How to Answer: Why Your Specialty? (Medical Residency Interviews)

[Music] okay let's talk about another question that you're going to get in some form in every single interview why did you choose your specialty it's a very important question your interviewers are looking for two things here one genuine commitment to the specialty and two strong fit for both the specialty and the program you've probably been thinking a lot about this subject maybe even wrote about your choice of specialty in your personal statement but that doesn't always mean you're prepared to eloquently communicate your thoughts in the interview with some coaching clients this answer flows very naturally others who are just as passionate about their specialty struggle to articulate it in a meaningful way some people don't prepare for this question you might assume that your interest in your specialty is clear from your application and yes interviewer should have read your personal statement but now you have to bring your application to life in the interview help them get to know you and why you would be a great fit for both the specialty and the program and keep in mind each interviewer is talking to many talented applicants during the interview day it's important to be able to articulate your passion and motivation in a way that stands out this is an even more critical question if your background doesn't perfectly align with the specialty that you're interviewing for perhaps you were previously interested a different specialty and changed your mind maybe it just took you a while to decide on a specialty maybe you're actually considering a few different specialties it's common for some candidates to interview for different types of residency programs I see this a lot with related specialties like internal medicine and family medicine in all cases you want to be prepared to talk eloquently and passionately about your interest in your specialty program directors say time and time again that they are looking for fit when they rank the many qualified applicants that make it to the interview stage and what does fit mean to them number one is having values and interests that align with what the program provides they want people who really want to be there and will be motivated to succeed and go the extra mile throughout the rigors of residency part of that is being sure about your specialty you want to be authentic and sincere but you also want to go beyond the generalities and the obvious to show what makes you different often it's hard to articulate what is a drawn you to the specialty you chose it's likely a mix of your strengths what you enjoy what you value in terms of making a contribution what you've been exposed to during your medical education and perhaps family influence because this question is so common and so important I highly recommend taking a few moments to jot down a few bullet points you may find that the words flow naturally or you may struggle a bit to find the right way to describe your feelings but don't leave this answer to chance and hope that you will be spontaneously brilliant on interview day as with the other questions we've talked about I'm recommending outlining your bullet points not writing a script write your bullet points and then practice answering this question without your notes until you feel comfortable the goal is to be natural but polished it will come out a bit different each time but you'll always hit your key points let's hear a few examples of good answers to this question to give you some ideas these answers are adapted from real answers that my coaching clients developed helping them to achieve matches with top residency programs and fellowships [Music] I've chosen orthopedic surgery as a career based on experiences throughout my life I gravitated towards sports in an early age my father is a physical therapist and I grew up watching him rehabilitate patients many of whom were athletes during my time as a college athlete I got to see firsthand how an orthopedic surgeon worked with our college team to help athletes return to the field I got to know the team surgeons and I could see that their job was very rewarding the final influence for me was seeing my nephew come back from a very severe injury orthopedic surgeons made it possible for him to walk across the stage to receive his high school diploma seeing his face as he walked across the stage made me you want to do the same for my patients when I entered medical school I tried to keep an open mind to every specialty but kept feeling drawn back to orthopedics I knew I had made the right career choice during my third and fourth-year rotations one at the end of each day I could not wait to see what the next day had in store this is a very sincere and authentic answer based partly on some memorable and emotional past experience but it's not just about the emotion it also addresses his love of the work of orthopedic surgery this is a memorable and convincing answer but your answer doesn't have to include emotional epiphanies to be good our next example is from a future family medicine resident I have always been drawn to family medicine I think it's because I've experienced firsthand how lives can be saved with early diagnosis and treatment because of medical advances and type 1 diabetes my grandfather's life has been extended by almost 50 years in medical school I only became more focused on family medicine I love the variety and the continuity of care found in family medicine I like having the opportunity to work with patients of all ages and I truly appreciate the wide range of practice options available to family medicine physicians this answer comes across as thoughtful and sincere it really focuses on how the day-to-day work of family medicine aligns with this applicants values and interests the personal details about the family also help give interviewers a better sense of what drives this applicant and now here's an example from an international candidate who practiced in their home country of India before moving to the US to pursue a residency here in addition to being an international candidate this applicant also had a gap since medical school which some programs can see as a weakness however he also has significant clinical experience in his specialty which can be a big strength his answer helps to highlight his unique strengths including more clinical experience than new medical school graduates and his maturity both of which reinforces commitment to medicine and his specialty international medical graduates facing challenges in the residency interview process this question is an opportunity to highlight a strength [Music] I've always been drawn to pediatrics after completing medical school in Kenya I spent two years practicing clinical pediatrics in a busy medical center in Nairobi the two years I spent there only increased my interest and made me more determined to pursue a career as a pediatrician during this period I learned the basics of pediatric medicine and spends time caring for children with diseases common in our local community I also had the opportunity to enhance my technical skills in procedures like intravenous access lumbar puncture and bone-marrow aspirations I'm eager to continue developing my skills and knowledge during pediatric residency it's my dream to practice pediatric medicine in the US with an end goal of building a career as a pediatric emergency medicine physician [Music] this answer is confident and clearly conveys a passion for pediatrics he also touches on how his previous experience in India has helped prepare him for residency this helps to reinforce that he has the maturity and hands-on experience to be a reliable team member all of these example answers are very different but each is thoughtful and detailed and highlights that individual specific interests and motivations there is no one cookie cutter way to answer the question but the key is to sound confident and purposeful about your future career goals even if you don't know exactly what you want to pursue after residency in terms of a subspecialty part of residency is learning enough to guide your future career decisions but you want to make it clear that you are certain about the specialty and thus a good investment for the program to outline your own bullet points try writing brief answers to these questions what details in your personal statement point you toward your specialty what do you enjoy most about the day-to-day work of your specialty what strengths make you a good fit for your specialty what are the most rewarding aspects of practicing your specialty remember your overall answer should be around one to two minutes ideally it should cover both your interest and fit and be detailed enough that it's your answer and not a forum response that anyone could give narrow it down to your key points so your answer in your interviews will be concise compelling and genuine

Channel: Big Interview

Views: 40,108

Keywords: job, interview, career, advising

Id: z-CpdbD6rtk

Length: 8min 47sec (527 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 30 2018