How to Answer: If you were in a situation during residency where you had too many things on your to-do list, how would you decide which to do first and which to postpone?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Residency interview.
2. If you were in a situation during residency where you had too many things on your to-do list, how would you decide which to do first and which to postpone?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
As you leave medical school and enter the fast-paced world of medical residency, this will be the first time you will be managing a full patient load. At times, the work may become very overwhelming and your interviewers want to be assured that you would join their program with the tools needed to be able to prioritize your work during their time with them. While they fully realize that you will learn and grow during your time as a resident with them, they still need to be assured that you come to their program able to handle anything thrown your way.
Written by Ryan Brunner on January 8th, 2022
How to Answer
As you answer this question, there are a couple of things that your interviewers will be looking to hear. Taking the time to organize and frontload your day by doing the most important patient tasks first helps free up time later. Sometimes, it is helpful to delegate to others when possible, but it's never an acceptable answer if anything patient-care-related is not done because there wasn't time. Talk about your ability to be efficient in your tasks, your exams, and your charting. Finally, to get at the heart of the question, let your interviewers know that you would always prioritize the most critical patient items prior to moving on to other tasks throughout your day.
Written by Ryan Brunner on January 8th, 2022
Answer Example
"I feel very fortunate to have worked in a couple of very high-paced and busy settings during my clinical rotations during medical school. In these rotations, I was able to observe my preceptors handle busy situations with ease by prioritizing the high needs patients first, moving along to other patients, and leading a team effort to ensure that all get handled in a shift. As a resident of your program, I would take this same philosophy in prioritizing a large patient load. I would come here with the ability to build a strong rapport with support staff and would know their limits in their work to be able to help out when times get tough."
Written by Ryan Brunner on January 8th, 2022