Fellowship Interview Questions
Go Back1. Which statement sounds more like you: 'I hate to lose' or 'I love to win'? Give an example of a time you proved this.
2. 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?
3. Tell us about a time you wish you had handled a situation differently during your time as a resident.
4. What drove you to apply for our fellowship program?
5. What are your career plans and goals after completing our fellowship training program?
6. What do you wish to gain through training in our fellowship program?
7. Why are you choosing to pursue fellowship training in this particular subspecialty?
8. What do you think is one weakness that you have upon entering fellowship training?
9. 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?
10. 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?
11. How would you describe your communication skills?
12. What relevant skills did you develop during your residency training that you feel will benefit you as a new fellow with our program?
13. Talk about a time you successfully educated someone on a complex topic during residency. How did you ensure the information was understood?
14. As a new trainee in our fellowship program, would you be able to handle patient care with little supervision?
15. What EMR programs did you get experience working in during medical school and during your residency training?
16. What strengths would you bring to our program as a fellow?
17. With limited slots each year, competition for our fellowship program is intense. What makes you a stand-out fellow for our program?
18. What do you believe is the greatest challenge our specialty will face in the next few years?
19. As a fellow with our program, how would you express your opinions on controversial topics such as abortion, euthanasia, and cloning?
20. When you suffer a setback, how does it emotionally affect you and your work?
21. Talk to us about a time you failed. How did you get back up again with a positive attitude?
22. 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?
23. If being a Physician were not a career option, what career path would you have chosen?
24. What are two to three words that best describe your personality?
25. What would you say ultimately drives your passion for a career in medicine?
26. Who in your life has been the biggest mentor or inspiration to you?
27. Are you applying to any other fellowship programs?
28. Outside of medicine, what are the personal interests and hobbies that keep you busy?
29. 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?
30. What do you consider to be your greatest academic accomplishment to date?
31. Tell us about the most interesting case you were exposed to while attending medical school.
32. Tell us about a time you showed initiative and took the lead with your care team during your residency training.
33. How do you react under unexpected pressure when split-second decisions need to be made?
34. Have you put any thought into how will you manage the high amounts of stress that are a part of a fellowship program?
35. How will you work effectively and collaboratively as part of a larger care team as a fellow with our program?
36. Tell me about a time you worked with a person who did things very differently than you. How did you collaborate effectively?
37. 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?
38. As a fellow with our program, how would you handle a member of the patient-care team who clearly wasn't pulling their weight?
39. What animal would you say you most relate to?
40. What would you do if you witnessed another fellow or colleague acting unethically?