Sample Reply for "Tell me your weakness"

Let me begin by saying that if you think this interview question is absurd, I agree ! I wonder how anyone can ever expect a candidate to mention a honest weakness that can kill his or her prospects at a job, residency or fellowships. Some opine that the ability to answer this question adroitly might be more important rather than the actual weakness itself. The usual advise is to honest about mentioning a weakness that you have been improving upon - just don't mention ALL of them.. ;-)

However belligerently you may oppose the question, the bottom-line is you gotta be prepared to dole out an answer ...Here are some sample replies for the "Tell me your weakness" interview question:

1. "I have rather found myself impatient when it comes to teaching others - especially junior medical students. However I realize that teaching is an excellent way to reinforce my own memory. I now look for opportunities to teach as and when possible, the latest opportunity I had was when I held a rapid midnight tutorial on managing diabetic ketoacidosis for medical students who accompanied me while on call. I hope I will have ample teaching chances at your program"

2. "I usually find myself nervous and anxious while talking to a large group of people. But I have realized that sharing information on conferences is how doctors and researchers advance the science of medicine. It is an important skill to have and I have been taking every opportunity to make presentations in class, conferences, observerships. etc. I think I am getting better and more comfortable :-)"

3. "I have had a problem being organized when there are too many deadlines to meet, so I have been using my iPhone / PDA / written memos / to-do lists to keep myself on top of things...which has surely made me a better performer"

4. "I have not been able to focus my academic interests on any single medical area, I find too many areas fascinating, which I think is a weakness that can potentially keep me from being an effective contributor. This has made me a little reluctant to decide on one choice of a specialty, though I do know that i like being in a research environment and would like do a dedicated fellowship" - Note: If you gonna use this answer, make sure you don't make a fool of yourself by giving a paradoxically precise and definite answer for "So where do you see yourself in 10 years" ...lol...do balance that !


You are the best person to decide what you wanna talk about - this Q is certainly not easy, but after giving it some time and some broadminded 'out of the box' thinking, you should be able to come up with reasonable points.

Arrite - now lets look at some "Don't dos"

1. Don't go overboard with the out of the box thinking and reply with a totally irrelevant answer, even if its true ..like "I drive too fast on highways".. hehe..be broadminded..but not so much that your brains fall out !

2. One terribly cliched answer that you should stay away from = "I am a workaholic...causes an imbalance in my personal life". Someday I might get to be faculty and interview the hell out of you fellas and if I hear this 'workaholic' reply, I am gonna give you the most sarcastic grin you ever saw and say - Oh Really !



Think you got some smart sample replies for the above question ? Do drop them as comments ...


Also read:

- SmartMD: A Quick Mnemonic about DKA


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- How to answer the weakness question on interviews
- Sample Answer script for "tell me your greatest weakness"

Why Did You Choose Urology ?

A love for both medicine and surgery is what characterizes Urologists - their personalities are probably a mashup of the internists and the surgeons :-). Urologists in America enjoy a great income, low malpractice rates, good work hours and balanced lifestyles.

Check out why some of the Urologists selected Urology as a career and use these scripts to formulate your residency interview answer based on what applies to you !


"I chose urology because it involves a wide array of surgical problems while allowing me to maintain long-term relationships with patients. I get great satisfaction helping my patients understand their problems. It is important to be able to discuss and offer all treatment options available, both surgical and nonsurgical. If surgery is necessary, I offer the latest, least invasive techniques to return you to your normal life more quickly"

Source: Dr.Joseph Steinberg

***

"I choose urology for several reasons:

a) Urology is one of the rare specialties of medicine that has a good balance of both in office medical patient care as well as surgical procedures. Urology is a field that generally requires the patients to be followed over a long term. This was appealing to me because I wanted to develop a relationship with my patients.

b) Urology has a wide variety of surgical procedures. There are the simple in office cystoscopies and vasectomies to procedures in the operating room. The operating room has a wide variety of procedures including the traditional open procedures to laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. I am a "hands on" type of person and therefore I wanted a variety of procedures.

c) Another major reason of why I chose urology was the major need for women in urology. I was the 2nd woman to graduate from my urology residency program in 2001. Women in general prefer to see women physicians. I knew that there was a definite need for women in urology. Serving on the Board of Women in Urology I can tell you that more and more women are entering urology residencies and almost 1/3 of current urology residents are women. In the next 10 years there it will not be so unusual to see a woman urologist.

d) The last reason I chose urology was because it still allows me to have a family and yet be a surgeon. There are few urological emergencies that cannot wait until the morning. This allows for more time at home with my family."

- and as she says it : "most people believe that urologists treat only male patients. What people forget is that women have kidney's and bladders as well" - LOL

***

"It allows you to have a versatile practice. Malpractice is not nearly as bad as some of the other specialties, like ob/gyn," she said. "The off-hour requirements are less. There seems to be a little more balance. You can have contained work hours and be able to enjoy things outside of work."

Source: Dr. Jennifer Taylor

(Note - USe the above practical aspects as the other reasons AFTER talking about the specifics of the specialty that interest you )

***

"Contrary to popular belief, urologists do not solely deal with one certain organ. I chose the field for multiple reasons including the wide variety of surgical procedures and the ability to treat patients with both medical and surgical problems."

Source: Dr. Jessica Mandeville



Also See:

- Urologist Salaries in USA
- Being a Urologist (DVD)
- 'Urologist Only' Parking Sign



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- "urology residency interview tips"
- "sample questions for urology residency interview"

Why Did You Choose Obstetrics - Gynecology (Ob-Gyn)

We have surgery lovers and we have medicine lovers - and then we have the medicos who would like it both ! Obstetrics - gynecology offers just that - the pleasure of primary care, specialist care and surgical care.



Time for me to shut my yapper and let you do some reading and analysis :-)


1. "I chose obstetrics and gynecology for two main reasons. First, in general it is an uplifting specialty. For the most part it deals with healthy patients during an exciting and happy part of their life. Second, it provides a unique combination of medicine and surgery, both of which I enjoy, not available in most other specialties."

Source: Dr. Karol Chacho

2. " chose obstetrics and gynecology because of the diversity in the field. It's just the right combination of primary care with lots of hands on procedures for those who tend to be procedure oriented like myself. Also, I love the fact that I will be able to both diagnose and surgically treat problems in my patients without having to send them to a surgeon"

Source: Dr. Roxanne Williams (Brown University Medical Student)

3. "always loved science and was particularly interested in how the mind affects the body. I chose obstetrics because of my interest in the biological, psychological and social aspects of pregnancy"

Source: Dr.Christine L. Canterbury


4. I like this answer since its pretty specific:
"I chose Obstetrics and Gynecology because I wanted to care for women in all stages of life- whether a young woman getting her first gyn exam, shepherding a patient through a first pregnancy (or a fifth!), guiding surgical decisions and navigating menopause and beyond. I have a particular interest and am well trained in minimally invasive surgery. I’m also interested in pelvic organ prolapse (and how to repair it), incontinence. Adolescent medicine and high risk pregnancies. Additionally I like to incorporate complimentary & alternative medicine practices in patient care when appropriate."

Source: Dr. Katrin Emler

5. "I chose Obstetrics and Gynecology as a specialty because it offers a unique opportunity for me to be a specialist but at the same time provide life-long continuity to my patients."

Source: Dr. Shawn Gertcheff





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- "plus points of obstetrics / gynecology as a career"
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