Remember to always be neat and well groomed, but comfortable, when going for your interviews. Conservative dress is still your best bet, so that means dark blazers, suits and dresses are appropriate. If interviewing on the East Coast remember to dress warmly. Always arrive at your destination early. In most cases you will be on unfamiliar territory, so arriving early gives you the opportunity to find your way around the area and become comfortable with your surroundings. The World Wide Web (WWW) has become a terrific source of information, especially about universities and teaching hospitals. You can often find an up-to-date phone directory, campus map, and information about the surrounding community on a university’s web site. Be prepared to ask and answer questions. The following are questions you should consider asking and answering during an interview.

Remember not all questions are appropriate for all interviewers. You would not ask a program director about the nitty gritty of patient contact. That question is more appropriate for residents. You would ask the program director questions about where the program has been and where it is going.

What could you be asked?

• Do you have any questions?
• Tell me about yourself?
• What do you do in your spare time?
• If you could be any cell in the human body, which would you choose to be, and why?
• If your house was burning, what three objects would you take?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why should we take you in preference to the other candidates?
• What would be the most enjoyable and least enjoyable aspects of your residency?
• With what type of people do you enjoy working (not working)?
• With what patients do you have trouble dealing?
• Who are your heroes?
• What were the major deficiencies in your medical training?
• How do you explain...(low grades?, leaves of absence?, poor clinical narratives?)
• Have you always done the best work of which you are capable?
• How well do you function under pressure?
• Tell me about the patient from whom you learned the most?
• What error have you made in patient care?
• What subject or rotation was your most difficult?
• Why do you want to go into this specialty?
• Do you think you would be right for this program/specialty?
• Why did you apply to this program?
• What do you think of (current events topic)?
• Where do you see yourself in five/ten years?
• How do you see the delivery of health care evolving in the twenty-first century?
• What problems do you think this specialty faces over the next five/ten years?
• Where else have you interviewed?
• Can you think of anything else you would like to add?

What to ask the interviewer

• What is the interviewer’s general opinion of the program?
• What is the general framework of the training program?
• Is most of the program conducted in the major hospital?
• What is the composition and caliber of the teaching and attending staff? Are they full-time or part-time?
• Does the attending staff participate in daily rounds and conferences, or is the bulk of the teaching performed by other residents?
• What is the conference schedule? Is time for conference protected time?
• Are there any teaching conferences specifically for housestaff?
• Does the program allow for research by the housestaff? If so, does the department fund it? Is there an elective time in which to do it? Are there faculty mentors?
• Are rotations in related subspecialties included in the program?
• Which electives are offered, and at what periods during the program?
• Are residents permitted or encouraged to attend regional or national medical conferences?
• Have any graduates of the program ever failed to do well on the certifying exams and if so, why?
• Does the chair plan any changes in the program in the near future? Is the director likely to retire shortly or remain as chair during your residency?
• What are the chances of permanent local practice after residency?
• Is there a pyramid system? How many cuts are made each progressive year?
• Has the program or institution ever been put on probation or been denied accreditation for any reason?
• What were the results of the most recent "in-training" examination? Is a minimum score required to progress to the subsequent year?

What to ask House Staff

Be careful when talking with house staff. Only ask them questions when it is appropriate. You do not want to be remembered as pesky. When talking to house staff, seek former graduates of UCSF.

• What is the house staff officer’s general opinion of the program?
• Is there a medical library close to the hospital and does it contain an adequate selection of recent books and journals? Are there Melvyl hook-ups? Who photocopies for you?
• Is there an adequate visiting professor program with other institutions?
• How valuable are the conferences?
• Are chart rounds conducted routinely?
• What is the average number of patients for which each house officer is responsible?
• Does the house staff receive adequate clinical experience performing procedures? Who teaches these procedures?
• What is the clinic schedule? Is there a continuity clinic?
• Is an attending physician present during each clinic?
• What does the house staff officer think of the chair? What is the chair’s background and reputation? Is the chair sincerely interested in teaching house staff? Is the chair readily accessible to the house staff?
• Are emergency services readily available?
• Do all wards of the institution have cardiac arrest carts and EKG machines?
• Is a radiologist available hours for consultation?
• Does the hospital provide IV and blood drawing teams? Are lab results computerized?
• When do rounds begin in the morning and at what time does the normal day end?
• What is the on-call schedule? Does it change during the senior or chief year?
• Is moonlighting permitted and is it available in the community?
• Are meals provided free or at a discount for house staff? Is there an evening meal? Is food available/provided at all hours?
• Is parking provided? If so, where?
• Are uniforms and laundry free of charge to the residents?
• Is there adequate malpractice and disability insurance, including HIV disability insurance? Does the hospital provide health and life insurance?
• What is the availability of housing and its average cost? Where do most staff live? If many staff people commute, what is the average commute time? Should there be a concern for safety in some areas?
• Is there a house staff association and what is its relationship with the administration?
• What are the climate and general living conditions in the community?
• What is the general atmosphere of the hospital? Is it a pleasant place to work?
• What is the house staff officer’s opinion of programs at various institutions?

After your visit, make notes about your experience. Dr. Papadakis does not advise that you follow up your interview with a thank-you note. It will not make any difference in your application. If you do send thank-you notes, you should only send one note mentioning the names of your interviewers. Also be sure to immediately forward any additional information the program may have requested from you.