How to Answer: When you suffer a setback, how does it affect you and your work?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a NICU Fellowship job interview.
3. When you suffer a setback, how does it affect you and your work?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Everyone handles the stress and disappointment of setbacks differently. When you enter a fast-paced fellowship program, these setbacks can be amplified, and your interviewers want to know how you handle stressful situations. They're hoping to hear that you have strategies in place to ensure setbacks don't impact the quality of your work or your ability to interact with patients and their families.
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 9th, 2022
How to Answer
Describe how you coped with setbacks during residency, giving specific examples. Focus on your ability to learn from your mistakes and your commitment to staying calm and level-headed in the face of any situation you might encounter as a fellow.
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"Experiencing a setback is always disappointing and can be disheartening, especially when it involves a patient. I understand that setbacks happen often in fellowship, just as they did in residency. I'm not ashamed of any of the setbacks I had during residency training because they helped me grow as a physician. If I experience a major setback while on your team, I will take a few moments to internally debrief and collect my thoughts, get some fresh air if possible, or discuss what I could have done differently with an attending physician. Then, I move on, recovering quickly so I can concentrate on the next case and give it my undivided attention."
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 9th, 2022