Tell me about a time you received constructive criticism from an attending physician or senior resident during your residency training. How did you handle that situation?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
Answer Example
Community Answers

It should be abundantly clear as you enter Cardiology Fellowship training, that your work will be scrutinized to the nth degree by the senior fellows and the faculty of the program you join. Your interviewers want to know that you can take any constructive criticism you receive and turn it into a positive learning opportunity.

Choose an example that does not highlight a significant or persistent deficit in your ability to provide care. How you handled this criticism should show your devotion to providing optimal care and willingness to use the criticism to shape how you approach patient care moving forward. Don't hesitate to reiterate to your interviewers that you would join their Cardiology Fellowship program ready to accept any constructive criticism that would come your way.

"During my elective oncology rotation during my 2nd year of residency, I was told that I spent too much time with patients during both initial and follow-up consults. As a result, I was causing delays in the clinic. Seeing new cancer patients was a new environment for me and my nurturing inhibitions took over in most situations. After some coaching from my attending physician on how to best handle consults, I got a very good feel and flow of patient consults moving forward in that environment. I didn't take the criticism personally and knew it was for the best in my professional development."

Anonymous Answer

"As an intern, I used to get flustered when attendings asked me questions on rounds that I didn't know the answer to. I received very useful feedback early in my intern year that I really took to heart and based on many new interns myself as a senior resident: "Talk through what you do know, admit where your knowledge gap lies, and ask to learn more. And do it all calmly and confidently."

Jaymie's Feedback

This is a perfect example to use! You demonstrate that you can accept feedback, learn from it, and move on. You took your response a step further by sharing how you used that experience to help and mentor others. Great job!

Show More Answers

Anonymous Answer

"During my first rotation as a senior, my attending gave me feedback on keeping the handoffs updated, and that they should be updated daily. I realized that doing it was not part of my daily workflow consistently, after listening to her I modified my daily workflow to update handoffs every day after running the list with the interns and attending in the afternoons."

Jaymie's Feedback

Great example! You were able to be open-minded and receptive to feedback, digest it, and make the necessary changes to meet expectations. You didn't take it personally but rather used it as a learning and growth opportunity.

Anonymous Answer

"Drowsy patient"

Jaymie's Feedback

When interviewers ask you to "tell them about a time when," try to answer in detail using the STAR method (see link below). This allows the interviewer to understand better the criticism you received, how you responded to the feedback and learn more about your interpersonal, communication, and conflict resolution skills.

https://www.mockquestions.com/articles/Interview+Types/Master+Behavioral-Based+Interviews+Using+The+Star+Method/

Anonymous Answer

"During my ambulatory clinic week, I used to take a great amount of time addressing as many issues as I could. I received feedback during my clinic evaluation that a skill that I would need to work on is time management and addressing pertinent issues to not hinder the clinic workflow. I took this feedback and was able to triage issues that needed to be addressed during this visit."

Jaymie's Feedback

This is a good example to share! It shows you were receptive to the feedback and to make improvements. Can you go into more detail on strategies or techniques you implemented as a result of this feedback? What was the outcome?

Anonymous Answer

"During my second year of residency training, I received feedback from my attending physician, to incorporate family's opinion to make patient care-related decisions. As a budding doctor, I spent a lot of time collecting history and evaluating patients but allotted little time to discuss the care with the patient's family. As I evolved in my training, I started to update the daily changes in patient care and new findings with the patient's family. They felt included in decision-making and felt more satisfied with the care provided to their dear ones."

Jaymie's Feedback

This is a great example to share! You took the feedback seriously, incorporated the feedback into your daily routine, and saw a positive outcome. These are all aspects the interviewer will be pleased to hear.