Successfully Navigating Your Dental School Interviews

Wednesday, October 12th, 2016
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, Eastern Time

Join the American Dental Education Association for a webinar on how to successfully navigate your dental school interviews. Experts will offer specific tactics and strategies for navigating the intricacies of the dental school interview. The panelists will tackle all stages of the process, and will share with attendees their top 5 "do's and don'ts" for making a good impression. 

Register now

Panelists include:
Amanda Galindo, Ed.D.
Director of Recruitment and Admissions
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry

Jeffrey L. Turchi, D.D.S. 

Assistant Professor, Manager of Admissions and Recruiting, and Continuing Education Coordinator
Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine

Jessica C. Williams
Third year dental student

University of Illinois-Chicago College of Dentistry

MD-PhD Interviewing Calendar

Most of the MD-PhD Programs around the country joined forces to create a National MD-PhD Program Interview/Revisit Day Calendar.  For those applicants with multiple interview offers, this might help organize your time and interview dates.  To date, 61 MD-PhD Programs (that’s nearly every active MD-PhD Program in the country) are represented on this calendar.

This calendar may also be accessed through the AAMC MD-PhD webpage:

www.aamc.org/mdphd

AAMC Ask Admissions Webinar: How to Master Medical School Interviews

Tuesday, July 26th

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm Eastern Time

One of the most important phases of your application to medical school is the interview. As medical schools gear up for interview season, it's important for you to be best prepared. Interviews are an opportunity for medical school admissions committees to identify candidates they'd like to offer acceptance to. But how do you prepare for interviews and stand out?

Find out during the Ask Admissions webinar where you'll learn more about medical school interviews and how to master them.

Panelists
Brenda Armstrong, MD
Associate Dean for Admissions
Duke University School of Medicine

Aaron Saguil, MD, FAAFP, LTC
Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine

Stella Yee, MEd
Director of Admissions
University of Washington School of Medicine

Register Here!

Space is limited so be sure to register ahead of time and join promptly on the day of the webinar. This webinar will be recorded and made available on the AAMC website two weeks after the event.

Acing Your Medical School Interviews: Tips from Interviewers

Join the AAMC for next webinar in the "Ask Admissions" series.

Monday, August 31st
8-9pm (eastern time)
Register here. Free. Space limited.

Learn how to prepare for--and succeed at -- medical school interviews. Get insights and advice directly from medical school admission officers. After a brief presentation from panelists, there will be the opportunity to ask questions during a Q&A session.

Panelists:
Iris Gibbs, MD
Associate Dean of MD Admissions, Stanford University School of Medicine
Lina Mehta, MD
Associate Dean for Admissions, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Ed Daniel, PhD
Director of MD Admissions, Morsani College of Medicine at University of South Florida

You can find a recording of the previous "Ask Admissions" webinar on Mission Fit: Applying to the Right Medical School for You at this link.

Prepare for Multiple Mini Interviews

There are a variety of interview types you may encounter during your application process for a health professional program. The Multiple Mini Interview format is a relatively recent interview technique which focuses on assessing an applicant's soft skills during a combination of 6-10 minute scenario-based situations.

To learn more, watch this video explaining how Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School organizes their interview process.

See the list of Medical, Dental, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Veterinary Schools Using the Multiple Mini Interview as of Spring 2017.

The MMI Is...
An opportunity to demonstrate inter/intrapersonal characteristics necessary for healthcare 

• Maturity: Adaptability, Leadership, Autonomy
• Judgement: Common Sense, Decisiveness, Reasoning
• Perseverance: Persisting in the face of challenge
• Self Confidence: Self-assurance and trust in one's skills
• Empathy: Tact, consideration, sensitivity to the needs of others
• Oral Communication: Articulateness, Clarity of expression
• Originality and Imagination: Ability to see and understand new and different perspectives and approaches
• Ability to work with people/cultural competency: Rapport, tact, consideration, cooperation, attitude, biases

The MMI is not...

• A test of your knowledge of any particular healthcare procedure or policy. You will not be asked to diagnose, order tests, prescribe medicine or a course of action.
• A critique of your acting skill in role play scenarios  
• A back and forth dialogue, a friendly conversation, an opportunity to "buddy up" or "butter up"
• An opportunity to highlight your __________ (unless it is relevant to the topic) 
• A chance to explain (or explain away) an unpleasant or less than stellar aspect of your file

What you need to know...
About yourself: 

• Be prepared to answer any behavior-based questions and ethical dilemma questions in a longer, extensive format (than traditional interviews)  
• Idiosyncrasies in your verbal and/or non-verbal behavior that have the potential to be exaggerated in a prolonged answer about a particular topic. 

About hot topics in healthcare: 

• Affordable Care Act
• Center for Disease Control 
• MedlinePlus
• National Institutes of Health
• National Public Radio's Health section 
• New York Times' Health section
• PubMed
• WebMD Health News 
• ExploreHealthCareers.org Health Policy Topics
• Current Issues and Food for Thought Sections of this Blog

How you may (possibly) be evaluated: 

• Ability to analyze information, engage ethical dilemmas and think critically about each scenario
• If you actually answer the question(s) presented
• Communication skills -- clear, well-thought out answers backed by examples or personal experiences
• Non-verbal skills -- eye contact, tone of voice, empathy, use of hands/gestures, posture
• How well you (actually) listen -- to the actor in role plays; to the follow-up questions
• Demonstrate an understanding and ability to discuss bioethics and healthcare issues

 Where to find practice questions & prep tools: 

• Columbia University Bioethics Program
• University of British Columbia
• University of Calgary
• Multiple Mini Interview, Sample MMI questions 
• University of Michigan Career Center Scenarios  

This information is primarily compiled by the University of Cincinnati Pre-Professional Advising Center

How will you contribute to the diversity of a professional program?

As those of you in this summer's application cycle begin to receive secondary applications, you will probably encounter this question:

"How will you contribute to the diversity of your class and this institution?"

What does diversity mean to you? How might you answer this question? 
As you consider the topic, here is some food for thought from The Atlantic: The Weakening Definition of Diversity.

Updated: Preparing for a MMI Format?

Per the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) listserv, as of September 2014, 

27 United States allopathic medical schools
13 Canadian allopathic medical schools
4 osteopathic medical schools
4 dental schools
4 veterinary schools
8 pharmacy schools

are using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format for admissions interviews. See the updated list of schools utilizing this format here.

Friday, August 22nd Post: 
As of 2013, there were 33 allopathic medical schools in the United States and Canada as well as 4 osteopathic medical schools in the United States using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format for admission interviews. See the list of schools utilizing this interview format. 

If you received an interview invitation at a school which utilizes the MMI format, it is important you know about this style so you can best prepare. To learn more, check out this video explaining how Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School organizes their process.

Once your know a little more about the style, it's time to practice. Use the scenarios on page one of the following link to practice. Then review the guidelines and rubric on pages 2-4 to see how you did! 
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B97rY_-Rylu5UHRteHJSUTJIY28/edit  

*Scenarios and guidelines credited to the University of Michigan Career Center.

Preparing for a MMI Interview Format?

As of 2013, there were 33 allopathic medical schools in the United States and Canada as well as 4 osteopathic medical schools in the United States using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format for admission interviews. See the list of schools utilizing this interview format. 

If you received an interview invitation at a school which utilizes the MMI format, it is important you know about this style so you can best prepare. To learn more, check out this video explaining how Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School organizes their process.

Once your know a little more about the style, it's time to practice. Use the scenarios on page one of the following link to practice. Then review the guidelines and rubric on pages 2-4 to see how you did! 
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B97rY_-Rylu5UHRteHJSUTJIY28/edit  

*Scenarios and guidelines credited to the University of Michigan Career Center.

Interviewing Tips and Advice

Worried about your upcoming interviews this fall? Check out the following posts on the UCS Career Blog to learn more about the interview process.

• Free From Worry: Developing Confidence in Job Interviews
• What Matters in Interviews
• Create a Winning Mindset in Your Interview

Interview Attire for Health Professions Schools: Bags and Portfolios

Having a professional looking bag and porfolio folder can make a big difference when going to a health professions school interview. Here are some examples of each for men and women. Remember, these can make wonderful birthday or holiday presents ( you can also borrow one)!

Portfolio Folders

Men's Bags

Women's Bags