UConn School of Medicine (MD) Medicine InterviewFormat, Questions & Prep Tips

Why UConn — and how does Connecticut’s public medical school mission align with your goals as a physician?

Reference Connecticut’s primary care shortage, the public mission to serve state communities, UConn’s community health programme, and the Farmington campus. Specificity signals genuine research.

Walk me through your path to medicine. What experiences confirmed that medicine — rather than another health profession — was the right choice?

Structured narrative: early exposure, deepening commitment, pivotal experiences. Show deliberate reflection, not inevitability. UConn values self-aware candidates who have considered alternatives.

A patient with severe chronic pain is requesting opioid medication. You have reason to believe he may be misusing his prescription. How do you approach the visit?

Use PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Program) data, motivational interviewing, urine drug screening, pain management contract. Avoid both over-prescribing and abandonment. Connecticut has a significant opioid crisis — locally relevant.

You are a medical student on a clinical rotation. A patient you are assigned to asks you point-blank: 'Am I dying?' The attending has not yet communicated the prognosis. What do you say?

Don’t lie or deflect dismissively. Acknowledge the seriousness of the question, tell the patient you want to make sure they get the full picture from the physician, and commit to facilitating that conversation. Do not disclose prognosis without the attending’s involvement.

Connecticut is one of the few states that has legalised medical aid in dying. A terminally ill patient who is competent asks you about this option. How do you respond?

Connecticut MAID note: Connecticut passed the Death with Dignity Act in 2021. Inform, do not advocate or discourage — present it as a legal option, refer to palliative care, ensure informed decision-making, and honour conscientious objection by referring if needed.

Tell me about a community health or public service experience that shaped your understanding of medicine.

Be specific and reflective. UConn values community engagement — not just clinical exposure. Show that you understand social determinants of health and have worked within systems, not just alongside them.

Connecticut’s population is aging faster than the national average. What challenges does this pose for the state’s healthcare system and what role can primary care physicians play?

Reference geriatric workforce shortages, home health, chronic disease management, Medicare billing complexity, advance care planning, and the role of primary care physicians as care co-ordinators for complex elderly patients.

You are a first-year student working in a free clinic. A patient who speaks limited English declines your interpreter and insists on using their teenage child to translate medical information. How do you handle this?

Acknowledge the family preference; explain the professional interpreter requirement for informed consent and accurate clinical communication. Offer a professional phone interpreter. In emergency situations, use the family member only as a last resort.

A fellow medical student tells you they falsified a patient encounter log to meet a requirement. They ask you to keep it confidential. What do you do?

Professional integrity: you cannot ignore academic dishonesty in clinical training — it is a patient safety issue if fabricated experience misrepresents competency. Encourage the student to self-report; if they refuse, you have an obligation to escalate.

Describe a time you received difficult feedback from a supervisor. How did you respond and what did it change?

Show non-defensiveness, genuine reflection, and evidence of change. UConn values growth mindset and emotional maturity — this is a core physician skill.

A station shows Connecticut data: opioid-overdose deaths fell among prescription opioids but rose sharply with illicit fentanyl, and the racial composition of decedents has shifted over time. How do you interpret these overlapping trends?

Read the data carefully: a supply-side shift from prescription to illicit fentanyl, the limits of death-certificate and toxicology coding, and growing disparities (rising overdose among Black residents). Connect to harm reduction — naloxone, fentanyl test strips, buprenorphine access. UConn values applicants who reason from the data to policy, not headlines.

Role play: You are a student in a free clinic. A patient with chronic pain is angry that you 'won't just refill' the opioid prescription another clinician started, and feels accused of drug-seeking. (The interviewer plays the patient.)

De-escalate and separate the person from the problem: validate his pain and frustration, explain the PDMP and safety steps without accusation, and offer a plan rather than abandonment. Connecticut's opioid crisis makes this locally salient; show compassion plus boundaries.

An older patient with several chronic conditions sees multiple specialists and arrives confused about conflicting instructions and a long medication list. As her primary care physician, how do you help?

Care coordination is central to UConn's primary-care and geriatrics strengths. Reconcile medications, simplify the regimen, use teach-back and a written plan, and position yourself as the coordinating hub. Tie it to Connecticut's rapidly aging population and the value of generalist physicians.

UConn is Connecticut's only public medical school, with a strong primary-care and community mission and notable geriatrics. What specifically connects you to serving Connecticut's communities rather than this being a convenient option?

Demonstrate genuine ties or commitment — Connecticut roots, experience in Hartford/Bridgeport/New Haven underserved settings, or a clear primary-care/geriatrics interest. Out-of-state applicants especially should articulate why UConn's public mission fits them, since residency preference is strong.

UConn offers an MD/PhD pathway and has research strengths alongside its primary-care mission. If you have research interests, how do you see them coexisting with a school whose public mandate emphasises community and primary care?

Show that you see research and primary-care mission as complementary — health-services, aging, and community-based research serve the state mandate. Be specific about your interests and honest about balance; avoid implying the public mission is secondary to your research ambitions.