Residency Interview Questions Sample Answer #2

Residency Interview Question #2: Why should we choose you?

Sample answer:

I am the ideal candidate because I have had a passion for family medicine since applying to medical school, and I am eager to learn how to be a great family physician. I have been looking forward to my residency so that I can both use what I have learned in medical school and push myself to learn more. Family medicine is a discipline which requires compassion, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and diagnostic ability. As my referees can attest, I am highly coachable, skilled, and have an undefeatable positive attitude, no matter how difficult the situation.

During my family medicine rotations, I was able to see an entire spectrum of different patients and really get to know each one of them. It solidified for me the conviction that this is my place in medicine. While I was working with Dr. X during my family medicine rotations, I encountered a patient who was difficult to get along with. This patient was known for being belligerent and questioning the hospital staff at every turn. When it was my turn to speak with this patient during a routine call, I went in with my usual attitude and quickly realized that while the patient did have many questions for me and Dr. X, they came from a place of caution and concern, rather than straight distrust.

After the patient finished asking their questions, I decided to ask if there was anything else we could speak with them about to resolve any concerns or if we could clarify anything we had explained. The patient's reaction was surprise, initially, as they were used to staff getting through answering their questions as quickly as possible. It seemed no one had taken the time to exercise patience and diagnose the real reason the patient was so insistent and apparently argumentative. Afterward, Dr. X commended me on my composure and response to the patient, who left much happier than when they had first come in.

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