The CRIP 2015

I'm here in cold Frisco, Texas at this year's CASPR/CRIP residency interviews. It's exactly 5:31 in the morning as I start this jet lag and does wonders for a traveler's sleep patterns. For so many of us, the CRIP is a common connecting experience that brings us closer together – a common experience we've all suffered through, that is. For me as a residency director, this is only my second trip to the CRIP. In all now, I've experienced the interviews as a student (once, thank God), a resident, and a director, and I have to say it's a lot better as an interviewer than as a student.

I can recall the incredible level of stress. At the risk of making a complete fool of myself, I'll relay a story about my own experience. At the time of my interviews, they were doing three CRIPS, a Western, Central, and Eastern. I went to two of them, and while on the airplane to the first one, a noticed my elbow was itchy and the seat was uncomfortable. Examining my elbow, I noticed a urticarial hive. I tried to ignore it, but every time I put pressure against any part of my arm, a new hive would burst out in itchy glory. Meanwhile, the seat itself continued to be uncomfortable. After finally landing and making it to the hotel, I disrobed and was horrified to see I was covered with hives. And when I say covered, I mean it! The only places on my body without hives were my face and genitals. I didn't have any edema and could breath fine, so I didn't go to the hospital. It was agonizing to put on cloths, so I just lay down on the bed naked, and tried to relax. By the next day the hives – thank God again – disappeared.

In reality, my little hives had been coming and going for about six months prior to the interviews, but never this bad. I had been to the dermatologist and had even stopped eating seafood, thinking that might have been the cause. As it turned out, the cause was the incredible stress under which I had put myself.

		Tonight's Premier Lecture is New Approaches to Tinea Pedis Warren S Joseph, DPM, FIDSA

This is a testament to the pressure students are under when it comes time for the CRIP. In fact, even the word – the CRIP – is scary. It sounds like you're going to meet members of a gang or be buried alive behind a brick wall á la Edgar Allen Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, where a guy ends up in a crypt. Even saying the word "CRIP" is harsh. The hard "CR" sound elicits the same verbal feel as "BANG" or "SLAM" or might even sound like a tiger growling (GRRRRRR).

I can imagine that there were two different people sitting there when they were inventing this whole thing. One of them was soft and nice and came up with "CASPR", eliciting memories of Caspar the Friendly Ghost, while the other was harder and angry, shouting, "Let's call it CRIP, dammit!"

Either way, there's no shortage of stress for our applicants, and to make it worse, they have to hold it together the whole time, smiling, talking to their friends, and actually interviewing – a very challenging thing in podiatry with its highly academic interviews. Not easy I'd say. Luckily, many of us in podiatry have been through the process and can at least relate to some degree.

To those of you being interviewed, I'd like to make a few suggestions. Since we're in the middle of the interviews now, this is obviously too late for this year, but you never know when you'll need this advice again.

Advice for Being Your Best at an Interview

1. Try to relax and have a sense of humor about the process. Keep some perspective. It's one time in your life and will soon be over.
2. Be socially prepared. If you haven't already, read about the programs with which you interview (especially if you haven't clerked at the programs). Have an idea who's who in the program. Know something about the program, so if they ask "why this program" you'll have a reasonable answer. If a program is geographically appealing to you, DON'T tell them that! No program wants to be chosen simply by location. They work hard to educate residents and don't want to be boiled down to location. Think of something else to say.
3. Be academically prepared. If you're not ready by now, don't bother with this one. It's too late. But don't stop familiarizing yourself to keep your mind sharp.
4. Appear confident but not overconfident. You might not be confident, but you have to look confident. Answer questions with a statement, not a question. For example, if I ask what is your diagnosis, don't say "Hallux valgus?" – a question. Say "Hallux valgus." – a statement. Modulate your voice so you're neither too loud (overly aggressive) or too soft (under confident). Look relaxed. Be positive. Smile. Die inside but be alive on the surface.
5. After each interview debrief yourself. In five minutes, write down the topics covered and the format of the interview. Note what you knew and didn't know. Take a moment to understand where you were strong or weak. There may be an academic topic in which you had trouble that you can review that night. It's highly possible you'll see similar topics at different interviews. We all see diabetic foot infections, for example, so you should think that would be a relatively common set of questions.
6. DON'T judge yourself. Legitimate perspective during an ordeal like this is impossible. You may have done better than you think. Also, beating yourself up and losing confidence will not help you at all during the next interview.
7. Be the best version of yourself. If a program doesn't like you for who you are, then they're not right for you. Each applicant has something unique and special to bring to a program, and the trick is finding which program will match up best with your specialness.

That brings me to one final thing – Match Phase 2. No, it's not called "the scramble" anymore. How badly chosen was that word for stress relief? The process is now called Match Phase 2 (or MP2), and, in it's first year, seems to be a much more organized process.

Applicants, if you end up in MP2, don't panic (at least not right away). Take a deep breath – maybe a quick stiff drink (but only one)! – and remain calm. Many of you still have a chance to acquire a good program. Remain focused. You're given time to update your application before the MP2 actually starts, so make that your first step. Look at your application and see if there are any edits you can make to strengthen it (without lying of course). Have someone else look at it too (they'll be more objective than you). Try to be patient and remain as optimistic as possible.

And remember one thing please. If for some reason, you don't get a program, try to realize life does go on. Apply again next year and think about how you can make your application stronger. If you never got a program, and you couldn't become a practicing podiatrist, life still goes on. We get one life to live, and we have to make the best of it, even through hard times.

With that said, good luck with your interview process, and I hope to see you on the other side of the table soon.

Best wishes,

Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT Practice Perfect Editor
[email protected]

Get a steady stream of all the NEW PRESENT Podiatry eLearning by becoming our Facebook Fan. Effective eLearning and a Colleague Network await you.

Major Sponsor