What type of surgery did you find to be the most difficult during your residency?

"I found any type of surgery on the foot or ankle especially challenging in diabetics, although not from a technical standpoint but from a recovery standpoint. It can be challenging to do it right, because in my residency I had to depend on the good faith of my consultants to maintain good sugar control. Luckily, over time I have accrued an excellent team on whom I can rely."

This is an interesting question, because it tiptoes gingerly between asking what you found challenging and what you weren't particularly good at. Be careful here, especially if a particular type is a surgery done at the institution where you're interviewing. You want to come up with something, but you want to make it sound that the challenge was not because of you, but because of the complexity inherent in the surgery.

"I found lapiplasty for hammertoe difficult to accept over conventional surgery because my patients claimed the recovery was just as difficult as the time-honored way; it's supposed to reduce recurrences, but I'm not convinced of that."