Residency Interview - The Fourteenth

Strategic scheduling of my last interview of the season allowed me to squeeze in a Miami Beach mini vacation at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Of course I had to make a stop at the beach to recapture the benefits of natural sunlight the rest of the nation doesn't get during the winter months.

Mount Sinai Medical Center

Suited up for my last interview and enjoying the Atlantic coast sunrise flooding over the Biscayne Bay, I made my way to the bay-side hospital. Once a month the emergency medicine residents hold their weekly conference at Ryder Trauma Center associated with Jackson Memorial Hospital. After the guest lectures and resident presentations we stopped downtown Miami Beach for lunch with a couple residents. Once returned to the hospital, we toured the facility which has some of the best patient-room views I have ever seen!

As the holidays were around the corner, only a couple students were being interviewed, offering more time for questions during interview sessions. I first met with the assistant program director with whom I had worked during my rotation months earlier. In addition to the generalized questions posed, I was presented with a series of clinical case scenarios. It was friendly discussion and an opportunity to see where I stand in my learning pursuits as well as my approach to problem solving. Similar scenarios spilled over into the following interview with the residents. Open communication and the welcoming attitude were greatly appreciated at this well known program.

On this day of new beginnings, we contemplate where to direct our efforts in seeking happiness for the year to come. With interviews a thing of the past, it is time for me to focus on the decisions that will affect the rest of my career. The excitement of new adventures, challenges and aspirations is welcomed as I step forward into this time of transition, of reinventing myself. Happy New Year!

Question of the Week

What strong characteristics have you seen in other programs that attract you?