When have you had to make a split second decision? How do you react under unexpected pressure?
While your experience in the classroom, lab and in clinical rotations during your medical schooling has mentally prepared you for life as a physician, your time as a resident will be when you are fully exposed to the pressure packed situations as a medical doctor. For the first time, you will be responsible for the direct care of patients and your interviewing team needs to be assured that you would join their residency confident and comfortable in your ability to work under pressure.
"I really thrive in pressure situations and am looking forward to the fact that these situations will now become real as I become a resident . My level headed thinking and my calm demeanor help me react well in pressure situations and also help my team focus on the task at hand as well. Prior to medical school, I worked for one year as an ER Tech. This was the first time I was exposed to the fact that no two days are the same on the job in providing care to patients and that you have to be prepared for any situation. On what I thought was a routine Sunday morning shift, I came in to a serious bus accident where we had many critically injured patients. While triage was happening among the nursing staff, one patient was showing signs of going into shock and I made the quick decision to get an IV started. Other staff were busy, so I knew getting a head start on things could make a big difference for this patient. I was later praised for my quick actions that day."
Answer this question by telling the interviewers about a specific time you had to make a split-second decision and made the right choice, despite being under unexpected pressure. Outline the situation, describe the last-minute decision you were required to make, and explain how you came to your final decision. Be sure to tell the interviewers that you made a well-calculated decision despite being under pressure. Give as much detail as you can regarding how you weighed the pros and cons of the decision. If your final decision made a measurable impact, be sure to discuss the results you generated.
