After their exam that evening, more than 15 students from the College of Medicine’s class of 2010 walked to the Harrell Professional Development and Assessment Center Wednesday, Nov. 4, dressed in suits and portfolios in hands, ready to be interviewed by a UF medical professor.
Each year, the fourth-year medical class organizes a career-related activity. This year’s activity provided mock residency interviews to help prepare graduating students for the real thing.
Students were matched with a faculty member in a specialty different from their own to prevent them from practicing with a potential, future interviewer.
“Mock residency interview participants are required to wear interview attire and turn in their CV and personal statement beforehand to make sure the faculty member who’s interviewing them has enough background information,” saidBeverly L. Vidaurreta, Ph.D., program director of the College of Medicine’s student counseling and development office.
The faculty interviewer has 30 minutes with the student– 20 minutes to ask questions and 10 minutes for feedback. At the end of the meeting, students are given a videotape of their interview.
“It’s very helpful to view themselves to see some of the things they might not have noticed,” explained Vidaurreta. “For example, how you are sitting. People normally don’t think about those things, but once you actually see it, you can fix it.”
Although the event is optional, 50 senior class students participated in the mock residency interview activity this year. The November session was the third session this fall.
“The students that came in September and October found this event very helpful,” said Vidaurreta, who was inspired to coordinate this event at the UF COM after learning about similar activities during an Association of American Medical Colleges meeting.
Dr. Nancy Hardt, senior associate dean for external affairs, interviews JR Taylor III, academic chair for the class of 2010, during the College of Medicine’s mock residency interview event Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Harrell Center.