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Medical Interview

Ninety percent of unsuccessful interviews are a result of one of two common mistakes made by interviewees. One is being under prepared to answer a specific question; the other is being over prepared. Underpreparation results from the misconception that because it is not possible to predict with accuracy the specific questions that will be asked, it is impossible and/or inefficient to practice answers. The telltale signs of this mistake are meandering, disorganized replies to open-ended questions, contradictions, and redundancies.

The second pitfall, that of overpreparedness, results when good intention is combined with poor strategy. People who make this mistake are easily stumped by unusual questions and may give stilted and overrehearsed answers to more common questions. They might appear to be stiff and nervous, and can even come across as bad listeners, since their answers (though well organized and pointed) do not consistently address the question that was asked. Also, their ability to adapt easily to different interviewers and interview styles is inhibited, making it difficult for them to establish rapport.

This lesson will present a method of preparation that will help you avoid both these pitfalls. The method stresses both preparedness and flexibility. It takes into account the fact that you can neither predict specific questions nor rely on individually prepared answers.

What we will help you do is prepare generally for the specific. This method of preparation takes advantage of the fact that each of the thousands of possible questions that might be asked is derived from one of a handful of basic categories. We will introduce these general categories and list examples of the specific questions that comprise each. Then we suggest strategies for responding to each type of question.

Your job is this: For each category introduced, arm yourself with at least three points you would like to communicate about yourself and think of one or two specific details to support each. This will allow you to create a targeted, comprehensive set of answers to most of the questions you will be asked. With practice, you will be able to actively use the interviewer's questions (whatever they may be) to communicate the points you wish to make. This puts the control back into your hands, which should also help ease pre-interview jitters.

The Questions Interviewers Will Ask You

Interviewers are constantly coming up with new and creative questions to ask but no matter how different the question appears to be, it almost always falls into one of five categories. These categories represent the basics of what the interviewer wants to know about you. If you prepare yourself to speak succinctly in each area, and learn to recognize each question for what it is, you are less likely to be caught off guard by a quirky or unusual query. The categories appear below with examples of some specific questions for each.

Open-Ended Questions

• Who are you?
• Why medical school?
• How would a friend describe you?
• Why do you want to be a doctor?
• How are you unique?
• List three things you want me to know about you.
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why should we accept you?
• Tell me about yourself.

Open-ended questions are the easiest. There is absolutely no excuse for not taking full advantage of these. First, they are obvious; they are exactly what you should have asked yourself when you first decided to go to medical school. Also, they offer you the chance to openly sell yourself. This is where you should communicate the top three points you would like to make. Preparing specific, focused answers for each of the above questions will also go a long way toward helping you to answer all of the sample questions that follow, no matter what category they are from. 

Questions about Your Motivation/Sincerity

• What other careers have you explored?
• Do you feel that you have a realistic view of medical school?
• Do you understand what the life of a doctor entails?
• What will you do if you don't get into medical school?
• Why do you want to attend this school?
• Why do you want to work with sick people?
• Is this school your top choice?
• Where else have you applied?
• Would you consider a foreign medical school?
• Where do you see yourself in 10/20/30 years?
• What do you want to specialize in?
• How do you plan to pay for medical school?
• What do you hope to get out of medicine?
• Do you have any concerns about this school?
• Do you have any ideas about your residency?
• Have you considered the advantages/disadvantages of living in this area?

These questions probe exactly how much you want to practice medicine. The committee wants to understand the thought you have put into your decision. If you have indicated elsewhere in your application that you come from a family of physicians, then they want reassurance that you're not under family pressure. They also need to know that you understand the difficult journey of studying and practicing medicine, and that your knowledge of a doctor's life is not limited to what you have seen on television. Lastly, they want to know that you are sincere in wanting their specific program. If another school is your top choice, be honest. But also be prepared with the reasons that you applied to their school-and it should be more compelling than saying they were your "backup." One tip here is to review the reasons for your motivation that you gave in your essay. The interviewer will probably have read it recently and if your answers don't correspond, it will make the interviewer doubt one or the other-and you.

When answering any one of these questions, start and end with a reiteration of your desire to 1) become a doctor, and 2) attend their school. Emphasize too that you know what your decision entails. Your points should explain why your unique experience makes medical school the right choice. For example: Are you more interested in the science/research side of medicine, or in helping people? If it's the first, you should have a strong research and science background. If it's the latter, back it up with volunteer experience or other kinds of community involvement. Most will stress both sides, which is fine, as long as you can provide solid evidence.

Questions about Your Qualifications and Experience

• What work experience have you had?
• What health-care experience have you had?
• Tell me about your research experience.
• How have you prepared yourself for a career in medicine?
• What clinical/hospital experience have you had?
• What work experience do you wish you had?
• How have you contributed to your community?
• Tell me about a time you have helped someone.
• What volunteer experience have you had?
• What's your toughest subject?

This is pretty straightforward, and easy to prepare for. Just be ready to talk about any experience that you have mentioned in your application. If you feel that you are weak in clinical experience or research, then: 1) say so with regret and explain if there is a good reason, and 2) talk about indirect experience instead (such as the time you set your sister's wrist on a hiking trip or the hours spent tutoring English to adult immigrants). Emphasize your motivation through your experience.

Questions about Your Knowledge of the Medical Field

• What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the field of medicine today?
• Demonstrate your understanding of HMOs, PPOs, and third-party providers.
• Are you aware of the upcoming surplus of doctors? How do you feel about it?
• How do you feel about the debate over the hours residents are forced to work?
• How would you advise patients who are interested in visiting an acupunc-?turist or chiropractor?
• What do you think about medical advice being available on the Web?
• Express your opinions on:
  • genetic engineering
  • the future of technology in medicine
  • government health-care issues
  • the high cost of health care
  • doctors' salaries
  • hospice care
  • alternative medicine
  • the role of spirituality in healing

This category is often the most daunting for applicants. You might feel that you are being given an oral exam, and on one level you are. The admissions committee wants to see that you are familiar with current events. This is another way to test your sincerity and dedication, and it shows an intellectual curiosity and ability. It is important that the interviewer knows you want to help people, but medicine is as much science as healing and both facets need to be explored.

Questions about Your Personality and Background

• Tell me about a significant event in your life and how it shaped you.
• Do you have a favorite book/class/professor?
• Who do you not get along with and why?
• Which of your qualities would you want to pass down to your children?
• What about yourself would you change if you could?
• What three material objects are most important to you?
• What people have influenced you and how?
• Do you have any heroes?
• How do you handle stress?
• Give me an example of a time you contributed to a group effort.
• Tell me about a cross-cultural experience you have had.
• What do you do in your free time?
• What are your hobbies?
• What is your number one accomplishment?

In some ways these will be easy questions for you. You have had practice with them; they have probably been asked in just about every interview experience you have ever had. These questions about yourself are on more of a superficial level (the more personal questions are discussed below). But talking about yourself-even in response to the lighter questions-can be nerve-wracking when you are being judged on your responses. As always, the answer is to prepare, be yourself, and relax.

Questions about Your Ethics/Character

• Would you work in an AIDS clinic?
• Would you prescribe birth control pills to a minor without parental consent?
• Have you ever cheated or helped a friend cheat?
• How will you deal with know-it-all patients? 
• Give your opinions on:
  • genetic engineering
  • abortion
  • euthanasia
  • providing clean needles to addicts
  • supplying condoms to schools
  • animal research

These questions are a subset of questions about the medical field as well as questions about your personality, and subsequently among the toughest to answer. If you are ready for them, though, you will be able to breeze through where others stumble. There are two things that should be of comfort to you: 1) There is a fairly limited number of these "hot" issues so you can be completely ready for most of them, and 2) interviewers won't judge you based on your opinion, even if they disagree, but rather on the thoughtfulness with which you have answered. For this category in particular, preparation is everything. 

Personal/Illegal Questions

• Has anyone close to you been seriously ill or died?
• Have you ever been ill or injured?
• What is your relationship with your family like?
• What is more important to you than anything else?
• Are you married/do you have children?
• Do you plan to have children in the future?
• How will you juggle a medical career with a family?
• How important is family to you?
• How do you plan to pay for medical school?

This category is different from the rest. The common thread through these questions is the reluctance of interviewees to answer them, either because they are personal, inappropriate, irrelevant, or illegal. Your first reaction to one of these questions might be embarrassment, discomfort, or annoyance. You might be compelled to refuse an answer, or point out the inappropriateness of the question based on your gender/race, and so on. Our advice is to accept the situation gracefully and answer the question briefly and as straightforwardly as possible. Take into account that the interviewer might be inexperienced, or even testing your ability to tactfully deal with an uncomfortable situation.