Residents Take on Students’ Match Questions

(Check out an earlier Q&A for answers to other questions from a program director’s perspective.)

AAFP News: What types of questions should students ask during their residency interviews?

Jiayu “Kate” Tian, M.D., University of Vermont Family Medicine Residency: Strolling Through the Match has a good list of suggested questions for students. It has questions to ask program directors and faculty, as well as questions to ask residents. It’s divided into different areas of interest, like sports medicine and obstetrics. I actually used that resource during interviews, residency dinners and meet-and-greets. I would definitely suggest students check that out.

I also would suggest that students reflect on what part of residency training is most important to them. If you are planning to apply for fellowship, ask questions about how that program will prepare you for your area of interest. If they are interested in doing obstetrics after graduation, ask about the average number of deliveries. There also are other logistical but important questions to consider, like how a program handles work-hour limits and what the program does to promote resident wellness.

SreeDivya Veturi, M.D., University of Wyoming Family Medicine Residency: I asked a lot of my peers what sort of questions I should be asking because when I initially started that process, I had no idea where to begin. The way that a lot of my peers and attendings opened my eyes was to ask, “Well, what are you looking for in a program?” I used that as the basis for my search. I went through a lot of the online forums for med students and residents and saw what other people had asked during conferences and meet-and-greets, what they suggested looking for. During my research for programs, I tried to put together a list of things that I wanted to know more about that wasn’t available on their websites. “Oh, this portion of their curriculum sounds very interesting. I’d like to know more about that.”

AAFP News: How should students schedule interviews? For instance, should meetings with the programs they are most interested in come later in the cycle?

Tian: I would avoid scheduling the programs you are most interested at the very beginning because you want to test out the workflow of your virtual set-up. I wouldn’t put your favorite programs at the very end, either, because you might be more fatigued than you think. But don’t worry too much about timing. The most important thing is to get the interview and schedule it.

Veturi: I definitely agree about the very beginning. With the very end, it depends on how many interviews you have, because it can definitely get tiring towards the end. You’re spending hours speaking with programs and often answering the same questions again and again. Your first interview is your rough draft, and sometimes you don’t get the opportunity to choose when you’re going to schedule certain interviews; they just come as they may. You’re going to be eager to schedule the first one you get as soon as you can, which is something you also have to take into consideration. Sometimes spots can be taken up by others, so try to balance that with wanting to perfect your answers and how you conduct your interviews. I definitely agree with the idea of the happy medium being in the middle ground.

AAFP News: How long did you prep for interviews? Do you have any tips on how to prepare?

Tian: I did exhaustive research on each program before I applied. I researched them again the night before my interviews by reading everything the programs provided (such as documents in their emails, videos and website). Avoid asking questions that could be easily found online. Everyone has different takes on how to prepare, but do a thorough review to show your interest in that program. Don’t show up without knowing what’s going on.

Also, it’s important to have a good set-up with a high-quality web cam for virtual interviews. Make sure you have good lighting, and avoid clutter in your background.

Veturi: I had a little notebook that I called my Match book. I made a general list of all the programs I applied to and took a few quick notes about them. For the programs that I received interview requests from, I took more comprehensive notes from their informational nights, from conferences I attended, and from their websites about the different benefits of the program, their education style, what things they had to offer — similar to the format you’d find on the AMA’s FREIDA. I wrote down some general questions I had for the programs to start, and as I did more research and interacted with more of their representatives, I’d add more specific questions, leaving gaps to take my notes. I also had a separate section with common interview questions and the questions I thought a program would have about my application. I would jot down some bullet points on the main points I wanted to get across in my answers and practiced interviewing with friends to work on my content and flow. This book later came in handy during the rank order list process, as I was able to look back and compare what I had collected to make my ranking decisions.

I also actually signed up for an online interview prep website that had a lot of good videos on how to approach some of the most common questions and how to structure answers. One of their tips was not to prepare full script sentences but, for better flow, to write bullet points of things that you would answer for those questions. If there are any issues on your application, you definitely want to know how you are going to address those ahead of time.

AAFP News: What are your thoughts on following up with an email after an interview?

Veturi: A program coordinator suggested to me that sending a handwritten thank you note in the mail goes a lot further than sending an email because everyone is getting a lot of emails during this time. I tried this for the programs that didn’t state they preferred not to receive these forms of communication. About a month before rank order lists were due, however, I sent a more formal letter of intent via email to express my interest in the program, thank them again for the interview and to remind them about some of the things that we had spoken about related to my interests. I wanted them to remember who I was and make my interview a little more fresh in their minds.

Tian: I wrote thank you emails to the first few programs I interviewed with, but I stopped after a few because some programs said they would prefer not to communicate unless I had questions. Programs want to ensure the entire process is fair. However, it is appropriate to write a letter of intent to the program that you will be ranking number one, and make sure you only send it to one program at the end of the season.

AAFP News: How did you get a good feeling for the culture of a residency program in virtual interviews?

Tian: It’s difficult to get a feel for the culture and assess whether you will be able to get along with residents in the next few years of your training when there’s no in-person interview. It’s hard to read cues online. However, it’s important to go to virtual social events and resident dinners even if it’s optional. Try to interact with residents and get a sense of the culture as much as you can. On the other hand, it is also important to assess the work culture of the residency. I always asked residency program directors what changes they have made that were resident-directed, and ask residents if they feel comfortable sharing their opinions about the program and how they give feedback to the program.

Veturi: It’s definitely harder in some aspects, but in some aspects easier. You don’t get the feel for the culture like you would being there in person and observing — not just with your co-residents and attendings, but also the rest of the house staff. That’s what you lack during virtual interviews, just seeing the environment that you're going to be in and getting to explore the locale.

On the other hand, you get more encompassing answers in a virtual interview because when you go in person, a lot of the feel of the culture and people’s opinions on the workplace is going to be based on that one moment in time, or during that week, or a particular rotation. During a virtual interview, you might get more overarching answers about how the experience has been over the past year. The online meet-and-greets also allow you to ask questions and get to know others in a group setting where everyone’s a bit more comfortable. You’re not worrying about getting someplace on time, and you get to focus on asking the questions that you really want to ask.

AAFP News: If programs are offering virtual and in-person interviews, is there any benefit to doing one format over the other?

Tian: With in-person interviews, I would imagine that you can get a feel for the physical environment of the workplace and the community where you’ll be living. And it would be easier to get a sense of the culture of the program through interactions during and in between interviews. However, virtual interviews are more efficient and save a lot of money. When it is possible to choose, the decision depends on how well an applicant already knows the program and the area and if it is affordable for the applicant.

Veturi: If given the choice, I would choose in-person because you can make a stronger impression. But you have to consider your own personal situation, costs and scheduling, as well as how strong you think you could be during a virtual interview. I do believe you do have to put yourself out there to make a stronger impression in a virtual interview.