During your residency training, have you gained a preference for outpatient or inpatient clinical care?
As you are likely aware heading into your Gastroenterology Fellowship interview, the GI field is primarily an outpatient-based specialty with some inpatient care mixed in. While your interviewers ask if you have developed a preference for one versus the other during your time in residency, they're ideally looking to hear that you understand the importance of both inpatient and outpatient care that gastroenterologists provide and that you are looking forward to your rotations in each setting during your time training with their program.
Yes, it is okay to discuss a preferred setting for clinical care that you may have developed during your time in residency training. But if you do, be sure to walk a fine line and not pigeonhole yourself into not caring at all for the other setting. It's also okay to let your interviewers honestly know that you haven't had a preference for either development. No matter how you answer, you can talk about your ultimate career goal post-fellowship and what type of setting you to prefer to be in to give some insight into how you would like to see your training customized.
"I've honestly loved my time training in the different outpatient clinic settings, continuity clinic, inpatient rounding, and hospital shifts during residency training and haven't started leaning one way. All are important in their own right. As a future Gastroenterologist, I want my practice to be heavily procedural and I understand that I will have responsibilities for outpatient consults and hospital rounding as a part of that. I think your program will give me a very well-rounded experience in all areas of a great GI practice."
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 love traditional practicing inpatient and outpatient together. All are important in their own right. I want to be a very well-rounded experience in all areas of a GI practice.
Marcie's Feedback
It's great that you strive to be well-rounded. Discuss in more detail the benefits of both outpatient and inpatient clinical care and why each is important. Great job!
