Fellowship Mock Interview
Master 40 Fellowship interview questions covering research goals, funding justification, and academic potential.
Question 21 of 40
When you suffer a setback, how does it emotionally affect you and your work?
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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.
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.
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.
"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."
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
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.
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Jaymie
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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.
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