What have you learned from your family that will carry over into your professional life?
Residency programs want residents who are emotionally stable. This question, besides testing your ability to think on your feet, is also designed to give insight into your personal mores, and that can be gleaned by how you explain the family dynamic that carries over into what you've learned toward your professiohal life. Even dysfunctional families can offer lessons on how not to act in your professional life"”and if that's the case, explaining how you recognize that lesson can be just as satisfying as any positive lessons you learned from appropriate family dynamics.
"My family stuck together, no matter what. Loyalty to the people we care for is important, and that carries over to loyalty to patients"”sticking with them no matter how difficult the case is or how inconvenient staying late on rounds can be."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I have learned that hard work and determination will get you almost anywhere. Natural talent is nice but completely worthless if you don't put the work in as well. Hard work and self-determination will win out almost every time. I have also learned that being a team player and knowing when to ask for help are also very important to life in general. One person cannot know everything and certainly can't do everything. Working within a team can help to improve your knowledge, help you grow as a person, and help you to strike a balance in life.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! It's wonderful that your family taught you to be determined, hard-working, collaborative, and resourceful. Can you give an example or two to support these claims? Did you watch your parents become or remain financially stable because they worked hard? Did your family act like a team whereby everyone pitched in and did their part? Adding some more personal details like these will make your answer even stronger. Nice job!
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