Dermatology Residency Interview Question Prep

Dermatology is one of the most competitive specialties, making a strong interview performance essential. Whether in-person or virtual, preparation is key to showcasing your skills, passion, and ability to thrive in a demanding program. This post offers tips to help you excel, from communicating your strengths to answering tough questions confidently. I'll start with insight on how to approach high yield interview questions followed by common interview questions so you can craft thoughtful, authentic responses. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion and how I approached interviews. You might have a different approach, and if that currently works better for you, then that's great!

High yield questions:

Tell me about yourself

This is your opportunity to share your story and who you are on a personal level. In under 2 minutes, I typically responded by briefly discussing my upbringing, including where I grew up, my college education, my journey to medical school, and my reasons for choosing medicine. Then, I would explain how I first became interested in dermatology and why I decided to pursue it. If you pursued a research year then this is also a great time to mention it and how it shaped your particular interests. Lastly, I concluded with my future goals in dermatology and how I envision my future role in the specialty.

What interests you about our program?

This is your chance to clearly articular why you want to match at the program that you are interviewing at. You can discuss various points that align with your interests, such as specialty clinics, patient demographics, clinical sites, research opportunities, and community involvement. As mentioned in my previous post, location and personal or family ties should be mentioned last among your reasons. For programs in smaller or less sought-after cities, having family ties or specific reasons why you want to be there can be very impactful. Conversely, in larger or more popular cities, many candidates may have family or relationship ties, so while these can be advantageous, they may not be as impactful.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

When discussing your strengths, this is an excellent opportunity to get a little more personal. Reflect on your upbringing, childhood, and the journey you've taken, considering the lessons learned along the way. Think about how your life has lead you to this point and how it has shaped your interactions with patients and colleagues. Highlight strengths that align with the program. For example, if you talking to a program that uses a more team-based approach, discuss your ability to work well in a team and provide a relevant example from your life. When addressing weaknesses, choose something that can be easily improved through training. You might mention working on becoming more confident and explain how you believe the program will support this growth. Avoid mentioning traits like stubbornness, impatience, or a short temper, as these could be seen negatively by the interviewer. Also, steer clear of clichés like "I work too hard," "I care too much," or "I'm a perfectionist."

Why dermatology?

The dreaded why dermatology question. From someone on the inside, I can confidently say that dermatology is the best specialty. In a single day, you can see patients of all ages and backgrounds, dealing with a wide range of conditions while performing biopsies, procedures, and surgeries. I also have always liked that in dermatology you have the chance to form long-term relationships with your patients and see their progression and improvement. When addressing this question, reflect on your experiences, the patients you've encountered, and what excites you about joining the field. It's crucial to show that you understand dermatology encompasses much more than just acne, eczema, psoriasis, and skin cancer, as you'll soon discover as a dermatology resident that there is SO much to learn. Avoid mentioning superficial aspects such as lifestyle or salary.

How did you become interested in dermatology?

For this question, I don’t think there is a need to get super creative with your response. I truly just focused on my actual introduction and the events that lead to my discovery of dermatology. Once you’ve shared how your interest came to be you can easily tie it back to your “why dermatology” response.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

The next decade can be divided into short-term goals and long-term goals. Short-term goals may include finishing residency, pursing a fellowship, or research projects of interest. Long-term goals could involve community service initiatives, launching your own specialty clinic, or taking on leadership roles. However, it's important to be cautious about certain topics you mention. You should avoid giving the impression that your interest in dermatology is financially motivated, so steer clear of focusing on travel aspirations, material possessions, or financial goals. Discussing areas like cosmetics or Mohs surgery can also be risky particularly in places where they strive to train more academic dermatologist. While it is sad to say, I also recommend caution in adding personal goals such as getting married or having children as it may cause interviewers to question how these personal goals may impact the flow of their residency programs or where you see yourself settling in the future.

Of your research projects/experiences what did you find the most meaningful and why?

When I first encountered this question, it took me by surprise. As a medical student, research often seems like a requirement to enhance your chances of matching. However, to genuinely convey your "story" and define your niche, answering this question well can truly set you apart. Reflect deeply on all the projects you've been involved in and identify which one represents or aligns most with your future goals. If no specific project comes to mind, you might discuss a project somewhat related to your goals and use it to illustrate how it sparked your interests in something else.

Tell me about (this publication)

It is important to know ALL publications that you were a part of. I personally kept printed copies of all my publications in a binder with key points highlighted so that I could briefly summarize the background, methods, results, conclusions, and future directions. The worse thing would be to get in an interview and not know or be able to describe your own research, even for projects you played a minor role.

How would you describe yourself? How would others describe you?

This question is quite similar to the "what are your strengths" question. Besides considering my own perspective, I also reached out to my family and friends to hear how they would describe me, and I used their insights to craft a well-rounded answer. Viewing yourself through others' perspectives can be beneficial, as they might use adjectives you wouldn't have selected for yourself.

Behavioral questions:

As mentioned in my previous post, it is important to have a handful of stories and anecdotes prepared for your interviews. Not every story will fit perfectly to each prompt, but having stories in mind that you can adapt to fit each of these situations is helpful to make you feel more prepared for questions that may catch you off guard. Remember the SAR or STAR method as mentioned in my previous post to provide a complete and comprehensive response. As a reminder, 'S' stands for situation, where you set the scene and describe the context you were in. 'T', which is optional and less crucial in medicine compared to business or other fields, involves outlining the task you were assigned. I often skipped this step. 'A' represents action, detailing the actions you took and what transpired. Finally, 'R' is for result, arguably the most important part, as it allows you to reflect and demonstrate what you learned.

• Describe a time you failed

• Describe a time you faced a challenge

• Describe a stressful situation

• Describe a situation with a difficult patient

• Describe an interesting case you saw

• Tell me about a time when you showed initiative or went above and beyond

• Describe a clinical situation that didn’t go as well as you would have liked

• Describe a clinical situation that went well

• Tell me a time where you were able to relate with someone of a different background as you

• Tell me about a time where you feel that you failed a patient

• Tell me about a case where you felt the physician did a good job at delivering bad news

• Describe a relationship with a patient that had a significant effect on you.

• Tell me a time where you had a conflict in a team.

Other questions:

Below are some other questions that you may be asked in an interview.

• Name 3 adjectives that best describe you

• What is one negative about dermatology?

• What problems do you foresee in dermatology in the upcoming years?

• What is important in a training program?

• What rotation gave you the most difficulty and why?

• How do you handle stress?

• Describe this picture for me

• Do you have a particular interest within dermatology? What do you see yourself doing in the future?

• Did you take a research year?

• What are your hobbies/interests?

• What is something not on your CV that you'd like for us to know about you as a person?

• Who is your favorite person in the world?

• What is something unique you can bring to the program?

• Tell me a joke

• What is the best aspect of dermatology?

• What is the major downside of dermatology?

• On a scale of 1-10, how do you compare to other applicants?

• Who is someone that you look up to?

• If you had to choose someone to put on the cover of Time Magazine, who would you choose?

• If you had a day off what would you do?

• What is your proudest accomplishment?

• What is the best invention in the last 10 years and what is the worst invention in the last 10 years?

• How would you describe beauty?

• If you could have any superhero power, what would it be and why?

• Why are manholes round?

• If you were an animal or object, what would you be?

• If you couldn't do dermatology, what other specialty would you consider and why?

• If you couldn't do medicine, what other profession would you pursue and why?

• Why should we choose you?

• What's you favorite movie/book/TV show?

• What's a fun fact about you?

• If you had to be a flavor of ice cream what would it be?

• What's the best advice you ever received?

• What would you do if you won a million dollars today?

Final Thoughts

Acing your dermatology residency interview is about preparation, confidence, and authenticity. By understanding the most commonly asked questions, communicating your passion for dermatology, and highlighting your unique strengths, you'll set yourself apart as a strong candidate. Remember, interviews are also an opportunity to learn more about the program and determine if it's the right fit for you. If you haven't already check out my other posts for general interview tips, questions to ask interviewers during your interviews, and Zoom-specific interview tips. Good luck on your path to becoming a dermatologist!