Tell us about a time when you were dissatisfied with the quality or outcome of your work. What did you do to rectify the situation?

"I am rarely dissatisfied with my work because I keep very high standards for myself and what I deliver. With that said, I did face a tough learning situation during medical school during a very difficult semester of block scheduling. With having a very demanding lab and other chemistry and biology coursework, a heavily weighted research paper was very difficult for me to put extra time into. For a period of a few weeks, I was staying up extra hours and living on three to four hours per sleep at night and the final paper I turned in didn't meet my expectations. A few days after I turned it in, I took time to speak to my professor about my paper and how it didn't meet my expectations. While I didn't expect a pity grade or the ability to resubmit it, it felt great to get the weight off of my chest. Looking back, I realize that taking care of myself and getting more sleep would've helped my overall work in the end."

Think about a time in the past when you were unsuccessful in your work. As a potential resident in their program, your interviewer would welcome an answer that talks either about a work experience or an experience from your schooling. Briefly discuss the situation with your interviewer and describe how you reacted. Be sure to include the action steps you took to recover from the situation. Discuss what you learned from the situation at the end of your response. Then, explain how you will apply that lesson to improve the quality of your work as a resident.