Talk about a time when you were unable to meet a deadline. How did you react and what steps did you take to ensure this was communicated?

"During my time working as a medical assistant in a busy setting, I had one day where I knew I wasn't going to be able to contact high-needs patients for new openings in our patient schedule for the end of the week. While this was a routine duty of mine on Mondays, the day blew up with charting and prepping patients for an influx of procedures. Knowing I wasn't going to be able to get to this by the end of the day, I quickly notified my supervisor. Thankfully, she had another MA on staff that day ensure it was done. She thanked me for not rushing through my other duties haphazardly to try and get everything done."

Perhaps you merely underestimated the depth of the project, or maybe you faced a distraction at work. Whatever the situation was, discuss the case, what you did, and the outcome. Show the interviewer that you do not have a defeatist mentality. Nobody is perfect! The interviewers know that there will be times when deadlines pass and projects go sideways. This is especially true in patient care in your first venture into direct patient care as a resident physician. They want to know how you react despite the initial failure.