Blog Archives

Your Residency Application: What Do Program Directors Really Want?

Imagine that you’re a program director (PD) going through scores of ERASes and interviews. What questions would you ask yourself as you assessed each residency candidate to avoid big headaches?

1) Can this person do the job? Is s/he competent?

2) Will this person “play well with others” and not create complaints from patients, faculty, or other services.

3) Will this person stick with the program and not leave prematurely? A PD does not want to scurry around to fill an open call schedule/ residency slot.

As you approach your interviews, consider how you can demonstrate your competence and collegiality, as well as your commitment to the field and the residency program. For the former, ensure you showcase academic successes, extra curricular activities that demonstrate teamwork, and – if asked – hobbies and reading materials that demonstrate your personality. For the latter, highlight research projects in the specialty, sub-internships, and knowledge about the program and city.

Making sure the PD knows you are not going to cause him/her trouble is at least half the battle.

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I Believe

I was recently speaking to a friend who is a law professor at a prominent institution. He teaches first-year law courses and thus, meets students when they are just entering their careers and not yet polished. He was telling me that he is taken aback by how many of his students use “I believe” before their statements in class. The preface “I believe” diminishes the student’s point; my friend is looking for persuasive pronouncements, not thin opinions.

Consider this issue when interviewing. Note the difference between “I’ll make a strong medical student” and “I believe I’ll make a strong medical student.” The latter introduces that inkling of doubt you don’t want to impart.

I have advisees who worry about saying “um” or “uh” during interviews. (I advised a pre-med who, in preparing for interviews, asked his girlfriend to gently slap his hand every time he said “um” so he’d experience negative consequences. Yikes!) As I tell my mentees, I’m not worried about an “um” or an “uh.” (Note President Obama, well-known to be an excellent orator; he inadvertently uses vocal pauses when he speaks.)

Instead, the key to a persuasive interview is to have confident responses that are bolstered by persuasive evidence.

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Difficult Interview Questions: Learning to Hit a Curveball Out of the Park

You put your heart and soul into your compelling, charismatic personal statement; you showcased your accomplishments and drive to succeed in your activities section; and you demonstrated the endorsement of respected faculty allies in your letters of recommendation. Now your hard work has paid off and helped you get a foot in the door: You’ve been invited to interview at your dream medical school or residency program.

Like the ghost stories we told around a campfire as children, interview horror stories have a certain inexplicable staying power. I can still recall a friend’s recounting of an acquaintance’s experience in an Ivy League faculty member’s office: The acquaintance was asked to open the window, only to find (after sweating bullets for several minutes) that it was nailed shut. This trick was allegedly this professor’s cruel attempt to assess how the interviewee coped with adversity. Some weeks later, I recounted the tale to a mentor, who told me that the same story had made the rounds 20 years earlier. The power of this terrible tale faded once I recognized it for the myth it was. This ability to demystify the medical school or residency interview is crucial to framing it as an opportunity for showcasing your strengths. Read more…

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Women, Make Sure you Practice Before Heading off to your Medical School and Residency Interviews

I found this article about the need for women to be seen as warm in order to be seen as confident troubling, but it’s worth noting the facts so that you can strategize accordingly. Previously, these authors published data that women tended to rate their abilities accurately, while men tended to be overconfident about theirs. All of this is to say, that women (and men!) need to practice interview skills prior to the big day. Growth mindset and power posing are also important concepts to review before you interview.

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Medical School and Residency Interviews – Power Posing

As medical school and residency interviews approach, I want to remind everyone about Amy Cuddy, the Harvard faculty member who speaks about the psychology of power, influence, and nonverbal communication. Her research shows that a “fake it until you make it” philosophy and “power posing” practices improve your performance in interviews. Cuddy’s TED talk has been viewed over 42 million times.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: