Interview Schedules

The Interview Process

For applicants submitting at the time of ERAS opening in September, interview invitations will begin to arrive within weeks — always by email, and typically on Friday after 4pm EDT, per SNS recommendations. Some programs interviews are as early as the mid-October, but most fall between early November and mid-January. Once an invitation is received, applicants should respond quickly to confirm their preferred date. Programs are required by SNS to offer no more interviews than they have slots during each invitation round; however, they are not required to respect date preferences, and so a timely response will reduce conflicts, as certain dates may fill sooner than others. Applicants have until midnight on the Sunday evening following receipt of the invitation to reply; after that time, the program is permitted to release the invitation and extend it to another applicant.

Neurosurgery Resident Interview

Be mindful that most programs interview 30-45 applicants each season, and in order to optimize your odds of a successful match, that you should interview at a wide range of programs, including several with less competitive reputations. This is particularly emphasized for borderline applicants. Many applicants will receive more interviews than they can complete; if this is the case, it is acceptable to cancel an interview, but please do so as soon as possible, ideally at least 3-4 weeks in advance to allow the program time to fill your slot and provide that opportunity to another applicant. Competitive applicants may interview at 10-15 programs, although many feel more comfortable completing 15-20 interviews. Completing more than 20 interviews is generally not needed or advised, absent unusual circumstances such as an applicant participating in the couples match, a re-applicant, or an IMG applicant.

Scheduling your interviews will turn out to be more difficult than you expect. Most programs only offer 2-3 dates. Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays are popular interview days, resulting in a lot of overlap during the peak months of each season. Correspondingly, you may have to selectively interview at those programs you are most interested in, or that are best aligned with your match and training goals. Individual advising is strongly advised in that regard.

The interview process gives you a chance to see the institutions at which you may wish to train and allows these institutions to assess you and your qualifications. Because neurosurgical residency is a long process and institutions vary in their character and opportunities, it is important that you seriously assess each institution and your ability to fit in. You can also tell a great deal about a program by the emphasis it places on various aspects of training — for example, early operative experience, protected research time, or particular curricular elements. Even if you decide that a program is not right for you, having seen the program will provide important insight that you can use to assess other programs.

Successful interviewees approach the process with a focus on the two-way nature of the conversation. Applicants should simultaneously attempt to demonstrate their best selves as potential future trainees in that environment, while also assessing whether or not it would be suitable to their individual career goals and associated academic needs. The interview is also an opportunity to engage with the program faculty as yourself, and we strongly advise honesty and brevity in the questions you ask and the answers you provide. Common questions are listed below, but the tone of many interviews will be to try and establish why you are pursuing a career in neurosurgery, and what you would like to accomplish as a resident and beyond. As always, honesty is strongly recommended, and applicants will be more likely to find a good “match” if they represent themselves and their goals clearly and consistently — ultimately, the match process is about finding the right fit between applicant and program, given the seven year relationship you might be entering into together.

Neurosurgery Discussion

For virtual interviews, you should be ready well in advance of your interview, leaving plenty of time to set up your computer with proper lightening and audio. Make sure that you also have a Plan B should there be a problem with connectivity. Many programs have a virtual get together or meet-and-greet the evening before, which you should attend and participate in with enthusiasm. For in-person interviews, wake up early enough to arrive well in advance of the first scheduled event, and review directions and other key information such as parking the night beforehand, so you are fully prepared in the morning. If you have the opportunity, review your notes for each institution the night beforehand as well, or visit their website. Be sure to refresh yourself on your own application the night before each interview, in order to ensure that you can speak intelligently about all of your volunteer activities, research projects, hobbies, or other activities, as you can never predict which elements of your application will catch the attention of a particular interviewer.

Try to get sufficient sleep the night before an interview. A refreshed mind can be your greatest asset. Remember that your appearance counts, as this will be the first thing appreciated about you, often leaving a lasting impression—considered your attire carefully before each interview, and always skew towards more professional and conservative options. As you move through the day, remember that there are no insignificant individuals at any institution. Many applicants have made serious errors by being curt or demanding of secretaries or program coordinators. Neurosurgery requires a team approach, and you should approach the interview with the goal of showing everyone that you are a team player who treats everyone with respect and professionalism.

The interview day can often be stressful. Here is what to expect at most programs:

  • Between 8 and20 interviewees on a given day
  • An introduction from the program director and/or chair presenting the department and highlighting the training program and faculty
  • Numerous interviews throughout the day, typically at least 5-10 meetings each lasting 10-20 minutes, usually with 1-3 faculty members at a time. You may or may not have short breaks between interviews. Many programs will involve a group of senior-level residents in the interview process, commonly the research year residents and/or the residents who would be chiefs during your junior year
  • Some amount of unstructured time with residents, typically in a social setting, scheduled either before, between, or after interviews—this is a critical opportunity to ask questions and get to know your potential future co-residents!
  • A tour of the hospital(s), frequently led by a group of residents, making it another key opportunity to inquire about key features of the program from the perspective of current trainees

Dinners with residents and/or faculty are commonplace among in-person interviews; some programs offer a single event the night before or after interviews, while others will have multiple events, at least one of which may be “resident only.” These events are critical from the program’s perspective and should be attended whenever possible. They also represent another key opportunity to ask questions, learn about the program, and most of all come to know the culture and personality of the department and its members. Although it is good to be yourself in these encounters, professionalism is mandatory, and excess consumption of alcohol should be considered a foolish and avoidable risk.

Formal interviews rarely consist of difficult questions — most questions are variations on a few predictable themes, such as why you are pursuing neurosurgery, who you are and what you like to do, or what about you and your life’s experience is unique and interesting. Clinical questions are rare but not unheard of and should be handled with candor and honesty — if you don’t know the answer, do not make one up. More common are questions about memorable cases, experiences on call as a sub-I, or research projects. Keep in mind that everything on your application is “fair game” for questions, and you may find that an entire conversation is consumed by discussion of just one hobby, experience, or nigh-forgotten abstract.

Most interviewers will include time for you to ask questions. Some interviews will, in fact, consist only of your questions. These interviews may be taxing, especially if you have already asked the same three or four questions to several other interviewers that day; correspondingly, strong applicants come to each institution prepared with a number of general and specific questions to ask. It may be helpful to focus on the fact that you are trying to find a program that best fits your career goals, personality, and learning style, as well as a place where you will be happy for your 7 years as a neurosurgery resident. In all interviews, always be respectfully inquisitive, and avoid presumptuous or potentially offensive questions, such as those explicitly comparing competitor programs.

You may be asked (quite illegally) about your marital status or family planning. The best advice is to smile, stay composed, and provide an abstract answer that emphasizes your dedication to your neurosurgery training—a fact that should describe all applicants, independent of family goal. Essentially all modern neurosurgeons will agree, family and neurosurgery are not at all contradictory, and your goals should and will be strongly supported by your program.

A subtle but important aspect of successful interviewing is intonation, especially as the days and weeks wear on. Speak confidently and articulately, without giving the impression that you have given the same response to a similar question 10 times already today (to say nothing of 100 times this month! ). Try to relax and remind yourself that you and the program are both interviewing each other. By far the most difficult thing is to avoid tiring as the day goes on, maintaining your best self throughout.

Here is a sample of common topics you may want to ask each program about:

Questions to ask your faculty interviewers:

  1. What are the greatest strengths of your program? (weaknesses will often be volunteered by the interviewer when you ask about the strengths)
  2. What is the OR experience like? For example, what are typical cases for each PGY level?
  3. What is the breadth of clinic experience, and is there any area of deficiency (e.g., peripheral nerve, DBS, endovascular, etc.)?
  4. What can you tell me about the research opportunities and support?
  5. Is research funding available, and if so, where does it come from and how is it allocated?
  6. Do you foresee any major changes to the program in the next 7 years?
  7. Have there been any significant recent changes in the program?
  8. Do you anticipate any faculty retirements or departures in the near future?
  9. Where have your recent graduates taken jobs, and how has the department helped chiefs seek out and obtain faculty positions?
  10. Is there a cadaver lab for the residents to use, and if so, does it include any formal dissection curricula or courses?
  11. Are residents in the program permitted to complete enfolded fellowships, and if so, which ones are offered or anticipated?
  12. Are there external/postgraduate fellows, and if so, what is the relationship between the fellows and the residents?
  13. Can you tell me about the formal resident education curriculum?
  14. Do residents present at regional or national meetings, and if so, what is funded and under what conditions (e.g., do you need an oral presentation, or is a poster sufficient? Is there a limit to number of meetings you can attend, or minimum PGY level to attend? Etc.)?
  15. What funds are available to cover educational and other miscellaneous expenses, including loupes, meetings/travel, publication fees, books and question banks (e.g., SANS), and so on?

Questions to ask residents during your interview day:

  1. Why did you decide to come to this program?
  2. What do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the program?
  3. How much contact do residents have with faculty, and what are those relationships like?
  4. What are your floor care responsibilities, and do you have any help during the day (e.g., APRN / NP / PA support)?
  5. What’s the typical daily census, and what time are junior residents coming in to start rounding on an average day?
  6. Who handles discharges or sees new consults during the day?
  7. What is the call schedule like, and do you feel that it is reasonable?
  8. What is the OR experience like? In particular, what are typical cases for each level, how much of those cases do most faculty let the residents do, and how are cases assigned on a daily basis?
  9. What is the chief year like, including and special responsibilities or privileges (e.g., is there a chief clinic or a chief OR? Do the chiefs make the call and vacation schedules? Etc.)?
  10. What is the program’s general emphasis on research? Are there explicit requirements, and if so, what are the consequences for failing to meet them and have they ever been enforced?
  11. Do residents go to clinic, and if so, how often and with what responsibilities?
  12. How many hospitals do you cover, how are the residents split between them, and is travel between the hospitals a pain point for trainees?
  13. Are you exposed to any private practice neurosurgeons, or only academics? What is the program’s stance towards graduates entering private practice?
  14. What jobs have the most recent graduates taken, and how much help did they get from the chair and PD in finding open positions?
  15. Is the 80-hour work week observed, and how are duty hours treated?
  16. Do you have mandatory rotations outside of neurosurgery, and if so, what are they and how do the residents feel about them?
  17. How much vacation time to you get per year, who approves the vacation requests, and how are holidays and weekends handled in that regard?
  18. What is the social life of the program life? Do residents spend time together outside the hospital, are most residents married or single, does the department sponsor activities like softball for wellness?
  19. Where do most residents live, and do they typical rent or own?
  20. Are there competitor programs in the same city or region, and if so, what is the relationship between the programs like?