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Knowing “what to research about a residency program before an interview” is crucial. The worst mistake that we can make during an interview is not being prepared enough for it. In order to give a good impression and become a strong candidate, we need to demonstrate our interest in the program. Programs use the classic question: “Do you have any question for me?” as a way to assess two major things in an applicant: how well can that person prepare for a challenging situation and what is their true interest in that particular program.
After receiving an interview invitation, one should try to investigate as much as one can to be informed about the program’s vision. What does the program promote? What are the features that make that program special? It is also good to identify the important authorities like the program director, assistant program director, coordinator, etc. Savvy candidates will even go further and analyze the last publications, books, and any other academic paper published by those professionals so that they can point out their interest to work with them.
What to research about a residency program before an interview:
Elaborating a table with the programs in which you will interview can help to summarize important information, it can also help to compare between them. A sample table is shown:
Residency programs comparison - Interview process
| PROGRAM 1 | PROGRAM 2 | PROGRAM 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | |||
| City/Location | |||
| Type of program | |||
| Reputation | |||
| Diversity of population | |||
| Most common languages | |||
| Available positions | |||
| Interviews held last year | |||
| Program stability | |||
| Likely changes for the next several years | |||
| Type of visa offered. | |||
| Waiver available at the program or help for obtaining a position (for J1) | |||
| Participates in the main MATCH | |||
| Offers pre-match positions | |||
| Educational activities such as Conferences/grand rouds/ | |||
| Faculty teaching/support | |||
| Teaching opportunities | |||
| Mentorship opportunities | |||
| Research opportunities | |||
| Equilibrum between clinical work, academic activities and research. | |||
| Resident autonomy | |||
| Elective diversity | |||
| Away elective opportunities | |||
| Medical technology availability and application | |||
| What do most graduates do? | |||
| Fellowship opportunities in-house | |||
| Fellowship MATCH rate | |||
| Board pass rate | |||
| Call frequency (hours per week) | |||
| Ancillary support (nursing, social workers, etc.) | |||
| Patient cap (Patients per resident) | |||
| On call system (admission caps, night float system) | |||
| Main advantages | |||
| Main disadvantages | |||
| Salary | |||
| Health benefits | |||
| Non-health benefits | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Vacation/parental leave/sick leave | |||
| Post interview communication preference. (Yes or not). | |||
| 1-10 scale: How good did you feel about the program after the interview? | |||
| 1-10 scale: Friendliness of the program with their staff and you? | |||
| 1-10 scale: Residents feedback about how good is the program? | |||
| 1-10 scale: Compatibility between the program and you? 10 is the best. | |||
| Program’s expressed Rank intention | |||
| How would you rank the program? High, middle, or low. |
There are other important things to consider such as crime safety, weather, childcare, culture, recreation areas, and others. However, the table contains the features that we believe are the most important to consider. Please, analyze everything that you believe is important. One of the most recommended aspects to consider is how compatible is a program with you, and vice-versa.
In summary, gathering this data will help us to be informed about the most important facts about a residency program. It can also help us to decide how to make our rank order list after the interview season is over. The sources that we can use for obtaining information are the residency program website, emails from the programs when they invite one for an interview, and the FREIDA AMA database.
Good luck with your interviews. Please, if you would like to add something more you believe is very important, leave your suggestions in the comments section below.
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