Unique Interview Questions
Written by Bianca Georgakopoulos, MD
Can you share times where you have spent time outside work with your co-residents (take note if the resident is just talking about friendships within their class versus the whole program)?
It is helpful to determine socially if co-residents hang out with each other regardless of what class they are in. You will also be able to get an honest answer if the co-residents feel like they are friends versus co-workers.
Share a time when you needed help in residency and what happened. This is a pretty broad question, but you can see how comfortable residents feel with not only each other, but the faculty. This is especially crucial if you have a major life event happen that you need time off for (your sister’s wedding, grandmother’s funeral, etc).
Does your program have required reading and quizzes during training?
See if you can ask if any residents have a similar background (ex: How many residents have couples matched? Do you have any DO or IMGs in your program?)?
Ask about pets and hobbies! You will be able to tell a little more about the lifestyle of the residents with this question. You can also ask how many residents are in serious relationships versus being single. This might help you learn more about the dating scene.
Ask a resident to tell you where they take visitors who come for the day. This is a cool way to learn about the area.
Learn about the cost of living when speaking with residents. Most of them will be honest about how much their rent/mortgage is. This may be an important part of your decision when making your final rank list.
I hope that this helps! These are some things I realized after a year of residency. I wish I asked these questions when I was interviewing. Good luck. You got this!
