Table of Contents
When you apply to medical school, interviewers will ask why you want to become a doctor. Everyone has different reasons for pursuing medicine, but some motivations are better than others in the eyes of interviewers, and your answer(s) to this question can be a major factor in your acceptance.
Demonstrating to medical school admissions committees that you have the proper motivation and skill set to be a good doctor can significantly improve your chances of getting in.
Read about matching into residency. (You’ll have to answer this question in your residency interviews, too!)
Identifying Your Motivation
Your reasoning for becoming a doctor is very important to AdComs, who prefer candidates who enter the field out of a desire to help others (in specific ways) over those who enter the field only because of the financial potential.
Here is a list of motivations that are appealing to interviewers:
- Helping others in a significant and specific way
The incredible opportunity to restore people’s lives to normalcy and save some from death is extremely rewarding. The right way to describe your helpful desire should include particular examples of ways you want to be helpful, not just broad statements, whenever possible.
- A fascination with medicine
The human body itself is an incredible subject to study, and medical students and doctors have the opportunity to further examine it with the most innovative technology through their medical education and career.
- Trust and honor
Doctors are trusted with sensitive information that most other people would not have access to. To be trusted to this extent by anyone is a great honor, but also a great responsibility.
- Other opportunities
There are numerous opportunities available for MDs and DOs: clinical research, basic science research, journalism, consulting, business ventures, hospital administration, public health, and public policy (to name a few).
- Ability to build meaningful relationships
Doctors who see the same patients repeatedly can build lasting relationships with them. This can allow for a rewarding career for many doctors, as their profession is to support individuals and families over long periods of time.
- Requires critical thinking and problem-solving
Many doctors enjoy the challenge of diagnosing a patient and figuring out the best way to treat them. Surgeons and other specialists may end up in the field because they love to work with their hands to find and fix problems.
What to Include in Your Answer
Based on my experience on admissions committees and coaching applicants, here’s a checklist of what to include in your answer to the question, “Why do you want to be a doctor?”
- Personal experiences: By making your answer personal, you avoid generically listing cliches. Draw from your own experiences from the past to the present.
- Passion for medicine: Show commitment to and excitement for your medical career path. Med schools want passionate students and alumni who wish to positively impact the healthcare world.
- Alignment with med school values: Tailor your response (particularly the beginning and ending) for the specific program you’re interviewing for if possible. For instance, a program known for its primary care education program may value an answer more related to primary care than, say, a program known for its innovative training in diagnostics or surgical techniques.
- Past, present, and future: Don’t dwell on only one aspect; try to cover everything briefly. When crafting your answer, reflect on your past experiences and future goals. An example of this might be to review your desire to practice medicine based on a helper mentality related to unhoused people, a hope to increase the effectiveness of patient communications, and the goal of building relationships with patients. These are all separate but related motivations that can help to fill out your answer.
- Focus on patient care: Make it clear that your interest in the medical field is inspired by your desire to support patients. This may seem obvious, but some future doctors tend to focus more on the scientific or data-driven side of the job and forget to mention that they are hopeful about caring for actual people in the process.
Read Next: Prepare for Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMIs)
Things to Avoid
In my years of AdCom experience, as well as helping students like you get into medical school, here are some common pitfalls I’ve run into:
- Avoid generic responses, like “I want to help people,” or “I like science,” with no elaboration or anchor in personal experience.
- Don’t just list off your clinical and volunteering experiences. These are relevant, but they do not answer why you are so determined to pursue a medical career. Nurses, social workers, and other public servants volunteer or work with patients. If you mention these experiences, you need to tie them in with your motivations and anecdotes to describe why you want to become a doctor, specifically, not broadly work in the healthcare field.
- Absolutely do NOT emphasize money or job security as a primary reason you want to be a doctor. AdComs don’t want to hear about your dreams of being rich, and even mentioning money as part of your answers can be a deal-breaker. Besides, your income will be low for many years during school and residency (not to mention the cost of med school).
- Don’t get overly emotional. This is still a professional interview. You can share a touching personal story that shows why you believe you’ll make a good doctor, but practice with friends or a mentor beforehand to learn how to stay composed while sharing.
- Don’t give parental acceptance as a reason (even if that’s part of your story). AdComs aren’t looking for students who are in the application process to appease their parents. Instead, they’re looking for self-starters who will stay passionate about medicine through the grueling times in med school and residency.
- Don’t brag. Humility is an essential trait for a physician, so avoid exaggerating your stories to sound impressive. This doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short – just make sure you’re honest about the scope of your experiences.
Related: Answering “Why This Medical School,” Step-by-Step
Practice Is Key
The more times you practice giving your answers, the better you’ll be when interview time arrives.
Here are my interview tips when it comes to practicing this question:
- Mock interview with a friend or colleague. They can give you multiple questions or just this one.
- Record yourself answering this vital question. Watch the video to see what you would change about the content or your delivery. Get feedback from a professor or mentor.
- Don’t recite a script! Initially, you can work off a few bullet points to help you remember key points. Eventually, though, you should practice telling your story from memory. That way, in the interview, you’ll remember the gist of your answer while keeping your delivery natural.
- Make edits. Change anything that comes off as unnatural, cliche, or irrelevant. Don’t get rid of the basic structure of your answer, though. Keep personal retellings in chronological order and with a patient-centered focus.
- Stay calm and confident during the actual interview. Sit up straight, speak slowly and clearly, smile, maintain eye contact, and (most importantly) be yourself.
Looking for more interview advice? Download our free guide to the medical school interview. Written by former admissions committee members, this free PDF compiles all the advice and examples you need to prep for Interview Day.
Sample Answers (With Commentary)
These are 3 example answers that can help you learn how to answer the interview question, “Why do you want to be a doctor?” The answers are in italics, with commentary after each.
Sample #1
I was first interested in medicine at a young age when a doctor in their cliche white coat came to a parent’s day at school. Helping people while solving complex scientific problems spoke to me. That day inspired me to start a medical club at my high school, where I learned the value of community service, clinical volunteering, and local awareness campaigns. Before senior year, I went on a Global Medical Brigade to Honduras, where I helped set up a mobile clinic for the local population. Many of them had not seen a doctor in 10 years, solidifying my passion for bringing healthcare to underserved populations. During undergrad, I shadowed a primary care physician who purposefully marketed her practice to healthcare deserts and communities with higher rates of poverty. In her marketing material, she showed what public transport they could take to their appointments. I was inspired by this provider’s commitment to making a difference, so I decided to start a volunteer service to help senior citizens and people without cars get to their doctor’s appointments. I recruited dozens of people to volunteer as drivers, and after two years, we had helped community members arrive on time to over 500 medical appointments. All this has helped me realize what kind of difference I can make in patients’ lives, especially patients who are systemically denied access to healthcare. I plan to raise awareness for healthcare disparities, and I am confident in this school’s ability to hone my own awareness and medical skills to make a meaningful difference in the medical profession.
In this answer, the interviewee covered the beginning of their interest, the steps they took during high school, and the exploration they had during premed.
Since a doctor coming to a parent’s day is unique to the interviewee’s experience, they included it. Since that same experience was not highly compelling, they quickly moved on to more emotionally and professionally relevant events.
Referring to Global Medical Brigades shows that the interviewee not only has experience serving underserved populations but that they are also invested in their medical career.
Mentioning specific experiences from undergrad is also crucial. By recounting how their shadowing experience inspired them to found a volunteer organization, the interviewee is demonstrating their leadership potential and their longitudinal commitment to serving patients.
All these strengths aside, the interviewee could have enhanced their answer by highlighting specific aspects of the school curriculum that align with their experience and goals.
Sample #2
I first thought about becoming a doctor when my grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Seeing him struggle with simple tasks was hard for our family. When I went with my mom to help grandpa bathe and eat, it taught me the importance of compassion in the face of struggle. One day, his doctor took the time to explain everything to us. She was patient and kind. That really stuck with me. I want to be a doctor to help real people like my grandpa. Your school will give me the skills I need to make an impact. I’m excited about the focus on public health, medical research, and supporting underserved populations here.
This interviewee’s story about their family member is unique, relevant, honest, personal, and compelling.
The interviewee wanted to add experiences from high school and college. Still, nothing was quite as powerful as the story about their grandpa, so they edited everything down to focus on this core story.
Although this answer does not include clinical experience or further exploration of the medical field in high school or college, this brief and compelling story about their grandpa is likely to incite follow-up questions from the interviewer. From there, the applicant can talk about their actual experiences – professional, clinical, and philanthropic – to prove that they’ve explored the field of medicine and have what it takes to become a doctor.
Sample #3
Years ago, when my younger brother got pneumonia, the doctors at St. Mary’s saw him right away, made him better with both medicine and bedside manner, made my parents feel heard, and explained everything very clearly to us. Their reassuring way of communicating was like medicine to us, the family. That was the first time I thought, “I want to do this.” Only a couple years later, I volunteered at a local clinic while in high school, so I could see if this was really the right path for me. There was one patient, Mr. Johnson, who was really nervous about his blood tests. I watched my supervisor, Dr. Carroll, sit with him and explain everything in a calm, reassuring way. Seeing the relief on Mr. Johnson’s face helped me realize that healthcare is more than just problem-solving with medicine — it’s about reassuring people who need help. In college, I was on the premed track because I knew healthcare was the path for me, but I was still trying to figure out the specific health profession. I joined a health outreach program because my friend recommended it. The program went to local communities with limited access to healthcare, and I remember meeting a woman who didn’t know she had high blood pressure. We explained hypertension to her and what she needed to do to reduce further complications. She was so grateful and said we might have saved her life. It made me realize that treatment is one thing, but making regular people feel heard and understood is even more important. I want to be that person who helps others, not just with doctor’s appointments, but with listening and calmly communicating. With this school’s focus on underserved communities, I know it’s the right place for me to learn and grow into the reassuring physician I aim to be.
This answer focuses on being a “reassuring” doctor. Giving real examples from personal experiences allows the interviewee to paint a picture of how they gained a desire to be a doctor.
It’s important not to discount the importance of medicine, but this interviewee also demonstrates a passion for patient care that extends beyond medicine. They want the AdCom to know they are committed to caring for patients as healthcare professionals, not just treating them or their symptoms.
Having repeated words, like “reassuring,” can come off as rehearsed, so practice delivering your answer to family or a colleague. Get feedback on how to sound more natural and “off-the-cuff.”
Up Next: Best 18 Sample MMI Questions + Tips for Acing Your Interview
Get the Support You Need to Nail Your Med School Interview
By following these helpful interview preparation tips, you’ll be on the right track to ace your upcoming medical school interviews!
If you want the best chance of wowing admissions committees, learn more about mock interviews from MedSchoolCoach. Our Physicians Advisors have admissions committee experience and can help you ace your interviews and secure an acceptance to medical school.
Ready to work with a Physician Advisor? Talk to our Enrollment Team to schedule your mock interviews.
Sahil Mehta MD
Dr. Mehta is the founder of MedSchoolCoach and has guided thousands of successful medical school applicants. He is also a practicing physician in Boston where he specializes in vascular and interventional radiology.
