Behavioral Residency Mock Interview
Practice 30 Behavioral Residency interview questions covering clinical scenarios, patient interactions, and program fit.
Question 4 of 30
Do you have experience working long hours? How would you motivate yourself during long stretches of shifts and call time that will be required during your training?
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Christine Pasqueretta is a human resource and recruitment professional with experience creating, developing, implementing, leading, and measuring HR impact initiatives.
As your team of interviewers considers many candidates for their residency program, they'll want to know that you can handle the long, grinding hours that will come as part of your training with their program. They'll want to know that you will still get the job done and provide the best care possible even when it's hard to stay motivated after grueling hours of long shifts and call time. The goal of your response is to show that you are a reliable person who delivers high-quality work, regardless of how motivated you feel at the moment. By the end of your reply, the interviewer should feel confident that you are a self-motivated individual who takes accountability for your work.
Christine Pasqueretta is a human resource and recruitment professional with experience creating, developing, implementing, leading, and measuring HR impact initiatives.
"As an aspiring physician, I know that the next four years are going to require hard work, dedication and some uncomfortable times and I can't tell you how excited I am for this process to start. In my difficult medical school program, I'm confident that the long hours of lectures, studying for exams and lab times have prepared me to succeed in your residency program. To add to that, I feel very fortunate to have rotated in some great Hospital Medicine and Critical Care settings that have prepared me for long hours on the job. I love the fast paced world and being motivated after even 11 hours on shift still comes easy to me."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
To get at your ability to stay motivated and ready to go as a resident with their program, tell the interviewers about a specific situation in which you completed something you didn't feel motivated to do. Outline the situation, describe your responsibility, and explain why it was difficult to stay motivated in that situation. Be sure to tell the interviewers that even though you were not enthusiastic about the task, you did it promptly and with care, knowing that it would help everyone involved. Give as much detail as you can about the actions you took to reach the finish line. If your hard work made a measurable impact, be sure to offer details about this accomplishment.
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