How To Get A Medical Residency Interview

Every year after residency rank order lists have been submitted, and before match day, program directors from all residency specialties are sent a survey “to shed light on the factors that program directors use to (1) select applicants to interview and (2) rank applicants for the match.”*

In 2014, program directors listed these factors as their top considerations when inviting residency applicants for an interview.

1) USMLE Step 1/COMLEX Level 1 score

2) Letters of recommendation in the specialty

3) Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE/Dean’s Letter)

4) USMLE Step 2 CK/COMLEX Level 2 CE score

5) Personal Statement

6) Graduate of U.S. allopathic medical school

7) Grades in required clerkships

8) Gaps in medical education

9) Honors in clinical clerkships

10) Perceived commitment to specialty

* http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PD-Survey-Report-2014.pdf

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MEDICAL SCHOOL AND RESIDENCY INTERVIEWS: “TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.”

I am not sure if any surveys have been conducted to determine how many medical admissions officers start medical school and residency interviews with this request but, based on my experience, I can tell you that a very large percentage of interviews begin this way. Most applicants are terrified of this prompt. They don’t know what they should say, how far back they should “go,” and what topics they should cover. I advise applicants to capitalize on the opportunity that “tell me about yourself” presents. When you respond, you can provide information about topics that are most significant to you and then allow the interviewer to “cherry pick” and ask you about those topics that most interest him or her. Here are a few general guidelines on how to reply to “tell me about yourself”:

1) Before walking in to any interview, have a general idea of how you will respond to  “tell me about yourself.” As you prepare for your interviews, think about who you are and your path to the interview seat. One approach is to create an outline of your most meaningful experiences – both personal, academic, and extracurricular. Then “talk through” the outline.

2) Speak about those experiences and qualities that distinguish you most. These details will obviously differ for every applicant. Don’t feel that you must limit your reply to medically and scientifically related pursuits and interests; you should talk about your background and meaningful and significant extracurricular accomplishments as well.

3) Stay on topic and give a comprehensive overview of your candidacy and life. Some people make the mistake of responding to “tell me about yourself” by talking about why they want to be a doctor or rambling randomly about a variety of topics.

4) Don’t talk about any one experience in tremendous detail. You should think of your response in an “outline” format. You don’t want to elaborate about any one topic; give your interviewer room to ask about those topics she would like to hear more about.

In reality, “tell me about yourself” is what you want your interviewer to say first. It allows you to talk about those topics that are most important to your candidacy, and your answer sets the stage for what you most want to discuss. If you practice your response and know your general approach before walking into your interview, not only will you look forward to “tell me about yourself” instead of dreading it, but you will confidently deliver your reply, establishing a good tone for your entire interview.

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This information is based on content in The Medical School Interview, The Residency Interview, and The MedEdits Guide to Medical School Admissions, books that help applicants prepare for the interview processes. If you want help preparing for interviews, contact MedEdits.

THE RESIDENCY INTERVIEW: WHO SCREENS MY ERAS APPLICATION?

Typically only one to three people per program are responsible for screening residency applications, and how they do it is important to understand. Since some programs may have up to 500 (or even 1,000) applications for only 100 interview slots, for example, it becomes the responsibility of those reviewing applications to decide who will be invited.I can tell you from experience that making these decisions is a daunting task. To decrease the work load, many program directors apply filters to applications to decrease the number of applications that must be reviewed to a reasonable quantity. What kinds of “filters” are used? There are many. Some filters may be applied so program directors only review applications who have a certain United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) step 1 score as a threshold, others may use a filter that only views applicants who have graduated within five years, while others may use no filters and manually review every application submitted. Some programs then assign “points” for everything: research, USMLE scores, and letters of recommendation; you are invited for an interview only when your “score” meets a minimum number. More often, however, a great deal of subjectivity goes into the decision to invite an applicant for an interview, whatever the grading system. Often, the screener’s personal interests and outlook play a part in the review of your application–especially if you are a “borderline” applicant. For example, if reviewer A always had to struggle with standardized tests yet managed to succeed while reviewer B always had board scores in the top 5th percentile, reviewer A is much more likely than reviewer B to screen in an application with lower-than-average board scores.

This blog entry is an excerpt from The Residency Interview (CHAPTER 1: THE INTERVIEW PROCESS).  Click her to read more.

GETTING INTO RESIDENCY: WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS?

Read my article on the Student Doctor Network about what factors aremost important for getting into residency. Click Here to read the article.

Kindle!

The Residency Interview in now available on Kindle!

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The Residency Interview Book!

By Jessica Freedman MD, www.MedEdits.com

You asked for it, you got it.

I am happy to announce the publication of The Residency Interview: How To Make the Best Possible Impression. This book is based on my experience as a residency admissions officer together with my experience while privately advising clients with MedEdits. This comprehensive MedEdits guide will provide applicants with practical advice to help them perform well on residency interviews. Be the first one to buy this book and, if you are applying for residency this year, be sure to read it before you hit the interview trail!

Visit: MedEdits