Medical School Interview Questions

What do you see yourself doing in ten or fifteen years from now?

(Include personal goals and professional goals. You may specify a general area of interest but qualify your specific interests in medical specialties by acknowledging you have yet to experience the range of opportunities in medicine. Do indicate your interests in the general environment where you intend to practice, such as small town, large city, and region of the country. This question encompasses the next two more specific questions.)

· How have the jobs, volunteer opportunities, or extracurricular experiences that you have had better prepared you for the responsibilities of being a physician?

All of the extracurricular actives I have done over the years has prepared me to be a physician in some way. Each one has taught to have compassion and empathy with each person you come in contact with. -Being a mentor for big brothers and big sisters taught me how being a good influence for children is so important. -Being a CNA/nurse tech showed me how important and necessary each job in healthcare is. I cannot explain my respect for nurses. It also taught me so many communication skills especially to those that are are scared and going to through an extremely rough time.

What has motivated you to pursue medicine?

From a young age, I always enjoyed going to the doctor. The questions they asked along with the use of their hands to examine the body always fascinated me. I felt like I was always learning when I went and learned more about my body. this lead me to exploring nursing in the clinical setting where I learned how much I enjoyed interacting with patients.

What do you think of affirmative action?

I believe that it is needed. These groups need the extra help in order to have the same opperunities.

· Why a doctor and not a nurse or PA?

I did consider both NP and PA role. They both give you the opportunity to have your own patients, diagnose and treat by yourself. However,

Why is this medical school the right fit for you?

I like their curriculum and their approach to having students create a strong foundation before clinical care. When talking with MSUCOM students, their sense of family and support they feel is something that is important to me during a transition like this. In addition the mentorship programs that MSUCOM has to help make sure that students transition well is favorable to me and makes me feel as though my transition to medical school will be easier. I like the pre-clerkship clinical exposure opportunities such the community integrated medicine and the mobile/street clinics that they offer to the public.

Tell me about a time you made a mistake. How did you correct it?

I made mistakes when I first started working as a CNA. When I was working on the hospice floor, I had a patient that was mute.

What do you do for fun?

I really enjoy cooking and making healthy versions of healthy comfort foods. My favorite is a cheesy broccoli bake. I also like spending my weekends with my family up north at our cottage at Higgins lake. Make a note on something I like to do that could connect to the interviewer.

Be familiar with the medical schools style of teaching and assessment.

I really like how the school has kept the two years of classwork before clinicals are implemented. This is because I think this ensures that the medical student has a really good of understand and is prepared for their clinical rotations. Also, their extended amount of time that is given to students to study for their COMPLEX 1 is extremely favorable.

If you were involved in a research project or publication, it is important to know it thoroughly. You may be asked to comment on the goal, techniques and results in a detailed manner.

I studied how implementing motor skills in children with autism spectrum disorder affects the frequency of their problem behaviors. What we saw was at the beginning, children's problem behaviors increased because it was something new to their established routine. Throughout time, the children that had motor skills implemented into their routine saw a overall decreased frequency when compared to the controls.

· What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths -I am a very good communicator which makes me really enjoy teaching and explaining to others. -I have a calming demeanor which makes people feel comforted and feel comfortable to talk with me - Weakness -My lack of confidence in some situations. I always think I could have done better or worked harder. -I am trying to encourage myself and give myself during these times. I am beginning to trust myself and the work that I have put in.

How do you cope with stress?

I try to spend some time doing things I enjoy. Whether it be cooking a meal, being with loved ones, or some sort of exercise.

· Why do you want to be an osteopathic physician?

I want to be an osteopathic physician because of the patient centered and holistic approach to medicine. While shadowing a DO obgyn, I witnessed true patient centered care and was moved. She took a while to listen to the patient without interruption, gave her input, gave options, then ultimately allowed the patient to take control of their care.

What makes you happy?

meaningful relationships weather it be with family and friends or patients I am happy at work because I am able to connect with patients all day.

ethical questions

put the patients welfare above all else

What is the difference between sympathy and empathy?

sympathy: recognizing someone else's feelings empathy: experiencing another persons feelings

Do you have any questions to ask me?

· What do most people not know about your medical school that you wish they would? · Does the program give any sort of time off to focus on studying for COMLEX 1. · Is MSU COM requiring students to also take the USMLE STEP 1 exam now that the residencies have merged? -How did the match go with the residencies merging?

You are granted any three wishes by a genie. What would your wishes be?

-Become an intelligent doctor -have a healthy family -have a happy life

List three issues that confront medicine today. Of the three, which is the most important and why?

-insurance, many people don't receive care because they are unable to afford it. - social media misinformation -health literacy

What is professionalism to you?

I believe a professional is someone that carries themselves with confidence, expresses integrity and humility, and is a good communicator. Professionalism is processing these characteristics both at and outside of the work place.

How has your undergraduate research experience, if any, better prepared you for a medical career?

I believe it helped me see the process of research. I came up with my own research question, created the methods, got other students to help me retrieve and input data. I then had to articulate the results at the end. This will help me with research projects in the future so I am understanding the process of coming up with new research questions.

How do you envision using your medical education

I envision using it in a way that allows me to get to know my patients and talk to them in-depth. I enjoy cultivating relationships with the patients I have at the cancer center. It is my favorite aspect of the job. I also want get out into the community and spread medical education. Whether it be through community outreach or promoting facts through social media.

Tell me about yourself. Who are you?

I grew up right outside of in Dewitt with my three brothers. I have always loved the water and doing water sports. I decided to go to MSU for my undergrad to stay close to home. Throughout college I worked as a CNA in a home-healthcare setting and volunteered in many different ways throughout Sparrow. After graduation, I moved to Grand Rapids to get a bigger city feel. I work as a nurse tech at Betty Ford cancer center now and am really enjoying it. In my free time I really enjoy cooking healthy foods and reading. Don't give a complete life history. Summarize the key points in a chronological manner and sprinkle with few details in your more recent history.)

What was a challenge you faced in college and how did you deal with it?

I had a hard transition from high school to college. I started the year doing extremely bad in my classes which made me feel extremely defeated. This lead me to getting personal tutors, office hours, study groups, changing the way I studied and also leaning on my family.

Why do you want to be a physician?

There are a multitude of reasons as to why I want to be a doctor. At the top of that list is the relationship you are able to build with patients. Often times when patients have interactions with physicians, it can be a difficult time in their lives. Being able to not only support them through that and use my medical knowledge to help get them through that time is a unique and valuable experience. I get to see a small piece of this when working at my job as a nurse tech. patients rely on me to talk with them before their procedure and help calm them down. Secondly, I think that being a provider allows you to help your community in a way that others cannot. Whether it be providing healthcare to the underserved communities and helping to spread accurate medical knowledge to the public.

· Tell me about a time that you collaborated on a successful project.

Through my MSU Lyman Briggs student advisory council we ran several events. One project that I headed was a graduate application night. We had regular meetings to communicate what tasks were done and I made sure that tasks were deligated appropriately. guided communication and made sure tasks were completed and followed up with board members.

· What do you think is the most pressing issue in medicine today

Underserved communities are known to have worse health outcomes than those with accessible healthcare. One reason is their lack of health insurance. Without insurance, many individuals choose not to receive care. Without adequate treatment, preventable diseases may progress and become chronic. To resolve this, an increase in the number of free clinics in underserved areas will allow patients to receive check-ups consistently to help combat this problem. Another vital issue in underserved communities is the lack of health literacy. In areas where there is a lack of education, illiterate individuals have problems reading the labels on their medication and often misunderstand what they should do. In the Dominican Republic, with the program Volunteers Around the World, I witnessed this firsthand. Many of the patients that visited the clinic could not read their prescription card. Thus, the volunteers and doctors showed the patients each prescription while telling them how many times they should take it daily. We then ensured understanding by having them repeat each prescribed medication dosage back to us. In the United States, improving health literacy is the right step in reducing the overall health disparities present in underserved communities. Healthcare professionals can accomplish this by simplifying communication and confirming understanding. Making this change requires healthcare workers to take time and slow down when interacting with each patient. Also, this provides patients with information and resources they can understand.