If you could meet anyone in the history of medicine, who would you choose and why?
This is more of a personal interest question, and you really cannot give a wrong answer here. Think back to any of the' founding fathers' (and mothers!) of medicine. Everyone should have a story that resonates with him or her--stories of overcoming adversity and how such stories could relate to them today, stories of discovery that are admired, and fantasizing about asking the burning questions of these pioneers. Be sure to add passion to your answer so that the interviewers can sense a genuine interest.
"If I could meet anyone in the history of medicine, I would go back to the very beginning and meet Hippocrates. I find it fascinating that he was the first person ever to believe that disease and death were not a result of the anger of gods. I would ask him what that first conversation sounded like...when he first said to others that superstitious belief does not cause disease. He would have had to have faced so many roadblocks, yet he continued to believe in his work."
"That's a great question! If I could meet anyone in the history of medicine, I would meet Virginia Apgar. She paved the way for women in medicine and also introduced obstetrical considerations to neonatology. She also invented the APGAR score. Now, that's fascinating!"
"I have come to appreciate the work of many medical professionals who paved the way for me to have a safe and fulfilling career in anesthesiology. If I had to choose just one person from history, I would choose Emery Andrew Rovenstine. He pioneered the idea of therapeutic nerve blocking and also introduced the use of cyclopropane."
"I would love to meet John Adriani from the now defunct Charity Hospital of New Orleans. When he came on board in the 1940s, only minimally trained nurses administered anesthesia. He elevated the specialty to the administration by physicians, but included nurses as anesthetists, against which the chauvinism of the day threatened his very licensure. He literally wrote the play book on the training of specialists in anesthesia. He pledged himself as 'pro-patient' at the national level and today's practice of anesthesia is his dream come true as an example of men and women and doctors and nurses working together in a modern organizational formula that works extremely well and has improved care."
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