40 Pediatrician Interview Questions and Answers

Updated on: January 2, 2022

A pediatrician holds an important position in any hospital or medical facility, as he or she primarily deals with children’s health.

Therefore, hiring one requires a long and complex interview process to determine that the right individual is brought on board.

In order to prepare for an interview for a pediatrician position, it is imperative to determine what kind of questions you may be asked.

For instance, an interviewer might want to know what your specific knowledge about child healthcare is.

He or she will also ask questions to determine what your personality is since dealing with children is not exactly the easiest thing in the world.

In order to help you prepare for a pediatrician interview, we have provided a set of interview questions and answers for you to go through:

Pediatrician Interview Questions
  1. 1. Tell me a little about yourself.
  2. 2. How did you hear about this position?
  3. 3. Why do you want to work for our hospital specifically?
  4. 4. Why should we hire you?
  5. 5. What specific job duties have you performed in the role of a pediatrician?
  6. 6. What skills do you possess which make you an excellent person to work as a pediatrician?
  7. 7. What do you like most about working as a pediatrician?
  8. 8. What do you like least about this work?
  9. 9. What motivates you?
  10. 10. What demotivates you?
  11. 11. How do you handle adversity at the workplace?
  12. 12. What is your greatest accomplishment?
  13. 13. Why do you want to leave your current job?
  14. 14. How do you feel about working weekends or late hours?
  15. 15. What is your biggest strength?
  16. 16. What is your biggest weakness?
  17. 17. What are you doing to overcome this weakness?
  18. 18. How would your patients describe you?
  19. 19. Do you have any interests outside of work?
  20. 20. How well do you work with other people?
  21. 21. What is one thing that you dislike about working in a hospital environment?
  22. 22. Do you sometimes get frustrated with patients?
  23. 23. How do deal with that frustration?
  24. 24. Tell us about a failure that you have in your name.
  25. 25. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, where do you rate yourself as a pediatrician?
  26. 26. Do you do any community work?
  27. 27. What is your work style?
  28. 28. How do you prioritize your work?
  29. 29. What are your pet peeves?
  30. 30. Do you consider yourself a successful pediatrician?
  31. 31. What should we know that is not on your resume?
  32. 32. Are you willing to relocate to a location far from where you are based?
  33. 33. Are you willing to travel for work?
  34. 34. Do you have a favorite patient?
  35. 35. Describe a time when you lost your temper.
  36. 36. What do you want to accomplish in the first 30 days at your new job?
  37. 37. Are you a team player or a solo flyer?
  38. 38. If we hire you, when can you join us?
  39. 39. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
  40. 40. Do you have any questions for me?

40 Pediatrician Interview Questions and Answers

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

I had always wanted to be a pediatrician, the dearth of which I felt when I was a child myself. I am now a qualified and trained pediatrician, with 10+ years of experience in the pediatrics field.

2. How did you hear about this position?

I saw the job opening as an alert on the doctors’ forum and decided to apply.

3. Why do you want to work for our hospital specifically?

I am interested in working for this hospital in particular as I feel that I have the right skill set to do justice to the work that is already being done here. Also, I want to be associated with your hospital since it has a great reputation for excellent medical ethics.

4. Why should we hire you?

I am a qualified pediatrician, with extensive knowledge of healthcare in youngsters, and young adults. Hence, I feel that I will add great value to your facility on many levels.

5. What specific job duties have you performed in the role of a pediatrician?

As a pediatrician, I have performed many duties, such as checking young patients for symptoms and providing related medication and advice. Specifically, my work has included assessing and diagnosing physiological and psychological medical concerns and treating diseases and disorders. Also, my work includes prescribing medication and supervising surgeries.

6. What skills do you possess which make you an excellent person to work as a pediatrician?

I am highly skilled in many areas related to the medical field, including knowledge of conducting regular, thorough examinations, and the ability to prescribe the right medication. I am also competent in preparing and administering medication, such as vaccines and injections, and can examine and treat injuries effectively.

7. What do you like most about working as a pediatrician?

I love the fact that I get to do what I like most, which is to ensure the overall good health and wellbeing of children and young adults.

8. What do you like least about this work?

I do not dislike anything about this work. However, I do feel a bit dejected when I am in a position to assist people, and for some reason, I cannot.

9. What motivates you?

I am an inherently motivated individual, so I do not need an external force to motivate me.

10. What demotivates you?

Being positive has one solid advantage, which is that one never gets demotivated. And I am an extremely positive individual.

11. How do you handle adversity at the workplace?

Adversity is quite a norm where young patients and new parents are concerned. It is all in a day’s work for me, so I do not pay much attention to it. I know what I have to do, and I do it with full concentration no matter what adverse situations prevail.

12. What is your greatest accomplishment?

I once received a premature baby who was all of 600 grams, with little chances of survival. I looked after her with all my might, ensuring that she got the best care. She is now a healthy 19-year-old, with a scholarship to one of the elitist colleges in the country.

13. Why do you want to leave your current job?

I actually have a practice of my own, so technically, I am not doing any job. However, I want to work in a hospital environment now because I feel that the learning is much greater.

14. How do you feel about working weekends or late hours?

My work is everything for me, so I do not mind working weekends or even late hours.

15. What is your biggest strength?

My biggest strength is my ability to work continuously, without getting tired.

16. What is your biggest weakness?

I am a bit of a perfectionist, which makes it difficult for me to be satisfied with situations.

17. What are you doing to overcome this weakness?

I am working on looking at things in a more realistic manner, which is what I believe will help me perform my work in a proper manner.

18. How would your patients describe you?

I am sure that my patients will tell you that I am a fun doctor, who is great with her patients.

19. Do you have any interests outside of work?

Yes, I am an ace archer and a member of the local archery club.

20. How well do you work with other people?

I am a people person which is why I work extremely well with other people.

21. What is one thing that you dislike about working in a hospital environment?

I cannot think of even one thing that I dislike about working in a hospital setting. In fact, I feel that working in one is highly conducive to learning and development.

22. Do you sometimes get frustrated with patients?

I am usually a patient individual, however, there have been times when I have been frustrated, which I feel is a normal human response.

23. How do deal with that frustration?

My method of dealing with it is simple – deep breathing, and a positive attitude.

24. Tell us about a failure that you have in your name.

I wouldn’t really call it a failure, but I have on occasion been unable to make parents understand what is good for their children, leading to difficult circumstances.

25. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, where do you rate yourself as a pediatrician?

I am not perfect and have a long way to go, so I will give myself a realistic 8.

26. Do you do any community work?

Yes, I provide a free consultation to immigrant patients, who have yet to obtain their paperwork.

27. What is your work style?

My work style is very different from most other doctors, as I try my best to make patients comfortable with me before I examine them. I believe in trust before anything else, upon which I deal with my patients, resulting in great successes.

28. How do you prioritize your work?

I prioritize my work by diligently determining which patient needs my help the most, and by keeping emergent situations in mind.

29. What are your pet peeves?

I must admit that I am a feel a bit overwhelmed with tantrums, but quite recently, I have started to master the art of handling them without any imminent damage.

30. Do you consider yourself a successful pediatrician?

As a matter of fact, I do. I believe that a doctor’s success is measured in many ways, one of which is how many recommendations one gets. And I am pleased to say that my work runs primarily on recommendations from existing clients.

31. What should we know that is not on your resume?

A far cry from what I do now, I was once a musician, and played in bars!

32. Are you willing to relocate to a location far from where you are based?

I am pretty much a free bird, and would not mind relocating if it were absolutely necessary.

33. Are you willing to travel for work?

I already travel for work, as I mentioned I provided free camps for immigrants. So, I do not have any issues with relocating.

34. Do you have a favorite patient?

I do not discriminate between my patients. I adore all of them and wish them all recovery, peace, and contentment.

35. Describe a time when you lost your temper.

I am not usually one to give in to temper, but I must say I was quite horrified when I saw a father treat his young son roughly, using brute force. I had no choice but to raise my voice to bring the situation under control.

36. What do you want to accomplish in the first 30 days at your new job?

I want to achieve much in terms of training and development, as I feel that I have much insight to offer to members who have just started child healthcare at your facility. I look forward to building a solid team, ready to take on any case, at any time.

37. Are you a team player or a solo flyer?

I am both when the need arises.

38. If we hire you, when can you join us?

I would be happy to join within 1 month of receiving an offer letter from you.

39. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I see myself working in a medical administrative capacity at your hospital.

40. Do you have any questions for me?

I would like to know a little more about the pediatric wing of your hospital, and the challenges that you are facing in running it.

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