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Residency and Medical School Interview Questions: How to Answer that Icky Decade One

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“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” the interviewer asks you, and you squirm…

A physician-administrator once complained to me that whenever he asked potential new faculty hires where they saw themselves in a decade they always said they were interested in global health or teaching. “Most of them have nothing in their CVs to support their interest in international work or education,” he remarked. “They just say it because it’s sexy.”

When asked where you see yourself in ten years, consider how you might demonstrate a clear trajectory. Throwing out activities just because they sound appealing doesn’t make you look professional or your candidacy seem well-synthesized. The idea is to have a path you can back up, defend, and easily justify. This doesn’t mean you’re stuck with what you’ve done even if you didn’t like it. You could point out that having tried myocardial bench research, you realize that your real interest is in clinical investigations of new cardiac markers.

Many medical school applicants say they don’t know what field they want to go into. Of course not! And many residency applicants don’t know if they want to do a fellowship. That’s okay. Again, the point is to focus on your previous strengths and achievements and leverage them.

Contact me for help with tough interview questions. (If you’re planning to seek mock interview help from me, please do it now. I’m booking several weeks in advance.)

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We Need to Decrease the Stress and Inefficiencies Associated with the Residency Application Process

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Inefficiencies in the residency application system have been a problem for many years. While the AAMC and NRMP have made efforts to improve the process, including the move from the Scramble to SOAP a few years back, the lack of adequate slots for a large number of candidates leads to a tremendous amount of unnecessary stress and waste. With the introduction of virtual interviews, hoarding became a new problem.

To their credit, the AAMC is considering some reforms to the system. Allowing applicants to identify favored residency programs, called “preference signaling” through the supplemental ERAS, for example, has improved candidates’ abilities to get interviews at chosen programs. Additionally, some specialties – with AAMC’s support – have implemented a common interview invitation release date and a minimum response time for invitees. In the latter case, for example, most surgery programs provide candidates a minimum of 48 hours to accept or reject an invitation, such that applicants don’t need to sleep with one eye open, jumping to respond to an invitation to avoid the wait list. There has even been a consideration of capping the number of interviews each applicant can have to avoid interview hoarding.

I recommend reading this piece on proposed reforms to the system. Having gone through the stressful process myself, I wholly support strategies that would increase transparency and decrease unnecessary anxiety. 

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Medical and Dental School Interviews: Preparing for your MMI

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While the majority of medical school interviews are traditional, some institutions (including dental schools) are using the MMI platform. The MMI (multiple mini interview) is a format that uses several timed stations (yes, even virtually) to assess applicants’ interpersonal skills and judgement. A few things to note about MMI interview questions:

1) They are not always medically-related. You may be asked to manage an everyday problem (e.g. a disagreement at the supermarket).

2) They are not always situational. You need to be prepared for conventional questions too (e.g. what are your three greatest strengths?).

3) Schools are trying to assess whether you can skillfully employ important techniques and demonstrate professionalism. Underlying topics might include your ability to offer effective counseling, your understanding of patient-doctor confidentiality, your ability to diffuse a heated situation, or your capacity to admit wrongdoing, etc.

4) Make sure you know what structure the school is using and employ the right mindset: Working with an actor is different from executing a group project, which is, in turn, different from answering questions about your opinions. 

5) Practice MMI questions before you “go” to your interview. Even if you have excellent social skills, there are techniques you should hone to expertly manage the challenging MMI format. Contact me for help.

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How Do I Strategically Apply in Two Fields?

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Occasionally I help residency applicants who are applying in two specialties. This tactic can be strategic in specific scenarios, but it also makes the process more complicated. Here are some quick clarifications to help:

1) Different personal statements can be assigned to different programs. This means you can assign your ob/gyn essay to ob/gyn programs and your internal medicine essay to internal medicine residencies. Of course, in this case, you need to have two versions of your statement in the first place, and you need to ensure you assign correctly. 

2) Different letters of recommendation can be assigned to different residency programs as well. (A maximum of four letters may be assigned to each program.) You’ll either need to have letter writers for different fields, letter writers who will craft two types of letters, generic letters (less compelling), or a mix of these approaches.

3) You will have only one MyEras application. It will go to all of your programs. Note that if you list your membership in multiple ob/gyn organizations, for example, that will be viewed by your internal medicine readers as well – and might make them question your commitment to IM.

Contact me for help.

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Five ERAS Platform Quirks to Heed

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On September 7th, ERAS will open for submission, so it’s time to get moving on your written materials. Let’s briefly cover five quirks of the ERAS platform to help you get through the drafting process. The ERAS platform…

1) Does not support italics. While journal articles and some phrases (e.g. “summa cum laude”) should be italicized, don’t be surprised when you can’t.
2) Prompts you for a supervisor for each activity. In some cases, you simply may not have one, but whenever you can, name someone. A name validates the experience.
3) Prompts you for average hours per week for each activity. It can be difficult to calculate this number for certain experiences, especially those that are intermittent, but it’s worth making your best estimate rather than leaving the question blank.
4) Offers space to include a “reason for leaving” for each activity. Don’t skip this section, but keep your answers brief.
5) Limits you to 1020 characters for experiences, 510 for the interruption in the medical training section, and 510 for each of the awards sections. Be aware of these limits as you write, so you are not furiously cutting later.  

For tips on how to craft your ERAS, check out these 15 ERAS tips.

Contact me for help with this weird, wild process.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

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

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