How to prepare for a residency interview
The following information is provided to help you prepare for your residency interviews. It does not offer any advice to help gain an advantage of any kind over others applicants. It is merely common sense advice regarding how best to present your need for a residency that can accommodate your Shabbos needs.
Be able to explain your needs clearly and simply.
Do not assume that everyone with whom you interact or interview understands what Shabbos observance entails. Many residency programs want to be as helpful as possible in meeting the needs of the their residents, but they must understand exactly what they are agreeing to accommodate.
For instance, the program must understand that Shabbos comes every week. While this might seem self-evident, it is not necessarily clear to those who are not Sabbath observant that Shabbos comes every week without exception. It is also important to explain on which Jewish holidays one may not work (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Passover, and Shavuos) and on which it is only a strong preference not to work (Tisha B’av for instance).
This point was driven home to me during my residency interviews. One internal medicine preliminary program in New York had reported that they could accommodate Sabbath observant residents on the 1991 survey (see Developing and using a Shomer Shabbos and Shabbos friendly database under Shomer Shabbos Residency option). When I came for my interview, they told me that they strongly supported my doing a Shomer Shabbos internship with them, as long as I was willing to work on Saturdays!
Be ready to explain that you are willing to work as hard or harder than your co-workers.
Be sensitive to the needs of the department to which you are applying. A residency program that agrees to accommodate your religious needs is showing great sensitivity to your needs. You should make it clear at the interview that you do not expect any special consideration beyond those scheduling requirements that allow you to be off for Shabbos and Yomim Tovim (major Jewish holidays). Make it very clear that you expect to work at least an equivalent amount of time on Sundays and secular holidays (that do not fall on Shabbos or major Jewish holidays) to make up for the time that you cannot be in the hospital for religious reasons. You should stress that many physicians who have worked out such schedules in advance have completed their training in excellent programs without undue burden on their co-workers.
Know the call schedule thoroughly.
It is your job to explain how your Sabbath observance can fit harmoniously into the residency program. It may appear at first glance that accommodating a Sabbath-observant resident is impossible due to a perception that altering the call schedule would be an undue burden on the other residents. However, if you have become familiar with the call schedule in advance and are prepared to propose a solution that is fair and acceptable to the program director (and other residents), it may be possible to for the program to accommodate your needs.
There are many ways that a call schedule may be implemented. Call may be for a week at a time or for individual nights. The call schedule may include a night float. Night float may include weekends or only weekdays. It is important for you to understand how the call schedule works (for all of the years of the residency) before arriving at the interview, so that you can be prepared to speak intelligently about whether your needs can be met without unduly burdening others. It also allows you to put your request in perspective for the program director.
For example, in a program with seven residents per year, where one class takes all overnight call, each person is on call an average of every seventh night. While it may sound overwhelming to the program director to contemplate a resident who can “never” take Friday night or Saturday (day) call, you could explain that it realistically means that each of the other residents would need to switch only one Friday and one Saturday with you over the course of the entire year for which you would “pay them back” at another time. Remember, there are many national holidays for which you are available to switch, most of which rarely fall on a Friday or Saturday (Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day).
Know the daily workings of the department thoroughly.
It is very helpful to know the job responsibilities of the residents thoroughly. You should try to find out which departments or departmental sections the residents rotate through and which hospitals they cover. By thinking the monthly schedule through in advance, you may be able to suggest ways of working out the schedule that might not be readily apparent to those who are interviewing you.
The simplest way to familiarize yourself with the daily schedule and the call schedule is to speak with one of the residents or staff with whom you have a relationship before your interview. This may allow you to make a realistic assessment of whether the program can accommodate your needs.
Be able to explain your needs clearly and simply.
Do not assume that everyone with whom you interact or interview understands what Shabbos observance entails. Many residency programs want to be as helpful as possible in meeting the needs of the their residents, but they must understand exactly what they are agreeing to accommodate.
For instance, the program must understand that Shabbos comes every week. While this might seem self-evident, it is not necessarily clear to those who are not Sabbath observant that Shabbos comes every week without exception. It is also important to explain on which Jewish holidays one may not work (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Passover, and Shavuos) and on which it is only a strong preference not to work (Tisha B’av for instance).
This point was driven home to me during my residency interviews. One internal medicine preliminary program in New York had reported that they could accommodate Sabbath observant residents on the 1991 survey (see Developing and using a Shomer Shabbos and Shabbos friendly database under Shomer Shabbos Residency option). When I came for my interview, they told me that they strongly supported my doing a Shomer Shabbos internship with them, as long as I was willing to work on Saturdays!
Be ready to explain that you are willing to work as hard or harder than your co-workers.
Be sensitive to the needs of the department to which you are applying. A residency program that agrees to accommodate your religious needs is showing great sensitivity to your needs. You should make it clear at the interview that you do not expect any special consideration beyond those scheduling requirements that allow you to be off for Shabbos and Yomim Tovim (major Jewish holidays). Make it very clear that you expect to work at least an equivalent amount of time on Sundays and secular holidays (that do not fall on Shabbos or major Jewish holidays) to make up for the time that you cannot be in the hospital for religious reasons. You should stress that many physicians who have worked out such schedules in advance have completed their training in excellent programs without undue burden on their co-workers.
Know the call schedule thoroughly.
It is your job to explain how your Sabbath observance can fit harmoniously into the residency program. It may appear at first glance that accommodating a Sabbath-observant resident is impossible due to a perception that altering the call schedule would be an undue burden on the other residents. However, if you have become familiar with the call schedule in advance and are prepared to propose a solution that is fair and acceptable to the program director (and other residents), it may be possible to for the program to accommodate your needs.
There are many ways that a call schedule may be implemented. Call may be for a week at a time or for individual nights. The call schedule may include a night float. Night float may include weekends or only weekdays. It is important for you to understand how the call schedule works (for all of the years of the residency) before arriving at the interview, so that you can be prepared to speak intelligently about whether your needs can be met without unduly burdening others. It also allows you to put your request in perspective for the program director.
For example, in a program with seven residents per year, where one class takes all overnight call, each person is on call an average of every seventh night. While it may sound overwhelming to the program director to contemplate a resident who can “never” take Friday night or Saturday (day) call, you could explain that it realistically means that each of the other residents would need to switch only one Friday and one Saturday with you over the course of the entire year for which you would “pay them back” at another time. Remember, there are many national holidays for which you are available to switch, most of which rarely fall on a Friday or Saturday (Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day).
Know the daily workings of the department thoroughly.
It is very helpful to know the job responsibilities of the residents thoroughly. You should try to find out which departments or departmental sections the residents rotate through and which hospitals they cover. By thinking the monthly schedule through in advance, you may be able to suggest ways of working out the schedule that might not be readily apparent to those who are interviewing you.
The simplest way to familiarize yourself with the daily schedule and the call schedule is to speak with one of the residents or staff with whom you have a relationship before your interview. This may allow you to make a realistic assessment of whether the program can accommodate your needs.