Is there a personality type that you find difficult to work effectively with?
In urology residency training, you will work with a diverse group of residents and faculty, each with a unique personality and work style. Some of the people you will work alongside will have personalities that clash with yours. Your interviewers ask this question to understand your ability to work with even the most challenging personalities.
"I am most often challenged by people who can't find joy at the moment. As simple as it sounds, I went into medicine because I'm passionate about it and can find joy in the most stressful situations because I know my work is helping to better someone's life. While I don't suspect that I will encounter this often as a urology resident, my approach would be to talk with the person I found to be in a negative mood to help brighten the moment and their day."
When answering this question, it is best to pick a quality that doesn't reflect poorly on you. Talking about demanding personalities may make you seem lazy or unable to work with demanding faculty at the program you are interviewing with. Instead, choose a quality that prevents the ability of even the most competent and hard-working doctors from delivering high-quality care or working as part of a high-functioning team.
