Dr. Mihir Shah
Appearances
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Yeah. So like Gina said, and even Lindsay mentioned, anything on your CV is fair game, right? So even if you worked on it in undergrad or something you did years ago, but you put it on there, then I would make sure that you kind of brush up on it or you know what part you played in that project or what was your role.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
And you can talk a little bit, again, we don't need a thesis, but just a little bit about how you got to working on it and what you learned and how you completed it. Really the core of what we're trying to get at is to understand if you can start a project, take something from infancy and see it all the way through. Are you committed?
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Can you, can you be dedicated to a topic of something that you're not, you don't know a lot about when you start, but can you bring it to fruition? So it really doesn't matter. Let's say you initially thought you were going to do cardiology and you spent
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
you know, year or whatever, a few months in the summer between your first and second year doing cardiology research and you put it on there, you know, it's not a negative. Not everybody wakes up thinking they're going to be a urologist from day one. And so maybe you got insight into wanting to be a urologist later.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
And so you could still put that on there, you know, and just be comfortable speaking on it and what, you know, how you, how it helped you and ultimately how you got to your decision of being a urologist. And if you're in a situation where you don't have a home program or you don't have access to research and you don't think you have a strong CV when it comes to research or things of that nature,
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Again, the goal is really to see if you can be dedicated to a topic. If you're passionate about community service and you spend a whole year working, you know, in Africa taking care of patients, that speaks for itself. You know, it doesn't have to necessarily be clinical research or basic science research. So all we're looking for is to see, hey, I started this project.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
I took it all the way through. It's a pub now. It's peer reviewed. You know, that's great. It doesn't have to be 20 pubs necessarily. Not everybody gets that opportunity. But you should at least know what you did on the project, what your role was, and what you learned through it.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
One last thing I'll say is just to add to it is the way I when I went through it and I prepared is I actually talked to my non-medical colleagues because when they interview, that's all they get is behavioral questions. So I was like, hey, can you run through these with me? Because, you know, I'm so focused on just medical stuff, but maybe you have a better insight. So that was helpful for me.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
If you have friends outside of medicine, you know, ask them. They do this a lot more than we do. So that may help.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
How would you recommend talking about that? So, you know, again, it kind of ties into the behavioral questions. And if you don't bring it up, you know, you're more likely than not potentially to get asked at least once throughout the interview day by somebody, right? And again, it's just an opportunity to show your perseverance, your resilience, your grit.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
It could be any number of circumstances, loss of a loved one, a catastrophic event in your life that was really critical that you had to take a gap year. Or it could be a whole host of reasons. Some family member needed help, et cetera. So it's really just another opportunity to show what the challenge was. It's not so important what it was. It's just really what we want to see is
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
How did you work through it? You know, who supported you during your tough times? What did you lean into? You know, how did you persevere? How did you pick yourself up? How did you get back on your feet and want to keep going? And clearly you're here. You got there. So we just want to learn, you know, how you...
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
we're able to navigate that challenging time and what you learned and how it really prepares you, like I said, for some tough days during training because it's inevitable. Some days are going to be tough. Some outcomes are not what you like. Some errors could occur and it's going to be tough and you may get down or somebody may kind of hold you to it.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
And we just want to know that you can get through that. And actually, it's an opportunity to, again, showcase your strength, which is your grit, your perseverance, your tenacity, which is what got you here today, right? It's not necessarily a negative thing. Just be prepared to talk about it genuinely.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
And just to add to that, if you do exactly that, then there is no disappointment because ultimately you may not match at number one, maybe not even number two. But honestly, you're going to match at a great program regardless because thankfully urology programs are accredited to a point where they're all really good to get you trained. the journey may not be linear.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
It may not be a straight line and it feels like a bump in the road. Oh my God, I didn't get my number one choice. It won't matter because if you followed, you know, you set your priority is know what's important to you, where you're going to be the happiest.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Then you, before you know it, by the end, you look back five years later, you'd be like, man, I didn't rank at one, but God, it was the best decision in my life that, you know, something above knew better. And I ended up there because it's been an incredible ride. And so, you know, follow your gut. There's no other way to really parse it out. There's no perfect program, right?
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
But they're all really, really good. And so, you just have to find what is going to work best for you and then follow your gut and make your list. And before you know it, you'll reflect back on it as joyfully as we do.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Sure. So I would prepare for a virtual interview like you would for an in-person or vice versa in this case, since you guys are more familiar with the virtual setting. But you want a bright environment, adequate light, make sure your internet's working well, have tested your equipment, have a working headset or computer, if you will, and then dress appropriately. It's still an interview.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Nothing more to add. I concur. You're allowed to communicate, but the programs are not really. So it'd be nice, but you're not obligated to. So it's not an expectation.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
I'll just say this is my favorite part of the year. It's so exciting to meet new potential trainees soon to be peers. You know, I look back and before I know it, it's over. And here I am, you know, sitting on the other side. So, yeah, it's just, you know, don't get too stressed. At the end of the day, you're all going to do really well. Just be yourself.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
You may be more comfortable in your own environment, but be professional, be on time, be punctual. And just showcase yourself, you know, it's just an opportunity to learn about each other. And so be true to yourself and stay engaged as best as you can. And the rest, you know, should be no different than in-person interview.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Maybe a little more comfortable in your environment actually might be a benefit.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Completely agree with both Gina and Lindsay. I think it's more of finding the right match, you know, whether it's the applicant choosing the right program, if it aligns with their long-term goals, short-term goals, do they see themselves as part of the team? You know, does it feel like they would be a good fit for both the program and the applicant?
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
And ultimately, will they be happy under really tough circumstances? Training is universally challenging on certain days and
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
incredibly rewarding on others and it's the highs and lows and can they get through them you know together because some days i needed to be picked up and you know am i going to be surrounded by people that are going to lift me up do you have the support in the place you're going to be and do you feel supported and i think that's really what gets us all through you know the darkest of days and we still you know we build relationships that last a lifetime you know i still talk to my co-residents almost daily and i you know call my peers that trained ahead of me behind me uh all the time and it's incredible and it's
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
It's really rewarding, but you just want to make sure that that's the feeling you're getting at the end of the day. And that's basically what the program is also looking for, because otherwise you all have a seat at the table. You're all equally qualified in terms of your accomplishments.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
We just want to make sure that we understand what kind of a person you are, what, how you're going to fit into the program.
BackTable Urology
Ep. 195 BackTable Resident Edition: Tips for Virtual and In-Person Urology Residency Interviews with Dr. Mihir Shah, Dr. Lindsay Hampson, Dr. Gina Badalato, and Yash Shah
Thanks for having me. It's good seeing everybody. I am a urologist at Jefferson. I serve as the vice chair of clinical research and my clinical focus is urologic oncology and additionally reconstructive benign disease such as BPH and upper tract reconstruction.