please suggest what to answer - usmlemtb

[ArchivalUser]

I have finished post graduation in General Surgery from India, I had applied mainly to Surgery programs but only one iv which i feel didnt go very well, i also applied to IM in 30 odd places from which I have got a few IVs, recently one interviewer asked me why medicine now after surgery residency in your home country? I thought it was inappropriate to say surgery is too competitive here in USA to get into so i changed to medicine, I said I was kinda interested in Medicine since my med school days and blah blah blah but he kept me pushing on the same question... till I said I found surgery very tiring and challenging .. then he began with " here medicine is also very challenging .. so and so"

How to answer the question why IM after surgery ? please advice .. Thank you !

[ArchivalUser]

i think you shd tell them the truth that
1- surgery is too competitive
2- you want to pursue your career in usa because of blah blah blah.

reason- most of the programs knows that its too competitive for imgs and hence they apply in multiple fields

hope this helps

best luck

[ArchivalUser]

don't tell me you find this question to be unexpected?

(as a trained surgeon will you really be happy as an internist? that's the following question FYI!)


maybe say you had a life changing moment, almost an epiphany, after which you KNEW your life was into medicine and GI, or P&CC if you link it to your surg past.


or say anything that can preclude you from surgery! allergy to scrub solution, lifestyle things, varicose veins/thrombosis, osthoarthritis, spine diease whatever!

[ArchivalUser]

let me give you this amazing statement that worked out with me (i had a previous training in a certain area before, and now applied for other programs beside that). I told them

"in real life, people come to know what they like when they do different things! that's how I come to know what I enjoy MOST!!. it was a good experience for me though! I learned alot from that. but onething was missing.......and it was bla bla bla"..
I think you should be able to continue after that!!
best of luck!

[ArchivalUser]

Thanks all! god bless you!
good luck