How will you respond to feedback and constructive criticism on your work as a pediatric dentistry resident in our program?
By joining a renowned pediatric dentistry residency program, you will be venturing into a program with top-of-the-line faculty whose main mission is to ensure that you are fully trained, educated and ready to hit the ground running post-residency. At times, the faculty of the program you are interviewing with will be critical of your work, and your interviewing team wants to know how you would handle this critique.
"I would always respond positively in this situation because I know I would be learning from great faculty looking to instill best practices within me during my time training here. During dental school, I honestly experienced some difficulties in my oral surgery rotation and my precepting dentist was very critical. Rather than letting this upset me, I asked my preceptor for extra time with them and she was willing to oblige. My drive to improve and be the best allowed me to have alligator thick skin in this situation and I'm ready to bring this same attitude to your program."
Not all feedback will be delivered in a friendly, easy-to-absorb manner during your time as a pediatric dentistry resident. Don't hesitate to talk about a time when you received feedback or criticism that was hurtful or surprising. Discuss how you reacted productively. Explain to the interviewers that you were able to take the criticism and learn from it.
