1... Tell me something about itself...?

Answer:
I was born & raised in the city of Fazil Pur, Pakistan. From my early school life, I’ve been a brilliant and
hardworking student. I stood almost always first in my class. In my pre medical exam, I scored high and
got admission on full scholarship in NMC which is one of the oldest institutions in country & one of the
best in south Asia. During my medical school years, I got a good command over basic and clinical
subjects due to strong didactics and a healthy competitive environment in medical school.
NMC is affiliated with Nishtar hospital which is 1500 bedded hospital and one of the largest in country. It
gave me exposure to wide variety of diseases and refined my clinical skills. After my graduation I worked
in a family hospital and maternity home for 1 year. Then I started training under supervision of an
internal medicine specialist. Meanwhile I passed my usmle exams & came to USA for my post graduate
training. Here I passed my CS exam and started externship in internal medicine under supervision of an
internist in phoenix Arizona. Meanwhile I took my usmle step 3 exams and scored 231. Then I applied for
change of status thru green card & started another externship at Heart & Vascular institute, Harper
University Hospital, Wayne State University, Detroit.
I’m a Team player both at professional and extracurricular levels, a member of my college swimming
team, captain in final year. I’m an art loving person, playing piano, got an award at annual fun fair, a
humanity loving person, working in donor’s society for five years, president for one year, and my
performance as president also proved my management qualities, worked as a hostel secretary for one
year, enhancing my management capabilities, a humble person with pleasant mood and my logical
clinical approach towards management has always attracted me to search for and get the best training
in internal medicine. I feel highly passionate about the prospects of getting such training in medicine.

2...y did u choose medicine?

Answer:
I’ve always been sympathetic and compassionate to those who have been in distress. These feelings of
sympathy and compassion have been in my nature since ever. I always thought that fine health is the
most important blessing of nature to humans. And if I’ve to serve the humanity, I would have to take
care of the health of people.
Secondly, I was impressed by the respect and honor that a doctor earns not only from his patients but
also from the society. So these two factors generated the eternal quest to learn the art of medicine in
the service of humanity. And esp. the internal medicine….

3...y did u opt for internal medicine?

Answer:
First of all, I was impressed by the logical thinking that operates in IM while diagnosing and managing a
patient. I find it really interesting to find out the cause of pt.’s illness from signs and symptoms using my
inquisitive mind. It provides the intellectual challenge, the gratification from patient management and
the opportunity to obtain a solid & broad medical knowledge base. I was really inspired by these
aspects of internal medicine. Secondly, IM is the main stem that includes all the branches of medicine.
So it gives me a sense of being a complete doctor. So, that’s why I choose im & applied in your im
program…

4...y did u apply in our program. /what does u knows about our program.../what benefit
will u have if u train with us.../how is we different...???
Answer:
I have few of my seniors & friends who are working in this hospital. They all recommended me this
program for my residency training.
I also went thru the website of the hospital. It’s pretty good hospital and has
Excellent work environment
Strong didactics
Elective opportunities
IMG friendly
-
& due to its location is exposed to not only a wide pt. population but also a population that is
multiethnic, giving me exposure to multitude of diseases.
My choice of your program is further strengthened by the fact that it is located in a big city. I love the
life of a big city like NY. I enjoy the liveliness of a big city. My family also lives in NY so it would be socially
beneficial & would take less time for me to adjust to the environment.
So these are the strengths in this program which really match to my personality.

5...What are your strengths and weaknesses..???

Answer:
Strengths: first of all, I’m a team player. I’ve the ability to work in a team efficiently b/c of my
friendly nature. I can get along well with my colleagues, seniors & nursing staff. It comes from my
rotations at Nishtar hospital where our class was divided into numerous small batches. Being an active
member of my batch, I helped my colleagues in pt. management when they needed & I also seek their
help whenever needed. We used to discuss our weak areas with each other & frequently arranged
combined discussions in those weak areas.
Secondly I’m a devoted and dedicated person. I work hard to achieve excellence in my field. I reach
hospital before time so that I can well prepare all my allotted cases before morning rounds. In addition
to managing cases in hospital, I study them at home. This strengthens my knowledge base. It also helps
me to participate actively in rounds. I also become aware of the rare and atypical presentation of
diseases & also the latest advancements in disease management.
I’m a quick learner. I’ve the ability to grasp new things quickly. After my USMLE CS, I had the
opportunity to work in a medical set up that was quite different from my country. But due to this ability,
I didn’t face any difficulty during both of my externships.
I’m a disciplined person. I want that everything should be placed at it proper position & done at its
proper time. And I think these strengths have been helping me a lot while I was working in Donor’s
Society too.
Weaknesses: smile
Its tough question. What I can think of is that my friends tell me that I tend to overexert myself in my
academic pursuits and as of result of which I tend to give less time to my hobbies and personal life. But
as I’ve matured both personally and professionally, I’m learning to maintain a balance between my
personal and professional life.
I get weight very easily, so I need to keep a consistent check on my physique. I need regular exercise
too.
I need a coffee after 6-8 hours of work to avoid feeling headache. But I’m trying to cover up these
weaknesses so that I can achieve my long term goals.

6….Experience at Donor’s society

Answer:
Donor's Society, Nishtar Medical College Multan is a voluntary society organized by students of this
institution since 1982, for the help of poor patients not only by arranging blood but also in helping
people coming from far off places with financial support and arranging medicines as well. Presently
more than 500 students are active members of the society. The members organize various camps and
other activities for fund raising. I’ve been its member for 5 years.
As a Member, I succeeded in arranging more than 4000 blood pints. I also remained among organizers of
Annual Donation Camps at Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan & Annual Donation collection stall at
Nishtar Medical College Annual Fun Fair on regular basis. I helped in arranging regular monthly meetings
and improving coordination among members. I was also active in arranging public awareness campaigns.
I served this society as PRESIDENT for one year.

7… Experience at Donor’s society as President

Answer:
Donor's Society, Nishtar Medical College Multan is a voluntary society organized by students of this
institution since 1982, for the help of poor patients not only by arranging blood but also in helping
people coming from far off places with financial support and arranging medicines as well. Presently
more than 500 students are active members of the society. The members organize various camps and
other activities for fund raising. I’ve been its member for 5 years.
I served this society as PRESIDENT for the session 2004-05. As president, I organized Donation Camp at
Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. It was a huge success collecting more than 500 blood pints and a
large amount of donations.
I also succeeded in raising the number of members by increasing awareness among students and
improving coordination among members.
I introduced Weekly Duty Roster System & Point Scoring System which ensured smooth and consistent
performance of Society & proper work-evaluation of active members. And I consider this experience
highly valuable & helpful in achieving my long term goals.
8... What are Ur long term goals? What do you see yourself doing in the future? Where
do u see itself in 10 years....??
Answer:
I see myself as a good physician working in some hospital in usa, teaching my junior colleagues,
transferring my experience to them and also actively involved in some research work.
I want to do fellowships at supra specialty levels/ become a hospitalist, but I’m entering the residency
with an open mind. And I’ll decide about it during my residency. Right now one thing for sure is that I
want to do my residency training from USA.

9... Why USA?

Answer:
I’ve always aspired for the best. I’ve studied in very good schools. I did my graduation from NMC which
is one of the best in south Asia. It is affiliated with UHS, which is in collaboration with University of Texas
Houston, University of Pittsburg, Duke University USA and University of Liverpool in UK; it was also
awarded as the best institution in health care by Asian educational congress. And medical set up in USA
is most advanced, has excellent work environment & strong didactics. And if I’m here, I would have the
opportunity to be in touch with the latest medical advances.
 Secondly, I’ve worked in USA under supervision of attending. I was really inspired by them due to a
highly logical & stepwise approach towards pt. management. I’ve also many seniors & friends working in
USA as residents. I discussed my future plans with them & they all recommended USA for my residency
training. That’s why I came here, completed my usmle exams and started externship here.

10...Experience at Externship
Answer:
It was really a healthy experience. I got to know how things work in US Medical Set up. I’ve been taking
histories, performing physical exams under supervision, following labs & other investigations, doing
dictation & performing billing. Besides clinical experience, my communication skills improved & I truly
realized the importance of proper counseling in management of patients. How I take important
decisions in life

11...describe an interesting case that u came across..???

Tell me about the patient from whom you learned the most?
Answer:
1:
While I was doing my externship at Heart & Vascular institute, Harper university Hospital, Wayne state
university, Detroit. I found a 25 year old male patient of Bangladesh origin, presented with H/o recurrent
episodes of syncope ass with feelings of lightheadedness and anxiety for last 6 months. Total 3 episodes,
Last episode was 3 weeks back with each episode occurring suddenly, lasting for 20 minutes, and
recovering spontaneously, with preceding palpitations. There was also positive h/o 6lb wt. loss in 6
months. Patient related these symptoms with the ill health of his father & recent death of his father.
There were no h/o seizures, dizziness, chest pain, dyspnea, edema, headache or visual field
abnormalities there was no appreciable h/o heat or cold intolerance or recent voice change. There was
no significant past medical or surgical history, no h/o allergy or medication use. There was history of
hospitalization on previous 3 occasions for the same complaints. There was no family history of sudden
cardiac death or premature CAD. He was a nonsmoker, Nonalcoholic with no h/o any drug abuse.
Sexually active with a single female partner.
I performed his clinical examination. On GPE, vitals were WNL except HR of 95. There was no pallor,
jaundice/ clubbing or cynasosis. On HEENT exam. Visual activity was normal with no evidence of
proptosis or nystagmus. Neck was supple with no lymphadenopathy, no palpable thyromegaly.
Extremities: pulses intact B/L no evidence of tremors. On heart examination, there was RRR, N S1/S2, No
murmurs/Rubs or Gallops. there was no JVD, no palpable thrill, PMI non displaced & carotids were intact
B/L. chest and abdominal examination was also WNL. I noticed his record showing his labs including CBC,
Chem 7 panel and urine drug screen were negative.24 hr holter monitoring revealed no ekg
abnormality. Echo report was normal.
I presented the case to my attending, and he advised the patient for stress testing, and advised me to
get his scheduling done. When the attending came out, I went with him into his office and asked his
opinion about getting his thyroid profile. My attending appreciated me & ordered all his Thyroid profile,
LFT’s, RFt’s and serum electrolytes and advised me to send him to lab for blood sample. I got it done and
his reports came back 3 days later with his tsh less than normal. My attending appreciated me again and
advised me to keep my eyes & mind open while assessing a case. I was delighted that my suspicion
turned out into a diagnosis and this reinforced my confidence.
And the same confidence helps me in taking important decisions in my life.
?
2:
whom you learned the most?

This experience made an impact on is how I make important decisions in my life.

12...did u do any mistake during your internship..?? What error have

you made in patient care?
Answer:
One of my attendings used to say: if you’ve not done any mistake, it means you’ve not done enough &
you’ve not learned enough.
As far as my clinical experience is concerned, I’ve not done a mistake that has resulted in some major
complication. But a few minor mistakes have happened, like
A 24 year old married female came for prescription of ocp’s. I gave her the prescription & sent her home
but forgot to do pregnancy test. Soon I realized my mistake, I called her, stressed her to do pregnancy
test before starting the prescription. Her urine pregnancy test was done which came out to be negative.
I was relieved that I had realized my mistake in time.

13...what criteria are u using to rank programs...??

Answer:
Good work environment
Elective opportunities
Didactic teaching
Exposure to wide pt. population

14...how do u make important decisions of your life..??

Answer:
I begin by gathering as much information as I can from different sources about the matter at hand. Then
I go over the benefits and risks involved if I take that decision. I also take advice of some experienced
person (who can help me in taking that decision). After viewing all the pros & cons, I take my own
decision & then I stick to it.

15…What if your decision proves wrong?

Answer:
I would not be dishearted. It would just add to my experience & next time I would come up with a better
decision.

16…With what type of people do you enjoy working (& not working)?
Answer:
Friendly, talkative people, who work as a team, people who are logical and systematic;
And who explain the basis of decisions that they take, people who don’t mind being asked questions.
For ‘not enjoy working with’:
I’m a person who is able to get on with all types of people and i can’t think of anyone whom I have
really disliked working with.

17…How would you describe your personal style?

Answer:
Humble; friendly, outgoing, hardworking and committed to achieving personal goals.

18…How do you manage conflicts?

Answer:
I sit with the person with whom I’m having conflict & discuss the matter with him to clarify any
misunderstandings that we might be having. Then I go over the possible solutions to resolve the conflict.

19...would u be staying in USA or going be to Pakistan...??

Answer:
I want to stay in USA b/c I pretty much like US medical set up & its work environment. Also if I’m here, I
would have the opportunity to be in touch with the latest medical advances.

20...Do u have any interest in research...???

Answer:
Yes, I’m interested in research. If given proper environment & guidance, I would like to learn & explore
new things from my research work.

21… how do u spend urn leisure time...?? What do you do in your

spare time? What are your interests?
Answer: I love to watch movies and listen to music. I like to play cricket. I also do cycling, jogging &
swimming. I love to dine with my family & friends.

22...what motivates u to put forth your best effort..??

Answer: Sense of responsibility. If I’m assigned a task, it’s the sense of responsibility that stimulates me
to put all my efforts to do that task.

23...how do u define success...???

Answer:
It’s the path that you follow with a clear focus in your mind and not the rewards you reap.

24...qualities of a good doctor..??

Answer:
Sympathetic & compassionate
Good communication skills
Good listener
Have a sense of responsibility
25...describe what relationship should exist btw attending and those
reporting to him
Answer:
Attending & residents are just like a family with attending being the head of the family. So the residents
should give respect and honor to the attending but should not be reluctant in asking any questions from
the attending. Similarly the attending should treat residents like their sons & daughters. Being members
of the same family, they should share moments of happiness and sorrow together.

26...what do u think your attitude towards nurses should be..???

Answer:
Residents should have good terms with them. They learn many small things of tremendous importance
from them. So attitude towards nurses should be professional & friendly.

27...what if u don’t get a residency position

Answer:
I’ll start by pondering over my shortcomings & deficiencies and will try to correct them & will come back
next year as a stronger candidate. I think I would do research or gain more US clinical experience & will
apply to residency next year with that experience.

28...teach me something interesting in 5 min, outside medicine...??

Answer:
I would teach you breathing exercise for relaxation. Please close your eyes & imagine that you’re
walking along the shore line with cool breeze gently moving across your face and listening to your
favorite music. Now take a deep breath with open mouth, hold it for 5 sec & slowly release it through
pursed lips. I want you to do 3 sets of 5. I also try the same whenever I feel any stress.

29...what type of criticism upsets u..??

Answer:
A criticism that is not constructive & is intended to tease and not to correct. Criticism should be
constructive with suggestions on how to improve.

30...how does medicine in Pakistan is compared to USA????

Answer:
Pakistan is a developing country. So medical facilities are not available to areas far from cities, hence
there is a delay in reaching a tertiary care center. So there is the opportunity to see diseases in their
advanced stages
In Pakistan, diagnosis of a patient is mainly based on history & physical examination. Most of the
patients are poor & cannot afford costly lab investigations. Only those tests are done which are really
indicated: while in USA, extensive lab work up is involved in pt. management.
Research has a big role in medicine in USA & that’s why medicine has become so dynamic, leading to
better options for pt. management.
31…Experience at Family Hospital & Maternity Home?
Answer:
My duties included attending inpatient, outpatient & emergency departments. Each week, I had two
12hr emergency duties, two outpatient duties & two inpatient duties which also included one 24 hrs.
Inpatient duty. I used to take histories, do physical exam, make their management plan & discuss them
with my attending in my inpatient duty. I used to attend morning rounds actively & present my allotted
cases to the attending.

32…If your house was burning, what three objects would you take?
Answer:
My insurance policy (so you could rebuild the house).
Credit cards (for emergency purchases you would need to make)
Stethoscope (if you want to be a cardiologist – as otherwise it would make your job very difficult)

33…What would be the most enjoyable and least enjoyable aspects of

your residency?
For the enjoyable aspects you can mention the reasons for applying to the institution (question 3).
For least enjoyable, say you can’t really comment until you’ve started your residency, as you will be
starting with an open mind.

34…What is your energy level like?

Answer:
Usually high, but probably dips a little if I have little to do or don’t get a chance to eat for 6-8hrs because
I’m busy.

35…What were the major deficiencies in your medical training?

Answer:
Little practical exposure to the investigative techniques used in medicine in a developed country.

36…How well do you function under pressure?

Answer:
You could say that you function better under pressure although this might make the interviewers ask
you tougher questions to test this.

37…with what patients do you have trouble dealing?

Answer:
A patient who does not think that he has some serious illness when in fact he has and despite proper
counseling is non-compliant to his therapy is really a difficult to handle patient.

38…What subject was your most difficult?

Answer:
I found anatomy a bit difficult compared to other subjects b/c it involves a lot of memorization esp. the
course of nerves & vessels, relationship b/w different structures, origins & insertions of muscles were a
bit tough to memorize.

39…What rotation was your most difficult?

Answer:
Although I enjoyed all of my rotations but I found my rotation in psychiatry a bit difficult b/c in
psychiatry you’ve to manage all sorts of people who are in different states of mind. For example, it’s
difficult to deal with a schizophrenic pt. who has hallucinations & delusions & may be combative.

40…If you were asked to describe yourself in 3 words, what would

they be?
Answer:
Highly Friendly
Always available for help
Dedicated & sincere Team Player

37…Can you think of anything else you would like to add? What aspects of our program are you most
interested in? Concerned about?

26...Can you tell me about this deficiency on your record?

28…How do you think the current changes in health care will affect the specialty? How do you see the
delivery of health care evolving in the twenty-first century? What problems do you think this specialty
faces over the next five/ten years?
29…Do you have plans for a family?
If you do, say so, but stress that at the moment you are single and are concentrating on career training
for the foreseeable future
17...do u think urn scores/grades are a good indication of urn academic capabilities...??

40…How do you handle adversity?

41…From your CV, I see that you are a foreign medical graduate. How well do you see yourself adapting
to the American health system
42…
43…

1: Why Pediatrics?
Answer:
First of all, I’m impressed by the fact that a pediatrician is involved in building up a healthy society b/c
children are the future of any society. Appropriate physical & mental care provided to them helps in
making them productive members of the society.
Secondly, my interest in pediatrics further increased during my rotations in dept. of pediatrics during my
graduation. I really loved to deal with them b/c they are so innocent & selfless. I was also impressed by
the logical thinking that is involved in pediatric medicine while diagnosing and treating a pt. I think it’s
really interesting to find out the cause of pt.’s illness from clinical presentation & many times children
are small babies and can say nothing about their condition. All I’ve to use is my inquisitive mind. I’m
really impressed by this aspect of pediatric medicine.

44…
45…
46…
47…

QUESTIONS FROM THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR....

1...do u give dedicated time for research/conferences to your residents... Do you encourage
your Residents to attend medical conferences?

2...do your residents get any teaching opportunities... Are there opportunities to teach
medical students during residency?

3...how do u evaluate your residents...

4...what are the strengths and weaknesses of urn program...

5...as a program director what has ban urn greatest source of accomplishment ///frustration....

6…do you plan any changes in the program in the near future?

7…what are the qualities you like the most in your residents?

8...what kind of hand on experience is required by urn residents to master during first yr...

9…How do you get feedback from the Residents?

10...what qualities are u looking for in a residency candidate...

11. What kind of research opportunities do u offer...? What are your current ongoing residency research
projects? How much dedicated residency research time is offered?

12...where are your graduates now and how many of them made t to competitive fellowships... Which
universities do your residents commonly get accepted for a fellowship?
13...how do u feel I compare with rest of the candidates...
14...any plans for future growth...

QUESTION FROM RESIDENTS...

1...how has experience been for u in general...
2...are u happy. Over all do u feel you are treated fairly...
3...what is urn daily routine like...
4...what is the team structure like on a typical floor...is u supervised...
5...what is the average number of patient’s u r responsible for...
6...what is the call schedule/clinic schedule like...
7...give me an idea about the amount scout work that one has to do...does the hospital provides I/v lines
and blood drawing teams...
8...what made u sell itself to/choose/rank this program...
9...what do residents do for fun/how do they get along...
10...what kind of academic input is required as a first yr. resident...
11…How is the teaching in your residency program?
12…Any difficulty in getting a fellowship from this residency program?
13…Last year, how many Residents failed to get a fellowship?
14…Do you get opportunities to moonlight?
15…Do the Residents socialize and get together?
16…What is the makeup of the patient population? (Hispanic, African American, White etc.)
17…Have any Residents left the residency program? If yes, why?

QUESTIONS U WILL NEVER ASK... (Coz u have done urn homework by visiting Frieda n website
of the hospital)
1...PGY-1 rotation structure...
2...starting salary...
3...moonlighting allowed or not...
4...vacations...
5...sick leave info...
6...do them accept imps...
7...what visa do they offer...
8...Pre match...u should know they offer it or not...if they do n u r really interested...tell them u are
interested in an out of match position...if they don’t offer...it’s better not to bring up the topic...
9...how many hospitals are in this program and which medical school is affiliated....
10...insurance benefits...
11...PDA given or not....lunch tokens...etc...