How do you feel when someone says that psychiatrists aren't real doctors?
It has long been known that much of the general public doesn't realize that psychiatrists obtain their MD or DO and go through residency training like any physician. What's even more disturbing is that there are a few physicians in other specialties that look down upon psychiatrists and even treat them as less than peers. In asking these questions, your interviewers want to hear that you have the mindset to squash these thoughts if you were to ever hear them and know the importance of the role that psychiatrists play in the overall delivery of healthcare.
While keeping your answer straight and to the point, assure your interviewers that you would be very frank with any person that ever said this in front of you and that you would do so while educating the person on what a truly important physician you would be as a psychiatrist. In whatever way you see fit, discuss where you see the equal importance of psychiatry and mental health fitting in the strategy of overall healthcare for the public.
"I would honestly take that personally. If this were a patient, a family member, or even someone that I knew, I wouldn't hesitate to educate them on the training path that psychiatrists take and also bluntly tell them that I hold an MD like any other physician. If this were a fellow colleague, attending to a physician or other healthcare professional, I would handle that situation differently during my training in a psychiatry residency. Depending on the relationship I had with the individual, I would either approach them directly to let them know how I felt about them saying it, or I would simply brush it off. In the case of the latter, I wouldn't give the person the time of day because they obviously know better."