What do you identify as weaknesses in your podiatry school education?

"My program at [Named Podiatry College] only offered a 2-year residency after, and I had to move away to take the 3-year program I wanted at [Named Program] so that I could be certified in primary care and orthopedics or in rear foot and ankle surgery."

This question is a bit of a trick question. Whereas a previous question implies the best answer is to praise your education, lest you only seem as good as the program you criticize, this one actually nags you to do just that. So be careful and walk that fine line between touting your excellent education and how you would improve it. (Stating where you would improve it is very different from criticizing it.)

"I feel a weakness in my podiatry education may be that the program wasn't inclusive enough for me. I would have liked to have seen an equal gender distribution and inclusion of more minority group students."

"In looking back at what I considered an excellent podiatry education, I would have loved to have had a basic business course included in the curriculum. I've had to learn on my own and it would have been helpful to have had an introductory curriculum in general business."

What do you know about our health care facility?

"I am very impressed with the level of expertise of your staff, especially your podiatry physicians who will be my colleagues. They represent training from many parts of the country, so I know I will find fertile ground here for expanding my own expertise."

You should do your homework before you interview. Browse the facility's website. Look at the credentials of their staff who will be your colleagues. With this question, the interviewer wants to accomplish two things: first, see that you're sharp enough to learn about their facility; second, offer an open invitation to flatter them, so do that.

"I know your facility has an excellent reputation in geriatric care, which is important for me as applied to podiatry. Because of this, I look forward to being a part of your staff."

"I have looked into some aspects of your facility and am impressed with what I saw. You have a low re-admission rate, which tells me that your nursing staff, from the OR to the post-op care, is doing everything right. That sets with me at a very important level and bodes well for how my patients will do. It's nice to know that if I do my best, that my care won't be jeopardized by a staff who doesn't. On the contrary, your reputation means my patients will only benefit by your staff who in fact do their best."

What do you know about this community?

"I know that there is a strong cultural presence here, based on the unique demographics. I want to learn as much as I can from that diversity--I would have a lot to gain."

If you've grown up in the community, you have it made: all you need do is tell them what you already know and explain how you intend to remain close with your family geographically as well as by maintaining a loving relationship. If you're from elsewhere, you should cite the beneficial aspects of the community (you could simply visit the town's marketing propaganda). However, you should find a way to explain how the community serves your interests and hobbies.

"There are many recreational areas, parks, and other outdoor venues in the community, and I would like to take advantage of the opportunities these areas offer."

"After having practiced elsewhere for a while, I wanted to choose another location with interesting differences. This community has them in its [cite unique differences, such as a strong musical heritage], and since I'm very interested in that, I know it's a community in which I'll really enjoy living and contributing to."

Why do you think you will be the best podiatrist for our office?

"I can't be responsible for how my colleagues are viewed--only myself. In this way, I don't come in to be the best, but to do my best."

This is a stupid question, the kind we love to hate, but that doesn't mean it won't be asked. It's one of those 'rah-rah' type questions that asks you to demonstrate your verve and vigor, when the best podiatrist for someone's office is usually any podiatrist who strives to do his or her best. Don't say you're going to be the best, because that means you feel you're going to do better than everyone else, which is obnoxious. Instead, enthuse about how you want to do your best, always, for everyone and then come what may for any bogus type of ranking in the interviewer's eyes.

"I am not applying here because I think I'll be the best or better than everyone else; I'm applying because the people you have here will make me better and inspire me to push beyond my personal best."

"I don't see my profession as a competition. That's not the best way to care for patients. The best way to care for patients is to care for them the best you can. If you do that, you'll never have to worry about who's best or worst."

Tell me about a time when you disagreed with the lead physician. What was the problem, and how did you come to an agreement?

"Since this is a disagreement with a superior, I would assume he or she has authority over me. I would ask him or her what options, among more than one, were available and see if I could reconcile my position to one of those."

This is more than just conflict resolution, but conflict resolution with a person superior to you. That adds additional drama as to whether you should champion your position which may cost favor with your superior. Life is short and you must choose your battles carefully, but the interviewer wants to hear that in disagreements which jeopardize patient care, you're willing to go down to the mat for that patient. Any of the sample answers can be modified with a specific anecdote you want to relate.

"If the disagreement were trivial, it is my place to obey my superior; if it were to have a major impact on the patient's health or safety, I would insist our disagreement go up the chain of command for a resolution in the patient's best interests."

"If I am sure I'm right, I would ask him or her why I'm wrong. After all, I may be wrong. If his or her rationale doesn't justify the conclusion with which I disagree, I would ask for a third party to render another opinion."

How do you think that ICD-10 will affect your level of patient care?

"The only change will be that I will make sure I'm coding correctly--neither upcoding, which could be seen as fraud, nor downcoding, which will deprive me of legitimately earned fees."

The ICD-10 is the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification. Many of the podiatry ICD-9 codes have been revised for the ICD-10 and will have to be correctly applied for smooth billing and collections. However, any electronic medical record system that has a billing component should do that automatically. The only people affected will be podiatrists who do their billing manually through a third party. As far as your 'level of patient care,' know that your level of care should be impervious to changes like this, remaining--of course--ideal and to the best of your ability. Sometimes simplest is best.

"It won't affect the level of my care at all."

"I have learned long ago to let the proprietary software do the work correctly the first time. I would anticipate no changes to my level of care since I practice to the best of my abilities regardless of the bureaucratic clerical designations that have to be applied as a fee for services."

When have you felt the most pressure or stress, from rotations or residency? How did you handle it?

"My patients deserve to have their podiatrist consider each one of them the most important encounter of my day, so I take stress relief very seriously. Whenever I'm pressured, I prioritize my obligations until I can mentally regroup by doing something creative, like writing or playing music."

Everyone has a breaking point, so this question is designed to see if your reaction and/or remedy to stress is reasonable or unreasonable. For example, you wouldn't want to say, 'One time during surgery I got so flustered and frustrated that I asked a colleague to take over because I couldn't be objective.' An answer like that will tell your interviewer that all he/she should expect from you is walking out in the middle of a surgery whenever you feel you can't take it. Instead, come off as reactive to stress but not surrendering.

"No rotation, shift, or even procedure lasts forever, and I know that my duty is to remain on-task until it is over and done well, and then I can have the luxury of dealing with the emotional component of it--usually by exercise."

"I learned in my residency to prevent any potential causes of pressure by being well prepared ahead of what might be coming to produce such stress. This usually meant a quick chart review of the patients scheduled for the day and then prioritizing my time for that day. When I began doing this, I found that stress seldom occurred. I have also gotten much help by simply talking my frustrations out with a colleague."

Tell me about an error you made while performing a procedure, during your residency program.

"During my residency, I was asked to put in a nerve block. I used 2% xylocaine with epinephrine and the patient began having palpitations for which the surgery had to be canceled. In re-examining her chart, I found that she had a history of adverse reactions to epinephrine in a dentist's office in the past. This should have caught my eye. Now I always pay special attention to any allergies, adverse reactions, or side effects listed."

For this question you want to admit you're fallible, but you also want to make sure no one thinks you're dangerous. (Saying you operated on the wrong foot one time might be a deal-breaker!) Come up with a mistake anyone could make and then impress upon the interviewer how you took steps to prevent anything similar form ever happening again.

"Once, on a very busy day, I had three patients in a row who were having local anesthesia and surgical trimming for ingrown nails. The charts were mixed up and during my treating the first patient I called him by the second patient's name. The patient became concerned that I didn't know his case and left the office. From then on, I always included pictures of my patients in the chart, which helped make things unmistakeable for me about patients I didn't yet know well. I was sure to write that patient a letter of apology and simply explain how the mistake happened."

"I was assisting my surgery professor on ankle surgery and when he called for a certain screw to be handed to him, I dropped it, contaminating it. We had to wait an extra 20 minutes for another sterile one from Central Supply. I insisted that I inform the patient that she had undergone a lengthier surgery because of my mistake. From this, I learned that people are very forgiving when you deal with them in good faith and with honesty."

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

"Whenever I had difficulty in a surgery during my residency, it would be because of inexperience. Therefore, any surgery I was doing for the first few times would be difficult until I gained enough expertise to perform it comfortably with little or no assistance from my supervising surgeons."

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."

"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."

If you couldn't be a physician, what is an alternate career path you had considered?

"If I couldn't be a podiatrist or any of the physician specialties, I'm certain I still would have gravitated to something related to it, such as physical therapy."

This is another question designed just to get to know you better. Think about your hobbies, interests, and non-work-related passions, and fall back on them in your answer, because you will sound like you know what you're talking about.

"I am an amateur photographer, so it wouldn't have been a stretch for me to become a professional one. I enjoy photography for the same reasons I enjoy being a physician--blending the science with the art."

"My interest in sports medicine steered me toward podiatry, so I would have pursued a career in sports in some capacity. If not sports medicine as a physician, then as a coach or sports program designer or supervisor."

Why are you interested in podiatry?

"I like doing surgery, and I especially like the fact that the surgery done will determine whether someone can walk or not. Ambulation is important as a significant factor in well-being, and podiatry allows me to fix simple things immediately and complex things, although taking longer, with resolution of a serious problem."

You should answer this as Podiatry being your first choice, not something you fell back on as a second choice. (Some do!) You should show your enthusiasm for the science and the specialty itself.

"I've always been impressed by the mechanical function of the foot, which is very complex and crucial in our orientation in space and for movement from one place to another. Podiatry offers this unique perspective of care."

"Each foot has 26 bones, 30 joints and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. I consider it a marvel of evolution, because they all work together to support the rest of the entire body, balance it, and move it. I know you can consider any part of the body as crucial and valuable, but for me it's the foot because of what it does for the rest of the body and our mobility in life."

Tell me about your schooling experience.

"I've just finished my training at [Named Podiatry College/residency] and after four years and the additional residency, I feel well prepared to enter my career in an unsupervised capacity."

This is a totally unnecessary question, as your schooling experience will be listed chronologically on your CV. Yet, you will be asked this, probably even earlier in the list of questions. Consider it just a conversational piece, but an interviewer can learn a lot about a candidate by just listening to the answer, including poise and body language. Simply answer, and always praise the institutions/people who taught you, because if you don't, the interviewer will assume you're only as good as those you criticize.

"After I received my BS in biology at [University Name] I attended [Named Podiatry College] for four years. After that, I did three years of residency in the medical and surgical aspects of podiatry at [Named Program]. It was a great experience for me, and I feel it covered the specialty with great depth so that I feel confident in my practice today."

"My specialty education and training at [Named Podiatry College and Residency Program] was a great experience for me, especially with its seasoned professionals who shared as much the art of the specialty as the science. Patient care goes way beyond the book knowledge, so the things between the lines in textbooks are what I have learned and still embrace every day, from the mundane to the very challenging."

In your view, what does podiatry offer that other health professions do not?

"Every health profession has its interesting work as well as its uninteresting, less glamorous work. For some reason, other specialties seem to stop at the feet, whose less glamorous aspects are no less than those of gastroenterology, for example. To love your specialty, you take the bad with the good, and sometimes you will find a fascinating connection after all, especially when it is missed by others."

This is another stab at separating podiatry from the 'mainstream' specialties. You chose podiatry for a reason, so you should have no difficulty answering this question with what you see as its clear advantages, e.g., sub-specialization, focused clinical approaches, and its interaction with the so-called 'mainstream' specialties.

"All one need do is look at diabetes to see where the so called 'mainstream' specialties end and podiatry begins. Mainstream medicine often stops at a certain point and doesn't follow through on the full impact of the pathology. If a patient cannot walk, due to diabetic foot ulcers, there can be no victory in, for example, reducing a hemoglobin 1Ac."

"Podiatry offers focus. It is aimed at one function--that of the foot and ankle. It also allows me to focus on how it is affected by and affects conditions in the rest of the body. Everything's connected, and in that respect podiatry is seamlessly connected to other specialties."

What are your views on socialized medicine?

"No one system can be all things. I see socialized medicine as having many advantages that can be incorporated into our current for-profit system. If we do it right, we can get the best of both."

This is a trick question for two reasons--first, socialized medicine may be either good or bad for the entity where you're interviewing, so you don't want to declare on the side of their perceived political enemy; and second, it's a trick because there is no right answer--it's a question that is bigger than you and them. Be benevolent to socialized medicine in your answer without taking a side.

"I'm a fan of capitalism, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to its faults. One of the things that favors the implementation of socialized medicine is the sizable underserved population, which a social approach would improve. So far, capitalism has embraced the concept while still trying to stay within its own philosophy, so some things have worked and others have not. As a practicing podiatrist, I can only adjust to the things that work."

"I think that the more third-party payers pay according to percentages based on the standards that Medicare sets, the closer to socialized medicine we are getting. Because of that, we should be careful and use aspects of both that can help both, as well as the patients served by them. I feel anything that will hurt either of them--for-profit or socialized medicine--will hurt both of them."

Why are you interested in our school/program?

"You program has a reputation for its research, and in the field of podiatry, I have a special interest in foot disease due to peripheral vascular disease. So, I would like to be associated with a program that is heavy into research of this disease--both from the systemic and the foot standpoint."

They are looking for flattery here, so flatter your interviewer. Before the interview, look up what the 'Mission Statement' or 'Vision' reads on their website. Then simply state how you know their values are [such and such, paraphrasing their Mission Statement and/or Vision], and that their values align with yours. You can also cite what demographic population seems to predominate in their program and how that applies with what aspect of podiatry you're most interested in.

"I know that your program champions the underserved, and I feel that this demographic has the most need for services like podiatry. Therefore, your values align perfectly with my own."

"I like that your program has such a dedication to community outreach, and this is one area in which podiatry can really help the underserved. I've come to appreciate what participating in special screens and the like can do for a community, and I feel it is my obligation--and privilege--to contribute where I can."

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

"In ten years, I hope to have ten years worth of satisfied patients. If that were to be the case, I will consider my first ten years a complete success and be very proud of it."

Hospitals or groups, either of whom could benefit by adding a podiatrist to their staff roster, want to know whether you'll be sticking around. Turnover, especially of skilled clinicians, is expensive for them and they want to keep whomever they can. This question also looks to expose your ambitions, especially as they may pertain to the ambitions of the hospital or group.

"In 10 years I see myself at the peak of my career, hopefully not only teaching others, but also still learning from others."

"In ten years, I hope to strike a balance between clinical practice and teaching, because it was the science in podiatry that first attracted me to it. Also, I find teaching very satisfying. It is an opportunity to give back and teach others, just like others have taught me over those ten years."

Do you think you have enough podiatry experience for this level of physician employment?

"I know that any medical field is a continuing medical education, and I pride myself in keeping up with the literature to assure me that I'm practicing state-of-the-art podiatry. So, yes, I do have enough experience, and I'm proud to day that my expertise is continually improving, too."

This is a trick question, similar to 'What are your weaknesses in practicing podiatry' or 'Where do you feel you need the most improvement.' Look this question in the eye (or the mouth) and declare that, of course, you have the experience you need. Remember, you're interviewing for a job. Don't give the interviewer the idea that you shouldn't get it.

"I feel my training was excellent and I am comfortable addressing anything a patient may present with, in my field of podiatry."

"I feel I am proficient in the science of podiatry, running the gamut from topical treatments to involved surgery of the foot. My breadth and depth of experience has made me confident in how I practice and has consistently, in my hands, helped my patients."

What did you learn from the podiatrists you shadowed?

"I've learned to be a doctor who listens to his [her] patients. Before shadowing other podiatrists, I was in too much of a hurry, just wanting to get the facts. Now I get a lot more facts from listening to patients' full stories."

You want to answer this question by telling your interviewer--not what you learned from the podiatrists you shadowed--but what kind of physician you've become because of insights you've gleaned from them. In other words, you don't want to say you have learned how to do a good physical exam like they do, but that you have fine-tuned your thoroughness in your own physical exams because of having shadowed them. It's not a question of quantity learned, but quality, after having shadowed them.

"I do my exams and evaluations much differently now since I've shadowed my podiatrist mentors. I've had the benefit of assimilating into my own protocols all of the best aspects from a variety of podiatrists--all with their own style."

"I now consider, as a very important clinical reflection, how conditions of the foot can alter one's quality of life. To this end, I learned that I'm not dealing with just wanting that nail to become non-inflamed, that fungus to be gone, or that bone that is jutting out abnormally to be repositioned correctly, but with the function that has caused the problem. I value restoration of function as the highest form of healing."

Why did you choose podiatry instead of allopathic medical school?

"This distinction, in my opinion, may come off as derogatory to some; for those, I can only say they are unaware of a podiatrist's vast tool chest of skills that includes surgery and medical approaches. If a person has a painful or serious foot condition, it doesn't matter to whom he or she goes, but whether the problem is fixed or not, and the podiatrist is trained to do just that."

This is an interesting question, in that it labels podiatry as different from 'mainstream' (allopathic) medicine. Thus, the interviewer wants to know why you, having recognized this dichotomy, chose podiatry instead of what is considered mainstream medicine. Instead of reading this question as possibly insulting, you should be proud of your expertise and indicate in your answer that there are no inferiority issues such as those propagated by the self-appointed 'mainstream' physicians.

"To me, being a DPM really is mainstream medicine--no different from an ophthalmologist for the eye--compared to any other MD or DO. It is also not considered an alternative approach, since it uses sound evidence-based medicine as its rationale in the things that are treated."

"If you strip away labels and think of treating medical and surgical conditions of the foot, you're left with podiatry or orthopedics. Orthopedics covers a wide spectrum--all of the musculoskeletal system, so I chose podiatry because I wasn't interested in being a 'generalist' for the foot, but a specialist of and for it."

When did you first decide you wanted to be a physician?

"My father [alternatively, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, mother, cousin, etc.] was/is a podiatrist, and my exposure to him [her] and conversations with him [her] motivated me to get into the healthcare field as early as high school."

Don't just say what age you were. Most interviewers, in wanting to get to know you better, want to hear some anecdote that moved you toward being a healer.

"I've been very invested in athletics since I was young, and the usual injuries that come with that have given me an appreciation for the maintenance of the human body such that I wanted to be part of that science and expertise."

"I have an avid interest in diabetic foot disease, which I developed when volunteering in a nursing home after high school. The connection between such a terrible disease and the foot can make for a devastating deterioration of one's quality of life. Once I realized that, I wanted to do what I could for this crippling condition."

Podiatrist Interview Questions

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1. What do you identify as weaknesses in your podiatry school education?
2. What do you know about our health care facility?
3. What do you know about this community?
4. Why do you think you will be the best podiatrist for our office?
5. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with the lead physician. What was the problem, and how did you come to an agreement?
6. How do you think that ICD-10 will affect your level of patient care?
7. When have you felt the most pressure or stress, from rotations or residency? How did you handle it?
8. Tell me about an error you made while performing a procedure, during your residency program.
9. What type of surgery did you find to be the most difficult during your residency?
10. If you couldn't be a physician, what is an alternate career path you had considered?
11. Why are you interested in podiatry?
12. Tell me about your schooling experience.
13. In your view, what does podiatry offer that other health professions do not?
14. What are your views on socialized medicine?
15. Why are you interested in our school/program?
16. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
17. Do you think you have enough podiatry experience for this level of physician employment?
18. What did you learn from the podiatrists you shadowed?
19. Why did you choose podiatry instead of allopathic medical school?
20. When did you first decide you wanted to be a physician?

Podiatrist Interview Questions

1. What do you identify as weaknesses in your podiatry school education?

2. What do you know about our health care facility?

3. What do you know about this community?

4. Why do you think you will be the best podiatrist for our office?

5. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with the lead physician. What was the problem, and how did you come to an agreement?

6. How do you think that ICD-10 will affect your level of patient care?

7. When have you felt the most pressure or stress, from rotations or residency? How did you handle it?

8. Tell me about an error you made while performing a procedure, during your residency program.

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

10. If you couldn't be a physician, what is an alternate career path you had considered?

11. Why are you interested in podiatry?

12. Tell me about your schooling experience.

13. In your view, what does podiatry offer that other health professions do not?

14. What are your views on socialized medicine?

15. Why are you interested in our school/program?

16. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

17. Do you think you have enough podiatry experience for this level of physician employment?

18. What did you learn from the podiatrists you shadowed?

19. Why did you choose podiatry instead of allopathic medical school?

20. When did you first decide you wanted to be a physician?