Family medicine residency interview questions and answer examples are a great way to prepare yourself. The residency interview can be intimidating to many medical graduates, even those applying for residencies in family medicine, which is considered one of the easier specialties to get into. In this blog, we’ll look at the competitiveness of family medicine residency programs, how you can prepare for the family medicine residency interview and some sample questions and answers to common interview questions.
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30 Common Family Medicine Residency Interview Questions
- What made you choose family medicine?
- Do you feel you can assure your patients you’ll be available to them as a busy family medicine resident?
- What do you feel is your greatest non-medical strength you would bring to this family practice?
- Tell me about your experiences with family medicine.
- Which types of patients do you work with most effectively? Least effectively?
- Being a family medicine resident requires being able to multi-task and stay organized. How do you handle this?
- What characteristics do you think are important for a family medicine physician to possess?
- What makes you think you would be a good family medicine physician?
- Have you ever considered pursuing a more concentrated medical specialty outside family medicine?
- As a physician you will have to deliver discouraging news to patients and their families. How do you handle such hard situations?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
- Why did you choose family medicine?
- Have you applied to any other family medicine residency programs?
- Why are you interested in our program?
- How will you contribute to our program?
- What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? 10 years?
- If you could be any medical tool/instrument, what would you be and why?
- Tell me about a complex case you handled during your rotation – what was the outcome?
- If you could no longer be a physician, what career would you choose?
- Do you enjoy working with children?
- How do you handle conflicts with colleagues?
- Tell us about a difficult patient you had or a patient you had trouble dealing with.
- How do you cope with stress and prevent burnout?
- Tell us about [current topic in family medicine].
- What would you change – if anything – in the medical system?
- Tell me about a time you were disappointed in your performance.
- When is an appropriate time to lie to a patient – if ever?
- What is your vision of yourself in family medicine?
- Do you have any questions about our program?
Sample Answers for Common Family Medicine Residency Interview Questions
Here we’ve gathered 10 of most common family medicine residency interview questions and sample answers:
1. What made you choose family medicine?
I was drawn to family medicine because as a family care physician, I’ll be able to interact with families regularly and at every stage of their lives. In medical school, I enjoyed getting to know my patients and forming connections with them. As a family medicine physician I’ll be able to treat many different families, solve new problems every day and forge those long-term connections you just don’t see in other specialties. A career in family medicine means no day will be the same as the one before.
2. Do you feel you can assure your patients you’ll be available to them as a busy family medicine resident?
Absolutely. I thrive in a fast-paced atmosphere, and I enjoy keeping busy and attending to all my patients. But I also give my utmost care and attention to each patient I see and ensure they receive the quality of care they deserve. I also know things happen and a family might have an accident and need to come to the hospital at midnight or need to come in with a sudden concern. I strive to be flexible and available whenever my patients need me.
3. What do you feel is your greatest non-medical strength you would bring to this family practice?
I have always felt my curiosity and sociability are the root of my interest in people. I enjoy talking with people of all walks of life, age and experience. The most rewarding part of my clinical rotations was getting to know each of my patients on a more personal level, sharing stories and telling jokes in an environment that was often steeped in pain or sadness and grief. My natural optimism I think lends itself well to treating patients, and families in particular, who may be experiencing something extremely difficult.
4. Tell me about your experiences with family medicine.
In medical school we had several weeks during clinical rotations devoted to family medicine patients. It was the first time I had interacted directly with parents and children in a medical setting. Watching our attendings, seeing how they easily navigated between treating the adults and the children in the same interaction, how they handled patient questions, sparked an interest in me. I began taking more of an interest in shadowing and asked for more responsibility wherever I could, even if it was just to occupy a child for a few moments while their parent consulted with my attending. I found my time in family medicine the most rewarding of my clinical rotations.
5. Which types of patients do you work with most effectively? Least effectively?
Long before medical school, I knew I had a knack for interacting with children. I’ve always enjoyed looking after kids and in my clinical experience it was very rewarding to work with them during my pediatrics and family medicine rotations. Many people have told me I have a natural charm kids gravitate towards, maybe because I am a young-looking individual. But I find this same youthfulness also means I interact less effectively with senior patients. In the past, some senior patients have been slower to trust me and see my advice as credible because of my youth.
6. Being a family medicine resident requires being able to multi-task and stay organized. How do you handle this?
I pride myself on my organizational and time management skills. I have always believed both are essential to becoming a doctor. In medical school, I stayed on top of my coursework and exam study with a detailed study schedule and agenda, and through prioritizing my tasks. As a physician, I know these skills are crucial, as I will have many patients to see and only so many hours to see them in.
7. What characteristics do you think are important for a family medicine physician to possess?
I think family medicine physicians need to possess the essential traits of any doctor: empathy, patience, knowledge and compassion. But I also believe family medicine doctors in particular should be very personable and open-minded, as well as having a willingness to keep learning not only about medicine but about people.
8. What makes you think you would be a good family medicine physician?
I believe my personable skills, my clinical experience and knowledge gained in med school will all make me an excellent fit for family medicine. More than that, I am eager to learn more and begin learning in a clinical environment. I believe I possess the qualities of needed of a family practice physician and I am excited to acquire the experience during my residency years.
9. Have you ever considered pursuing a more concentrated medical specialty outside family medicine?
While in medical school I did consider entering into pediatrics, but over time I’ve come to realize that family medicine is the best fit for me. Family medicine allows me to work with a more diverse group of people and patients. Throughout med school, I considered my options, but I always came back to family care as my primary choice.
10. As a physician you will have to deliver discouraging news to patients and their families. How do you handle such hard situations?
Delivering bad or discouraging news to patients is part of being a physician, of course, but it can be especially hard to deliver bad news to a family or parent. In these cases, I find that honesty, compassion and straightforwardness are important qualities to have. There is no good way to deliver bad or discouraging news, but there are ways to deliver it while reducing harm as much as possible.
Want more residency interview questions and answers? Watch this video.
How Competitive is Family Medicine Residency?
Family medicine residency is not considered one of the most competitive residencies. In fact, family medicine is one of the residencies with the highest match rates at over 88% in the US and over 90% in Canada. Family medicine residency tops the list of IMG friendly residency programs in both countries.
Even though it is easier to get into, family medicine is considered a great option for resident doctors. The work-life balance for family medicine residents is notably better than some other competitive residencies, and it includes very rewarding and fulfilling work. In family medicine, most resident doctors will be very busy with a variety of patients and witnessing a wide range of cases. As with any residency, it can be a demanding job, but a very fulfilling one for those residents who have a passion for family medicine and family practice. For residents who want a position that is both challenging but flexible and requires a range of skills and medical procedures, a family medicine residency is a great option.
If you’re hoping to match into one of the best family medicine residency programs, you’ll need to start your preparation now. Along with deciding how many residency programs to apply to and crafting your residency CV, you’ll need to start preparing for the family medicine residency interview.
Family Medicine Residency Match Rate in the US
How to Prepare for a Family Medicine Residency Interview
The residency interview is critically important to getting into the program you want and making your residency application stand out. Even with a relatively non-competitive residency like family medicine, your interview performance matters a great deal. Interviewers are looking for resident doctors who will excel in a family practice environment and can handle the demands of the position.
The only way to improve and become comfortable during interviews is by practicing! Reading up on family medicine residency interview questions and answers is a great place to start preparing for your own interview! Once you’ve gained an understanding of the types of questions you might be asked, you should consider doing mock interviews, as these are truly invaluable. You can ask a friend or colleague to help you with this by playing the part of an interviewer. You can also find some residency interview preparation services to help you by providing professional feedback and advice on improving your interviewing skills.
For international medical graduates, professional IMG residency interview prep services can be a great help in presenting your best self in the interview room. This is true whether you’re looking at ERAS interview prep for a position in the US or need to do some CaRMS interview prep for a spot in a Canadian residency program. In either case, you should also look up some common ERAS or CaRMs interview questions so you know what types of questions to expect and how to answer them best. Remember to also bring up the best questions to ask residency programs in return!
Keep in mind that during the residency interview season, many programs will conduct video interviews due to the large amount of applicants they need to see before match day. Be sure to check out which interview format your chosen programs use before your interview date.
Interview prep entails many different skills, all of which will be evaluated by your interviewers. With all of that said, some important things you can do to best prepare yourself for the residency interview are:
All of these tips will help you to best prepare yourself so you can walk into your interview with confidence. But knowing some typical family medicine residency interview questions and answers will give you some insight into what these residency programs are looking for and what they’ll ask you. We’ll take a look at some of the most common family medicine residency interview questions next.
FAQs
1. How do I prepare for my family medicine residency interview?
Do your due diligence before the interview by researching the program you’re interviewing with, and the interviewers you’ll be with, if you can. Prepare yourself ahead of time by practicing answering questions or conduct mock interviews. It’s also a good idea to research current issues and events happening in family medicine, so you can discuss these topics when they come up during the interview.
2. What should you not say in a residency interview?
Don’t speak negatively about other programs you’ve applied to, past colleagues or mentors. Avoid rambling or going off topic when answering questions. Remember to keep it professional and be polite to everyone you meet. Also remember to be humble! You are applying for a residency so you can learn and advance further in your medical career.
3. What questions should I ask at the end of my residency interview?
Always ask your own questions at the end of a residency interview! Ask specific questions about the program’s day-to-day operations, the program’s strengths and what practices their graduates end up at post-residency.
4. How do you answer residency interview questions?
With residency interview questions, it’s best to be yourself, be honest and be thorough. Let your natural, conversational voice come out, and answer questions as thoroughly as you can.
5. Is family medicine a competitive residency to get into?
Family medicine is considered one of the easiest residencies to match to, with a match rate of over 90%. It’s also a fairly friendly residency for IMGs to match with, too.
6. Does the residency interview matter for family medicine?
Yes; the residency interview is an important part of getting into any residency. If you are invited to interview with a family medicine residency program, accept it. Your interviewers will want to learn more about you and your qualifications for a family medicine residency.
7. Is family medicine an IMG-friendly residency?
Yes; family medicine is considered one of the easiest for IMGs to get matched to in the US, and it also has a high match rate for IMGs in Canada.
8. What are some questions asked during a family medicine residency interview?
Some of the typical residency interview questions will be asked. You’ll also be asked about what interested you in pursuing a career in family medicine and what qualifications you have for this type of practice. You may also be asked ethical, policy-based and even quirky questions – just like there are weird medical school interview questions – there are unusual and challenging questions in residency interviews, too.
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