science). Most of your interviewers will be clinicians and won't ask too many probing questions about basic science research...or at least they didn't for me .

 

[Uncle Albert]

Of the twelve medicine ivs I went on, I got asked about my research twice (basic science). Most of your interviewers will be clinicians and won't ask too many probing questions about basic science research...or at least they didn't for me .

Can you share some specific questions they asked? Like I said, I know the overall gist of the research but if were to ask me about specific methods and details, I either forgot or never understood it in the first place.

 

[aswerun]

Can you share some specific questions they asked? Like I said, I know the overall gist of the research but if were to ask me about specific methods and details, I either forgot or never understood it in the first place.

Most of my conversations about my research went something like this:

I: So I see you did research on xyz, tell me about that.
Me: *3-4 sentence summary of project*
I: Cool. So, what questions do you have for me?

 

[ewax]

Can you share some specific questions they asked? Like I said, I know the overall gist of the research but if were to ask me about specific methods and details, I either forgot or never understood it in the first place.

Essentially what the poster above me said. Just be able to summarize your project, I would be surprised if they asked you very specific questions.

 

[235009]

How in-depth do I need to know the research I've done? I am co-authored on several publications in IF 3-4 journals with a mix of clinical and basic science. I have a great understanding of the overall project and results/discussion sections but I don't have a good grasp on the methods and specific design of the projects. Do interviewers go in on research questions? For instance, do I have to know why we did one type of PCR over another or why we included one group of patients over another etc?

Remember that your interviewer hasn't read the paper or even the abstract. All follow up questions will stem either from the title of the publication, any description you include in your app, or anything you say in response to "tell me about your research?". So don't write/say anything that you can't explain or that'll put you down a rabbit hole.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[DrSnips]

I ask prospective residents about the potential relevance of their research to clinical medicine and how it could improve our practice in the coming years. I find this garners more interesting responses than merely asking for a description of the research (besides, I can read the candidate's own description from ERAS if I'm that interested).