Tell me about a time you failed as an Anesthesiologist. How did you get back up again with a positive attitude?
In the complex world of medicine and patient care, every physician fails at one time or another. Your interviewer knows that any Anesthesiologist they hire will be prone to a mistake or two, and they want to hear that you will be accountable for your actions and do what is necessary to make the situation right.
"First and foremost, I pride myself on my laser-sharp focus, which has prevented any patient care mistakes during my career. I'd say that my biggest failure so far during my career was when I pursued a Medical Director role in the business development department of my current practice. I've always been enamored with intellectual property and innovation in the medical field, so I thought this would be a great career move. I held that title for just over a year. 10% of my time was dedicated to this role, and it was very difficult to step away from even that much time in my clinical practice. While I didn't fail per se as the Medical Director, I failed to realize that the administrative duties of that role weren't a good match at the time."
We all fail from time to time, and there is no need to be ashamed of defeat. The magic is in the lessons we learn from these situations. Give an example of an outcome that was not what you wanted it to be, but you were able to recover. Perhaps you were better off in the end or learned a valuable lesson. Outline the roadblock and share how you approached the situation. At the end of your response, discuss your level of dedication, even in the face of failure, and explain how you will make an impact on this program if you are hired. Also, be sure not to answer with a situation that borders on malpractice.
