What questions should this resident ask you all during interviews?

[Molly Parsons]

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Hey All,
I'm a third year resident at a large, frequently posted-about program who just signed up to interview residency applicants. I'm very excited to do this because I am really enjoying my residency experience. I look forward to having fun with the interviews and getting to know a bunch of people.

But I'm also a bit nervous because I haven't done this before. So, I wanted to ask everyone, what questions should I ask applicants during the interview? Specifically, what questions do you all want to be asked and which should I avoid?

If you have thoughts on the subject, let me know.

MP

 

[waverider]

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I think that allows you to see more about the applicant than all of the stats and what-not that you already know from their application.

 

[drbon]

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I think that allows you to see more about the applicant than all of the stats and what-not that you already know from their application.

I second that!
Another good one is simply "tell me about yourself, where you grew up, etc" I also think that one lets you get to know a person a bit better.
I personally don't like the typical "what are your strengths and weaknesses" question

 

[neelam01]

Don't ask "what makes you better than the other candidates".... cuz if you say that u are better, then that makes you look way too overconfident and kind of a "jerk", but if you say that you are not, then not enough confidence is what is shown. a double-edged questions

i think that you should get to know the applicant... ask them about their culture, family, dreams, aspirations... things not necessarily found in the personal statement
you can also ask them an ethical question and see their reasoning through it all

hope that helps!

 

[m1234d]

i agree that the "different from other candidates" is a question i would not want to hear. i think asking who has influenced someone the most, and why is a good question to gain some insight into what is important to the person.

i was talking with my sister about this, since she does residency applicant reviews and interviews (not in peds or a school i'm applying to). she said one of the things that trips people up are when you ask for specific examples of how a tough team or personal situation or a mistake was dealt with, since for most people, it requires a bit of preparation to have a specific example.