Do you intend to have a call arrangement with another surgeon for vacation, time off, or illness?

"I take the patient-doctor relationship seriously, and that means my patient needs to feel he or she can count on me, from pre-op through admission, surgery, and throughout the postoperative period. As an experienced surgeon, I have learned not to schedule any surgeries around the time of a planned time away. In fact, I make it a point to leave a generous window to avoid overlaps that can occur when a complication could conceivably drag on for an extended time."

This is a frequent question. A hospital does not like any patient feeling as if a doctor has deserted him or her. This is so important that continuity of care and coverage is written in hospital rules/regulations or staff bylaws. This means, then, that you should embrace the spirit of those rules/regs and/or bylaws by assuring the interviewer that--of course--you will maintain coverage no matter what takes you away.

"I realize that continuity of care is important, especially in General Surgery, which involves a major challenge to a patient's physical status. I will have a relationship--either on-going or as-needed, to make sure there is not disruption of this continuity."