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

"When I have a healthy balance in my personal life, I am much better at handling work-related stress. I learned that lesson during my first year of Internal Medicine residency training. I know that keeping personal stress outside of the workplace can be difficult. I do my best to keep my personal life at home and report for each shift with a clean slate. I make a point to eat healthily, exercise daily, and avoid alcohol. As a fellow with your program, I would be able to handle the practice stressors by staying focused on the tasks at hand, recognizing my triggers for stress, and talking with my colleagues regularly."

Directly address how you will avoid personal stressors from entering your work life so your interviewers feel confident that you will come to each shift with a fresh mind and body. Then, talk about how you plan to handle the stress of being an ID fellow. Before your interview, consider the strategies you use to manage stress on the job.

"I find compartmentalization to be very important. It is essential to separate work life from personal life and vice versa. In addition, I try to meditate and exercise at home to control stress."