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

"During my residency training, I was fortunate enough to work closely with an attending Pediatrician who is considered one of the best Pediatric Oncologists in the world. He was very demanding, and this took some residents aback. While that is not my style of collaboration, knowing that his demands were for my benefit made me keep an open mind. One day, I was called out for an abdominal exam I performed on a patient who complained of pain. I explained why I chose the route that I did. The physician gave his thoughts on how to improve that for next time, and I kept an open mind to his advice."

The goal of your response is to describe your approach to collaborating with others while highlighting how your collaboration style will be a good match for the fellowship program you are interviewing with. Answer this question by telling the interviewers about a specific time you worked with someone who approached their tasks or communication style differently than you. Outline the situation and describe why it was a challenge to collaborate with this person. Describe the specific actions you took to ensure a successful collaboration and the results. The example you talk about should come from your time in residency training.