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The Interview:
So you've got some interview acceptances. Which ones should u take?
How do you prepare? The answers to this and more!
| When
will I start hearing about interviews? |
| After filing your ERAS application,
you should start getting requests for interviews in late
September and early October. The process continues through
November, and even into December. You often hear from
the lower tiered programs first, and the best programs
in the country start sending interview requests in mid
to late October. |
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Often, you may not hear from one of them right
away, as a program has you on a wait-list of sorts. If they
do not fill all their interview slots, they may decide to
contact you. See below
about how you can facilitate this process.
|
| How
should I Schedule my interviews? |
Interview
requests usually come in by e-mail. The good ones are
often titled "Invitation to interview at X program,"
so this is an exciting time.
It is important to respond back early to all of these
programs. Even if you decide to cancel some of these later,
respond right away. |
 |
While there is no particular order to how you
schedule your interviews, you should have two goals: 1) to schedule
a few "practice" interviews first at places that are
less desirable to you; and 2) attempt to clump interviews in
similar geographic regions together (although this is not always
possible).
Your best friend is going to be the residency coordinator responsible
for scheduling interviews. It is often a female, and they may
have some say in who they like and don't like - so be very nice,
polite, and professional to them. They may also be able to grant
a request to switch to another interview day later if you have
a scheduling problem (but only if you were nice to them from
the beginning). |
| How
many Interviews should I do? |
|
Interviewing costs can add up rapidly, so you don't
want to do more interviews than you absolutely have
to. That being said, General Surgery Residency programs
have become more popular of late, so you don't want
to decrease your chances of matching.
The most important thing is to be sure you APPLY
to the right type of programs to get the proper number
of interview requests.
|
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You should plan to interview with 15-25 programs, depending on
your competitiveness. Check with your advisor or Dr. Towfigh
to get the right number for you. |
| Is
there anything I can do if I get rejected? |
|
Do not fear! A rejection is not the end of the world.
If you get rejected from a program you REALLY want to
go to, there are several things you can do.
1) Appeal the rejection. To do this, write a letter
to the program director and chairman describing why
you are a good candidate for them (no more than 1 page).
Send the letter to the residency coordinator, and you'll
be suprised at how often they will grant you an interview.
|
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2) Talk to your advisor. He or she may have contacts at these
places and may be able to help.
If you are still waiting to hear from a program (and think
you might be wait listed), contact the residency coordinator
and let them know you are very interested in their program.
Tell them if it is one of your top choices, and that you feel
you would fit in well there (your showing interest may bump
you up higher on the wait list).
|
| What
do I need to do to prepare for my interviews? |
 |
This
book is one read by many students before
starting their interview trail. Although it is by no
means the bible, it does have some great tips for interviewing
do's and dont's.
In general, you want to be prepared when you get to
a program. Read up on their website about what structure
they have, how academic they are, whether research is
required or optional, what their training philosophy
is, what interests the chairman has.
|
That way, you can ask intelligent questions about what kind of
research is available, and how many years people usually take
to complet it (letting the program know you did your homework
and already know they offer research options).
| Also, if you know
the interests of a program director or chairman, you can
be better prepared to ask him or her questions about that
specific area (and they will remember you because you
were the one person who asked them about something they
love to talk about). |
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|
| What
questions will I be asked on my interviews? |
 |
There are a great many questions you can be asked,
and in part it depends on the interviewer and his or
her style.
Below are some common interview questions that you
will face over and over. You should expect to be asked
most of these by the time your interview trail is complete,
so be prepared with answers. Think about them ahead
of time so you are not caught off guard. And Good Luck!
Our Friend Larry here will now tell you some of his
favorite surgical resident interview questions:
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Tell me about yourself.
Tell me about a patient encounter your particularly enjoyed.
Why do you want to do surgery?
What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
What are some of your Weaknesses?
What is the worst aspect of your character?
What is the weakest part of your application?
What is your greatest strength?
What are you proud of?
What is not in your application that you want us to know?
What makes you stand out/why pick you?
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| What
are some questions I should ask my interviewers? |
|
For the faculty:
What is your philosophy in training residents?
What are the important aspects for every graduate of
your program to have?
What is the pass rate of oral boards?
How are rotations structured (e.g. between hospitals,
?)
Are there dedicated teaching times/conferences?
How do you try and create a standard experience for
all the residents??
Have you kept in contact with previous resident graduates,
and what have they said (good and bad) about the program?
For the residents:
How much do attendings teach on rounds/in the OR?
How is the ancillary staff/what do they do to help
you?
How do you feel about your problem solving abilities?/ability
to manage complex or confusing cases?
Is there anything you would change about the program?
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