Reviewing pathology residency interview questions and expert responses can help you practice and feel more confident during your residency interviews. Pathology is one of the most diverse residencies out there in terms of exposure to different specializations and colleagues from different professional backgrounds. Because of the breadth of questions you could be asked in your interview, it is important you prepare early and go into your interview with confidence. In this blog, we’ll talk about how competitive pathology is, sample pathology residency interview questions and answers, and walk you through how to prepare for residency interviews.
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10 Common Pathology Residency Interview Questions with Sample Answers
1. Why did you choose pathology as your specialty?
During medical school, I was helping pay for my education by working as an autopsy technician. During my time working as a technician, I was able to work observe and interact with forensic pathologies who were investigating the cause of death for the bodies I helped prepare. I was especially intrigued by their meticulous examination of the bodies. In particular, I found it interesting just how detailed the observations of the bodies were, which sometimes required long deliberation of samples to determine patterns and draw conclusions about the cause of death. Part of my job assisting forensic pathologists or medical examiners was to record autopsy findings and prepare specimens for examination. Sometimes, I was also involved in performing tests on blood or tissue samples. I enjoyed the investigative aspect of the job and interacting with other highly focused and observant professionals working together to solve a problem.
2. What do you think makes a good resident?
Because pathology involves a lot of clinical investigations and analysis of samples, the ability to focus and problem-solve are two important traits for any pathology resident and professional. A lot of investigations are solitary and involve sitting in front of a microscope or computer screen analyzing the results of samples, making connections and drawing conclusions about a potential diagnosis. When I was growing up, I used to always help my dad work on the cars that came into his shop. I eventually learned how to diagnose the vehicles myself by performing diagnostic procedures and by interviewing the person who brought the vehicle in. I still help my dad fix cars whenever I get the chance. I believe that my natural inclination to want to figure things out is part of what prepares me for a successful pathology residency.
3. What do see yourself doing after completing a pathology residency?
Once I complete my pathology residency, I’d like to continue my pathology training and learning experience through a fellowship in a subspecialty. Breast pathology appeals to me the most. My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, and while it was a very difficult experience to endure for her and for the family, we were most impressed by the urgency and accuracy of the diagnosis, which ultimately saved her life. For this reason, I think I’ve been sufficiently inspired to want to work in this field. Another subspecialty that sounds interesting to me is cytopathology, but whether or not I decide to pursue a fellowship in this field depends on what I can learn about it, hopefully from direct experience with professionals I work with during the residency.
Check out these residency interview questions to help you prepare:
4. Were you interested in any other fields, or was it just pathology?
Pathology was my first choice, but during my core clinical rotations, I was interested in some of the cases we saw in family medicine. I enjoyed the patient diversity, and because I’m a very family-oriented person, I understand the importance of providing the highest quality health care for all members of a family, as well as conducting myself in a calm and articulate manner while doing so. In pathology, patient interactions can be sparse, since you’re more likely to be in a laboratory analyzing samples. In family medicine, however, you handle patients from all different ages, genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds. I think both disciplines are very different as far as interactions go, but the motivation to perform my due diligence to families and individuals remains the same for me.
5. Was there anyone who inspired you to want to become a pathology resident?
Even though I was already interested in pathology before I started medical school, there was an attendant named Dr. J Smith who I met during my medical microbiology clinical rotations that had a strong influence on me. Since there was an emphasis on communication and coordination within the laboratory clinical staff, I was focused on observing how everyone communicated with each other. The way that Dr. Smith communicated about special or difficult infectious cases was always very straightforward even though the information was complex, and he always seemed to know how to handle cases that required special consideration. There was one particular case where we were examining a skin sample from a man with follicular keratotic papules. After initially thinking it was a case of seborrheic dermatitis, Dr. Smith led a family history exam that showed that the patient had family members with the highly heritable darier disease, which the team confirmed from observing evidence of gene mutation. Dr. Smith’s personality was also very amiable and calm, which seemed to have a powerful effect on the team to help coordinate interpretations of unusual samples. What I admired most was his ability to lead a large team with calm urgency while also maintaining a friendly attitude, which made it easy to ask questions and learn from him.
6. What are some of your career goals as they relate to pathology as a discipline?
One of my career goals would be to eventually open up my own practice as a breast pathologist and cytogenetics pathologist to provide consultation and examination for patients. I also want to be involved in conducting cancer research to help develop better diagnostic tools and procedures that cater to the specifics of each individual patient. As I’ve mentioned, I’m also a very family-oriented person, and I’d also like to have children with my husband at some point in the future, which means owning my own practice will allow me to have a fulfilling life and work balance.
7. What do you think is one issue facing the field of pathology?
I think the biggest issue is the lack of residents choosing pathology as their specialty. There are already a lot of shortages in some provinces and states, which causes delays in clinical assessments, and therefore delays in treatment. Outcomes for patient care is dependent on pathologists to deliver quick and effective diagnostic strategies based on evidence. I think that part of the reason why students don’t choose pathology is because they think they’re more likely to be actively saving lives in other specialties. While I sympathize with this motivation, I think more students would choose pathology if study in this field became mandatory in the curriculum.
8. Is there anything from your background that you think can make you an effective pathologist?
I believe that the most important skills for a pathologist are communication and analytical skills. During medical school, I was volunteering to teach children how to read for a reading partner program. Because many of the students didn’t speak English at all, I quickly understood the importance of communication, both verbally and non-verbally. I was also doing research extracurricular for various case studies in which I was presented with clinical cases where two patients were diagnosed with the same thing or treated the same way. My task was to analyze and distinguish the two cases and report on them in the conclusion. During this experience, I learned the importance of strong analysis skills, which in that context, helped my draw conclusions about almost identical cases.
9. What were some of your criteria for selecting pathology residency programs to apply for?
My primary concern when selecting programs to apply for was the program’s involvement in the community. I really value strong commitment to making a positive contribution to my community as a regular volunteer as a writing tutor at my local community college and an almost yearly volunteer building houses abroad for underprivileged communities. I also looked for programs with good benefits and a variety of fellowship programs. Even though I have a strong interest in going into breast pathology, I’m still open to pursuing other fellowship options depending on my clinical experience during residency training. Besides that, I wanted to make sure faculty were committed to delivering the best learning experience possible for their residents and the best treatment for their patients, which I gleaned through mission statements and by speaking with other residency graduates.
10. What aspect of a pathology residency appeals to you the most?
The part that interests me the most is the ability to do a lot of solitary work and independent analysis. When I was working as an autopsy technician, part of my job was to get samples ready for analysis, and sometimes assist in analyzing them myself. I always looked forward to the chance to participate in an analysis because every case was different, and the samples were often difficult to interpret, which made it very fulfilling to finally have all the evidence to draw a conclusion. Even though I have strong family and community values, what I’ve always enjoyed the most about my research extracurriculars was when it was time to organize the data and write about our observations and conclusions. Specially, when I was comparing case studies during some of my research extracurriculars, I was always excited to receive new case studies, which required long hours of focus to make connections. Also, the wide variety of patient cases seems like a very enriching aspect of the job, and knowing that I was an essential component of interpreting an unusual sample or symptom classification is also a highly motivating aspect of the training.
More Common Pathology Residency Interview Questions
11. What are you looking for most about in a residency program?
12. Are you interested in doing research in the field?
13. What communication strategies do you employ in your normal interactions?
14. Are you someone who enjoys teaching or instructing?
15. What’s your protocol for integrating positive and negative feedback?
16. What tools do you use to manage your time?
17. What’s something that surprised you from your clinical rotations?
18. What’s one weakness of yours that you’re hoping to address in this residency program?
19. What qualities do you possess that you think separate you from other candidates?
20. Do you think that your USMLE or MCCQE scores are representative of your strengths and weaknesses as a candidate?
21. What was something that frustrated you during medical school?
22. Were there any med school electives that you regret taking, or any you wished you took instead?
24. What questions do you have about the program? (Learn some of the best questions to ask residency programs!)
25. What do you hope to gain from our residency program?
26. How would you mediate between two conflicting interpretations of a tissue sample?
27. What does the term “team-based” mean to you?
28. What’s one research topic that you'd like to explore?
29. What's something you learned from another discipline that you think you could apply to pathology?
30. What do you regard as the most fundamental ethical concern for pathologists?
Still undecided about your specialty? Check this out:
How Competitive is Pathology?
Pathology is one of the least competitive specialties for residents. Match rates tend to be around 60%. For students who are trying to evaluate lifestyle factors associated with this specialty, it’s important to note that pathology also has a high job satisfaction rate, according to the Medscape physician lifestyle & happiness report.
Pathology Match Rate
Due to the diverse range of interactions and specialties within this discipline, medical residents can expect an eclectic approach to instruction and learning during their training program. Pathology is also strongly dependent on technological progress, particularly in the arena of diagnostic tools, which happens to be trending toward minimally invasive procedures and personalized diagnostic criteria/treatment.
Pathology is also a popular choice for IMGs applying for residency programs. According to NRMP match statistics, 37.4% of IMGs match into pathology, with only internal medicine having a higher match rate. If you’re an international medical graduate, you might want to consider an IMG residency consultant to help you with your application for this program.
How to Prepare for the Pathology Residency Interview
Whether you are applying via CaRMS or ERAS, the following tips can help you ace your pathology residency interview questions:
#1: Research Potential Programs
One way to help you prepare for the pathology residency interviews is to research the program to which you’re applying. When you research the program, take note of their mission statement, program highlights or overview, training sites, and their values. Look for information about whether they are a more research-oriented or a community involved institution. It’s important to know the values of the institutions where you are interviewing to determine if they align with yours. Consider that pathology residency programs tend to involve a lot of interaction with a variety of professionals from different specializations. Establishing what appeals to you about a program can help you answer residency interview questions about what attracts you about their program.
#2: Know Your Application and Be Ready to Discuss It
Committees look for a combination of qualities in candidates that they can glean from residency personal statements, USMLE or MCCQE scores, and letters of recommendation. Programs only want to interview the best candidates, so it’s important to package your application materials in an organized and professional manner. You should be prepared to talk about what you wrote in your personal statement, what you included in your CV, or what your scores were on the USMLE or MCCQE.
#3: Have a Solid Answer for Why You've Chosen Pathology
Because pathology is one of the specialties that isn’t about administering any sort of treatment and differs from other specialties in that regard, programs will want to know what appeals to you about this specialty. Be sure to have an answer prepared for this question, and expect to be asked about your background and what you want to achieve through your training. You can also study some of the technological developments for diagnostic imaging and procedures, as it can help to show that you’re genuinely interested in becoming a resident in their program and building a career.
#4: Practice Your Answers and Get Professional Help
Mock interviews give you a chance to get into the rhythm of answering common residency interview questions so you can identify areas to improve and sharpen your answers.
If you think you need support as you prepare for the pathology residency interview, you can sign up for residency interview coaching, or consider residency interview preparation services, which can help you work on your interview skills and practice articulating your answers in a calm and professional manner. According to the NRMP, one of the most desired qualities in a candidate was interactions with faculty during an interview and interpersonal skills, so it’s important to develop a strong foundation for interviewing for this particular specialization.
FAQs
1. Is pathology a competitive specialty?
Pathology is considered one of the least competitive specialties.
2. How should I go about preparing for a pathology residency interview?
First, you’ll want to research the programs to which you’re going to interview. You can also practice answering the sample questions we provided above to help you prepare your response.
3. Do USMLE or MCCQE scores matter for pathology residency?
In short, yes. If you score a passing grade but you’re on the lower end of the distribution, you might get asked about why you didn’t perform as well as you could have, or why you think you fell short of a higher score.
4. I’m not sure what I want to do once the residency program is over. What should I say if they ask what I’m planning to do?
You can still prepare an answer to this question based on what you think might appeal to you without necessarily committing to anything. For instance, pathology programs have a lot of subspecializations that you can express interest in without a firm commitment.
5. Is pathology a good choice for a residency?
Pathology can be an enriching and beneficial training program for your professional development. Pathology residency programs involve a lot of sub-disciplinary exposure, which means you’ll gain a wide range of clinical experience dealing with a broad patient spectrum and different types of pathologists.
6. What types of questions will I be asked in a pathology residency interview?
There will likely be a wide variety of different questions about your personal background, why you chose pathology, your educational background, and clinical knowledge.
7. How long should my answers be?
Generally, it’s best to keep your answers no longer than three minutes. You can try timing your answers during your practice so you have an idea of how you can lengthen or shorten them depending on the question.
8. What’s the most important preparation tool I can use?
The most effective tool for preparing is mock interviews. While practice and repetition are key, you will also want to avoid memorizing your answers because you want to sound natural, not rehearsed.
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