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Infectious Disease Fellowship Mock Interview

Question 2 of 35 for our Infectious Disease Fellowship Mock Interview

Infectious Disease Fellowship was updated by on November 16th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 2 of 35

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?

"During my rotation in the outpatient clinic setting in my second year, I had a new consult with a patient who became very rude and belligerent when I started discussing his obesity and ways to help him lose weight. I immediately apologized and told him I had his best interest in mind. Following the appointment, my attending physician advised me that I could have provided more education to him at the moment. That was a great learning experience for me coming into Infectious Disease fellowship training, as I know I will encounter my fair share of difficult patients in training and my career."

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How to Answer: 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?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Infectious Disease Fellowship job interview.

  • 2. 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?

      Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

      In your Internal Medicine Residency training, you have worked with patients in many settings and have likely handled challenging patients. This question allows your interviewers to assess the patience, communication, conflict resolution, and stress management skills you would bring to their team as a new Infectious Disease fellow with their program.

      Written by Ryan Brunner on November 16th, 2022

      How to Answer

      Talk about a simple scenario you experienced during your residency training, and don't spend too much time describing the details of the patient's story. Instead, spend your time describing your thoughts and actions. Your answer should demonstrate your ability to remain calm, patient, empathetic, and logical while helping the patient to the best of your abilities.

      Written by Ryan Brunner on November 16th, 2022

      Answer Example

      "During my rotation in the outpatient clinic setting in my second year, I had a new consult with a patient who became very rude and belligerent when I started discussing his obesity and ways to help him lose weight. I immediately apologized and told him I had his best interest in mind. Following the appointment, my attending physician advised me that I could have provided more education to him at the moment. That was a great learning experience for me coming into Infectious Disease fellowship training, as I know I will encounter my fair share of difficult patients in training and my career."

      Written by Ryan Brunner on November 16th, 2022

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "Well I did, during my 3rd year when I started as senior resident and was the team leader while covering general medicine team. One my team members was upset and unhappy of the many number of patient admitted that day. I tried my best to talk him down and arranged a list of patients according to the most urgent needs with the final plan and discharge date. As a result that day we served a lot of patients more than expected and my colleague was quite pleased."

      Jaymie's Feedback

      This is a good example, but it's more colleague-focused versus patient-experience-focused, which is what the interviewer was asking about. Try to think of a difficult patient you worked with or even a difficult case that you could share with the interviewer. Then, use that opportunity to highlight your bedside manner, communication, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills.

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