How to Answer: It is often said that a career in healthcare is a 'thankless job'. How can we keep you motivated and engaged, even on the days when you feel your work goes unnoticed?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a The Mount Sinai Hospital job interview.
31. It is often said that a career in healthcare is a 'thankless job'. How can we keep you motivated and engaged, even on the days when you feel your work goes unnoticed?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Talk to the interviewer about how you have stayed motivated in the past. The interviewer would like to know how they could continue motivating you - even on the most challenging days. The interviewer wants to see if you need to have verbal recognition or if you are inspired solely by your team's success.
Written by Krista Wenz on June 1st, 2022
Focus Your Answer On
Focus on letting the interviewer know that while you appreciate being recognized for a job well done, you are not the type of person who is only motivated by recognition. You most likely got into the healthcare field to help others, and for most, that is thanks enough.
Written by Krista Wenz on June 1st, 2022
1st Answer Example
"I am an easily motivated individual, and it does not take much to keep me engaged. I am fully aware that healthcare-related positions can seem thankless. Honestly, the best thanks that I can get is a pat on the back now and then. The majority of my motivation comes from simply helping people."
Written by Ryan Brown on September 11th, 2018
2nd Answer Example
"My chosen career was helping people at exactly the point they were least capable of censoring themselves or giving back. So, I stopped needing thanks from my patients. It's not like I don't need positive reinforcement. Everyone does. But I made a point to find it in other places instead of expecting it from my patients. Nowadays, I make an effort to expressly thank the people I work with when they do a good job. I focus on being grateful to be allowed to see private, raw, emotional parts of people's lives. And I make work-related goals I can achieve for satisfaction."
Written by Krista Wenz on June 1st, 2022
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