Preparing for your pathology residency interview
6 Pathologist Interview Questions and Answers
How much experience do you have with using microscopic techniques to evaluate issues with blood samples?
Most of your pathologist’s lab work will be focused on small samples of human tissue or fluids. Since most diseases attack at the cell level, your candidate will need to be skilled in using microscopes and pipettes to conduct precise experiments. The level of focus necessary to complete these experiments successfully is extremely high, so you should screen for applicants who are able to sit still and work quietly for long periods of time.
What to look for in an answer:
- Experience working with microscopic techniques
- Ability to focus for long periods of time
- Inquisitive nature
What aspect of pathology interests you most?
Pathology requires candidates to focus on research, lab duties and data analysis. This question can help you better understand a candidate’s passion for their job and their desire to work to find answers. A candidate focused on pathology can work well individually and is often research-driven.
The candidate’s response should emphasize:
- Focus on research aspects of medicine
- Ability to find information and analyze data
- Clear rationale for choosing pathology
A response to this question may look like this:
Tell me about a time you handled human tissue and fluid samples in a lab.
A pathologist’s work will necessarily revolve around working to diagnose diseases in patients and experimenting to gain insights on illnesses that are currently not well-understood. These specialists conduct experiments that seek to use human fluid and tissue samples to treat problematic diseases in replicable ways across different communities. As such, your candidate will need to be both comfortable handling human fluids and able to follow a strict set of protocols necessary to keep samples from getting contaminated.
What to look for in an answer:
- Examples of past lab experience
- Explanation of protocols for keeping samples uncontaminated
- Capability of undertaking detail-oriented work
Tell me about your process for inspecting lab equipment, procedures and inputs to diagnose a problem with an experiment.
Since your pathologist will be working on complex and detailed experiments on a daily basis, it is likely that they will come across situations when certain protocols do not translate into results as was previously expected. Your candidate will need to be able to correctly handle expensive equipment to ensure that the data produced is not contaminated. They will also become an expert in troubleshooting operating procedures to ensure that their experiments are replicable by others in the medical community, a key factor in passing academic peer-review standards.
What to look for in an answer:
- Has a clear process for troubleshooting experiments
- Comfortable handling expensive and delicate machines
- Detail-oriented and methodical disposition
What is your level of experience with growing microbial or bacterial samples?
A lot of the work that your pathologist will be conducting will revolve around minute experimentation with microscopic organisms. Since microbial and bacterial colonies take time to grow and can easily become contaminated or die if conditions are not exact, your candidate should be aware of the possible missteps that might occur when working with these types of experiments. Furthermore, they should know how to troubleshoot in case something does go wrong with their microbe samples.
What to look for in an answer:
- Experience working with microbial or bacterial samples
- Knowledge of how to troubleshoot experiments
- Detail-oriented personality
Why do you want to become a pathologist as opposed to focusing on other areas of medicine?
Within the different focuses available in the medical field, pathology is one that requires candidates to focus more on lab work and research than some other careers do. In fact, many pathologists do not need to work in direct patient care at all if they so choose. Therefore, it is important that your candidate is one who is more interested in the research side of medicine and is not keen on working regularly with people.
What to look for in an answer:
- Clear reason for choosing to study pathology
- Enjoys research and lab work
- Ability to synthesize data and medical knowledge
Article Contents 10 minread
Reviewing pathology residency interview questions and expert responses can help you practice and feel more confident during your residency interviews. In recent years, out of 631 positions open, 619 were filled, which makes pathology one of the least competitive residencies to match. Pathology refers to the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. Without having the trained professionals to isolate the causes and effects of various ailments, diagnoses would be vague and inconsistent. Pathology is also one of the most diverse specializations out there in terms of exposure to different subspecializations and colleagues from different professional backgrounds. And as such, if you’re interested in pursuing pathology, you might also be interested in reading more about other subtypes, such as osteopathic pathology. In this blog, we’ll talk about how competitive pathology is, walk you through how to prepare for residency interviews, provide 30 residency interview questions and answers, and show you a list of other potential questions you can practice with.
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Pathology is one of the least competitive specialties for residents. Out of 994 total applicants, there were 610 matches, making the total match rate 62.27%. For students who are trying to evaluate lifestyle factors associated with this specialty, it’s important to note that pathology also has a high job satisfaction rate, according to the Medscape physician lifestyle & happiness report. Although the majority of people who responded to the survey reported moderate to high feelings of stress and anxiety, the majority also reported a fair life and work balance, according to a study.
Pathology Match Rate:
The pathology specialization is also one of the most diverse in terms of patient demographics, colleague interactions, and subspecializations. Examples of subspecializations include cytopathology, gastrointestinal pathology, anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and general surgical pathology. Due to the diverse range of interactions and specialties within this discipline, medical residents can expect an eclectic approach to instruction and learning during their training program. Pathology is also strongly dependent on technological progress, particularly in the arena of diagnostic tools, which happens to be trending toward minimally invasive procedures and personalized diagnostic criteria/treatment.
The match rate for pathology is also among one of the highest. When students are figuring out how to prepare for clinical rotations, they aren’t likely to choose one in pathology because it isn’t a requirement for medical school students. This means that for students wondering how to choose medical school electives, they might consider exploring a pathology class to help them decide if they want to specialize in this field for their residency. However, rotations and course requirements can vary by program. Some students can select a pathology elective when they’re choosing courses in third and fourth year to help them decide if they think a pathology residency is right for them. To complete your application, you will also need to pass the USMLE step one and two if you’re in the US, and the MCCQE part I and II for Canada.
Pathology is also an IMG friendly residency program. According to NRMP match statistics, 5.9% of IMGs and 2.6% of U.S. IMGs matched to a pathology program. If you’re an international medical graduate, you might want to consider an IMG residency consultant to help you with your application for this program.
Still undecided about your specialty? Check this out:
NOTE (edit): I noticed theres a similar looking question a few posts below me, but Im wondering about tips for the interview itself, not the residency program… not there yet 🙂
Hi there, Im a 4th year medical student headed to my first residency interview this Friday. Im applying for pathology (obvs), and since this is the first, I was wondering if anyone has any tips for what I should do to prepare that is pathology-specific? (i.e…. do we need to prepare short case presentations? What kind of path knowledge are we expected to have and might need to demonstrate?)
What can I expect during my interview day?
During a typical application season, applicants join residents for dinner at a local restaurant which serves as a fun and informative opportunity to get to know current trainees and learn about the program in a low-pressure environment. The interview day consists of morning conference, several faculty interviews, a catered lunch, and a tour of the department. Both the program director, Dr. Anne Mills, and the Department Chair, Dr. Chris Moskaluk, meet with the group to provide an overview of the programs structure and philosophy. The tour and the lunch session allow for additional interaction with residents with plenty of opportunities for questions about the program and life in Charlottesville. The interview day usually concludes around 2-3:00 PM. Applicants should inform the program coordinator if scheduling conflicts arise.
Due to the COVID19-related travel restrictions, the interview experience will be entirely remote for the 2021-22 application season, but applicants can expect a similar degree of exposure to our faculty and trainees with plenty of opportunities to learn about the program. The night before the interview applicants will join residents on Zoom for a chat session. The interview day will include a morning educational session, group chats with the trainees, informational sessions from the program director and Chair, and one-on-one faculty interviews.
FAQ
What questions do they ask in residency interview?
- What was the most important factor that made you choose this program?
- What is a typical week/month/year like for a resident in PGY-1, PGY-2, and PGY-3?
- What is call like? …
- When leave of absence becomes necessary, what happens?
- What community service opportunities are available?
What should you not say in a residency interview?
What do pathologists look for in residency?
- #1 Experience of the pathologists that actually train residents. Make sure you are going to be training to practice for the next 40 years, not the last 40 years. …
- #2 Breadth of diagnostic training. …
- #3 Economic model that drives the program.
How do I do well in residency interview?
- Make sure your personal statement is in good shape. …
- Know some of the common questions. …
- Practice your interview skills. …
- Don’t come in with prepackaged answers. …
- Research every program. …
- Make the most of the entire interview experience. …
- Plan your rotations wisely.
