A badly run interview can miss the one insight that actually matters, whether it's with a resident in a healthcare setting, an educational program, or a research study. This course puts the focus on getting that conversation right, from the first question to the final report.

Participants practice building rapport, asking questions that surface real information rather than rehearsed answers, and handling the awkward moments that come up in almost every interview. Role-play, case studies and hands-on exercises turn the theory into a skill participants can use the next working day.

Objectives

• Understand what makes resident interviews succeed or fail in practice.
• Build interview guides tailored to different interview types and settings.
• Develop rapport-building and active listening techniques.
• Ask open, probing questions without introducing bias.
• Handle sensitive topics and difficult moments during an interview.
• Document and report findings accurately after the interview ends.

Who Should Attend

• Healthcare professionals conducting resident interviews (physicians, nurses, social workers).
• Educational coordinators and administrators in residency programs.
• Researchers who interview resident populations as part of their work.
• Anyone looking to strengthen their interviewing and assessment skills.

Module 1: Getting Ready, Purpose, Ethics and Preparation

• Why resident interviews matter across clinical, educational and research settings
• Ethical considerations and setting clear objectives before the interview

Module 2: Interview Formats and When to Use Them

• Structured vs. unstructured interviews
• Behavioral and situational interviewing techniques

Module 3: Communication, Rapport and Active Listening

• Verbal and non-verbal communication in interviews
• Building trust and rapport with residents quickly

Module 4: Asking the Right Questions

• Open-ended, closed-ended and probing questions
• Avoiding leading or biased questions

Module 5: Running the Interview and Handling Difficult Moments

• Creating a comfortable environment and managing time
• Techniques for managing sensitive topics and challenging residents

Module 6: Assessing Responses and Writing It Up

• Analyzing and interpreting what residents actually said
• Documenting findings and following up afterward

Module 7: Practicing Through Case Studies and Role-Play

• Role-playing real interview scenarios
• Group discussion of successful and unsuccessful cases