Thread by @meganedurham

Okay, #MedStudentTwitter. As promised, here’s how to tackle the WORST of all interview questions: “Do you have any questions?”. A thread 🧵
#Match2021 #PedsMatch2021

You will get this question. And you might get it more than once. And you might get it from every interviewer at your interview day. And you might have a ten minute interview with a PD where the ONLY question is “What questions do you have?”. So friends, you need questions.

Virtual interviews this year means there are A LOT of questions. But the main way to approach this question is to DO. YOUR. HOMEWORK.

For example, it is MUCH better to say “I would love to know more about how your international electives work. Are those only for 3rd years? Do you have to be in the global health track to qualify?” than to ask “Do you have any opportunities for global health?”. Read the website!

Readthewebsitereadthewebsitereadthewebsite. Even if it’s in the five minutes before your zoom interview. It is so much better to know what they have (and don’t have) on their website, so you can ask insightful questions.

Where this question is the hardest is at programs that you already know (like your home program or one you rotated at). So don’t be afraid to ask about specifics, like how they handle holiday block, or big picture things, like how the interaction between faculty and residents is.

It may be helpful to think of things you value, both from a formal and informal perspective. I asked every program director how mentoring worked at their program, because that was a quality that was important to me. And I asked residents at every program about parking and food.

It also my be helpful to ask people who have gone before you what they asked! (That’s where lots of mine come from!) So, without further ado, here is a comprehensive list of interview questions to ask of your programs, sorted by topic and audience.

For Residents:
If you could change one thing about this program, what would it be?
What has been your favorite/hardest rotation?
When’s the last time you hung out with your coresidents? (If the last time was the yearly work-sanctioned retreat, they don’t hang out outside of work)

Residents (cont):
What part of town do the residents live in?
(If they are doing a fellowship)-Do you feel like this program prepared you well for your chosen specialty?
(For residents who are parents)-What is the parental leave like?

Residents (cont):

What percentage of residents are married/have kids?
Are the attendings accessible for research projects/electives/etc?
Is conference protected time?
Are there resident organizations? (for advocacy, global health)
What does the program do to promote wellness?

For attendings that trained at that program:
How have you seen the program change from your time as a resident?
Now that you’ve experienced the program from two sides, would you say there’s a good relationship between attendings and residents?
Did you feel prepared for boards?

For attendings:
Do you all see any special patient populations?
Does your program offer multidisciplinary clinics? (Usually multidisciplinary clinics are for more rare diseases/zebras, so if they have multidisciplinary clinics, they have a good variety of stuff to see)

For attendings/PD:
How many of your residents go on to do fellowship vs gen peds?
-How did your program respond to COVID19? (Layoffs, moving mostly virtual, paycuts, limiting PPE)--also a good indicator of how they respond to rapid changes

About research:
What are your opportunities for research?
Will there be time off for conferences? Funding for research? Faculty mentors that are well versed in it?
Does your program do predominantly bench research or is there more QI focus?

About the city:
What’s your favorite thing to do in _____?
Where are all the bars and restaurants in town?
What’s your commute like?
Are there a lot of _(things you like to do)__ here?
Do you like the neighborhood you live in?
What’s the weather like?