Health Pros: Sample Interview Questions
A collection of practice questions to help you prep for your interviews.
- Why do you want to become a _______?
- Why do you want to attend our program?
- What are your long-term goals in this profession?
- What your most impactful clinical/non-clinical experience? What did you gain from it?
- What will you do if you don’t get admitted this cycle? For reapplicants: What have you done to strengthen your application this cycle?
- Tell me about experiences you’ve had working with diverse groups of people.
- What do you do for fun?
- Who has influenced your life the most? In what ways?
- Specific questions about your application such as a research or clinical experience; your major or coursework; any concerns, gaps, or inconsistencies in your file.
- Is there anything else we should know about you/your application?
Additional resources:
Video: Two Med School Interview Questions You Need Answers For
Video: Tell about yourself: How to answer this med school interview question
LinkedIn Learning: Delivering an Authentic Elevator Pitch (Tell me a little about yourself…)
- Share a recent situation where you had to be assertive to advocate for yourself.
- Tell me about a time when you experienced failure.
- What are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?
- What accomplishment are you most proud of?
- Describe a time when you had a conflict with a classmate or coworker and how it was resolved.
- Explain how you manage stress.
- Tell me about a time you worked effectively in a team.
- Give an example of a time when you successfully motivated others.
- What do you think your biggest challenge will be as a medical/health professions student?
- Tell me about a time you had to receive negative feedback.
Additional Resources:
Video: How to Answer – What is Your Greatest Weakness?
Guide to Behavioral Interviews – Vault (use Grinnell email to create an account & login for free access)
- If you could cure any illness, what would it be and why?
- How would you respond to a patient who was very angry about their long wait time in the emergency room?
- What would you say to a friend who just shared that they had been diagnosed with cancer?
- A patient brings you a costly gift. What would you do?
- Give an example of a time when you witnessed or practiced cultural competency in a clinical setting.
- If you could invite three historical people to dinner, who would they be, and why would you invite them?
- If money was no object, what is one thing you would propose to address healthcare disparities in your home community?
- What would you say to a patient who refused a prescribed medication in favor of traditional folk remedies?
- If you couldn’t become a doctor, and money weren’t an issue, what career would you choose instead?
- If you were granted three wishes, what would they be and why?
Additional Resources:
Video: Mock Med School Interview: Behavioral, General and Situational Questions
- Given the long wait times for transplants, should we offer financial incentives for organ and tissue donors?
- Does euthanasia have a place in modern medicine?
- How would you approach a patient who was refusing a life-saving treatment due to their religious beliefs?
- How would you react if you discovered a classmate cheating?
- Should hospitals be able to require their employees be vaccinated?
- Should physicians share their religious or political beliefs with patients?
- What would you do if a patient who was a minor requested to be vaccinated against their parents’ wishes?
- If you observe a coworker taking clinic supplies home, what would you do?
- Family members sometimes request physicians not reveal the full extent of an illness to a loved one facing a terminal prognosis. Is it right for physicians to withhold information from patients about their condition near the end of their life?
- Do you think everyone should have equal access to all medical care? For example, should expensive treatments be suspended for very elderly patients?
- What is the most pressing problem in our healthcare system?
- Has the internet been a net positive or a net negative for patients?
- Beyond direct patient care and training medical students, are there other roles physicians should fill in our society? What role should they have in policy or advocacy?
- Why do you think so many physicians experience burnout?
- What impact do you expect climate change will have on human health?
- What emerging medical technologies most excite you?
- What should be done to address the shortage of healthcare in rural/urban communities?
- What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
- What are your thoughts on the legalization of marijuana for medical and/or recreational purposes?
- Scan the headlines for ongoing or developing stories in politics, science, or healthcare that could form the basis for questions.
Remember that you are also interviewing the institution. Before the interview, prepare a few questions about the curriculum, special programs, campus culture, opportunities, or support services to help you determine if you can be successful at that institution.
Potential questions for faculty
- Why did you decide to come to this school as a faculty member?
- What characteristics do you see in students who are successful here?
- What do you feel makes this institution different from other medical schools?
- Can you give an example of a recent change the school has made based on student feedback?
- Can you share any anticipated initiatives or changes to the program that you’re especially excited about?
Potential questions for students
- Why did you decide to come to this school?
- What is the campus culture like? How competitive/collaborative is it? How responsive is the administration to student concerns?
- What do students do for fun? What is it like living here?
- If you could recommend one change to the administration, what would it be?
- How prepared did you feel for your clinical clerkships, STEP exams, etc.?