How would you like to see the delivery of healthcare evolve?
Careful with this one! While interviewer truly may want to understand better in which way you feel healthcare could best evolve, it might be a fishing expedition into your politics. There are many controversies in healthcare today, ranging from capitalism to socialism. Since even non-profit hospitals have a bottom line, there may be a consensus for what evolution of the current system may be best or worst for them. You don't want to take sides in this debate, lest you choose the wrong one. You should center your answers only on the concept of better patient care that includes embracing diversity. You just cannot go wrong doing that. Whatever your answer, be sure to maintain a confident stance and complete your answer in a way that presents you as someone who gives this a lot of careful thought.
"I would like to see health-based organizations and facilities put more efforts into putting their patients at the center of everything that they do. This could mean cutting down wait times, improving safety in hospitals, and even engaging with the community more often, so there is a greater level of trust and comfort-ability. I do believe that we are evolving at a fast rate and I am happy to see how far this patient-centered attitude has come since I started my educational path within medicine."
"I think we are doing a great job but can always do better, especially as it applies to the underserved population. True, this segment of the population may always exist, but we must continually ask ourselves if we are doing everything we can to address inequity in healthcare."
"As an anesthesiologist in practice for years, I have seen my role reduced to that of a provider, which I feel was a natural deterioration in a capitalistic formula. I would like to see not only an improved perception of my role, but that that perception includes the patient-doctor relationship, inseparable. I feel that a patient-doctor relationship portrays a more sanctified relationship. The patient-doctor relationship really is inseparable, so if either is belittled, they both suffer. The best evolution of medicine must include respect for both."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Communication, both between providers and between provider and patient, is central to the provision of good healthcare. Our booming technology is enabling more care centres to shift from paper notes to electronic medical records. Further, the establishment of 'My Health Record' facilitates between-site communication patients to view their own health information.
I'd like to see the medical profession embrace the opportunity that electronic medical records present; especially in terms of communicating across specialities and with our patients. Indeed, my passion for connecting care can be seen in my establishment of an online application to streamline medical record requests across hospitals. I hope that connected EMRs will see my application will become obsolete in the future.
Rachelle's Feedback
Fantastic answer! You are very clear on your vision for the future of communication in healthcare and how technology can be leveraged to get there. The way that you tied in your accomplishment (online applications) is perfect. Well done!
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