If you had too many things on your to-do list, how would you decide which to do first and which to postpone?

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As you enter the fast-paced world of dental school, this will be the first time you will be managing a full patient load. You'll also be going through rigorous academic training in your initial years in the program. At times, the work may become very overwhelming, and your interviewers want to be assured that you would join their program with the tools to prioritize your work during your time with them.

As you answer this question, there are a couple of things that your interviewers will want to hear. Taking the time to organize your day by doing the most important patient tasks first frees up time later. Sometimes, it is helpful to delegate to others when possible, but it's never acceptable to allow patient-care-related work to go undone because there wasn't time. Talk about your ability to be efficient in your classwork and your future work with patients. Finally, to get at the heart of the question, let your interviewers know that you would prioritize the most critical patient items before moving on to other tasks throughout your day.

"I feel very fortunate to have worked in a couple of very high-paced and busy settings during high school and college. My four-year Bachelor's program was very intense and required an innate ability to prioritize and stay organized. Prioritizing work came down to my ability to know my workload, track it, and continuously reprioritize what tasks were most important. As a student of your dental program, I would use this same philosophy when prioritizing a difficult academic load and a large patient load. I would come here with the ability to build a strong rapport with support staff and be able to delegate tasks that I needed help with."

Anonymous Answer

"I will try to prioritize the tasks according to the workload and the deadline. I will perform the tasks when their deadline is approaching first. Also, if one of the tasks needs a high level of concentration, I will do it on my days off or when I have the full power."

Jaymie's Feedback

This is an excellent strategy! Consider discussing pulling in other team members and delegating tasks when appropriate. It's also important to demonstrate you know priorities can pivot and be agile to adapt and adjust accordingly.