When a problem requires a quick solution, how do you respond?
When it comes to complex problem-solving during Infectious Disease fellowship training, decisions are not always readily reached. It takes practice, experience, and confidence to learn what decisions yield the best results in the toughest situations. Your interviewers ask this question to know that you can make quick decisions instead of asking for assistance from a senior fellow or faculty member.
"In these instances, relying on the information at hand and my experience is vital. A couple of weeks ago, when I was rotating on a busy hospital unit, we had a new admission come in, and most of our staff was extremely busy. I quickly wrote up the order for their care and worked with the charge nurse on the next steps. Following their admission, my attending thanked me for my quick action to provide the best care for the patient."
Walk the interviewer through your decision-making process. Perhaps you go with a gut feeling or rely on your education/experience. Maybe you rely on case studies that you have read in these instances. Trusting your gut is a skill, and the more you learn to trust your intuition, the easier it becomes to make these types of decisions. Demonstrate that you are confident and can react swiftly when the need arises.
"When a quick solution is needed, I am eager to do the work and solve the problem. I try to respond efficiently and accomplish the mission. For example, during a recent rotation, a patient needed to be taken to their car by wheelchair, but it was an hour's wait before a transport assistant could help them. I asked for permission from my supervisor and then escorted them in the wheelchair myself."
