When a problem requires a quick solution, how do you typically respond?
When it comes to complex problem-solving during Pediatric Emergency Medicine 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 would come to their program knowing your abilities well enough from the start to make quick decisions instead of asking for assistance from a senior fellow or faculty member.
Walk the interviewer through your typical decision-making process when a quick response is necessary. Perhaps you go with a gut feeling or rely on your education/experience. Maybe you rely on case studies that you have read. 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 able to react swiftly when the need arises.
"When a quick solution is required for a patient, I am eager to do the work and solve the problem. I always try to respond efficiently. If I couldn't, I would seek assistance. I feel confident that my Pediatric residency training has prepared me for any situation I will experience as a Pediatric EM fellow, given my experiences in the NICU, PICU, emergency, and inpatient settings where codes were often called. In these times, a true team effort and communication were required."
