Preparing for the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine interview

Making a memorable impact in your Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine interview requires familiarity with healthcare dynamics in Pennsylvania, as well as an understanding of how state and federal policies, current social challenges, and major health trends influence patient care both locally and nationally. 

This guide offers detailed background and thoughtful guidance, helping you formulate strong responses that reflect your genuine passion for medicine and your dedication to improving the health of communities you will one day serve.

1. The GCSOM Panel Interview: Structure, Themes, and Hidden Agendas

GCSOM uses a panel-based hybrid format combining group discussions and scenario assessments. 

Key details:

• Panel Discussion: 45 minutes with 3–4 evaluators (faculty, community physicians, and a patient advocate). Expect collaborative debates on rural health equity and Geisinger’s ProvenExperience program (refunds for poor care experiences).

• Scenario Stations: Team-based ethical challenges (e.g., triaging ventilators during a rural hospital surge or designing a vaccine outreach plan for Amish communities in Lancaster County).

• Themes:

  1. Community-Integrated Care: Highlighted by Geisinger’s Fresh Food Farmacy, prescribing meals for diabetics in Scranton’s food deserts.

  2. Innovation in Austerity: 36% of PA’s rural hospitals risk closure. Geisinger’s 65 Forward clinics in Hazleton offer seniors $0 copays for primary care.

  3. Resilience Through Data: Linked to Geisinger’s MyCode Initiative, the largest U.S. genomic study, identifying 1,500+ PA patients with cancer-risk genes.

Insider Tip: Panels often ask, “How would you improve ProvenHealth Navigator?”—their patient-centered medical home model. Prepare solutions tied to local demographics (e.g., adding mobile clinics for Reading’s Puerto Rican enclaves). geisinger.edu

2. Pennsylvania’s Healthcare Policy: Medicaid Expansion Meets Mountain Barriers

1. Medicaid Expansion & the Rural Coverage Gap

PA expanded Medicaid in 2015 under Gov. Wolf, covering 1.1 million residents. Yet 12% of rural Pennsylvanians remain uninsured—highest in Pike County (23%). Geisinger’s Coverage Coordination Team enrolls patients in Shamokin clinics using USDA-funded telehealth kiosks.

2. Opioid Settlement Reinvestment

PA is allocating $1.07B from opioid lawsuits. Geisinger’s Project Naloxone distributed 8,200 overdose reversal kits in 2023, focusing on Carbon County’s “pill mill” legacy.

3. Rural Hospital “Life Support”

Seven PA rural hospitals closed since 2005. Geisinger’s Mobile Health Unit now serves 18,000+ patients annually in Columbia County, where ER wait times average 4.2 hours.

Tip: Name-drop Geisinger’s Steele Institute for Health Innovation when discussing tech-driven solutions (e.g., AI predicting diabetic amputations in Wilkes-Barre).

3. Current Events & Social Issues: The PA Lens

Local Flashpoints

• Maternal Mortality: Black women in PA die postpartum at 2x the rate of white women. Geisinger’s Birth Equity Collaborative trains doulas in Williamsport’s Lycoming County, reducing preterm births by 18%.

• Fracking Fallout: Susquehanna County’s shale gas boom correlates with 27% asthma spikes. Geisinger’s Environmental Health Institute links methane exposure to low birth weights in Dimock.

• Aging Crisis: PA has the 4th-oldest population. Geisinger’s Home-Based Primary Care serves 1,600 homebound seniors in Lackawanna County.

National Issues with PA Stakes

• Abortion Access: Post-Dobbs, PA’s 24-week limit makes it a Mid-Atlantic haven. Geisinger OB-GYNs report a 40% rise in Ohio patients at Danville’s clinic.

• Immigrant Health: Hazleton’s Latino population (52%) faces 33% uninsured rates. Geisinger’s Casa Guadalupe partnership offers Spanish-language diabetes workshops.

Tip: Cite Geisinger’s All of Us Research Program studying social determinants in coal regions like Schuylkill County.

4. The 5 Questions Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is most likely to ask during your medical school interview

1. “Why Geisinger? How does our Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program align with your rural care goals?”

2. “A patient refuses a COVID vaccine, citing religious beliefs. How do you respond?”

3. “PA ranks 44th in mental health access. Design an intervention for Lycoming County.”

4. “Describe a time you navigated a cultural barrier. How did it shape your empathy?”

5. “How should Geisinger address AI bias in MyCode genomic predictions?”