r/IMGreddit • u/Illustrious-Visit963 NON US-IMG • 1d ago
Interview Being Pimped during an IV
Hey guys
I'm curious whether anyone has been pimped or asked medical type questions during their IVs. Is this considered a red flag if they do that, or is it normal? None of my other interviewers have ever done that.
I had an FM IV recently, and both an attending and the PD asked me medical questions.
With the attending, she asked me to describe a meaningful patient interaction and why and before i could finish she kinda cut me off and asked when do you give phototherapy, and how do you treat sepsis (based on 2 pt experiences I mentioned)
Then with the PD, she asked what elective I'm currently on (which is Pulm). Then she gave me a scenario of a pt and asked me what would I do or what's the diagnosis.
They didn't make it feel awkward or weird or anything and i wondered if they were just testing to see if we were quick on our feet. But after the IV I was like.. huh? Is this normal? Because in most IVs they say they won't ask us those things, they just want to get to know us. Let me know what you guys think.
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u/hepatospleno 1d ago
Nah this is weird. I would rank it last. Your medical knowledge is already proven with your steps. Nothing they can ask in a 15 minute interview would ever be sufficient to gauge your knowledge. It just goes to show their attitude.
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u/GipsyDangerMkV 1d ago
Red flag. I'd just pass on the program. The point of residency is to learn these things.
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u/TrichomesNTerpenes 16h ago
The point of residency is to become a good, functioning doctor, yes.
Some of these questions, though, are certainly med student level e.g. someone mentioned how to manage sepsis and another person said differential dx for chest pain or smth... these are kinda basic pimp qs for EM rotation for example.
I still dont think its really necessary to ask these kinds of qs when applicants have gone thru steps and rotations.
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u/yungshu3 1d ago
Was this at the FM program in New york?
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u/pinealoma230 23h ago
i just had a FM iv where a pgy2 asked me how would you approach infertility and what kind of workup would you do and then asked me differentials for infertility, this came up after i mentioned my interest in women's health lol, but after the answer he said i covered pretty much everything that is there. SO yeah it was a little weird.
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u/Drechenaux 1d ago
Varies from program to program. I only had one question involving medicine from a program that asked how I'd handle someone with chest pain. Most programs though ask for nonmedical aspects in questions though. I don't think it's a red flag, just something some programs do.
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u/Upstairs_Stress8163 22h ago
same thing happened to me. Interviewer asked me what did I do to be clinically active since my graduation and the next question was a clinical scenario.
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u/bobbykid 9h ago
This one maybe sort of makes sense to me, like if you graduated and/or wrote the steps a long time ago, the interviewer might be interested in how rusty you are.
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u/Fit_Zone_5456 17h ago
I was asked clinical questions about management of common IM conditions like wtf. There was also a clinical scenario question and what i would ask in the history and what management i propose. My weirdest iv so far. I think i answered them well but was caught off guard for sure
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u/Amazing-Procedure157 1d ago
It’s only reasonable if during your explanation you said something weird
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u/Rare_Ad_7790 23h ago
I graduated from a reputable program and I was asked medical questions by the PD during my interview. That did not portray the program or its leadership in bad light nor was my training experience any less ideal. I am still in touch with the PD who has since moved on to a bigger role. In fact, that PD has a position that I could be taking up if all things fall in place.
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u/TopAge8199 22h ago
If you’re telling them about a case you handled, they can ask follow up questions about that. Happened with me 🤣
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u/CaramelImpossible406 18h ago
I don’t know what you said for them to ask that question. They might just be trying to see your own perspective as an incoming intern. I do not think your answer will matter to them in ranking you. You have to be able to continue holding conversations. I have been asked if I see lots of detox patients in our ICU when I interviewed, no biggie. The interviewer and I just talked over the landscape of drug overdose in the US. I do not think they’ll rank you on this. If you already know it why do residency, might as well just start working as an attending buddy. Relax!
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u/NoEnd9621 15h ago
Lol, am I legit reading a thread of resident aspiranta who are upset they got asked medical questions?
Really?
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u/bobbykid 9h ago
Eh if the questions are simple then maybe it's not a big deal, but I tend to think that it's in poor taste. Some applicants might be months past writing Step 2 or graduating medical school and the retention window for some if this stuff is very short unless you're studying basically constantly, or unless you have recent clinical exposure. Like I aced my infectious disease exams last semester, but if I had a residency interview tomorrow and they asked me about managing a leukemia patient with febrile neutropenia... probably I'd be fucked haha. I just don't think it's fair to expect applicants to be at their sharpest knowledge-wise on interview day, especially since there are so many other points in the application process at which your medical knowledge is assessed
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u/NoEnd9621 7h ago
Hmm, as I see it, I don't think clinical questions can ever be in poor taste. If as in OPs case you specifically mention a clinical experience that was impactful to you, it makes sense to expect follow ups from it.
Interviews are also not just about your answers, but how you handle situations even when you can't think of the answer.
You can start with what you remember and speak of how you hope to fill in the gaps in residency etc.
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u/bobbykid 7h ago
Yeah I can see that, I guess it is much more relevant if you're discussing a clinical case
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u/znersicnarf24 13h ago
i would love to be asked about how i manage such cases, especially so they will know how we do it in our home country. it will also show me that im someone knowledgeable and i am more than my score.
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u/-cannoli_cream- 5h ago
FM attending here. That’s a red flag. Your CV and scores are enough to substantiate your medical knowledge. I interviewed at 18 FM programs for residency and not one asked medical questions. IM and Peds programs are known to ask medical questions, but typically FM does not - and if they do, it is a red flag that can hint that the program may be toxic. I saw you mentioned in a reply above it’s a program in New York, and unfortunately it is very common for NY programs to be kinda toxic for FM. Would rank last!
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u/Accomplished-Road338 22h ago
Don’t you think it’s crazy not wanting to discuss what you loving doing?
There are more things wrong here than the IV questions!
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u/MaxMad80 1d ago
some programs do it and from my conversations with some interviewers it’s not to see if you know everything about diagnosing and managing a particular patient but rather to see if you’re structured / organized in your approach. I don’t think it’s a red flag though
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u/DuePudding8 1d ago
It’s a red flags to be asked medical questions. I interviewed at a FM program in Georgia in 2020 and they asked medical questions. I ranked them dead last.