Infectious Disease Fellowship Mock Interview

Master 35 Infectious Disease Fellowship interview questions covering clinical scenarios, antimicrobial stewardship, and research experience.

Question 32 of 35

As an ID 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?

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Dianne Barnard

Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.

Infectious Disease fellows are often responsible for talking with patients' families and explaining their diagnoses or medication regimen. In cases where a diagnosis is unexpected or the prognosis is not favorable, patients' families may struggle to understand information. Similarly, undereducated patients and their families may need clarification or have questions. Your interviewers ask this question in hopes of hearing that you will be willing to take extra time with patients' families when needed.

Dianne Barnard

Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.

"When patients, or their families, don't understand something I've explained, I first try to determine where the communication breakdown occurred. Sometimes, a simpler explanation is all that's needed. If that is the case, I explain things in a very easy-to-understand manner and use educational materials. My goal as an Infectious Disease fellow with your program would be to ensure that my patients and their families understand diagnoses and care plans and that all their questions are answered."

Ryan Brunner

Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.

Let the interview panel know you are always cognizant of your audience, especially when speaking with patients/patients' families about critical medical information. Discuss the importance of asking questions to ensure patients' families understand the information you've given them. Assure them that, in cases where patients/patients' families are struggling to understand, you will always attempt to offer information in a different way that considers the cause of their misunderstanding, whether it was your initial approach or their background.

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35Infectious Disease Fellowship Interview Questions & Answers

Teamwork

1.If you were to match into our Infectious Disease fellowship, what type of team player would you be?

Discovery

2.As an Infectious Disease fellow, you may work with patients in their most vulnerable states. What about your personality and style will make you an ideal fit to work with our vulnerable ID patients?

Direct

3.Would you have any issues relocating if you matched into our Infectious Disease fellowship program?

Discovery

4.What do you feel is the greatest non-clinical strength you can bring to our ID fellowship program?

Discovery

5.What is ultimately driving you to pursue Infectious Disease fellowship training?

Discovery

6.Do you have any interest in pursuing academics and/or research?

Discovery

7.Do you feel that you would have any weaknesses coming into our Infectious Disease fellowship program?

Discovery

8.What is your ideal practice environment?

Competency

9.How do you believe the delivery of healthcare will evolve in the Infectious Disease practice setting?

Direct

10.Have you completed all ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) requirements to start residency?

Discovery

11.Outside of your medical training, what keeps you busy?

Direct

12.Have you applied to and are you interviewing with any other Infectious Disease fellowship programs?

Diligence

13.As an Infectious Disease fellow, how will you stay on top of trends and changes in the field?

Discovery

14.If becoming a physician was not an option for you, what career path would you have chosen outside of medicine?

Stress

15.How will you manage the high amounts of stress that are a part of being an Infectious Disease fellow and physician?

Direct

16.Would you be willing and able to complete our background check process if you match into our Infectious Disease fellowship program?

Teamwork

17.Why is working collaboratively as part of a larger care team vital for an Infectious Disease fellow?

Competency

18.As a new Infectious Disease fellow, how comfortable would you be handling patients with little supervision?

Experience

19.What EHR systems were you exposed to during your medical school and residency training?

Problem Solving

20.When a problem requires a quick solution, how do you respond?

Ask The Interviewer

21.Do you have any questions for us about our institution or our ID fellowship program?

Compatibility

22.How do you think you will perform under pressure as an Infectious Disease fellow?

Teamwork

23.What personality type or characteristic do you find most difficult to work with?

Stress

24.How do you prevent stress from your personal life from entering your professional life and vice-versa?

Behavioral

25.Tell us about a difficult patient experience you had during your Internal Medicine residency training. How did you handle the situation in a professional and respectful manner?

Behavioral

26.What would you say is the biggest challenge you faced in your residency training program?

Discovery

27.What are you looking for in an Infectious Disease fellowship program?

Discovery

28.How would you describe your personality using just three words?

Scenario Based

29.A recent patient survey comes back, and you find out that you did not meet a patient's expectations as their physician. What are the next steps you would take to improve as an Infectious Disease fellow in training?

Organizational

30.How timely would you say your charting and dictations were during residency training?

Compatibility

31.At our institution, you would be working side by side with mid level providers as an Infectious Disease fellow. Would you have any issues doing so?

Communication

32.As an ID 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?

Experience

33.What types of conferences did you get to attend as an Internal Medicine resident? Which one was your favorite and why?

Compatibility

34.What are your thoughts on the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry?

Discovery

Infectious Disease Fellowship Mock Interview

As an ID 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?

35Infectious Disease Fellowship Interview Questions & Answers

1.If you were to match into our Infectious Disease fellowship, what type of team player would you be?

2.As an Infectious Disease fellow, you may work with patients in their most vulnerable states. What about your personality and style will make you an ideal fit to work with our vulnerable ID patients?

3.Would you have any issues relocating if you matched into our Infectious Disease fellowship program?

4.What do you feel is the greatest non-clinical strength you can bring to our ID fellowship program?

5.What is ultimately driving you to pursue Infectious Disease fellowship training?

6.Do you have any interest in pursuing academics and/or research?

7.Do you feel that you would have any weaknesses coming into our Infectious Disease fellowship program?

8.What is your ideal practice environment?

9.How do you believe the delivery of healthcare will evolve in the Infectious Disease practice setting?

10.Have you completed all ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) requirements to start residency?

11.Outside of your medical training, what keeps you busy?

12.Have you applied to and are you interviewing with any other Infectious Disease fellowship programs?

13.As an Infectious Disease fellow, how will you stay on top of trends and changes in the field?

14.If becoming a physician was not an option for you, what career path would you have chosen outside of medicine?

15.How will you manage the high amounts of stress that are a part of being an Infectious Disease fellow and physician?

16.Would you be willing and able to complete our background check process if you match into our Infectious Disease fellowship program?

17.Why is working collaboratively as part of a larger care team vital for an Infectious Disease fellow?

18.As a new Infectious Disease fellow, how comfortable would you be handling patients with little supervision?

19.What EHR systems were you exposed to during your medical school and residency training?

20.When a problem requires a quick solution, how do you respond?

21.Do you have any questions for us about our institution or our ID fellowship program?

22.How do you think you will perform under pressure as an Infectious Disease fellow?

23.What personality type or characteristic do you find most difficult to work with?

24.How do you prevent stress from your personal life from entering your professional life and vice-versa?

25.Tell us about a difficult patient experience you had during your Internal Medicine residency training. How did you handle the situation in a professional and respectful manner?

26.What would you say is the biggest challenge you faced in your residency training program?

27.What are you looking for in an Infectious Disease fellowship program?

28.How would you describe your personality using just three words?

29.A recent patient survey comes back, and you find out that you did not meet a patient's expectations as their physician. What are the next steps you would take to improve as an Infectious Disease fellow in training?

30.How timely would you say your charting and dictations were during residency training?

31.At our institution, you would be working side by side with mid level providers as an Infectious Disease fellow. Would you have any issues doing so?

32.As an ID 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?

33.What types of conferences did you get to attend as an Internal Medicine resident? Which one was your favorite and why?

34.What are your thoughts on the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry?

35.Describe your perfect day during ID fellowship training.