Questions to Ask at a Residency Position Interview

The questions below were taken from http://www.cwru-ent.com/FAQ.html (Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Web site)

• Where do rotations take place? How large is the facility and what types of patients are served?
• Are residents required to do General Surgery at (name of the school), do they need to apply separately to the General Surgery Program and what is the General Surgery Program like?
• What is the structure of the residency?
• What types of cases are available?
• How much involvement in patient care do residents experience?
• Are there opportunities for attending scientific meetings?
• Are laboratory research opportunities available?
• What educational resources are available?
• What conferences are held?
• How do residents perform on Boards and in-service/in-training exams?
• What is the vacation schedule for residents?
• What is the call schedule?
• What is the pay scale?
• What health care benefits are available?
• What arrangements are available for meals on-call?
• What is the history of the Department and what have former residents done upon completion of their residency?
• What sort of housing is available?
• What other provisions are made by the hospital?
• What leisure activities are available in (the name of the city/town)?
• How can I learn more about the Department?

The questions below were taken from http://www.calweb.com/~mhsfpres/FAQ.htm (Mercy Healthcare Sacramento/Methodist Hospital Family Practice Residency Program)

• What is the educational philosophy of this residency program?
• Hospitals across the country are suffering extreme economic pressures, what is the assurance that Methodist Hospital remains economically healthy in the future?
• What is the cultural profile of (name of hospital)'s service population?
• What are the strengths of this residency program?
• What are the weaknesses of this program?
• (Hospital name ) is a (religious denomination) organization. Does that impact the residents' experience in women's health?

Additional Questions

• What is the percentage of graduates from this residency prorgam that go into fellowships, instead of practice?
• How many full- and part-time faculty members are there?
• How many of them are board certified or board eligible? What are their specialties?
• Does the program pay for resident memberships in professional organizations? If so, which ones?
• How much time do residents spend receiving systematic instruction (didactics)?
• Is there an outpatient clinic? If so, how many days/hours do residents spend there? How are new patients scheduled?
• Is there a foreign exchange program?
• Are residents in this program expected to assist in the teaching of medical students?
  

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