Pediatrician Mock Interview

Practice 25 Pediatrician interview questions covering clinical judgment, parent communication, and developmental care.

Question 22 of 25

An insistent parent can be a problem when treating a child. An example is one who insists on antibiotics for a viral illness you have diagnosed. How do you typically approach this parent?

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Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.

This is a question that centers on a common problem in pediatrics. For example, not only viral illnesses in which antibiotics are being demanded, but even the more controversial debate on antibiotics for otitis, which the literature is now citing the correct approach to be not to prescribe them. A sick child is a powder keg for disagreement between a parent and a provider. How you answer will portend accurately to the interviewer about your ethics and diplomacy.

Ryan Brown

Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.

"In the case of a viral illness, I would explain the difference between viruses and bacteria and why they call for different medications. I would also explain dangers to the child, such as allergies, adverse effects--GI--or igniting a superinfection and initiating resistance. If that failed to convince him or her, I would suggest a time period to determine if my recommendation was effective and leave the question open regarding adding antibiotics at that time. In the case of controversial conclusions in the literature, such as otitis, this is only an amplification of the same problem and I would act similarly."

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25Pediatrician Interview Questions & Answers

1.Tell me a little about yourself.

2.What is it about this group/hospital that makes you want to be a part of it?

3.What can you bring to our group/hospital?

4.Do you have any lawsuits currently or in the past, including any settlements?

5.Here we have a policy of _______. Do you have a problem with that?

6.If youâ€™re not available, due to illness or vacation, for example, how will your patients be cared for?

7.Do you have any personal problems with our seeing or assigning you indigent or â€œcharityâ€ cases?

8.If you were to see a peer doing or saying something inappropriate, how would you respond?

9.What invasive procedures are you planning to do?

10.How do you feel about telemedicine?

11.Are you going to be doing pre-term neonatal or NICU care?

12.Are there any substance abuse, domestic violence, or other background items that could impact the integrity of our hospital/group?

13.If youâ€™re on a rotational call for indigent patients or patients without a doctor, how would you feel about having to see a patient in the ED whom you had dismissed from your practice.

14.Would you be willing to accept whatever electronic medical record process is in use here?

15.How would you handle a problem in which Utilization Review wants you to discharge a patient who you feel isnâ€™t medically ready for discharge?

16.If you were to receive a communication from the Executive Committee about a practice issue of yours that it seems could have clinical repercussions, how would you address the members when meeting with them?

17.How timely is your practice to sign off on chart entries and make all of your dictations current? Have you ever been suspended from a staff for failure to do these?

18.Would you be willing to serve on a committee investigating an issue with one of your colleagues?

19.What would be your response to hearing a code being called in the middle of the night as youâ€™re getting ready to go home after attending a patient?

20.How is your attendance at general staff and department meetings?

21.Are you going to be doing any chronic pain care?

22.An insistent parent can be a problem when treating a child. An example is one who insists on antibiotics for a viral illness you have diagnosed. How do you typically approach this parent?

23.If a patient were to present to you with headache and a rash, what would you do?

24.If your 15-year-old female patient were to have a simple cyst on her ovary, how would you approach a disagreement with a GYN surgeon who seems anxious to remove it?

25.If you see a child you suspect is suffering abuse from a parent, and that parent were very prominent in the community to the point of devastating your career, how might you take care of your patient while mitigating your political and professional risks?