Preparing for Your Veterinary Surgeon Interview: 26 Essential Questions and How to Answer Them

So you’ve scored an interview for a veterinary surgeon position. Congratulations! This is a fun and rewarding job that lets you combine your medical knowledge with your love of animals. However, the interview process can feel intimidating. You’ll need to show off not only your technical skills, but also your drive, compassion, and ability to talk to people.

Fortunately being well-prepared can help ease those nerves. In this article we’ll explore 26 common veterinary surgeon interview questions along with tips for crafting strong, compelling responses. Our goal is to help you enter that interview room feeling confident and ready to impress!

Overview of Key Veterinary Surgeon Interview Topics

Veterinary surgeon interviews typically cover the following key topics

• Technical Expertise: Questions that assess your hands-on surgical experience, knowledge of procedures, use of tools/technology and ability to handle complications. This is to evaluate your overall competence and judgment as a surgeon.

• Communication Skills: Questions that evaluate how you explain complex procedures to pet owners, handle disagreements and manage highly emotional situations with empathy. This determines your “bedside manner”.

• Quick Thinking Scenarios that test your ability to improvise, adapt and make critical decisions under pressure when unpredictable situations arise How you react in the moment is very revealing.

• Patient Care: I have questions about how you make sure animals are safe, comfortable, and following the right steps for sterilization and recovery after surgery. This speaks to your commitment to welfare.

• Growth Mindset: Discussions around continuing education, specialization, innovations and advancing your expertise. Are you curious and proactive about learning?

With these topic areas in mind, let’s get into the specific questions:

Technical Expertise

1. Can you walk me through your experience with complex surgical procedures on animals?

This is likely to be one of the very first questions to assess your hands-on expertise right out the gate. Be prepared to provide specifics around:

• The types of complex surgeries you have performed (orthopedic, neurologic, oncologic, soft tissue, etc.)

• Your experience across various animal species – dogs, cats, horses, livestock, exotics, etc.

• Key skills showcased during these procedures – your surgical planning approach, adherence to protocols, aseptic technique, use of technologies/tools, tissue handling, speed/precision of execution, etc.

• How you collaborated with your veterinary team during surgery

• Any high-pressure situations or complications encountered and how these were handled

2. How do you stay up-to-date on the latest advancements and techniques in the veterinary surgery field?

Continuous learning is a must as a veterinary surgeon. Be ready to discuss:

• The publications, journals or scientific resources you regularly review to keep current

• Professional development courses, training seminars, workshops, and conferences you attend

• Involvement in professional membership groups and associations

• Techniques for collaborating with colleagues and specialists to learn of new advancements

• How you evaluate and integrate appropriate emerging technologies/tools into your practice

3. Walk me through your sterilization and disinfection protocols prior to surgery. How do you ensure optimal asepsis?

This question is focused on gauging your understanding of safe, sterile surgical practices. In your response, cover:

• The specific disinfectants/chemicals used for cleaning tools, equipment and surgical sites

• The processes involved in manual and machine cleaning of instruments

• Your use of sterilization methods like autoclaving and the controls used to validate effectiveness

• Standards around OR room disinfection and controlling airflow/ventilation

• Personal protective equipment worn by yourself and your team

• Proper handling, draping and prepping techniques used on the animal patients

• Record-keeping around sterilization monitoring and equipment maintenance

4. How do you leverage diagnostic imaging tools like radiographs, MRI, or CT scans in your surgical planning and assessments?

This evaluates your ability to incorporate advanced modalities into your surgical decision-making:

• Provide examples of how these imaging techniques have provided vital insight pre-operatively in cases you’ve handled previously

• Discuss the types of conditions, anatomy or abnormalities that imaging allows you to identify, measure or characterize

• Explain how this information precisely guides your surgical approach, incisions, tissue handling etc. intra-operatively

• Share any specialty training you’ve undertaken specifically related to using/interpreting these diagnostic results

Communication Skills

5. How do you communicate with and reassure emotional or anxious pet owners before, during and after their animal’s surgery?

Your empathy and bedside manner are so important. Be prepared to discuss:

• The information provided pre-surgery – risks, procedures, aftercare – and how you ensure owners understand

• Methods for calming and reassuring distressed owners – addressing concerns, explaining processes, setting expectations, empathizing with their love for their pet

• Regular surgical updates provided to owner throughout procedure

• Guidance to owners on post-operative care protocols/warning signs once pet is home

• Maintaining accessibility – providing contact information and supporting owners throughout pet’s recovery

6. If an owner disagreed with your recommended surgical treatment, how would you handle this?

Conflicts in opinion can (and do) occur. Illustrate your approach:

• Actively listening to the owner’s specific concerns about risks, necessity, costs, etc.

• Respectfully explaining your professional opinion and rationale again using layman terminology

• Acknowledging the owner’s emotions and perspective

• Exploring alternative options that may align better with owner’s wishes but still promote animal health

• Reaching a shared decision prioritizing the pet’s wellbeing

7. Take me through how you educate and prepare a pet owner before a complex or high-risk surgery.

How you set expectations can profoundly impact the owner’s experience. Discuss:

• Providing written information sheets/visuals on procedures for the owner to review beforehand

• Explaining step-by-step what the surgery will entail, anticipated duration, medication protocols

• Clear discussions around all potential risks and complications so the owner is well-informed

• Guidance to the owner on any pre-operative preparations needed for the pet – fasting, medication cessation, lab work etc.

• Addressing all owner questions and concerns about the procedure, recovery, aftercare etc.

Quick Thinking

8. Think of a time during a surgery when you encountered an unexpected complication. How did you respond in that moment?

With the unpredictability of live surgeries, assessors want to know you can keep calm under fire. Structure your response using the STAR method:

Situation – Briefly summarize the surgery and the specific complication faced

Task – What needed to be handled in that moment to address the situation

Action – walk through the steps you took reactively to manage the complication

Result – share the outcome reflecting on what was handled well versus any lessons learned

9. If a piece of essential surgical equipment malfunctioned unexpectedly, how would you proceed?

Highlight your adaptability and creative problem-solving:

• Immediate focus on ensuring the patient remains safe, sterile and as comfortable as possible

• Rapidly assessing if backup equipment/alternate tools are available that could be substituted

• Considering whether the procedure can proceed safely without that equipment or should be paused/postponed

• Discussing options with the veterinary team to determine the optimal makeshift or modified approach

• If needed, being prepared to abort the surgery if the right equipment cannot be sourced and safely restart once remedied

10. Tell me about a time you had to critically change up your surgical plan mid-procedure due to a discovery or complication.

Change can happen fast once surgery is underway. Discuss:

• How you quickly re-evaluate the situation and risks, thinking analytically even under stress

• Trusting your experience and judgment to make pivotal decisions on adapting the approach

• Clearly communicating changes in plan to your veterinary team and ensuring understanding

• Remaining nimble – open to iterations as needed – while focused on the pet’s wellbeing above all else

Patient Care

11. What steps do you take to minimize pain and discomfort for an animal post-operatively?

This question demonstrates your compassion and commitment to animal welfare. In your response, cover:

• Your pain management plan – analgesics, anti-inflammatories, dosages, schedules, routes (oral, IV, topical)

• Monitoring animal pain levels throughout recovery – observing behavior, vital signs, inquiring with techs/owners

• Adjusting medications quickly if pet seems uncomfortable; using multimodal regimens if needed

• Any non-pharmaceutical approaches – acupuncture, cold compression, massage, etc.

• Educating owners thoroughly on post-op care protocols and how to manage pain at home

**12. What biosecurity and sanitation protocols do you have in place in your operating rooms? **

Biosecurity is so vital in veterinary surgical settings. Discuss