Preparing for residency interviews can be a stressful time for medical graduates applying to the Match. After standing out with your application materials, residency interviews are your final chance to impress residency directors with your skills, knowledge, and character. They are also the final step before reaching your medical education goals. However, not knowing what questions will be asked makes it difficult to prepare your answers. It makes it even more difficult to know what parts of your medical education you will want or need to draw from to answer those questions.

While it may feel like you’re preparing for residency interviews without much direction, there is good news. There are plenty of resources that help you know what to expect walking into your first interview. Better yet, some of these resources are easily available. While they can range from Reddit stories from past candidates to helpful guides from organizations, there is also a lot of value in clinical experiences with expert preceptors.

 

Taking Control of Residency Interview Preparation

That’s what U.S. medical graduate, Sujata, discovered during her residency interviews. After matching into her residency program, she shared with us the benefits of her AMO clinical experience.

In her story, which you can watch below, Sujata discusses three main benefits of her plastic surgery virtual rotation: LoRs, clinical knowledge, and experience.

LoRs are an important part of securing a Match interview. However, being able to draw from the knowledge of your specialty during your interview is what helps you stand out. Sujata mentions how the resources the preceptor made available to her during her rotation helped strengthen her knowledge of surgery. As a virtual rotation, Sujata mentions she found this exposure helpful in future surgery rotations. It also impressed interviewers throughout the Match process.

Hear Sujata tell the full story of her clinical experiences and residency interview in the video below!