Much like with any other job application process, an interview will be administered to get residency training. The entire process involves selection, application, and approval of your request. Thus, if you’re a medical student and looking for a hospital where you can practice your future profession, how are you going to answer the interviewer’s questions?

It’s actually fairly simple, as there’s only one answer to that question: plan and prepare. Just like with any other interview, you have to get yourself ready for any question that might be asked.

The interviewer will always be interested in why you chose medicine as your future profession. Of course, you should have an exceptional answer for this. Why is he or she interested?

• The interviewer wants to know if your values and priorities are suited to theirs;
• The interviewer wants to assess if you are really happy with what you are doing; and,
• The interviewer wants to know the reason why you decided to pick medicine as your profession.

So if you’re asked, “Why did you choose to study medicine?” how will you answer it? Here are few tips on how to come up with the best answer to impress your interviewer.

1. Reflect and evaluate.

Since you have a lot of time to prepare for the interview, take a moment to analyze yourself and reflect on things. Ask yourself the same question: “Why did I choose to study medicine?” You’ve been studying for a long time now, so it should be easy to answer this question. I remember what my professor once told me: “If you really want to know what you want in life, you should take up medicine,” and when I asked her why, she told me that medicine will give you the chance to explore yourself for five to seven years.

Write down all possible reasons and figure out which one brought you to this stage in your life. When you finally find out, expand on and formulate your answer by explaining why it made you who you are today.

2. Be honest.

Sometimes, being a doctor means saving people and doing heroic things. However, you don’t have to lie and make up reasons just to convince your interviewer that you really want to be a doctor. You don’t have to put on a show or decorate your words with false pretensions just to make him or her accept your application.

Made-up stories and reasons to impress your interviewer won’t make you a winner in the interview. Lies are unnecessary when talking about saving lives and preventing illness. Don’t add anything that is excessive or untrue. Be honest and don’t brag about choosing this field because saving people is what doctors do. After all, you wouldn’t have made it to this level (residency training) if you didn’t really intend to continue with it.

3. Cite personal experiences.

You might want to cite some personal experiences that could help you explain your answer. Share some stories related to the reason you chose to be in the medical profession—why it became your passion.

Tell your interviewer about your inspiration. Let him or her about a person or thing that inspires and motivates you to become a doctor. Just don’t forget to make your explanation brief yet substantial.

4. Dig deeper.

A real and genuine answer will always come from the heart. Don’t be shallow in answering this question; dig deeper and drive into your core. Your heart will always tell you why you chose something. Make your answer heartwarming yet always truthful.

The main objective of the interview for residency training is to understand the student’s priorities and values. These tips could help you in revealing the real reason why you chose to be in this field.