When you suffer a setback, how does it emotionally affect you and your work?
Everyone handles the stress and disappointment of setbacks differently. When you enter a fast-paced fellowship program, these setbacks can be amplified, and your interviewers want to know you can handle stressful situations.
"Experiencing a setback is always disappointing and can be disheartening, especially when it involves a patient. I understand that setbacks happen often in fellowship. I'm not ashamed of any of the mental setbacks I had during residency training because they helped me grow as a physician. If I experience a major setback while on your team, I will take a few moments to internally debrief, get some fresh air if possible, or discuss what I could have done differently with an attending physician. Then, I move on. I need to recover quickly so I can concentrate on the next case."
Describe how you coped with setbacks during your time in residency training. As you answer, focus on your ability to learn from your mistakes and stay calm, cool, and collected in the face of any situation you would be handling as their next fellow.
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
I contemplate what happened and what I could have done differently to obtain a more positive result. This helps me move forward by learning the lesson to face the next challenge or a similar challenge next time.
Jaymie's Feedback
Interviewers want to know that candidates can own mistakes, accept the consequences, learn and grow from the mistake and move on. Your answer shows you take the time to evaluate what went wrong, and then you push forward to the next challenge instead of dwelling.
