How will you manage the high amounts of stress that are a part of being an Infectious Disease fellow and physician?
Physicians are known to have a high amount of stress and burnout due to the nature of the work. You also need to be aware that the time demands and pressure of fellowship training can lead to fatigue and little sleep. Your interviews want to hear about your plan to handle stress during your ID fellowship training.
"When I am under pressure, I focus on the task at hand and make sure I don't get distracted. This is a skill I perfected during my Internal Medicine training. Knowing that a million things can be coming at one time during a busy clinic day or hospital coverage day, I will always take things one patient at a time as an Infectious Disease fellow. During fellowship training, I plan to utilize my free time wisely by doing what is necessary to recharge my mind and rest my body. Some ways I like to do this are hiking, canoeing, and reading novels."
Explain to your interviewers that you have the tools to keep your mind, body, and spirit in the best shape possible to learn and grow every day during your training as an Infectious Disease fellow. Talk about your ability to maintain perspective, use your downtime to recharge, and come to each shift prepared for the challenges that you'll face.
"When dealing with a stressful situation, I try to take things one step at a time and focus on the problem in front of me. After work, I try to do things such as meditation to deal with stress. I believe that a clear conscious and rested body does wonders to prepare for the next day at work."
