Check out my latest Student Doctor Network® article on how to navigate tough medical school and residency interview questions.
Blog Archives
Crossing your “t”s and Dotting your “i”s
Make sure you double and triple check that your application materials are complete. A residency applicant I know only realized that his USMLE scores were not “assigned” when he contacted a residency coordinator asking the program to consider him for an interview. Residencies and medical schools will, of course, not invite you to interview if they don’t have your completed application.
Inside a Residency Director’s Mind
If you were a program director (PD), you’d be trying to avoid two big headaches, as you assessed a residency candidate:
1) Will this person be competent and collegial? A PD does not want to get complaints from patients, faculty, or other services about his/her residents.
2) Will this person leave the program prematurely? A PD does not want to scurry around to fill an open call schedule or residency slot.
As you approach you interviews, consider how you can demonstrate your competence and collegiality (academic success, strong evaluations, extracurriculars that demonstrate teamwork) and commitment to the field and residency program (research projects in the specialty, knowledge about the program and city). Ensuring the PD knows you are not going to cause him/her headaches is half the battle.
Tags: residency, Residency Admissions
Do You Have a Personality?
“Tell me about a good book you’ve read recently.”
There are a group of questions that interviewers use that are sometimes misconstrued by the applicant. The “good book” question is one of those. In a case like this the faculty member is trying to get a sense of your outside interests. It’s a chance for the interviewer to see you as an engaged and interesting person. Misguided responses might be, “I’m reading a neuroscience textbook” to prove your intellectualism or “I don’t have a chance to read for pleasure because I work so hard.” Remember that having a compelling and kind demeanor is a large part of being a good physician.
Early-Career Science Writer Fellowship
Looking for a way to get science writing experience with a mentor’s guidance? The Open Notebook/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellowship is a part-time, remote, paid experience that offers a great opportunity to write features and conduct interviews related to science. The deadline for applications is October 21. Here is the application information.
Tags: Fellowship, Science Writing
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital. She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on The Visible Voices podcast:
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast:
