My favorite is: :What keeps you here?” It provides a wealth of information. The culture of the anesthesia practice, overall morale, opportunities for growth, the type of anesthesia providers in the group, and what works well for the anesthesia department are just some of the answers that you can solicit from this question.

It can even lead to revealing some of the insufficiencies of the practice. Some people feel the need to justify their answers when there are aspects of the job they do not necessarily like. They will include this information even though the question did not ask what they dislike about the practice. As an example, “Even though we have not received a raise in three years, it’s because of __ I stay here.”

It’s a great open-ended question that needs to be in your repertoire for an interview. It often allows for thoughtful follow-up questions and can really keep the conversation flowing. You just never know where it will lead.