Interview preparation guide
Asking about formal training in teaching skills: residency interview preparation guide
AAMC's research and teaching questions ask whether residents receive formal training on how to teach students and other learners effectively and how to provide feedback. Ask what the training is and when residents get it.
How to prepare
- 1
Ask the question in its plainest form
The AAMC list asks whether there is any formal training for residents on how to teach students and other learners effectively and how to provide feedback. Ask it directly once you know a program expects residents to teach.
- 2
Ask for format and timing
Ask what the training looks like in practice: a workshop series, a residents-as-teachers course or something embedded in rotations, and when in the program residents complete it.
- 3
Ask residents whether it helped
AAMC notes some questions are best answered by residents. Ask a resident who teaches students whether the training prepared them for real teaching and feedback conversations.
A practical exercise
Teaching training: [format], completed in [year or rotation]. Covers feedback skills: [yes or no]. Resident view: [..].
This is an editorial exercise to adapt to your own interview, not a script or a program requirement.
What the source guidance supports
AAMC's research and teaching questions ask whether residents receive formal training on how to teach students and other learners effectively and how to provide feedback. Ask what the training is and when residents get it.
The exercises and checklists are editorial applications of the cited guidance, not required program procedures or predictions of interview outcomes. Costs and formats vary by program, so follow your actual invitation and school guidance.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking about teaching duties but not about training to teach.
- Accepting that training exists without format or timing.
- Not checking with a resident who actually teaches.
Check your preparation
- Did I ask whether formal teaching training exists?
- Did I get the format and the timing?
- Did a teaching resident say it helped?
Questions for your practice review
- Is there formal training for residents on how to teach effectively?
- Does it cover how to give feedback to learners?
- When in the program do residents complete it?
Common questions
Is this an official list of required questions?
No. AAMC describes it as a list created by residents and students to help you assess fit, and says to build your own more specific questions from it.
Who should I ask?
AAMC says some questions are best answered by residents in the program. Ask a program leader what training is offered, then ask a resident who teaches whether it prepared them.
Is this current for the 2027 ERAS season?
AAMC publishes this question list as current guidance for applicants interviewing in the 2027 ERAS season. Program answers change year to year, so ask each program for its own current answer.
Related guides
Sources
This page is general editorial guidance based on the sources above. It is not a prediction of any program's questions or a statement of its current policies.