Gastroenterology Fellowship Mock Interview
Practice 35 Gastroenterology Fellowship interview questions covering clinical cases, procedural skills, and program fit.
Question 11 of 35
How will you respond when asked to do a procedure or task that you were unfamiliar with and uncomfortable handling as a new Gastroenterology Fellow?
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Example Answer
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Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
As you enter Gastroenterology Fellowship training out of residency, you know that you will be tackling many new procedures and tasks in practice that you haven't been directly exposed to before. In proposing a question like this, your interviewers will be looking to hear that you would take a collaborative and learning approach and that you aren't afraid to ask for help when you know your shortcomings.
Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
"I am confident in my medical knowledge and the skills that I developed during my GI rotations in residency training, but I also know that I will be tackling some things that will be very new to me. When faced with this situation, like the first time performing an endoscopy on my own, I wouldn't hesitate to ask a senior fellow or faculty member for guidance. My goal is to leave your fellowship with all of the skills necessary to be a confident and competent physician, and I greatly look forward to these learning opportunities with your program."
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
This is not the time to say that you would jump in with both feet and potentially risk the safety and wellbeing of a patient. Your interviewers are not looking for someone who jumps when someone says jump, but someone willing to jump with confidence and competence. Provide an answer that illustrates this difference. As you answer, talk about your willingness to ask for help and learn in the process.
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Anonymous Answer
I would take a collaborative and learning approach and I am not afraid to ask for help with things that will be very new to me. When faced with this situation, like the first time performing an endoscopy on my own, I wouldn't hesitate to ask a senior fellow or faculty member for guidance. My goal is to leave fellowship with all of the skills necessary to be a confident and competent physician, and I greatly look forward to these learning opportunities with your program.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent answer! You come across as very confident and open to collaborative learning, which the interviewer will appreciate. It's also great that you mention approaching your first endoscopy in the same way. Great response!
Anonymous Answer
If there is a task or procedure that I am unfamiliar with and not fully comfortable with, I would not hesitate to ask for help from a team member; whether it’s my colleague or senior as I would not risk patient safety. I would rather learn that skill and work hard to achieve proficiency in it before attempting to perform it incorrectly.
Jaymie's Feedback
The main focus here is on patient safety and then your ability to ask for help and willingness to learn. Excellent job!
Anonymous Answer
I believe that patient safety should be our priority all the time during our practice. Performing a procedure that is unfamiliar to me will expose the patient to a risk and it might also lead to a poor learning experience. I will approach the consultant who asked me to perform the procedure respectfully and explain to him/her the fact that I am unfamiliar with the procedure and that I would appreciate it if they could teach me the first few times, I am usually a fast learner and during my practice, I learned multiple procedures including learning the basics of endoscopy during my current training year which I believe should be followed by further development during this coming year.
Jaymie's Feedback
The interviewer will be pleased to hear that patient safety is your top priority! You know when to admit that you don't have the knowledge or skills to perform a task, and you can ask for help while demonstrating a willingness to learn. Great job.
Anonymous Answer
This is a great question. I have some experience in intubation of the esophagus during my first EGD. I was very anxious about the aspiration risk and I was honest with my mentor regarding both my nervousness as well as my eagerness to learn. I received very good real-time feedback during the activity. I was not successful and yet received encouragement. Finally, got it right after a few tries.
Jaymie's Feedback
It's important to be direct and reiterate that you would never jeopardize patient safety. You used a good example that shows you are comfortable speaking up when unfamiliar with a task and willing to learn!
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