What to Look for and What Questions to Ask

[Harrison486]

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Disclaimer: I attempted to search for similar threads and was unable to find anything. If you know of a recent thread with a similar focus, please send me in that direction

I, along with many other members of this forum, are currently in the process of waiting for/scheduling interviews for residency in anesthesia. In the next few months, we will be going on numerous interviews trying to sell ourselves, and at the same time, attempting to figure out what we feel about each individual program.

I was hoping that those of you with more experience, whether current residents or attendings, could help us figure out what is important.

When on interviews, learning about the programs, what type of things should we be looking for in order to differentiate between programs and ultimately decide?

What questions should we be asking of the current residents and PDs that we meet?

 

[ThePlockIsHot]

For Residents: Someone told me to ask "anything you learned about the program as a resident that you wished they had told you when you were interviewing" (they could go good or bad with this)

For PDs: "How will the program be different when I am a CA-1" (they tend to like talking about improvements/change and it gives you a sense of the innovation and what they are working on).

I tended to get a lot more information from the general vibe of the place, like how people interact when you're doing the tour and see other residents/attendings/nurses/office staff working. Also, the intros by the administrative people (PDs, chairs) were helpful. Some people were incredibly charismatic and seemed to really show the program well and keep you engaged (Stanford, UPENN, and Mt. Sinai ring a bell), while others were more run of the mill w/ powerpoints about rotations, didactics, and fun things to do in the city.

The actual interviews weren't usually super helpful for learning about programs for me. More like just how many questions can I ask you before 15 minutes is up.

Good luck with the process, it seems terrible but those months fly by. I would also definitely say schedule the interviews you are really excited about a bit later if you can. The interviews are one big Q and A game, and you definitely get better with practice. For instance, the first time I was asked "what is the worst thing about anesthesia for you" I gave some stupid answer, but the second (and third) time I was ready and killed it.