Practice 35 Emergency Medicine Residency interview questions covering clinical scenarios, stress management, and patient care philosophy.
Question 34 of 35
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
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Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.
In Emergency Medicine Residency training, you will work side by side with a very diverse group of residents and faculty, each with a unique personality and work style. Your interviewers ask this question to understand your ability to work with even the most difficult personality styles.

Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.
"I am most often challenged by staff who are poor communicators. Communication lines should always be open between residents, faculty, and the care team. If someone on my team wasn't communicating properly, I would respectfully approach them to explain what I need from them. If the problem persisted, I would take it up the proper chain of command."

Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
Pick a quality that doesn't reflect poorly on you. Talking about demanding personalities may make you seem lazy or unable to work with demanding faculty at the program. Instead, choose a quality that impairs the ability of even the most competent and hard-working doctors from delivering high-quality care or working as part of a high functioning team.
"I sometimes find it challenging to work with people who are not team players. When this happens I try to make them feel included so they feel comfortable to participate as a team member."
"I have found that in medicine, I have difficulty working with people who believe themselves to be infallible when it comes to patient care. Medicine is extremely complex and no matter the level of training, physicians should be humble about the fact that no person is perfect or incapable of making a medical error."

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Written by Ryan Brunner
35 Questions & Answers • Emergency Medicine Residency

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By Ryan