As a new trainee in our fellowship program, would you be able to handle patient care with little supervision?
During your time in residency training, you were trusted to work one on one with patients as the key decision-maker for the first time. Your interviewing team asks this question to ensure that you have the ability and skills to work independently.
"I feel confident in my ability to work with any patient without someone watching over my shoulder, and over the last two years of my residency training, I've been trusted to do this. With that said, I also want every interaction with a patient to be a learning opportunity, and I know your faculty has an excellent reputation for providing those opportunities."
In your answer to this question, you need to prove your ability to work confidently with little supervision while not being overconfident. As a fellow, your work with patients will be scrutinized and used as a learning opportunity. Assure your interviewers that you are aware of that fact. Speak with modest confidence about your ability to work with patients with little to no supervision.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Autonomy was built into many aspects of my residency program, early on. As a second year, and again as a third year, resident on my night float rotation, I was charged with the care of all ENT patients at the adult and children’s hospitals, as well as new consults for both hospitals. As a third year, we were basically the sole resident for the VA hospital – managing inpatients, seeing consults, running the clinic, and performing administrative tasks to get patients to the clinic or surgery and leading the tumor board. While we had a senior backup in these moments, being on the front line was extremely helpful to my growth and independence. These experiences translate to efficiency and confidence in my last 2 years when I was Consult chief and Head and Neck chief and helped garner trust with my attendings.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is an articulate response that demonstrates your ability and comfort to work with little supervision. Great job walking the interviewer through your relevant experience that has prepared you for this.
