Wacky Interview Questions

[VAgirl]

I've been looking through the interview feedback posted from last year and I've noticed some slightly suprising questions. For example, these two:

*Explain the pathway of emphysema, and
*What does the cranial nerve VII do?

Can anyone speak to why these questions (and ones like them) were asked? Do you think (or know) that these questions relate to something that individual had studied/researched/etc.? They just seem awfully specific to be out of the blue. Obviously, I plan to be prepared to answer specific questions relevant to the things I've done. But if these sorts of very specific questions were out of the blue, I have no idea how to prepare. Should we expect technical questions from common pre-req classes? (I graduated from college over 4 years ago, so I really hope not!!)

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rexosaurus]

those questions were most likely in response to somebody's specific research. and if not, they were probably trying to see how a person responds to pressure/in a strange situation. but i honestly think its the former. don't fret!

 

[VAgirl]

don't fret!

But this is an expensive process... I intend to "fret" my money's worth.

 

[Beagingese]

It's not at all to see if you know the answer. If you do, great! Tell them and BE CONFIDENT ABOUT IT. The last this they want is....ummm....maybe...I think...ummm.... Just say, You know, I don't know, that's not been covered in my anatomy class yet. Or something intelligent along those lines. At...Mississippi I think it was I was asked what I knew about leptospirosis. I have never specifically studied the disease but at the exact time of my interview we actually had a dog hospitalized where I worked with leptospirosis. So I knew that "it's an infectious spirochete bacteria. Affects the kidneys, can lead to acute kidney failure, can be passed through the urine, is zoonotic" And all of that from my Micro class and just treating the animal and paying close attention to the fact that the dog was in renal failure and that we'd been warned to wear gloves when potentially handling urine and to walk the dog far away from the normal dog walking area. You don't need to know the answer to everything. That's why you're going to vet school. You've got plenty of time and they know that. They want to see how you respond to a left-field question and if you know it great, otherwise they want to see if you know how to graciously admit that, hey I don't know everything. But I get I can get a book and find it. Cuz that's medicine. If you don't know the answer, you need to at least know where to go to find it.

 

[alliecat44]

This might ruin the anonymity of the interview feedback site, but I was the one asked about CN VII. It was because I was a head neurology technician in private practice for the past three years. No, there's no way you would be expected to know that. (and for what it's worth, I flubbed it--too much pressure! Ack! I told them that my neurologist would be so mad at me--and then I went on to say that cranial nerve III is the oculomotor nerve and that cranial nerve V was the trigeminal.)

In short, don't worry--they just want to make sure you are who you say you are.

 

[sofficat]

At...Mississippi I think it was I was asked what I knew about leptospirosis. I have never specifically studied the disease but at the exact time of my interview we actually had a dog hospitalized where I worked with leptospirosis. So I knew that "it's an infectious spirochete bacteria. Affects the kidneys, can lead to acute kidney failure, can be passed through the urine, is zoonotic" And all of that from my Micro class and just treating the animal and paying close attention to the fact that the dog was in renal failure and that we'd been warned to wear gloves when potentially handling urine and to walk the dog far away from the normal dog walking area.

you walked the dog outside!?!? ahhh!!

 

[VAgirl]

This might ruin the anonymity of the interview feedback site...

Phew! Sorry to blow your cover, alliecat, but that makes me feel much better! (And apparently flubbing the question made no difference for you, eh?)

Thanks.