How would you describe your interpersonal and communication skills?
Success as a vascular surgeon is highly reliant on the communication between an OR care team, clinic staff, and the physicians you will be collaborating in care with. This question is thrown your way so your interviewers can see how you would describe your communication and interpersonal skills in a clinical setting and how your communication would benefit you as part of their program.
"I would describe my communication as collaborative, informative, and empathetic. My current team of residents and attending physicians wouldn't hesitate to comment on my ability to lead a team collaboratively through communication skills. One experience that confirms my communication skills was a bad two-vehicle car accident. Five patients came to our ED in critical condition while I was on call. Throughout the night, we operated on three of the patients. I helped triage the operations, communicated with family members, and directed our OR teams. All three patients survived, and my program director was so proud of my actions."
A two-pronged approach will work well as you answer this question. First, describe your communication skills using three to four keywords to highlight your ability to communicate effectively as part of a team. Then highlight an example or two of times when your communication proved vital during your residency training to further display that you will come to your vascular surgery fellowship as a great communicator.
