PREPARING FOR A S UCCESSFUL HEALTH RELATED P ROFESSIONAL S CHOOL ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW Dental Medical Nursing Pharmacy Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Veterinary www.uh.edu/ucs 713-743-5100 [email protected] Optometry Location: Student Service Center 1 Room 106 (First Floor) #524 on the UH campus map P: (713) 743-5100 W: www.uh.edu/ucs E: [email protected] PREPARING FOR A SUCCESSFUL HEALTH RELATED PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW ~ MEDICAL, DENTAL, PHARMACY, OPTOMETRY, & OTHER HEALTH RELATED PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL ~ CHOOSING A HEALTH CAREER T he healthcare industry is one of the largest and most pervasive of all industries. The industry offers challenges to the intellect and opportunities for service through over 200 careers. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics forecasts that the healthcare industry will add nearly 3.2 million new jobs between 2008 and 2018: this increase is greater than in any other industry, largely in response to rapid growth in the elderly population. The selection of a career related to health should be based on: 1. Reading books and articles describing the nature, requirements, and opportunities in a broad spectrum of fields. A good website for exploring your interest in health careers is Explore Health Careers.org: www.exploreHealthcareers.org. The Occupational Outlook Handbook , www.bls.gov/oco/, is another good resource for researching healthcare careers. University Career Services (UCS) has several books on healthcare careers and professional programs available for review in the Career Resource Library . Contact 713-743-5100 for more information. 2. Talking with professionals in your field of interest. Conduct informational interviews (see the UCS handout). Talk to Career Counselors (contact UCS for an appointment at 713-743-5100). Talk with a Pre-Health Advisor (contact the Academic Advising Center, UScholars @ UH, 832·842·2100) If you are applying to a professional program, be sure you have contacted a Pre -Health Advisor through the Academic Advising Center (AAC) to assist with the application process. 3. Personal experience through job shadowing, volunteering, or as an intern, research assistant or paid employee in a health-related facility to gain hands-on experience and focus your interests. Create an account at www.career.uh.edu to search the UCS Pre-Health Services Website: https://www.career.uh.edu/pre-health/prehealthservices.cfm for links to volunteer, research or other health-related experience. Check with pre-health student organizations. 1 Talk with advisors/professors in your department. Contact independent healthcare practitioners and ask for opportunities in their practice. For students interested in medical school – get to know a physician and ask to be involved in rounds! This is the kind of experience medical schools are looking for. 4. Examination of one’s intellectual capabilities and personality preferences for various careers through self-assessment and/or psychological tests. Contact University Career Services, 713-743-5100 to schedule an appointment for vocational testing. Personality (the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and interest inventories (the Strong Interest Inventory) are available. 5. One’s academic record and success in completing pre-professional course requirements. GAINING ADMISSION TO PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL Admission into various professional schools is competitive. Admission is usually based on the following: Academic record, such as the overall and science GPA’s. Scores on professional school admission tests (if required). Evaluations by professors and/or a health professions advisor or advisory committee. Communication skills as demonstrated in the written application (e.g., personal statement). A personal interview with an admissions officer or committee at the invitation of the professional school. GPA and admission test scores have perhaps the greatest influence on the initial stages of the screening process – in this process you are demonstrating your ability to be a good student. Once you have been classified as competitive, based primarily on the numbers, admissions committees will then look at traits or characteristics. In this step, admissions committees are looking for students who will make good health professionals. Assessment of your traits is through letters of evaluation/recommendation, your personal statement, and finally, the professional school interview. It is the interview that is the principle means by which your characteristics/traits to be a successful health professional are evaluated. PURPOSE OF THE INTERVIEW 2 Final selections in the admissions process. Assessment of traits and characteristics to make a good health professional. Opportunity to leave a positive impression on your application. Your opportunity to interview the prospective school. TYPES OF INTERVIEWS Information the interviewer has available prior to the interview: 1. Open File - The faculty interviewer has access to the entire application file during and/or before the interview. Certain schools allow only admissions committee members to interview; some also use academic faculty and participating physicians. 2. Closed File – here the interviewer knows nothing about the applicant beforehand other than his/her name, if that. The idea here is to remove bias based on information in the file. This interview is likely to be more easy-going. You will probably have more control over the direction of the discussion. The interviewer may say; “Tell me about yourself?” 3. Partially Open File – here the interviewer may have some information from your file, but not all. For example, the interviewer may have your test scores, prerequisites completed, and GPA only or they may have read only your personal statement. Who conducts the interview? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Clinical faculty/staff member Basic science faculty member Admissions committee member Professional staff Students Other interviewees (as in a group interview) Types of Interviews: 1. One on one – the interview is conducted by an Admissions Committee member or faculty member. 2. Faculty member or staff and student interviewer – both may be interviewing you at the same time. Prepare to ask questions of both interviewers and direct your nonverbal communication to both. 3. Panel - more than two interviewers (rare). 4. Group - may consist of other interviewees. Groups may be given tasks to complete. The emphasis is on the process, not the product – to see how well a student works in a team. 5. Student – the interviewer is often a first-year student who has volunteered to interview applicants. This interview may carry less weight with some committee members, but it is also a way to expose the applicant to the school. Keep in mind that the student interviewer is a good source of information about student life at the school. Candidates should treat student interviewers as they would faculty interviewers. You might also interact socially with a group of students. Watch your manners. This is part of the interview as well! 6. Writing assignment – some schools incorporate a writing assignment as part of the interview process. The goal is to demonstrate effective written communication skills and 3 logical thought processes rather than an opportunity to detail all one knows. Most schools use at least two of the above formats for each applicant. This is an attempt to look at the interviewee from more than one angle so that several opinions can be correlated. Most schools also supply the interviewers a form to complete for each applicant. This form specifies characteristics to be explored and provides room for overall assessment. If the interviewer is writing in the interview, they are probably completing this form! Format of the Interview: 1. Introduction / Small Talk – first impressions count! 2. All about you – the interviewers will ask a variety of questions about your education, experience, activities, goals, etc. 3. Questions for the interviewers – the interviewers will give you the opportunity to ask questions. Be sure you have some prepared to ask! 4. Closing Remember, anytime you come in contact with a member of the university you are applying to, you are being interviewed! Types of Interview Questions: 1. Traditional The interviewer asks direct questions about your preparation, education, volunteer/work experiences, activities, and goals. Some examples of questions to consider are included at the end of this handout. 2. Behavioral Based In behavioral based questions, the interviewer is seeking specific examples/details of your past behavior: initiative, analysis, teamwork, leadership, communication, flexibility, decision -making, creativity, assertiveness, commitment, etc. The best way for you to prepare for a behavioral interview is to think hard about any difficulties encountered, accomplishments, and interpersonal situations in volunteer/work experiences, class projects, extracurricular activities, and to think about the steps that led to your outcome. You should be able to talk about these experiences in detail and be very specific. Behavioral questions can be recognized by the prompts: “describe a situation when, tell me about a time when…” Remember the acronym STAR when answering behavioral interview questions. 4 WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR? S – Situation (Describe the situation in detail.) T – Task (What was your task or obstacle?) A – Action (What action did you take?) R – Result (What was the result?) Motivation – Why do you want to become a “______”? What, and who influenced this decision? What activities or accomplishments indicate your interest in a health career? How have you demonstrated self-motivation in other aspects of your life? Logical Thought – Do you tackle novel problems in a logical, step-by-step fashion? Do you recognize the consequences of each step and understand more than one side of the problem? The interviewer is likely to present a hypothetical problem having no right answer. For example, “Can you devise a strategy for dealing with the problem of child abuse?” The idea is to see how you can think on your feet. The nature of the solution doesn’t matter as long as you arrive at it in a logical fashion and can support your ideas. Extracurricular Activities – What have you done besides study a lot? This subject may have been covered superficially in the supplementary application. Depth of involvement is the key now. The interviewer will prefer details on one or two activities in which you were very involved, rather than a huge list of superficial interests. What did you learn? How did the activity change you? What did you add to the organization? Leadership – This usually relates to the extracurricular topic, what experiences have you had leading large or small groups of people? Did you enjoy the responsibility or, at least handle it well? What did you learn about people, situations, and yourself? What did you contribute as an organization’s leader? Maturity – What major decisions have you made on your own? What responsibilities have you had? How did you solve a difficult problem in your life? What have you learned by dealing with problems or disappointments in the past? Do you display a positive self-image? Do you have realistic attitudes? How do you manage stress? Preparedness – Do you know what you are getting into? Are you familiar with the lifestyle of students and professionals in this field? Where did you get your information? Are you ready to commit yourself to a health career at this time? 5 Open-Mindedness – Do you see both sides of a problem regardless of your personal opinion? Are you willing to change your mind if you learn more about a situation? The interviewer may challenge your opinion to see how you react as well as how you support your side. Sensitivity and Compassion – Anyone can say he or she is compassionate; can you prove it? How have you shown your sensitivity to others’ problems? Goals – What are your ultimate goals or dreams? They may or may not be related to your career in health/medicine. What have you done to reach them? Weaknesses and Strengths – What are your faults and weaknesses and how do you overcome them? What do you think you’re best at? What are your personal interests and talents? How will you use your unique set of talents and skills to contribute to healthcare? Knowledge of the Field – How did you become interested in this field? What do you expect from this career? Are you familiar with current controversies in healthcare and the field you’re interested in specifically? What are your opinions on these subjects? Realize that the interviewers do not simply want you to agree with them. They want to see how you support your position. Drive or Initiative – How much time and trouble did you take to determine if this career was right for you? How early did you get your application in? What events in your background reflect an ability to rise above adversity? Can you demonstrate a “self-starting” ability? Tenacity/Resilience – At what point do you give up on a goal or objective? How do you handle disappointments? What obstacles have you overcome? HOW TO PREPARE T he purpose of preparation is not to study all the questions that might be asked and then rehearse a good answer for each. The purpose is to think about yourself and how you relate to your chosen career. In this way, you will be prepared to answer any question accurately and spontaneously. Now is the time for some careful soul-searching. To really learn about yourself – write your ideas down. We all have many reasons for wanting to be a _____ (healthcare professional) floating around in our heads, but it is impossible to think of them all at once and express them clearly. Writing helps you organize your thoughts. It also prepares you to express yourself in the most articulate manner during your interview. Be prepared to discuss problems in your file such as bad grades or inconsistencies. Know how and why you made mistakes and most importantly, what you learned from them. Follow these steps in preparation: 6 1. Assess yourself: Know your motivation, opinions, strengths and weaknesses. How are you unique? How is your path to healthcare unique? Review your academic performance, application, and personal statement. What stands out? What might you be asked about? Be prepared to talk about all information in your application in detail! Reflect on your work/volunteer experiences. What have you learned about the profession? What challenges have you managed? What skills have you learned? What are your career interests and objectives? Delve into your past and try to understand all the factors that influenced your decisions to pursue this career. How were your attitudes and abilities shaped by your experiences? What are your opinions on current issues that interest you? Explore those feelings and motivations that the interviewer might not like. You’ll have time to figure out how to present these ideas in a positive light, rather than being put on the spot about them at the interview. Beliefs about controversial health issues? Knowledge of current events? Read journals and relevant articles. Check out: “The New Physician” at www.amsa.org/tnp/ “American Medical News” – weekly publication of the American Medical Association: www.ama-assn.org/amednews/ “The ADA News Daily” – news for pre-dental applicants, www.ada.org/news/ news.aspx The professional organization for your field often has information on current trends. Look for the organization relevant to your field at the end of this handout. 2. Research the school and the specific program to which you are applying: Review admissions requirements. Review faculty members and areas of specialization/research interests. What are the strengths of the program, intern/residency opportunities and procedures? Most schools have a lot of program information on their website – research this! Investigate curriculum, grading system, special features and available resources. Talk to students currently attending the school prior to your interview. Stay with a student in the program the night before your interview, ask questions! (This can usually be arranged with the Admissions Committee). Prepare relevant questions for each school. Determine how the school is a good “fit” for you. Connect with your Pre-Health Advisor for assistance. 3. Practice interview skills: Know the format of the interview in advance. Participate in a mock interview. Contact University Career Services at 713-743-5100 to set up an appointment with a Career Counselor to practice your interviewing skills. 7 THE INTERVIEW Before the Interview: Be prepared with questions to ask the interviewer(s). You can carry them in a portfolio with paper and pen to take notes. Locate the interview site the night before if possible. Know the names of the interviewers and the process. Eat first; go easy on the caffeine, dress later. Dress professionally. A standard business suit is the usual interviewing attire for both men and women. Women should avoid distracting or flashy jewelry. Use minimal makeup. Punctuality: arrive 10-15 minutes early and try to relax. Allow time for the unexpected, e.g., inclement weather, heavy traffic, or difficulty in parking. In the event of an unavoidable delay, you should contact the admissions officer at the first opportunity. Take a deep breath and relax. Remind yourself that you are well prepared to do your best. During the Interview: 8 Shake hands firmly and introduce yourself. Smile!! Articulate enthusiasm and interest. Realize that the interview is a conversation. Listen as thoughtfully as you speak. Maintain eye contact – should be greater than 50%! Be aware of your body language. Don’t fidget, cross your arms, or touch items on the interviewer’s desk. Look people in the eye when you are listening. Avoid inappropriate smiling or laughter. Honesty: do not to try to “second-guess” or patronize interviewer(s) by responding with answers you think are wanted. Some interviewers play the “devil’s advocate.” When “I don’t know” is the honest reply, it should be used. Be responsive: conversation is difficult if responses are limited to “yes” and “no.” Many questions are chosen intentionally to initiate dialogue. Be yourself. Schools want to know who you are. Support your position when discussing a controversial topic. Stick to your own convictions; remember; interviewers don’t care what your opinions are as long as you can support them. Listen carefully and clarify if necessary. If a question is asked that is not entirely clear, it is better to ask for a restatement or clarification than to give an answer that is inappropriate. Don’t start your answer until the interviewer has completely stated his/her question. Control the pace. In many cases, people speak too quickly. A controlled, slower pace shows a thoughtful candidate and generally reflects better on you than a fast pace that may communicate nervousness or tension. Tough questions. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed. Take some time to stop and think about your answer before responding. Ask to move on or skip the question if you do not have an answer. Don’t try to talk about something you know nothing about. At the End of the Interview: Ask about the next steps in the process. Close the interview with a statement: This should be well practiced and should not take more than 30 seconds. Thank the interviewer for his/her time. Tell the interviewer how much you have enjoyed your visit and your willingness to submit any additional information if necessary. End your statement with your hope and desire to be part of the program in the future. Request business cards from your interviewers (this is to be sure you have the exact spelling of names and titles as well as contact information). After the Interview: Send a thank you card to your interviewers. Reiterate your interest in the program. Mention specific characteristics about the school. Indicate something new or different about the school that you learned. Share your experiences with other students! Go to: www.career.uh.edu/general/ ucsHandouts/ucsHandouts.cfm, and complete the Health Professional School Interview Feedback Form. RELATED WEBSITES TO EXPLORE The Student Doctor Network - This website allows students to list their interview experiences at medical schools across the US. Then click on “Interview Feedback” to find the university where you will be interviewing. www.studentdoctor.net Sample Medical School Interview Questions: www.medplaza.com/premed/int_sampleqa.php3 The Student Doctor Forum– Dental Forums: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php? f=55 9 SAMPLE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Standard Questions It is unlikely that you will leave an interview without having been asked, directly or indirectly, some of the following questions: Tell me about yourself. In 2-3 sentences, tell me why you’d like to be a “______.” (physician, optometrist, etc.) Why did you apply to our school? Where else have you applied? What will you do if you are not accepted to professional school? Tell me about _____ – ANY item in your application. Be sure you can elaborate on everything in detail and with specific examples. As a re-applicant, what have you done since your last application? Why should we select you? Discuss your strengths. If I had 2-3 other (males/females) with the same grades and courses why would I accept you? Give some real life examples of what you’ve done. What makes you different – provide examples. What do you want the Admissions Committee to know about you? What is medicine’s biggest problem today? What do you think about recent trends in healthcare? (Questions about current healthcare issues.) Additional Questions Personal 10 Are you more comfortable following or leading? Why is that? Do you work better in large or small groups? Why? If you could be any character in history, who would it be, and why? What are three things you want to change/improve about yourself? Name something you are most proud of… What are your hobbies? How would your friends describe your personality? Give 3 adjectives. Who is your role model? What do you do to relax? How do you manage your stress? Provide examples. Tell me about your family. Tell me about a specific point in time when your entire view of the world was changed. What kind of books do you enjoy? Tell me about the last book/magazine you read and what you enjoyed about it. Motivation/Commitment Who influenced your choice of career? What qualities are you looking for in a medical/pharmacy/dental school? When deciding on a career, what other occupations did you seriously consider? Why did you major in “______?” What was the deciding factor that led you to this career choice? Why don’t you want to go to medical school? Is our program your first choice? If we offered you acceptance today, would you accept? What steps have you taken to be sure this is the right career field for you? Career Goals/Planning If accepted, do you plan on working while attending our program? If yes, how much? What are the most important rewards you expect from your career? How do you plan to finance your education? Where do you see yourself 5/10 years from now? How do you measure success? Education/Experience What distinguishes you from other applicants? What is your biggest challenge as an applicant? What kind of experiences do you have in this field? Describe the college course in which you received your lowest grade. Why was it lower than the others? How long does it take for you to master the material when you study? What is the average amount of time you spend studying per day? What classes did you enjoy most and why? What types of leadership positions have you held? Knowledge of Your Field 11 What do you think healthcare will be like in 10 years? What do you think is the hardest thing about being a (physician, optometrist, nurse)? Have you had any one-on-one experiences with a (physician, physical therapist, etc)? Describe what you’ve learned. What would you do if you saw a fellow student cheating on an exam? What is the most important role of the (physical therapist, nurse, dentist)? What is your definition of a professional? Have you shadowed any (PA’s, physicians, dentists, optometrists, etc)? Behavioral Based Questions Name a time when you dealt with a very difficult person and how you handled it. Tell me about a time when you were criticized. How did you handle it? Describe a time when you failed at something. Tell me about a time when you were misunderstood or mistreated. Describe a time in your life when you felt that you would not succeed and how you overcame it. Describe any hardships you experienced growing up. Give me an example of a time you had to work under pressure. Describe the system you use for keeping track of multiple projects. How do you track your progress so that you can meet deadlines? How do you stay focused? How would you handle the following situation if you were a ______? (physician, pharmacist, dentist, etc.) What if you had a patient who did not pay? MEDICAL SCHOOL QUESTIONS (in addition to the above) 12 Describe your direct patient contact experience. What challenges do you foresee in your future practice of medicine? How do you plan to balance medicine with your outside interests? What was the deciding factor leading you to medicine? Tell me about yourself and why I would want you for my doctor. What specialties are you interested in? What is your opinion about terminally ill patients? What do you think will be the most difficult aspect of medical school? If an AIDS patient were bleeding profusely from a laceration, what would you do? What if you do not have gloves? How would you improve access to care in this country? Is medical care a right or a privilege? Give the reasons for your thinking on this. Name some strategies to address the problem of smoking among teens; talk about some that haven't been tried before. The following topics are commonly raised in the arena of medical ethics. Keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers to these types of questions – the interviewer is looking for HOW you arrive at your conclusions. What factors do you consider? What is your thought process? (See the section on, “What are they looking for” for more information). Disclosure of patients’ information and confidentiality Stem cell research Universal health care Children’s rights Rights of the handicapped Rights of the terminally ill Rights of defective newborns Organ donation and transplantation Determination of death Physician’s responsibility for societal health Helpful Web Links for Medical Ethics Exploration www.ama-assn.org: The “Ethics Resource Center” which provides students and physicians with the essential tools and skills to address ethical challenges in a changing health care environment. http://virtualmentor.org: This website provides a forum for discussing and analyzing ethical and professional issues in the field of medicine. It also provides links to ethical discussions, clinical cases, journal discussions, ethics polls and further reading and resources. http://bioethics.net: A great resource for current bioethics news, articles, etc. QUESTIONS TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER Do not ask questions that you can easily answer by reading the school’s catalog/website. Be a good listener, nod and give positive feedback without interrupting. What qualities do you look for in an applicant? I understand that you have early clinical exposure for first year students. What do you think of the early clinical rotations? How are the tutorial services? What is the average time it takes a graduate of the program to find a job? What types of jobs do they find? What do you enjoy most about this profession? This university? How do students from this school perform on National Board Examinations or Licensure/ Certification Exams? 13 How diverse is the student body? Are there support services available? May I see a list of residency programs to which this school’s recent graduates were accepted? For additional questions visit “35 Questions I Wish I Had Asked” at http://artssciences.und.edu/pre-health/_files/docs/thirty-five-questions.pdf 14 HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION WEBSITES Chiropractic Medicine, Osteopathic American Association of Chiropractic Colleges www.chirocolleges.com American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) www.aacom.org American Osteopathic Organization (AOA) www.aoa-net.org American Chiropractic Association (ACA) http://www.acatoday.org/ Texas Chiropractic Association (TCA) www.chirotexas.com Dentistry American Dental Education Association (ADEA) www.adea.org American Dental Association (ADA) www.ada.org Texas Dental Association (TDA) www.tda.org Medicine, Allopathic American Medical Association (AMA) www.ama-assn.org American Medical Student Association (AMSA) www.amsa.org Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) www.aamc.org Texas Medical Association (TMA) www.texmed.org Student Doctor Network www.studentdoctor.net Medicine, Podiatric American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) www.aacpm.org American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) www.apma.org American Podiatric Medical Student Association (APMSA) www.apmsa.org Medicine, Veterinary American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) www.avma.org Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) www.tvma.org Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) www.aavmc.org Nursing American Association of Colleges of Nursing www.aacn.nche.edu/ContactUs/index.htm Texas Nurses Association (TNA) www.texasnurses.org 15 Occupational Therapy Physician Assistant American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) www.aota.org American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) www.aapa.org Texas Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA) www.tota.org Texas Academy of Physician Assistant (TAPA) www.tapa.org Public Health Optometry American Academy of Optometry (AAO) www.aaopt.org Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) http://www.opted.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm? pageid=1 Texas Optometry Association (TOA) http://texas.aoa.org/ American Public Health Association (APHA) www.apha.org Respiratory Therapy American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) www.aarc.org Texas Society for Respiratory Care (TSRC) www.tsrc.org Speech-Language-Hearing Pharmacy American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) www.aacp.org Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA) www.texaspharmacy.org Physical Therapy American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) www.apta.org Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) www.tpta.org 16 April 2014 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) www.asha.org
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