When you suffer a setback, how does it affect you and your work?
Everyone handles the stress and disappointment of setbacks differently. When you enter a fast-paced fellowship program, these setbacks can be amplified, and your interviewers want to know how you handle stressful situations. They're hoping to hear that you have strategies in place to ensure setbacks don't impact the quality of your work or your ability to interact with patients and their families.
"Experiencing a setback is always disappointing and can be disheartening, especially when it involves a patient. I understand that setbacks happen often in fellowship, just as they did in residency. I'm not ashamed of any of the setbacks I had during residency training because they helped me grow as a physician. If I experience a major setback while on your team, I will take a few moments to internally debrief and collect my thoughts, get some fresh air if possible, or discuss what I could have done differently with an attending physician. Then, I move on, recovering quickly so I can concentrate on the next case and give it my undivided attention."
Describe how you coped with setbacks during residency, giving specific examples. Focus on your ability to learn from your mistakes and your commitment to staying calm and level-headed in the face of any situation you might encounter as a fellow.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Setbacks are a part of life and I feel that I have a great set of tools in place to deal with the stress associated with the setback. Specifically at work, I find it important to take a moment to reflect on what happened and give time for introspection. I have often discussed events with colleagues or my attending physicians to gain a different perspective on the situation and how I could improve my approach for the next time.
Jaymie's Feedback
Excellent! You acknowledge that setbacks are a normal part of life, and you're able to stop, reflect and make adjustments to prevent them from happening again.
Anonymous Answer
Setbacks are common. Often I found it essential to take a moment to reflect on what has happened and give time for change to happen
Example: Recently, I was observing patient rounds at ______ Hospital where there is a lack of patient-focused discussion. The goal for that week was to work on multidisciplinary rounds where bedside nurses summarize overnight observations and any concerns they may have for the day. This approach was implemented a week ago after my initial observation during my one-month rotation during my 3rd-year residency, where there is a lack of communication between healthcare providers that could lead to negative consequences to patient care.
That morning we had an intensivist from outside the hospital, but even after going through the steps during rounds, I found out they hadn’t been involving the bedside nurses. One of the resident's comments was “This is residents round not nursing”. I took a few seconds and reminded everyone that we are aiming for the best patient outcomes which includes effective communication. The intensivist backed me up and the round continued to involve nurses. Currently, I was told that culture is being built but there is always that setback, of the thing we want to achieve but it doesn’t always go as planned. For me, it is persistence and backing up your action with evidence, and I think with that the team will be able to gain perspective and they might be the ones who will be leading it next time.
Jaymie's Feedback
The interviewer is less focused on the setback in a candidate's response and more on how they respond to that setback. You did a fantastic job demonstrating your ability to reflect, address the situation, and move forward.
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