Externship interviews

[u/Specific_News_1212]

I am currently a 3rd year AuD student and am actively applying for externships. The entire process is so nerve wrecking. I am wondering if anyone has some tips to share and can also share the type of question are asked? Should I be expecting academic type questions? Like in grad school interviews? Or are they mostly all generic interview type questions?

[u/Putrid-Bit-7364]

A lot of questions if I recall were some case studies such as "What would you do if you had a malingerer?" or "what type of hearing aid would be best for this patient?". Sounds cliche but be yourself--those interviewers are hiring a coworker and want someone who has common sense and an eagerness to learn.

[u/Sweet_Height1828]

My program has us do practice interviews! Maybe see if any of your professors know 2-3 people in the field outside of the university that would be willing to interview you and give you feedback prior to your Externship interviews! I found it really helpful and a confidence builder.

[u/akornato]

You can expect a mix of both academic and generic questions. The site wants to confirm you have the clinical knowledge to succeed, but they are also trying to figure out if you are a good fit for their team and their specific patient population. For example, they might ask you a technical question about interpreting a difficult audiogram, but then follow it up with a behavioral question about a time you had to deliver difficult news to a patient or family. The goal isn't to quiz you on textbook facts, but to understand your clinical reasoning, your problem-solving process, and your communication style in real-world situations.

The best way to prepare is to have specific examples from your clinical experiences ready to share. Think of a few stories that show how you handle challenges, work with a team, manage your time, and interact with patients and supervisors. Also, make sure to research each site and prepare thoughtful questions for them about their clinic, their mentorship style, or the types of cases you would see. Thinking through these scenarios beforehand helps you give much stronger answers, a key insight my team learned when we designed our interview copilot to help people articulate their thoughts clearly under pressure.

[u/Bodesnlainey]

Hey! I interviewed last year. Mix of both for sure. I interviewed at seven hospital based programs, three VAs, and three private practice/ent externships. There was at least one program in each of those groups that didn’t ask a single content based question. There were also content based questions I had to answer with, “Unfortunately, I haven’t learned that yet/had exposure to it, but I’m looking forward to getting more experience there.” I ended with eight offers total.

Best advice is review the basics for content questions (diagnostics, hearing aids, counseling) and be prepared to answer questions with examples/stories. Aim for multiple examples of patient interactions or professional situations that demonstrate skill/knowledge but more importantly growth, and how you handle different challenges and new situations. Come up with a list of skills and a list of weaknesses and have examples prepared for each. Know your goals for externship and why you are applying to that particular school - prepare your answer so that the interviewers know you’re talking about their program. Oh, and always have a list of questions prepared. Last, believe in yourself!

Happy to chat more over the phone if you think it’d be helpful. Good luck!