Medical Interview Questions

What is the role of physicians in society?

A physician takes on many roles such as healer, teacher, learner, innovator, leader, advocate and community member. Look at essay

Do you feel your undergraduate education has challenged you?

CMU was incredibly challenging and encouraged us to broaden our education and explore various fields. For example, I took multiple computer programming courses, an entrepreneurship course, multiple writing courses (which are not my strong suit) and even a film course. Although challenging, I greatly appreciated the breadth they provided my education.

Tell me about your most meaningful extracurricular experience.

Coaching soccer

What does being a leader mean to you?

Communication skills (neurosurgeon during crisis), recognize the strengths of the group, knows when to listen and when to speak

What class impressed you the most positively in your undergraduate education?

Computational Perception. Introduction to computer vision. Mind blowing and the course was more to show us this amazing field rather and the potential it has rather than to test us and cram as much knowledge as possible into our heads.

Describe a time when you were a patient and received medical care. What did you learn from the experience?

Concussion

I understand there are no/few doctors in your family. How do you know it's the right profession for you?

Correct but I have explored the medical field extensive and am driven to become a physician for the following reasons. "Give why medicine"

Tell me something I can't find anywhere on your application.

Current activities or talk about my grandfather

What was something you learned for fun?

Currently teaching myself Japanese. My girlfriend was born in Japan and I am hoping to one day show my respect and connect with her parents through their language.

In what environment do you learn best?

Generally, I learn best in a quiet environment by myself but through some of my advanced classes, especially the graduate neuroscience courses I took, I learned to appreciate a more collaborative approach to learning that utilized the different strengths present in the group. Incorporate school specific.

Pretend you are at a conference presenting your most important research, and I am in the audience. Give me your presentation.

Gittis lab

Tell me about your research.

Gittis lab

What is the most impactful research you have done?

Gittis lab

What research have you done and why?

Gittis lab

If you could not be a doctor, what would you do?

Given that some of my attraction to medicine stems from the ability to teach and conduct research as a physician, I could envision myself working in an academic setting teaching future physicians while conducting clinical research. Although this would not be ideal, it would keep me close to patients while continuing to do things I love.

Are you a crammer or do you study a little each day?

I would actually consider myself both. I would study a little before and after class focusing on points I did not initially understand. However, the perfectionist in me would come out around tests and I would also cram to make sure I understand the material the best I could.

If you are not accepted into medical school this year, what will you do?

I would be disappointed to not be accepted again and would take some time to truly accept it. After coming to terms, I would assess weak points in my application and see what steps I can take to improve my application. I would reach out to schools I applied to to try and received some feedback. I would plan to reapply with the improvements I make. In addition, I would start applying to medical sales or drug rep jobs because I need to start providing for myself and help pay application fees.

If you were to change one thing about the future what would it be?

I would change the current US healthcare system to provide everyone with affordable coverage and prevent anyone from going bankrupt from medical care.

Medicine is a depressing business - how will you cope?

I'm a very positive person and always look for positives regardless of the situation. If something does bother me I usually confide in a friend, family member or my girlfriend. For example, I was upset after visiting one of hospice patients who had stopped eating. I called my girlfriend after the visit and talking with her helped me.

Think about people who don't like you. What would they say about you?

Usually these are people who have taken a class with me and don't know me that well. I believe they would call me an over-achiever. Another thing some people may dislike is my sense of humor. Laughing at myself has helped me deal with insecurities or embarrassing moments so what I think may just be harmless, playful banter may come off mean or condescending to someone who does not know me that well.

How have you served the community?

Volunteer in the hospital, neuroscience outreach, GMB, donut dash,

How will you deal with leaving your family and moving to a new location?

Family is really important to me but I would try to establish a support network and make friends with fellow students/people outside the medical field.

What was your favorite college course and why?

Film

Is there anything else you would like me to know?

Analyze interview and find strengths that were not addressed.

Why are you in a fraternity?

At cmu, the majority of social people gravitated towards Greek life. I was looking for a supportive community to join that could provide relief from the stress of school. What really attracted me to SAE was the care-free, just want to have fun attitude and I appreciated the group dinners every day since it reminded me of home.

What class impressed you the most negative in your undergraduate education?

Biochem

What was your least favorite college course and why?

Biochemistry. The professor was incredibly intelligent but would mumble and much of his explanations if you could hear them clearly would go over your head. Overall, I enjoyed the topic but the course was made harder for an already complex topic.

Tell me about an experience during shadowing that made you uncomfortable.

Blood shoot out removing tumor over the occipital lobe

Tell me about the most interesting case you have seen.

Blood vessel putting pressure on the cranial nerves

How will you add to the diversity of this school?

Brain nerd who brings a strong work ethic, communication and leadership skills, research skills, computer programming and entrepreneur skills.

What was your most meaningful community service experience?

Donut dash

Provide me with an example of your leadership ability.

Donut dash.

In 25 years, looking back on your medical career, how will you determine if you have been successful?

First and foremost, if my family is happy. I would deem my career a success if I could confidently say I made a positive difference in the majority of lives of my patients and I attempted or explored the majority of research ideas I had. It would be naive to believe that I could be a perfect doctor or every idea I have will be revolutionary.

Name five words off the top of your head that describe you.

Empathetic, inquisitive, driven, humorous and narrow-minded. Explain each

What happened on the MCAT?

First time: did not allow myself enough time to recover after school. Only reviewed material. 2nd: mainly did practice tests

Tell me about your service trip abroad.

GMB

What do you do for exercise?

Gym/soccer

What clinical experience did you find most impactful?

Hospice

How do you know you will enjoy taking care of sick people?

Hospice. Coping strategies

Are you involved in the arts in any way?

I academically watch film, created a short film that won an honorable mention and am learning to play the piano.

What would you like me to know?

I am actively learning new things such as computer programming, higher level math, economics and multiple languages. Furthermore, I am working on developing two new technologies. The first, computer vision. The second, block chain medical records.

What are your strengths?

I am inquisitive. Actively seek out new knowledge and assess situations for improvement. I believe I have great time management supported by a strong work ethic. Talk about efficiency and work plans and balance in life. Finally, I am a good listener. Friends often turn to me in times of stress and I enjoy being supportive and providing advice as necessary.

Name some good qualities you possess and one quality you'd like to work on or change.

I am inquisitive. Actively seek out new knowledge and assess situations for improvement. I believe I have great time management supported by a strong work ethic. Talk about efficiency and work plans and balance in life. Finally, I am a good listener. Friends often turn to me in times of stress and I enjoy being supportive and providing advice as necessary. Work on tunnel vision.

How would your brothers/cousins describe you?

I believe my family would describe me as a reliable, intelligent, driven individual with a great sense of humor. I always try to be there for my family but they also see me working extremely hard to obtain my goals.

How would your friends describe you?

I believe my friends would describe me as a reliable, intelligent, driven individual with a great sense of humor. I always try to be there for my friends but they also see me working extremely hard to obtain my goals.

If a doctor is the coach of a sport, what do you think best fits and why?

I believe the best sport for this analogy would be basketball because doctors excel in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment filled with decisions and often stressful "final minutes".

Is medicine a service profession?

I can't think of a profession more based in service. During my experiences I observed...

What other schools have you applied to?

I cast a wide net by applying to about 20 schools across the country that were strong in neuroscience and/or research.

Tell me about your family.

I currently do not have my own family but hope to create one with the right person one day. I do hope that my family will one day be like the family I grew up in. Talk about fam

What do you hope to get out of medicine?

I hope to help people. I hope to learn a lot, teach and develop revolutionary techniques or technologies.

Do you think your volunteer work makes a real difference?

I think anything helps.

Do you think the MCAT is a good measure or determining factor for admission to medical school?

I think it provides a good standard to compare students from different schools but I don't think it should be the sole determinant. The test may be able to predict compensation physicians but not necessarily compassionate ones. There are many factors that make up each applicant and I believe the MCAT can be useful in a holistic approach.

Tell me about yourself.

I was born and raised in Beaver, PA, a small town about 45 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. I was raised as the oldest son of two in an incredibly loving and supportive family and community. I view many of my neighbors and friends in beaver as a continuation of my family and greatly appreciated the close knit community. Growing up, I was highly inquisitive and my parents often joke that my favorite word was "why?". I was involved in a multitude of sports growing up which ultimately led to playing soccer and football throughout middle school and soccer. In ninth grade, I found a passion for neuroscience that drove me to seek out as much knowledge as possible. This drive culminated in participation in the International Brain Bee, a neuroscience competition for high school students. I was fortunate enough to attend Carnegie Mellon University, an amazing school full of diverse backgrounds and talents. At CMU, I majored in neuroscience and during my freshman fall semester got involved in Parkinson's research utilizing optogenetics that culminated in an honors research thesis my senior year. After graduating, I worked as a middle school soccer coach. Currently, I am exploring a wide range of academic interests like computer programming and machine learning, to economics, to Spanish and Japanese. Furthermore, I am currently developing a computer vision program that incorporates machine learning and developing a universal medical records program utilizing blockchain technology, the technology behind bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

What do you do for fun?

Learn new things, investing, spend time with friends/family, watch film, soccer/working out

What do/did you spend most of your time doing outside the classroom?

Learn new things, investing, spend time with friends/family, watch film, soccer/working out

Why did you choose your undergraduate institution?

Meeting with dr. Behrmann. Diverse, amazing people. Private but also city life.

Why is your research not published?

Much of the things I worked on that were published, I played a more supportive role that resulted in multiple acknowledgements in papers. For the independent projects I conducted, some of them never came to fruition or the goals of the lab shifted prior to any results. My thesis was mainly a continuation of a prior paper and my results were used to address concerns in the review or became part of the supplemental figures.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, I see myself towards the end of my medical training. I can see my myself specializing in a neuro related field such neurology or neurosurgery and conducting innovative research. Furthermore, I hope to have already started a family

Do you really think a two-week service trip made a real difference to the community served?

Initially no. But...

What are your hobbies?

Learn new things, investing, spend time with friends/family, watch film, soccer/working out

Define professionalism.

Maturity, integrity, reliability and dependability

As a re-applicant, how have you improved your application?

Overall, I am more mature and mentally ready to enter the medical field. I retook the MCAT and received a significantly higher score. Following graduation, I worked as a soccer coach and started volunteering in hospice. Both of which have developed my communication and leadership skills.

What are your weaknesses?

Overcommit and don't take care of myself. Learned I need to do that to live a healthy, successful life. I get tunnel vision and pull away from family or friends.

Have you ever been overwhelmed? How did you handle this?

Overwhelmed with programming especially my programs now. I take a step away and collect myself and then reach out for help.

There seems to be a mismatch between your GPA and MCAT. Please explain.

Nah

What specialty are you considering?

Neurosurgery or anything neuro related

Have you ever seen someone die? How did you handle this?

No but hospice. Coping strategies

How would you handle being unable to help someone or making a serious clinical mistake?

Not being able to help my grandfather or mistakes I make. Are initially upsetting but can be used as motivation and "redemption"

Do you have any experience working with underserved populations?

Not clinically in the states but GMB. Grew up in an underserved rural area so see the importance.

If you could go back and improve one area of your application, what would it be and why?

On,y take the MCAT once and properly prepare like I did the first time.

Describe a time you were in a minority.

Only male a nail salon.

Explain your poor grades Freshman Spring.

Over confident and overextended myself. However learned how to better manage my time and loved 112

Think about the people you don't like. What don't you like about them?

Three qualities I don't like are selfish, arrogant and lazy. I tend to separate my myself from a person that possesses any of those traits. I find it hard to respect someone that only does things for themselves and have found people like be highly unreliable. I think everyone should believe in themselves and that the power that confidence can have but this also requires a balance of being humble and realistic. Lastly, everyone has potential and I find it hard to respect someone who does not put in 110% effort to fully achieve their potential.

Why did you choose your undergraduate major?

Passion for neuroscience. Learned to really appreciate chemistry

Pretend you've been working and studying nonstop for weeks and you finally have a day off. What do you do with it?

Plan a trip or sleep in call/hangout with family/friends, order some food and binge watch a tv show or movies

What do you do to blow off steam?

Reaching out to family or friends and talking about it really helps me sometimes just taking a power nap helps reset.

If you were given a $1 million grant to perform research, what would you do with it?

Responsive DBS

Describe the ideal physician.

To me the ideal physician embodies: compassion and empathy, excellent communication skills, altruism, integrity, leadership, intellectual curiosity and reliability and dependability.

What does diversity mean to you?

To me, diversity is differences in backgrounds, beliefs and life experiences.

In an operating room, there's the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses, technicians, etc. Who is the most important person in that room?

To me, the most important person is the patient. In regards to the hospital staff, I believe they all play critical roles in the overall success of the surgery. As for "most" important, I believe the majority of responsibility falls on the surgeon who leads the team.

How will you handle the stress of medical school?

Same

Did you have an "aha" moment when you decided medicine was the career for you?

Start with whiting. Then why medicine.

When did you first become interested in medicine?

Start with whiting. Then why medicine.

What labs or research institutions at this school particularly interest you?

TJ: Parkinson's disease research unit or the Alzheimer's disease and dementia center Drexel: dr. Daniel marenda's Alzheimer's research or dr. Manuel Castro-Alamancos basal ganglia research

What was your childhood like?

Talk about beaver

Prove to me you know what it's like to be a doctor.

Talk about clinical experiences

Describe your undergraduate education.

Talk about cmu

Describe a specific time you helped someone in the last two weeks?

Talk with my brother

What values do you bring from your cultural background that will be useful in medicine?

Tell grandpas story

Why doctor and not PA, NP, or RN?

The big distinction for me is the added specialization and added responsibility that a physician has. Granted PAs and NPs can get additional training and specialization in a certain field but I want to become in expert in the speciality I eventually choose. Furthermore, I see myself as more of a leader and am confident in my leadership abilities to lead a team.

What is your greatest academic achievement?

Thesis

Where else have you interviewed?

This is my first interview but I have an interview with Drexel tomorrow and one at geisinger commonwealth next month.

Has anyone attempted to dissuade you from becoming a physician? If so, how did you respond?

Yes, people comment on how long or hard the road ahead is or that becoming a physician will no longer be financially worth it in the future. Furthermore, I am of the endless paperwork, insurance hassles and overall stress of caring for sick people. First and foremost, I just want to help people. After exploring the medical field through shadowing, volunteering and research I strongly believe that the positives far outweigh the negatives. "Why medicine"

Do you expect to continue performing research during medical school?

Yes, tell why

What is one question you wish we had asked you? Answer it.

What are you currently doing? Or Tell me about someone that has inspired you.

Why do you want to be a doctor?

What initially attracted me to medicine, was a strong desire to help people. Which is a trait we all possess. My strong desire to pursue medicine developed after following my passion for neuroscience and discovering three key similarities in both fields and the potential to apply cutting-edge research with people.

Tell me about a time when a physician acted inappropriately. What did you react?

While shadowing a surgeon, he became angry and talked down to members of his staff after one of his surgeries got moved. I mentally took note of this experience and hope I would never do something similar. I think each member of the team is critical and would treat them as equals.

Name a time when you saw someone acting unprofessionally. What did you do and why?

While shadowing a surgeon, he became angry and talked down to members of his staff after one of his surgeries got moved. I mentally took note of this experience and hope I would never do something similar. I think each member of the team is critical and would treat them as equals. This was not a place to speak but used it as a learning experience.

What was your most memorable physician shadowing experience?

Whiting

Are you involved in sports?

Yes, I played football and soccer competitively in high school and was involved with intramural sports in college and actual won the intramural championship a couple times. Currently, I work out multiple times a week and am looking for an adult soccer league to join.