Fellowship Mock Interview

Master 40 Fellowship interview questions covering research goals, funding justification, and academic potential.

Question 32 of 40

How do you react under unexpected pressure when split-second decisions need to be made?

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Christine Pasqueretta is a human resource and recruitment professional with experience creating, developing, implementing, leading, and measuring HR impact initiatives.

Your experience as a resident has exposed you to pressure-packed situations. The pressure-packed clinical situations will continue into your fellowship program, and your interviewing team needs to know that you are confident and comfortable in your ability to work under pressure.

Christine Pasqueretta

Christine Pasqueretta is a human resource and recruitment professional with experience creating, developing, implementing, leading, and measuring HR impact initiatives.

"In the second year of my IM residency training, I was on a busy hospital rotation. In 15 minutes on a night shift, we had two patients go into code blue status. While the first cardiac arrest was fairly standard for our busy unit, the second patient put us into scramble mode. I relied on my training to stay calm and think straight. I guided the second code blue team through administering CPR and getting the crash cart at the bedside. I operated the defibrillator while a respiratory assistant ventilated the patient. Thankfully, we revived the patient. Looking back, this situation taught me how to handle a chaotic situation when a life is on the line, and I know that my ability to stay focused helped that night."

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

Tell 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. 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.

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Jaymie

A real coach, not AI. I read every answer myself and write back with personalized feedback.

Typically responds within 24 hours.

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Anonymous Answer

As ENT residents we were put into this situation quite often with emergent airway consults. And with our night float system as second-year residents, we are thrust into these situations, so I built confidence in these situations early on in residency. By the time I was a senior resident on my consult chief month, I was running taking the lead in several Airway events, and directing traffic among the code nurses and anesthesiology physicians without qualms by maintaining focus and continuously and quickly assessing available options.

Jaymie's Feedback

You did an excellent job reassuring the interviewer that you can perform under pressure. Your experiences say a lot about your abilities and comfort level when having to make split-second decisions.

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40Fellowship Interview Questions & Answers

Education

1.What would you say is the most important lesson you learned during your residency training that will help you be a successful and accomplished fellow?

Competency

2.What relevant skills did you develop during your residency training that you feel will benefit you as a new fellow with our program?

Career Goals

3.What drove you to apply for our fellowship program?

Common

4.What do you think is one weakness that you have upon entering fellowship training?

Tough

5.What animal would you say you most relate to?

Career Goals

6.What are your career plans and goals after completing our fellowship training program?

Discovery

7.What would you say ultimately drives your passion for a career in medicine?

Career Goals

8.What do you wish to gain through training in our fellowship program?

Competency

9.With limited slots each year, competition for our fellowship program is intense. What makes you a stand-out fellow for our program?

Career Goals

10.Why are you choosing to pursue fellowship training in this particular subspecialty?

Discovery

11.Outside of medicine, what are the personal interests and hobbies that keep you busy?

Discovery

12.Are you applying to any other fellowship programs?

Discovery

13.Who in your life has been the biggest mentor or inspiration to you?

Creative Thinking

14.As a fellow with our program, how would you express your opinions on controversial topics such as abortion, euthanasia, and cloning?

Trust

15.What would you do if you witnessed another fellow or colleague acting unethically?

Education

16.Tell us about the most interesting case you were exposed to while attending medical school.

Discovery

17.If being a Physician were not a career option, what career path would you have chosen?

Stress

18.Have you put any thought into how will you manage the high amounts of stress that are a part of a fellowship program?

Discovery

19.What are two to three words that best describe your personality?

Creative Thinking

20.What do you believe is the greatest challenge our specialty will face in the next few years?

Diligence

21.When you suffer a setback, how does it emotionally affect you and your work?

Competency

22.What strengths would you bring to our program as a fellow?

Common

23.All of our fellows must pass a criminal record check and education verification. Is there any reason why you would not be comfortable with this?

Communication

24.How would you describe your communication skills?

Competency

25.What EMR programs did you get experience working in during medical school and during your residency training?

Education

26.What do you consider to be your greatest academic accomplishment to date?

Teamwork

27.How will you work effectively and collaboratively as part of a larger care team as a fellow with our program?

Competency

28.As a new trainee in our fellowship program, would you be able to handle patient care with little supervision?

Competency

29.Talk about a time you successfully educated someone on a complex topic during residency. How did you ensure the information was understood?

Diligence

30.Do you have experience working long hours during residency training? How would you motivate yourself during long stretches of shifts and call time that will be required during fellowship training?

Teamwork

31.Tell me about a time you worked with a person who did things very differently than you. How did you collaborate effectively?

Problem Solving

32.How do you react under unexpected pressure when split-second decisions need to be made?

Adaptability

33.Talk about a time you had to adapt to major change. How did you cope, and why do you think being adaptable to change is important in fellowship training?

Teamwork

34.Tell us about a time you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. What did you learn from the situation?

Leadership

35.Tell us about a time you showed initiative and took the lead with your care team during your residency training.

Behavioral

36.Tell us about a time you wish you had handled a situation differently during your time as a resident.

Diligence

37.Talk to us about a time you failed. How did you get back up again with a positive attitude?

Accomplishment

38.Which statement sounds more like you: 'I hate to lose' or 'I love to win'? Give an example of a time you proved this.

Teamwork

39.As a fellow with our program, how would you handle a member of the patient-care team who clearly wasn't pulling their weight?

Communication

40.As a fellow in our program, how would you change your communication style if a patient's family had trouble understanding what you were trying to tell them?