You’re finally about to hang in the towel. You’ve taken and passed your core exam, completed all your overnights, given your last tumor board, and finished your final residency dictation. Suddenly, you receive a call from the program coordinator. He says the residency program director wants you to come to her office for your last exit interview. Why even bother? What’s the point of a final discussion when heading out of Dodge anyway? Well, let me give you some reasons why this interview is the most important of your residency from a program director’s perspective.
Want A Recommendation?
Believe it or not, even after you leave your residency, faculty still receive phone calls from your employers if you are looking for a job or decide to change to a new one. And the last thing that you want your residency program director to say is, “That darn resident, he didn’t even care to give an exit interview.”
These folks that call for you from your subsequent practices are serious. And any bit of bad news about you can derail your next great job. Especially when the job market may or may not be the same as it is now!
No Holds Barred Summary Of Residency Issues
After residency, you feel you have no more obligations to the program. Anything you say now is not encumbered by your desire to impress or achieve. You can now have a heart-to-heart with your program director without any of the “BS.” It’s a great time to give the real lowdown on the residency, both good and bad. This interview is the best time to get a reality check on your program from the program director’s perspective.
The Exit Interview– A Last Chance For Great Residency Advice
For the resident, now is the time to ask any burning questions about how the world works, what you need to do to become great, or other residency-based training tidbits you can use for the rest of your career. So, residents will usually ask excellent questions at this time, right before they leave. Residency is usually a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And becoming an attending is so different. Subsequently, residents will often ask inspired questions to learn what they need to succeed in their next radiology life!
Maintaining Contact Information
Not everyone will remain in the same institution forever, and the same goes for your residency faculty. This interview is an excellent last opportunity to cull the contacts from your residency. Get those phone numbers, linked-in addresses, and social media connections finalized. You never know when you will need to contact your faculty again. It may be to consult on an interesting case, recommend a new job, or just to say hi. In any case, keeping this information safe and sound is critical!
Making Sure Everything Is In Order For Future Jobs- They Do Check!
Procedure logs, iodine treatments, and the number of cases completed are critical statistics that your next employer may need. So, ensure you have all the information you will require before you leave. To get hired, you need to back up your previous experiences. Also, make sure that your learning portfolio is all squared away and that you have records of all the academic research, presentations, and posters safe and sound. Often, you will continue to need all this information well into the future. This interview is your last shot at getting all of this straight!
The Radiology Exit Interview- A Critical Component
Between all these factors, including recommendations, giving the real low down on residency, getting some quality advice, garnering contacts, and ensuring everything is in order for your future career, the radiology exit interview is an integral but final component of the residency process. So, it has many more uses than you may have thought. You are not just paying homage to your residency program. Instead, you are providing a genuine service to your future career and helping out your program director. Therefore, you should take the interview seriously. During residency, it is your last chance to help out your program and ensure a great future for yourself in your radiology career!
