Updated
What Motivates You? Interview Answers for Healthcare Applicants
Interviewers who ask “What motivates you?” or to describe what motivates you to provide exceptional patient care want one real motivator, proved with a specific story and connected to empathy and compassion in the profession in your last sentence. Oklahoma State's pre-health guide says committees want to know what you like doing and why, and to “avoid money motives and clichés” (Oklahoma State). The AMCAS guide even asks applicants to think about “What motivates you to learn more about medicine?” for the personal statement (AMCAS Applicant Guide).
The motivator list and example answer are ours (sources read October 31, 2026).
Not the same as why medicine
“Why medicine?” asks about the career. “What motivates you?” asks about you, in any setting: school, work, sport, family. Answer the second with something true about how you are wired, then show in one sentence how it fits the work. For the career question, see why do you want to be a doctor.
What AMCAS and pre-health advisors say
- The AMCAS Applicant Guide lists “What motivates you to learn more about medicine?” among the questions to consider for your personal statement (AMCAS). Our why medicine essay guide covers the written version.
- UW-Madison's pre-health sample questions list “What motivates you?” next to questions about pressure and challenge (UW-Madison).
- It is also a staple of general job interviews: a common-questions list on University of Detroit Mercy's site, retrieved from a job-search site, includes it (UD Mercy).
- Oklahoma State's pre-health packet suggests respect, helping others, problem solving, accomplishment or being goal driven as options (Oklahoma State).
Motivators that fit clinical work
| Motivator | How to show it |
|---|---|
| Seeing someone get better because of something you did | How to show it: One patient, student or client and the specific change. |
| Solving a problem nobody else had figured out | How to show it: The puzzle, your step and the result. |
| Getting better at something hard | How to show it: A skill you practiced until it worked, and how you measured it. |
| Being trusted with responsibility | How to show it: A time someone handed you something important and you delivered. |
| Being part of a team that pulls together | How to show it: A moment the group did something none of you could alone. |
Pick the one you can prove with your best story, especially when asked to describe what motivates you to provide exceptional patient care. In its 17 premed competencies (updated in 2026), the AAMC weighs qualities like service orientation and a commitment to learning and growth across your whole application (AAMC), so a motivator that matches your experiences will sound true.
A weak answer, rewritten
Weak: "I'm motivated by helping people and by challenging myself. I've always been a very driven person." It names two motivators, proves neither and sounds like every other applicant. The example below names one, proves it in a story and ties it to medicine in a sentence. If your story is really about something you achieved, use it for your greatest accomplishment instead.
Practice question: what motivates you
When they push: what motivates you when you don't want to do something?
Say what you do on the hard days, not only the good ones: the routine you use, the person you think about, or the goal you keep in front of you. That is what the follow-up is really testing.
“What motivates you?”
The AMCAS personal statement asks a version of this too. In the interview, one real motivator and one story beat a list of good qualities.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I'm motivated by the moment something clicks for someone because of the way I explained it.
I've tutored high school chemistry for three years. One student failed her first two tests and told me she was just bad at science. We stopped doing problem sets for a week and drew every reaction as a picture instead. On her next test she got a B, and she texted me a photo of it before she told her parents.
That feeling is what keeps me going through the parts of school I don't enjoy. And it is a big part of why I want to be a physician, because so much of good care is explaining things until they make sense to the patient.
Sources: the AMCAS Applicant Guide, Oklahoma State's and UW-Madison's pre-health pages, a University of Detroit Mercy job-interview list and the AAMC, checked October 31, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How should I answer the what motivates you question?
Name one real motivator, prove it with a specific story, and connect it to the profession. Oklahoma State's pre-health guide says interview committees want to know what you like doing and why you like doing it. See Oklahoma State's pre-health interview packet.
What should I avoid saying?
Money and clichés. Oklahoma State's guide says to avoid money motives and clichés, and suggests respect, helping others, problem solving, accomplishment or being goal driven as options.
Is this the same as why do you want to be a doctor?
No. Why medicine is about the career. What motivates you is about you, in any setting. The best answers connect the two in the last sentence. See the why medicine question.
Can I say I am motivated by helping people?
Only with a specific story. Almost every applicant says it, so the story is what makes it yours. Better still, name the specific kind of help that motivates you.
Is this the same as the AMCAS personal statement question?
Close. The AMCAS guide asks you to consider "What motivates you to learn more about medicine?" when writing your personal statement. Your interview answer can echo it, as long as it adds a story the essay did not use. See how to write the why medicine essay.