All your hard work over the past 3.5 years are coming to fruition, there's just one more step before the NRMP match -- and that's the residency interview! I've been compiling a survival guide of sorts of things I have learned to help those of you who are currently going through the process, or plan to in the future. And I will continue to update it as the interview season goes on!
Number 1 piece of advice:
Be yourself! You want to go to a program that will be a great fit, and the only way to do that is to be honest and true, you got this :)
General tips:
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TIP to ensure you don't miss an interview invite notification:
Reroute all ERAS emails as text messages! You can do this by either googling this "email notifications as texts OR you can use an extension -- I use Cloud HQ for chrome because it was so easy to use.
Next, save noreply@aamc.org as a contact on your phone so you can set a custom text tone and vibration that you can easily recognize it. You can allow "emergency bypass" so in case your phone is on 'do not disturb' or silent, the notifications will still come through!
Another option is to give friends/family/SO your email and ERAS login info for them to check for you if you're driving, on a flight, or for whatever reason unable to check your phone
Tell preceptors ahead of time that if you are on your phone, it is for interviews so they don't assume your texting or on tiktok or something
Turn on email and text notifications on my apple watch this helps me stay discreet during work
Use the Reddit ERAS Megathread (with a grain of salt) to find more info on programs, interview invites, questions asked, etc. The thread is updated every year.
Keep a googledoc to stay organized! I used an Excelsheet both as my calendar for events as well as notes on programs. See more below.
If interviews aren't your strong suit, I would recommend checking with your school to find mock interview resources or try practicing with your friends. I personally did not do any mock interviews. I did, however, schedule programs that were not my top earlier as a way for me to get my jitters out.
Other good websites to learn more about programs:
Doximity
Residency Explorer
Frieda
How to prepare the night before your interview:
Research the program (don't ask questions for info that is already on the website)
Research the people who are interviewing you, if you have been given this information. Jot down things like the research they are doing, if they did a fellowship, pieces of information you'd like to know more about during the next day to show you were diligent on your end.
Reach out to current residents or people who you know at the program to see if they have any advice or feedback about the program
Go to the social events!! Typically held the night before or the end of the week, these events show that you truly are interested in the program and you can hear from current residents in a more casual setting. I've had multiple residents say they pay attention to who shows up, as it shows you are truly interested in their program
Check out the Reddit Megathread to see if there's info on the program or mock questions or advice
Practice some responses to common interview questions, but don't have questions memorized that make it seem forced. You want to come across organic so think of some go-to responses you could use under pressure
Know your app well, because every program so far has pulled questions from things I have on it-- especially the hobbies section!
Have questions prepared! The question I'm asked at every interview is -- what questions do you have? See some ideas below.
Interview Questions:
Don't memorize answers to common interview questions, but get a good feel of what they might be and maybe some responses you could give. Here are some sample ideas:
Tell me about yourself
Why did you decide to apply for our residency program?
What do you expect from this program?
Tell us about a patient you learned from something important.
Tell us about a time when you demonstrated leadership in your work, or during your studies.
Talk about a failure or mistake you've made
Discuss a time you experienced conflict and how you handled it
Most common question-- DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? See below for some examples because you definitely don't want to say no to this question!
Sample Questions to Ask:
I've put together some good general questions to ask but be sure to ask questions specific to your specialty and what's important to you for your training
Below is a sample of a post interview eval I found on Twitter and found it very helpful. I'm sure every residency evaluates interviewees differently, but this is a good idea of what you may be scored on.
Post Interview Tips:
Stay organized with your thoughts, information, and post interview reactions. For some people that may be journaling. For me, I used an Excel Spreadsheet to refer to later when it comes time to making my rank list. Feel free to make a copy of my Excel Sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IgJzkNX0fmelnUwhOE85c0hG-m9F1-ixV96GNm4vJ2s/edit?usp=sharing
Schedule an in person tour at your top programs! This gives you the opportunity to see facilities, where you would be living, and meet more of the faculty and residents/learn more before submitting your ROL.
Record post interview reactions: Someone recommended this advice to me and its really helpful to make a video immediately after your interview documenting your thoughts and feelings post interview. It's hard to remember each program as time goes on. This way, by the time you have to submit a rank list, you can spark your memory and look back and see how excited you were by a program by noting how you talk about it. I keep it in an album in my camera roll (see below)
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