Internal Medicine Residency Mock Interview
Prepare for 40 Internal Medicine Residency interview questions covering clinical reasoning, patient care philosophy, and program fit.
Question 38 of 40
As an Internal Medicine Resident, how will you explain a complex diagnosis, procedure, or other medical term to a patient using verbal instructions?
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Community Answers
Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
Your team of interviewers wants Internal Medicine Residents who can be world-class educators. In your later years of residency, you will be responsible for educating patients and junior residents. A question like this allows your interviewers to see how you would handle educating a patient on a complex diagnosis or procedure using only verbal dialogue.
Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
"I read once that most newspapers are written at a 5th-grade level so most people can understand the message. I think that today we are inundated with verbal and written messages, so what we choose to say should be prime real estate. Because of that, I strive to speak in a way that the patient or family can understand without filler or fluff words. I fully understand that I will be relied upon to educate patients and fellow residents down the road, and I'm very excited to do this. If I had to explain something medically complicated, I would take a simplistic and step-by-step approach with the person. I would stop along the way and ask them to repeat what I'm teaching them and use language and terms that best suit their educational level."
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
Healthcare is increasingly complex, so it makes sense that the instructions can be as well. This question provides a chance to showcase your talent to take a complicated idea and explain it without losing the integrity and dumbing it down. Explain to your interviewers your step-by-step approach to ensure that the complicated subject is understood by your audience.
"One of the reasons I chose to become a doctor was that I wanted to be able to communicate difficult medical concepts in a manner that is easy for most people to understand. Communication is only effective if it is delivered in a way that is understood by the listener. I have experience volunteering as a health coach teaching people about the importance of diet and exercise during medical school. I believe this experience will serve me well during my residency."
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Anonymous Answer
I am aware that I will eventually be expected to lecture patients and other residents, and I am eager to do so. If I had to explain a difficult medical issue to someone, I would do so in a straightforward, clear, plain, and in step-by-step manner. I would pause along the way and ask them to repeat what I'm teaching them in terms and language that are appropriate for their level of education. Then clarify and ask the patient questions.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! It sounds like you have a good idea of how you would clearly explain a complex procedure or diagnosis to a patient so they understood it. Do you have any experience in educating someone else about a complicated concept? If so, discuss this to show the interviewer how capable you are in this area. Good job!
Anonymous Answer
I will give an example of how I explained COPD to a family member of a patient…a normal lung is like a balloon- it has elasticity…air stretches out the balloon and once it is released the air is pushed out by the stretchy nature of the balloon. A lung with COPD is more like a plastic bag. It's floppy. The air gets trapped in the bag and it doesn’t get pushed out once the lung relaxes. Old stale air gets trapped in this bag.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! This is definitely an effective way to describe COPD, and the interviewer will be impressed by your ability to convey a complex concept in simple layman's terms. In addition to your COPD example, consider also answering this question in a more generic manner as well; in other words, walk the interviewer through some of the methods you'd use to explain complicated concepts (for example, using metaphors, analogies, easy-to-understand wording, stories, and imagery). Nice job!
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